The moment Alex initiated the construction, a surge of ck energy erupted from Undead City, shooting skyward like a dark beacon.


    The pce beneath her feet trembled, its foundations groaning as it rose from the ground, pulled upwards by an unseen force. A wave of ck energy washed over it, transforming its once-pale stone into a deep, unsettling obsidian.


    Alex felt a strange pull, a surge of power coursing through her veins. Her aura red uncontrobly. Her left eye zed with a cold, destructive blue light, while her right eye pulsed with a captivating crimson energy.


    Dark energy poured from her, swirling around her like a living shroud. She couldn''t tell if it was her own realm power or dark magic. It felt like both, intertwined and amplified.


    The ck energy emanating from Alex merged with the city''s own dark aura, coalescing above the pce into a colossal shadowy figure. It stood tall, its long hair flowing like a banner, its mismatched eyes gazing down upon the city. In its hand, it clutched a massive, shadowy scythe. It was the embodiment of Grim Reaper itself.


    The Undead Empire''s Tear, instead of vanishing, rose slowly, drawn upwards by the same unseen force that had lifted the pce.


    Alex, sensing something, turned her head. From the ascending pce''s peak, a ck crystal emerged, pulsing with power.


    It was Undead City''s city crystal!


    The city crystal and the Empire''s Tear, like mas drawn to each other, drifted towards one another.


    As Alex watched, mesmerized, they fused, bing one. A wave of ck energy erupted from the newly formed crystal, spreading outwards, enveloping the entire city.


    The assembled creatures below looked up, their gazes following Alex''s ascending form.


    The pce was now shrouded in darkness, the only visible light emanating from Alex''s glowing eyes.


    Then, the transformation ceased. The city''s expansion halted.


    The pce at the city''s heart stood tall and imposing, its obsidian walls radiating an aura of power and dread. A mere nce at its imposing structure sent shivers down one''s spine.


    Alex, standing atop the pce, felt the change most acutely.


    The pce was immense. Its grand doors were nowrge enough to amodate even a Zombie Titan with ease.


    From her vantage point, she could see the entire Dark Forest spread out before her. The pce''s height rivaled that of the distant Frostwind Snowy Mountain.


    The city itself had grown as well.


    If one were topare the old Undead City to its current form, the former would upy only a quarter of the space.


    The city crystal, its energy expenditureplete, returned to its resting ce within the pce. The ck energy that had engulfed the city slowly dissipated.


    Alex frowned. Establishing an Empire shouldn''t be this simple.


    As thest vestiges of the transformation faded, the city fell silent. The undead below, as if awakening from a trance, dropped to one knee, their heads bowed in submission.


    The other races, taking their cue from the undead, followed suit. Dragons, massive and powerful, lowered their heads alongside the smallest skeletons.


    "Long live the queen!"


    "Glory to the Undead Empire!"


    The undead roared in unison, their voices echoing across the city, reaching the ears of the hundreds of thousands of undead stationed beyond the walls.


    "Long live the queen!" they echoed, their voices a thunderous wave that shook the very foundations of the Dark Forest.


    The Grim Reaper behind Alex dissipated, its energy flowing back into her. She slowly retracted her aura, the oppressive pressure lifting from the assembled crowd.


    A strange sensation washed over her, a newfound connection to her city, her empire. It was a consequence of the transformation, a subtle shift in her being.


    Before she could open her system interface, it appeared before her, as if anticipating her needs.


    [Congrattions! You have established the Undead Empire. Your city has been upgraded to the Undead Imperial Capital. You have gained the special skill: Sacrifice. You have received the special reward: Undead Quintessence (Complete).]


    [Within your domain, all is yours! As the Undead Queen, you possess the ability to perceive all that transpires within your territory. Your subjugated races can establish vassal kingdoms (0/7) to gather faith power for you.]


    [Note: Faith power is a necessary element for some Sovereign level powerhouses seeking to ascend to godhood.]


    The word "godhood" snagged Alex''s attention. Her gaze darted to the note at the bottom.


    "So bing a god isn''t just about finding your divine path, igniting your divine fire, and achieving god. You also need faith power from your followers?"


    It was a startling revtion. The system had revealed so little about the path to godhood, and she was stillrgely in the dark.


    "Wait, I can only gather faith power after establishing an Empire. But what about Rapha? Are angels just naturally predisposed to god?"


    It was infuriating. No wonder she was progressing so rapidly.


    This newfound knowledge only fueled Alex''s desire to eliminate her.


    Her Undead Empire could have seven vassal kingdoms. However, the Man-eating Ant Kingdom, the Hobgoblin Kingdom, the Dwarf Kingdom, and the Orc Empire didn''t count.


    It seemed that submitting to her had stripped them of their kingdom status, reverting them to ordinary races.


    Establishing a vassal kingdom required her explicit authorization.


    Seven kingdoms, one for each continent... A n began to form in Alex''s mind.


    The Empire''s Tear, having fused with the city crystal, was gone. In its ce, she now possessed seven Vassal Kingdom''s Tears.


    They looked identical to ordinary Kingdom''s Tears, except for a tiny ck dot at their core, barely noticeable.


    [Item: Vassal Kingdom''s Tear]


    [Effect: Establishes a kingdom subservient to the Undead Empire. Item disappears upon use. Faith power gathered by creatures within the kingdom will be channeled directly to the Undead Imperial Capital.]


    So even if her vassal kingdoms were destroyed, they wouldn''t leave behind a Kingdom''s Tear. Their enemies wouldn''t even know which Empire they had been subservient to.


    Secrecy was paramount for any Lord.


    Alex was almost certain this was a perk exclusive to Empires. Establishing a kingdom wouldn''t have granted her this ability.


    Her Undead Empire was unique. Its territory spanned three continents.


