Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

The mage, scorched by the cursed lightning, collapsed onto the back of the Pegasus as if unconscious.

"Is he dead?" thought Justin.

Though it was clear the mage, had lost consciousness, it was too far to confirm whether he was alive or not. The Cursed Lightning itself wasn't known for its destructive power, but the double amplification Justin had applied to it made it likely that his foe might be dead.

Even so, the summoned Pegasus remained unaffected, despite taking a direct hit from the magic. Being a translucent manifestation rather than a living creature, it seemed incapable of feeling pain. However, without its summoner to guide it, the Pegasus could do little more than slowly descend the hill, apparently aiming for a safe landing.

"Well, that takes care of one," Justin muttered.

"You bastard!" A furious shout erupted from the other side of the hill as the Pegasus disappeared from view.

A warrior, evidently enraged by the fallen mage's fate, stormed toward Justin with a furious expression, paying no heed to the warnings of his comrades.

"I'll kill you!"

"Hey, you idiot! Stop! Come back!"

"Shut up!"

The warrior ignored his leader's desperate call, his rage blinding him to reason. Seeing his foe charging recklessly, Justin raised his finger and chanted calmly.

"Double Amplification - Black Missile."

The spell shot forth.

"Black Missile!" the warrior scoffed, raising his shield to block. But his confidence was misplaced.

With a dull thud, the missile tore through both the shield and the warrior behind it, his momentum halted abruptly as his body collapsed to the ground.

"You really thought you could block that?" Justin muttered loudly enough for the enemy to hear, his tone mocking.

"Damn it!" the enemy leader cursed, a mix of anger and fear stirring amongst their ranks. Clearly, they hadn't anticipated Justin's magic to be so overpowering.

"Stay behind your shields! Hold your ground! Approach slowly and take him out in close combat!" The leader tried to rally his soldiers despite the rising tension.

Sure, two of their own had fallen, but they still outnumbered Justin ten to one. If they advanced with their shields, surrounding him two against one, they would eventually overwhelm him.

But Justin had no intention of letting that happen.

Experience tales with empire

"Black Missile!"

The spell shot again.

"Fool! That won't work!" The leader, perhaps in an attempt to bolster his soldiers' morale, yelled defiantly.

Justin, amused by their bravado, narrowed his eyes.

"Let's see if that holds up," he muttered, summoning more energy. "Black Missile, Black Missile, Black Missile!"

Missile after missile rained down on the shields.

While the shields were enchanted to disperse magical attacks, no equipment could withstand unlimited punishment. These shields, despite their dungeon-grade enchantments, surely had limits.

"There's got to be some kind of restriction!" Justin thought. "Whether it's a time limit or a usage cap, there's always a flaw in overpowered gear."

By the time the barrage of twenty, thirty missiles had slammed into the shields, the enemy leader's face had turned pale. He must've realized what Justin was doing—pushing the equipment to its limits. But after seeing his comrade impaled earlier, he hesitated, afraid to advance too quickly.

Finally, after countless impacts, Justin's magic pierced through.

"Black Missile!"

The spell hit, and with a loud crack, the shimmering silver of the shield shattered, peeling away like a broken coating. What remained was a dull gray shield, stripped of its magical defenses.

The leader, terrified, tried to brace behind the now-ordinary shield.

"Black Missile!"

"Ugh!" The leader hunched behind his shield, expecting the worst.

But nothing happened.

"…What's going on?" one of the enemy soldiers asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"Why's he just standing there?" Another soldier followed up.

Even Justin's own allies cast puzzled glances his way. Justin clicked his tongue, realizing the issue.

"I've used them all," he thought.

He had exhausted all his Black Missiles—20 standard shots, along with 5 additional ones stored in his apprentice's staff. Even his Cursed Lightning had been spent after two uses. All that remained was his Energy Drain spell.

Sensing Justin's predicament, the enemy leader's expression brightened.

"He's out of spells! Attack him now!" he commanded with renewed vigor.

A mage without magic was nothing more than a burden. For black mages like Justin, who couldn't recharge their energy without sacrifices, the situation seemed dire. But Justin still had a trick up his sleeve.

"Imp Summon!"

A cloud of purple smoke billowed forth, and the enemy froze, unsure what creature would emerge.

When the smoke cleared, a tiny imp stood before Justin, drawing snickers from the enemy soldiers.

"What the hell is that?"

"Is he serious? What's he planning to do with that little thing?"

Despite their laughter, the imp glared up at Justin, its expression one of exasperation.

"What is it this time? Seriously, can't you give me a break? We may have a contract, but this is getting ridiculous—"

"Energy Drain!"

"Eeeeek!" The imp's protests were cut short as Justin grabbed its head, immediately draining its life force.

With direct contact, the process was swift, and as Justin absorbed its vitality, the enemy soldiers' mockery turned to horror.

"Th-that bastard!" one of them shouted.

"He's using his own summon as a battery!"

In this world, when a mage runs out of spells, they become dead weight. Lacking any significant physical strength, they're left with no offensive options. In long battles, most mages could step back to recover and return after meditation, relying on their comrades for protection. But for Warlocks, like Justin, this basic rule didn't apply.

"The only class of mages unable to meditate... Warlock," Justin thought.

The only way for him to recharge his spells was by draining life energy or feeding off negative emotions. Early in a fight, this wasn't much of an issue; he could simply sap an enemy's vitality without killing them. But as battles progressed and stronger enemies emerged, this tactic became impossible. These enemies were lethal even when on the brink of death.

"Damn it. If I leave them alive, I'm dead. If I kill them, I can't recharge my magic. What am I supposed to do?"

The repeated dilemmas of survival left Warlocks with no choice but to exhaust their spells. In the end, they often found themselves cornered with no way forward. The only way out was to sacrifice one of their own to recharge, but doing so would crush the morale of the entire force. The dissatisfaction would spread across the land, and disloyalty would fester.

Ultimately, the foundation of any kingdom Justin built would crumble.

This was why the Warlockclass was often considered to have a short shelf life.

But in Justin's case, there was one loophole.

"In a game, draining a summon's life would still lower morale, but this isn't a game. This is real."

If he had drained the life force from a human, even in this world, it would have undoubtedly shattered their spirits. After all, causing others pain by draining their life wasn't a pleasant experience. But using a summoned creature? That was different.