《The Undead's Tale》


 Chapter 1: Awaken

    ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    Asked a raspy voice.


    I looked up and saw a rotting face, grayish and red, with a quarter of his or her face revealing skull and bloodshot eyes that have gone milky. I wanted to scream, but couldn¡¯t make a sound. In fact I¡¯m not even startled, nor afraid.


    <ul>


    <li><Unfeeling > - As an Undead, you are unable to become emotional. You are also unable to feel any sort of pain and discomfort</li>


    </ul>


    Huh? What is this? Unfeeling? Hey, I am confused right now. Doesn¡¯t that count as some sort of emotion?


    The rotting person snapped its fingers at me, catching my attention.


    ¡°Hey! Are you defective? I said are you awake? Answer!¡±


    I tried to make a sound, but for some reason I can¡¯t explain. I feel like I don¡¯t even have any vocal cord. I raised my hands and gaze at the skeletal structure. Is all bone, white and slightly gray.


    ¡°So you are awake.¡± Said the rotting person, ¡°Good, I can sense your thoughts a bit. You have sentience unlike all the others. Now as an undead and a full skeleton one, you cannot speak. Unless you acquire <Vocal Amplitude>, it is impossible for you to speak. Fortunately, as a sentient being created by me, we can communicate telepathically.¡±


    So you can read my mind?


    I thought.


    ¡°Indeed. Now get up, from now on you¡¯re my commanding officer for my legions! Go grab a set of armor and weapon, move now!¡±


    The rotting person push me off the hard table that was cover in red cloth. I fell smashing my head on the floor, the rotting person snorted.


    ¡°Tch, a terrible reaction, pathetic. Get up, my patient has its limits you know.¡±


    The rotting person kicked my ribs forcing me to roll over and push myself up with my seemingly fragile, skeletal body. I was wearing nothing and as a skeleton, this is beyond naked. Should I be embarrassed? As I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable, something popped within my mind.


    <ul>


    <li><Unfeeling> has been activated, all emotions are purged</li>


    </ul>


    The discomfort about my body condition dissipated in an instant and I disregard the topic while pushing myself up. Standing straight and trying to erase the embarrassment earlier, the rotting person snorted again.


    ¡°Took you long enough. From now on you will address me as Master. I am your creator, your ressurator! I am the Great Lich Trunai! Bow before your Master!¡±


    With those commands, my body begin to move on its own and within seconds, I found myself prostrating before this huge ego of a rotting person.


    Or Lich as he or she claims to be.


    I couldn¡¯t really tell if this Lich is a man or a woman, the decayed face is beyond recognizable and the Lich¡¯s entire body is shrouded in a clean robe that is colored dark purple and decorated with several symbols.


    During the time that my body is transitioning towards a prostrate pose, that mental message once again popped up in my mind.


    <ul>


    <li>Attention <Greater Obedience> has been activated, you shall obey most orders that is given by [Greater Lich Trunai]</li>


    </ul>


    Your wish is my command.


    I thought.


    ¡°Good. Now go obtain a set of armor, I want you to stand out a bit since the rest are indistinguishable.¡±


    Trunai stare at me while I stand up and automatically walk towards the huge door frame, which I assume to be the Armory


    Various weapons and armors were laid out all of them looking brand new. While there isn¡¯t much like you would expect from a small military armory, it is a lot for a single person to decide.


    Which one do I pick? All of these gives off some sort of aura that clearly states that these gears are not your average tool of war.


    Master, which armor do you think will suit me?


    ¡°Ho, whichever suits you best.¡±


    You are most generous. Unfortunately I cannot determine which armor is best suited for me knowing that these armors are not normal armors.