    As the sole ruler of the Undead Empire, she now possessed the ability to perceive everything within her domain. It was an invaluable tool, allowing her to monitor her territory for any potential threats.


    She tested it out. It was simr to the system''s "perceive all" ability, but weaker.


    It was more of a subtle awareness, a feeling rather than a clear vision. But it was independent of the system, a power she could wield without relying on its interface.


    Her empire''s territory was divided into four distinct regions. She decided to keep things simple, naming them after the dominant races inhabiting each area.


    Arsen Continent: Former Dwarf Kingdom, now the Undead Empire''s Dwarf Territory; former Orc Empire and surrounding areas, now the Gemini Territory.


    Mossvale Continent: Dragon City, now the Dragon Territory.


    As for the Undead Imperial Capital within the Dark Forest, she named it the Undead Territory.


    It epassed the Hobgoblin Kingdom, Twinface Mountain, the Savage ins, and the Frostwind Snowy Mountain.


    The far north, too distant and separated from the Savage ins by a vast expanse of unimednd, was not included.


    And since her capital was located on the Eldoria continent, the first vassal kingdom would naturally belong to Ruby.


    These four territories, each one vast and powerful, dwarfed any ordinary Empire.


    [Your Empire has been recognized by the World''s Heart. The Undead Empire has entered the world stage!]


    Alex froze, her heart skipping a beat.


    "What?! Does that mean the other races know about the undead now?!"


    Her face paled. Was she suddenly under everyone''s scrutiny?


    As if sensing her panic, the system, after a slight dy, provided further rification.


    [Note: Entering the world stage does not reveal the location of the Undead Empire. The native races are only aware of the emergence of a new Empire.]


    "Phew, that''s a relief."


    The system had her back, as always. If her location were exposed, she wouldn''tst long as queen. The other major factions would descend upon her like vultures.


    As long as her location remained a secret, she could continue to develop her forces within the safety of the Dark Forest.


    Whether they knew the race of the newly established Empire was another matter. The system hadn''t rified that.


    If they knew it was an Undead Empire, she would still be in danger.


    "Why is the system so slow now that I''ve established an Empire?" she wondered, a flicker of suspicion crossing her mind.


    And what was this "World''s Heart" it had mentioned?


    Was it some kind of world consciousness?


    Was the system battling it, causing the dy?


    "Whatever. It''s not my concern right now."


    She imed her rewards: a new skill and the Undead Quintessence.


    [Sacrifice: Sacrifice undead to temporarily increase your level. The higher the level increase, the greater the number of undead sacrificed. No side effects. CD: 24 hours.]


    This skill... it was on par with Life Link!


    Life Link passively sacrificed undead to shield her from harm. Sacrifice actively sacrificed undead to enhance her power.


    It was a trump card, a powerful tool to be used strategically.


    After all, she had an abundance of undead. And just like Life Link, which prioritized sacrificing lower-level undead, she assumed Sacrifice would follow the same principle.


    It meant preserving her high-level units while maximizing the utility of her cannon fodder. A win-win situation.


    And let''s not forget her scythe''s summoning ability. The more enemies she slew, the stronger the fear she absorbed, the higher the level of the summoned Scarecrow. Another ace up her sleeve forrge-scale battles.


    Temporary power, but enough to turn the tide.


    She looked at the Undead Quintessence, her heart pounding with anticipation. This time, the Undead Quintessence was theplete edition. What changes would it bring?


    She imed it, but instead of absorbing it immediately, she turned her attention to her undead forces. The Empire was established. It was time to get back to work.


    The pce''s increased size was proving to be a minor inconvenience. Instead of walking down the seemingly endless staircase, she teleported to the center of the square.


    She noticed that the skull statue that once stood at the square''s center had been reced with a statue of herself.


    It depicted her wielding her scythe, her left foot resting atop a pile of skulls, her gaze cold and emotionless, fixed on the city gates.


    "Crane, lead the undead eastward, expanding our territory within the Dark Forest. Azure, take the Bone Dragons into the Barren ins. Go around the Frostwind Snowy Mountain. Avoid any contact with the humans. John, you''re in charge of the region between the Savage ins and the far north."


    "As youmand, my queen," the three race kings replied in unison.


    Alex turned to the other three kings.


    "Arthas, Riven, Arthur, you''re still in charge of the Featherfolk campaign. All King level undead are under yourmand. Take them down swiftly and then begin expanding outwards."


    "As youmand, my queen."


    "Death Spirit, you''re still in charge of intelligence gathering and coordination."


    The Death Spirit, despite itsck ofbat prowess, was an invaluable asset.


    The ck mist pulsed, acknowledging hermand.


    With the undead''s tasks assigned, she turned her attention to the subjugated races. The seven race kings had the authority to deploy them as they saw fit. Wasting a Monarch level troop each day was not an option.


    "You are my trusted lieutenants. Reach King level as soon as possible. But remember, your survival is paramount. Don''t take unnecessary risks."


    She couldn''t afford to lose any of her potential god-candidates.


    "Thank you for your concern, my queen!" the seven race kings replied, their voices filled with gratitude.


    "Go."


    They bowed and departed, leading their undead forces out of the city.


    Alex estimated there were at least five hundred Monarch level units present. A formidable force, capable of overwhelming any non-King level faction.


    The subjugated races from the other cities remained. Alex''s policy was simple: Auxiliary Barracks belonged to the city they were built in.


    They were essentially extensions of the three cities, not directly under themand of the race kings.


    Alex returned to the pce, approaching the four who had been patiently waiting.


    "Miss Alex, congrattions! You''re a great queen now!" Xiao Hui eximed, her voice bubbling with excitement.


    "Shouldn''t you be addressing her as ''Your Majesty'' now?" Sophie chimed in, her toneced with amusement.