Chapter 57: The Legion of Azure-Winged Bees

As soon as the queen bee’s body dropped downward, the vigilant Wind Wolf leader leaped up once more, its claw striking out fiercely! The queen bee, profoundly wary of the Wind Wolf, dared not be negligent. Its delicate wings beat frantically, and by a hair’s breadth, it escaped the wolf’s claws. The gust conjured by the wolf’s strike sent the queen bee reeling, stumbling rapidly to the side.

This tremendous force instantly propelled the queen bee out of the range of the fireballs. The queen bee was overjoyed, for it was certain it could finally escape with its life. Yet, just as it prepared to beat its wings and return to the swarm, a large, furry, black ear suddenly appeared beside it.

With a sharp crack, the black ear struck the queen bee hard, knocking it straight out of the air and slamming it violently into the ground.

A shrill, pained cry escaped the queen bee’s mouth. Its body twitched twice on the earth before finally falling still.

At this moment, the fierce Emerald-winged Bees surrounding Rollin descended on him, attacking relentlessly. Agonizing pain shot through every part of his body, threatening to drive him into unconsciousness. He gritted his teeth against the torment, first relinquished his control over the Level-Four Wind Wolf leader—sending it back into the Necromancer’s Space—then hastily began to recite a necromantic incantation—Necromancer’s Summons.

This spell could only ever control a dead creature one rank above his own, so Rollin had to first relinquish control of the Wind Wolf leader before he could attempt to command the queen bee.

A strange power shrouded the queen bee’s corpse in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the dead queen bee’s body twitched, then its wings began to hum, lifting it back into the air.

A low, invisible wave pulsed from the queen bee’s mouth, instantly sweeping through the swarm. Every Emerald-winged Bee attacking Rollin and Little Black froze at once, then turned to cluster behind the resurrected queen bee.

With the crisis averted, Rollin’s taut nerves finally slackened, and he collapsed to the ground. The searing agony from the bee stings surged through him, making him curl up and roll in pain.

“This is bad—the venom from the stings is spreading! Rollin, quickly take some royal bee marrow from your Necromancer’s Space and apply it to your wounds!” Kus shouted urgently.

“Uncle Kus, but… that royal bee marrow was meant for treating my brother’s legs…” Even as his body was consumed by a pain like a thousand ants gnawing at his heart, Rollin hesitated to use the precious salve that might give his younger brother Hawk hope.

“Your brother’s leg will need only a few drops at most. You stubborn boy, if you die from the poison now, how will you save him?” Kus scolded, though his heart was filled with admiration for the depth of Rollin’s love for his brother. Who would not wish for a sibling like this?

Spurred by Kus’s words, Rollin endured the agony, extracted a single drop of royal bee marrow from his Necromancer's Space, and quickly smeared it over the worst of his wounds near his heart.

The instant the marrow touched his wound, the pain vanished, and the swelling began to subside visibly. Rollin wasted no time, rapidly applying the precious remedy to several other wounds on his abdomen. Each was healed in turn, and before long, the whole drop was gone. Rollin began to feel a measure of calm return; the bee marrow’s efficacy was astonishing, and he could not help but feel it was almost wasteful to use it so freely.

He then took out a small bowl, half-filled with clear water, and carefully dissolved a drop of royal bee marrow into it. Dipping his fingers into the diluted solution, he spread it over his remaining wounds. Though the diluted mixture was not as potent as the pure marrow, it still rapidly eased his pain and caused the swelling to recede.

Glancing at the donkey, Little Black, Rollin was amazed to see that it bore not a single scratch—testament to the strength of the prismatic shield protecting it from harm.

Seeing the remarkable effects of the royal bee marrow, Rollin was overjoyed. He quickly applied the salve to every wound he could reach, then handed the bowl to Skeleton Brian for help with his back. Though Brian’s bony claws were far from comfortable, of all the undead under Rollin’s command, he was the best suited for the task.

Soon, Little Skeleton Brian had finished applying the diluted bee marrow to Rollin’s back, using up every last drop. Rollin sat cross-legged on the ground, quickly regaining his strength.

This battle had been perilous in the extreme. Had he not relentlessly bombarded the queen bee with spells, unleashed his corpse wolves, then relied on the fatal blows from the Wind Wolf leader and Little Black, he would have perished. Only by slaying the queen bee and seizing command of the swarm had Rollin survived.

Once recovered, Rollin exhaled deeply and opened his eyes—only to be stunned. All of the thousand Emerald-winged Bees in the air had fallen to the ground. Sensing the situation, he found that the ground was covered in a thick carpet of dead Emerald-winged Bees—they had all perished!

“What… what happened?” Rollin, astonished, probed his connection with the queen bee and finally uncovered the truth.

Seeing its master so grievously wounded by its own minions, the queen bee, now under Rollin’s control, had flown into a rage and commanded the entire swarm to commit mass suicide!

Not a single one dared defy the order. All had obediently given up their lives. Rollin could not help but marvel at the queen bee’s absolute authority over its subjects. Then, excitement surged within him—these dead bees, along with those stored in his Necromancer’s Space, would all become his own undead army!

But soon, a new worry arose. The number of undead he could control was limited—how could he possibly wield the power of over a thousand Emerald-winged Bees?

Just then, as he glanced at the queen bee, Rollin slapped his own forehead. “How could I be so foolish! Why didn’t I think of it sooner?”

Ecstatic at his revelation, Rollin eagerly removed the dead Emerald-winged Bees from his Necromancer’s Space, placing them with those on the ground. He began to recite his necromantic incantations, refining the beasts into undead soldiers.

The sheer number was daunting. Rollin worked in intervals, resting to restore his magic and stamina, and only after nearly two hours did he finish. Luckily, the bees’ small size made the process easier.

Instead of trying to control the entire swarm, Rollin issued a single command: he transferred command of all the undead bees to the queen bee.

A low hum issued from the queen bee, and over a thousand Emerald-winged Bees rose into the air, forming ranks behind her. Rollin was delighted—the plan had worked! By controlling the queen bee, he now indirectly commanded the whole army.

This insight, in fact, was inspired by Kus’s earlier reminder. No matter how powerful, a necromancer could never personally control millions; only by seizing the leader could he command the masses through delegation.

Just as Rollin was reveling in his new army, furious roars echoed from the distance.

It was the Three-headed Mighty Bears, provoked into a rage by the corpse wolves. After chasing them for a great distance and ‘killing’ them, the bears had returned—only to find Rollin, Little Black, and a host of corpse wolves still encroaching on their territory. Enraged, they charged forward.

At that moment, the queen bee sent a message through her connection with Rollin. His eyes sparkled as he looked at the charging bears, a smile curling on his lips. “So that’s how it is. Let them taste the wrath of the Emerald-winged Bee army!”

With that, Rollin pointed towards the three black bears, and under the queen bee’s leadership, the thousand-strong swarm surged forth in attack!