    ¡°Hm, I see. Very well, it would be beneficial to give my retainer <Appraisal>. With this, you shall be able to see which armor is best suited including its effects. Oh? That reminds me, I have yet to use <Appraisal> on you.¡±


    Trunai grasp my arm and gaze at it, a strange sensation washed over me. Like the Lich is literally staring into my soul.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°No! Th-this is amazing!¡±


    Trunai pulled my arm and threw me back into the room where I was resurrected. I tried to scramble back up, confused, but Trunai blasted me with something forcing me down.


    I could feel my ribs turning into dust. It was a strange feeling, being able to feel my ribs despite being blasted into dust and detached from my main body.


    Within seconds, what remains of my ribs began to reform and attached themselves to what was left of my bony chest like mud. The remains reshaped once they were attached to my stumps and ta-da!


    I was whole.


    ¡°Haha! If only I have such a Passive Skill. Yes you are truly fitting to be my right hand man!¡±


    Master? What do you mean?


    <Unfeeling> had been activated earlier, causing me to disregard the fact that I was nearly killed. I¡¯m pretty certain that I could still be killed despite being an Undead.


    ¡°You have a passive <Unholy Resurrection>. You can pull yourself together even if I grind you into dust. Ha, if only I have such a skill. Alas I am a Lich, we hold our souls within and without...¡±


    He raised his staff creating a whirlwind. The whirlwind tore me apart like paper in a shredder and scatter my body everywhere. What a jerk.


    I believe I was mostly dust after that, next thing I knew, I was whole again.


    <ul>


    <li>Attention, you have obtained the Title <The Undying One></li>


    </ul>


    A title?


    ¡°Hm, seems like a fitting one as well. That reminds me, I forgot to give you <Appraisal>.¡±


    Trunai raised his hands at me and I felt a sharp jab at my mind as another message appeared.


    <ul>


    <li>Attention, you have obtain a Skill <Appraisal></li>


    </ul>


    I bowed to my Master. Despite not really knowing what appraising is.


    Thank you for bestowing me a great gift, Master.


    ¡°Indeed, not many could give one a Skill. Much less an <Appraisal> skill!¡±


    The Lich cackled and walked away.


    ¡°Come find me once you pick out your equipment. I will be waiting in my Throne Room. Take your time.¡±


    I stared at the Armory, looking at various armors and weapons ranging from <Holy> to <Cursed>. That reminds me, I can use <Appraisal> despite not being given any instruction on how to activate it in the first place. Guess its instinct.


    I begin to use <Appraisal> on armors I wanted based on their appearance. I check the stats on a dark purplish and reddish armor.


    <ul>


    <li>[Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor] - Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor hails from the nation Draku. The country of Draku is mostly surrounded by former volcanoes where its ashes had caused the sky in Draku to be dark and its environment nearly uninhabitable.</li>


    <li>Heat Resistance Lvl 6</li>


    <li>Blood Veins Lvl 5</li>


    <li>Shadow Stance Lvl 5</li>


    <li>Light Resistance Lvl 6</li>


    <li>Holy Resistance Lvl 4</li>


    <li>Fire Resistance Lvl 6</li>


    </ul>


    Not bad, compare to the others that I have seen. This armor has a lot of stats that is appealing to me. I now found out the reason why the Lich wanted me to take my time. I could use <Appraisal> on the abilities and passives to get a better description.


    <ul>


    <li>Blood Veins - The more injury the wearer is, the faster the wearer shall be healed [Passive]</li>


    <li>Blood Veins - The wearer can sacrifice part of its blood or soul in exchange for power [Active]</li>


    </ul>


    Due to my <Unholy Resurrection>, I might not have to worry about overusing this ability. Although I won¡¯t be able to sacrifice any blood since I am a skeleton and my bone marrows are empty. I don¡¯t know if my soul is in any danger as well. Might as well check <Unholy Resurrection> later just to be certain.


    Next, I checked <Shadow Stance> on [Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor]


    <ul>


    <li>Shadow Stance - The wearer can become invisible when the wearer is moving slowly or standing still [Passive] </li>


    </ul>


    Now that is something I really want! Stealthy, but tanky. I grab the armor set and begin to disassemble it in order to wear it. The armor holds multiply components along with a chainmail and clothing that I can wear beneath the armor.


    The armor itself have two shoulder pads that holds some sort of symbols along with a black cape that reaches about knee cap length. Being a full body armor, I was worried about movement restriction, but I found out that the small gaps in the armor doesn¡¯t entirely restrict my movement.


    In other words if I am nimble, I might not have to worry about being strike within the vulnerable part of my armor. But I am a skeleton, so I don¡¯t need to worry about getting being pierce. Did I mention that it comes along with a cool helmet that covers my entire head?


    Great to be wearing something again.


    Next I looked for a weapon while doing a quick check on my Passive Skills.


    <ul>


    <li><Unholy Resurrection> - The holder of this Skill can revive themselves after being slain from any sort of damage. If the holder is killed by a spiritual base damage, the holder¡¯s soul can still be restore.</li>


    </ul>


    I think I¡¯m safe even if I am overusing <Blood Veins>. I decided that while I am checking my stats, I would see what other stats I have.


    <ul>


    <li><Undead> - As an Undead, you do not feel hunger, pain, emotion, nor fatigue.</li>


    <li><Unfeeling> - Despite being an Undead, you are a sentential being and can be subjected to emotions that can become a burden. The holder of this Skill will have all emotion purged if the holder have reach a certain threshold.</li>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 5> - You are an individual brought back to life by Necromancy. The higher your necromastery is, the stronger you are.</li>


    </ul>


    My stats aside, I set my sight on the variety of weapons.


    Using <Appraisal> I check the weapons that were hosted on the floor and some on the wall. Glancing over one of the huge sword that looks cool. I wonder if I could wield it.


    <ul>


    <li>[High Demon Longsword] ¨C A longsword made from an ore found deep within the demon lands. The sword is more durable than diamonds and can apply <Soul Decay> due to the property of the ore that was used to forge this blade.</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Soul Decay> - Eats away one soul. Those who are affected by <Soul Decay> will take percentage damage over time. In order for this status to take effect, the wielder must be able to wound the target with this blade. [Passive]</li>


    <li><Durability Lvl 11> - This weapon is stronger than diamonds and does not need to be sharpen often.</li>


    <li><Unholy Slash> - Consumes mana or life force to create a deadly wind that can sever a target''s soul. [Active]</li>


    <li><Destructive Drive> - Curses an area before erupting that area with <Dark Flames> at the cost of mana or life force. [Active]</li>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    Not only does the blade look intimidating, but it¡¯s powerful. I reach out to grasp the black blade, and tried to lift it with difficulty.


    As an Undead I am unable to feel tired, but I can still be strained if I am trying to get ahold of something that is beyond my strength.


    I gave up and sighed while comparing my stats to the blade to see if I am compatible. By the way, this feature just popped up, how convenient.


    <ul>


    <li>Suggested requirement to wield [High Demon Longsword]: The wielder who is an <Undead> should have at least <Necromastery Lvl 9> in order to wield [High Demon Longsword] effectively.</li>


    </ul>


    Looks like I am four levels short to wield this.


    I glanced at another weapon, my eyes finally locked on a black spiny shield and a dark Jian like sword next to it.


    <ul>


    <li>[King Serus¡¯s Shield & Sword] - A blade and shield that comes from another dimension.</li>


    </ul>


    Eh? That¡¯s it? Ah, whatever I decided to check its stats.


    <ul>


    <li><Serus¡¯s Grace> - When activated, the shield shall shroud surrounding areas with mists that heal and revive nearby allies who are <Dark>, <Cursed>, <Undead> or <Unholy>. Requires mana or life force to activate. [Active]</li>


    <li><Dimensional Cut> - Serus¡¯s Blade can cut through anything without resistance for a short amount of time while consuming percentile amount of mana or life force while activated. [Active]</li>


    <li><Dark Dragon Bones> - This material appears to be forged from the bones of a Dark Dragon. High chance of Curse can be applied to those who were wounded by this weapon. [Passive]</li>


    <li><Durability Lvl 11> - Dark Dragon Bones are extremely hard to break and is rank above diamonds in terms of hardness.</li>


    </ul>


    Oooh. This is nice.


    Being able to revive allies might be a huge factor. Not only that, but I can cut through anything! While it lacks offensive abilities compared to the [High Demon Longsword], I am pretty certain that being able to cut through anything out shines the longsword.


    Taking hold of the shield and sword, I begin to strap the shield to my left arm. The shield covers my entire chest and extends near my mid-thigh. The shield have a semi-oval like shape, the spiny parts that occupies the left side of the shield looks like it can be use like a secondary weapon.


    A white sigil was engraved in the middle of the shield. I am assuming that this is how <Serus¡¯s Grace> is called forth when I activate it.


    The black sword is light, very light despite being harder than diamond. Come to think of it, the [High Demon Longsword] is also rank above diamond in terms of hardness. I could think of this blade as a smaller brother of that longsword.


    Serus¡¯s Sword seems to drain the light around it. Giving it an appearance of a faded black hole. I sheath the blade and look into a mirror that was prop against a wall.


    A normal rectangular mirror with gold frames around it, I step in front of the mirror and took a look at my appearance.


    A black caped, fully armored figure with a black spiny shield on the left along with the sword¡¯s sheath since I draw the blade with my right hand. The dark red and purplish armor lacks those imitating spikes, but none less practical.


    The helmet covers my entire head, leaving only two medium size slits that reveals my empty sockets and glowing purple orbs within my socket. Quite eerie.


    Purple huh? So that is why I can see things despite not having any eyes.


    I turned away from the mirror and walked out of the Armory. Time to visit my Master¡­

 Chapter 2: We march!

    ¡°As expected of my officer. You have pick something that would also benefit my legions.¡±


    Greater Lich Trunai who was sitting on this skeletal throne nodded at my gears, I could feel my Master using <Appraisal> on my equipment.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if my Master have some many powerful weapons and armor, why not use them instead of letting me decide on picking one for myself. Isn¡¯t my Master afraid that I might rebel?


    Master, this may be rude of me, but is it wise to generously give me such powerful equipment? Why not use all of those weapons for yourself?


    The Lich gave me a ghastly grin.


    ¡°Because all of those gears were obtained by myself. I have slain most of their wielders and claim them for myself. I have no need for such lesser artifacts.¡±


    I bowed apologetically.


    Forgive this foolish retainer. I am worried about your welfare.


    ¡°Sha! The better why you are to be the commander of my legions! I hereby bestow to you, the Title [Commander-In-Chief] of my army! I will also bestow to you, a name! From now on you are [Alastor]!¡±


    <ul>


    <li>Attention, you have been given a Title and a Name. Your stats shall be increased under the properties of a Name.</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <ul>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 5> has been raised to <Necromastery Lvl 7></li>


    <li>You have acquired a new passive <Command Lvl 2></li>


    <li>You have acquired a new passive <Lifesteal Lvl 1></li>


    <li>You have acquired a new passive <Swordsmanship Lvl 1></li>


    <li>You have acquired a new passive <Shield Mastery Lvl 1></li>


    <li>Your Title: [Commander-In-Chief] has been shorten to [Commander] when display together with your Name: [Alastor]</li>


    <li>Your current profile Name and Title: [Commander Alastor, the Undying One]</li>


    <li><Appraisal> has been improved</li>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    All I could do was stare speechlessly at the upgrades. Truly, this is way too much for a guy who was just brought back to life a few minutes ago. I bowed even deeper this time.


    This¡­ This is beyond generosity. Thank you Master, no words can describe your generosity!


    ¡°Hahaha! Remarkable! Your status have been increased by ten folds! Aye, you better be worth what is listed in your profile, Alastor.¡±


    I shall try my earnest and hardest to please you, Master!


    Maybe I am power hungry, but I highly doubt anyone wouldn¡¯t be excited if some tyrant raise some stranger¡¯s ability. Anyone would be willing to praise that individual despite their flaws.


    Come to think of it, my <Appraisal> is said to be improved. Because <Appraisal> doesn¡¯t show any sort of levels, it¡¯s difficult to determine where my standing with <Appraisal> is at. Let¡¯s see what my stats are¡­


    <u>Profile:</u>


    <ul>


    <li>Name: Commander Alastor, the Undying One</li>


    <li>Race: <Undead: Human></li>


    <li>Titles: [Commander-In-Chief], [The Undying One]</li>


    <li>HP: 5000/5000</li>


    <li>MP: 900/900</li>


    <li>Actives:</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <ul>


    <li><Appraisal></li>


    </ul>


    <li>Passives:</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 7></li>


    <li><Unholy Resurrection></li>


    <li><Unfeeling></li>


    <li><Command Lvl 2></li>


    <li><Lifesteal Lvl 1></li>


    <li><Swordsmanship Lvl 1></li>


    <li><Shield Mastery Lvl 1></li>


    </ul>


    <li>Equipment:</li>


    <ul>


    <li>[Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor]</li>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <ul>


    <ul>


    <li><Blood Veins Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Shadow Stance Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Heat Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Fire Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Light Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Holy Resistance Lvl 4></li>


    </ul>


    <li>[King Serus¡¯s Shield & Sword]</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Serus¡¯s Grace></li>


    <li><Dimensional Cut></li>


    <li><Dark Dragon Bones></li>


    <li><Durability Lvl 11></li>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    ¡°You know Commander¡­ It¡¯s nice every now and then to chat with someone who holds proper intelligence. Not pet like behaviors, while they have some intelligence it¡¯s not much to cure my near insanity of loneliness.


    Great Lich Trunai was talking about all sorts of thing, individual intelligence, the various types of creatures in his ¡°kingdom¡±, spells that he learned and...


    Lastly, my favorite: Gardening!


    How ironic is that?! A Lich, an undead lord that wants to create undeads has done gardening?! Giving life to colorful, cheerful plants?!


    I would have roared with laughter if it weren¡¯t for <Unfeeling>, talk about anti-fun¡­


    I am glad that I can ease Master¡¯s discomfort.


    I responded telepathically since I am all skeleton in full body armor and no vocal cords. We were sitting in what appears to be a council meeting room after Master gave me a tour around the castle.


    I would say that despite the outer appearance of the castle in frightening conditions, the interior is what you would expect from a king¡¯s personal castle. With three snowy mountains that block the frontier and behind (behind as in in front of us) the mountains lies rocky fields and valleys.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    After passing the field, explorers would be able to see the huge castle that lies a good mile away and surrounded by terrains that is teeming with various undeads. I believe I saw some sort of skeletal flying serpent with something glowing brightly near where its heart should be.


    ¡°Anyway, now is the time for me to terrorize nearby village, towns and cities. I plan on extending this domain with a harvest to increase my powers and push me closer towards godhood.¡±


    So it¡¯s one of those ¡°playing god¡± and ¡°evil overlord¡± clich¨¦s. Thought I am wondering how Master is going to achieve something absurd.


    Master, how would you achieve godhood? I can understand that harvesting souls can increase one''s power output, but¡­


    ¡°With a ritual.¡±


    The Lich said with a wave of its hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want human souls. I want to give those Demons a piece of mind that the human territories will be weaken so that they¡¯ll ravage the lands and settle down on it. After that I will set upon the Demons and harvest their souls to create a powerful, new body.¡±


    Demons, sir?


    ¡°Indeed, typical animal and human souls won¡¯t create a godly body. No no, powerful creatures holds powerful essence, I spent hundreds of years looking for such a method. Now that I hold such dangerous knowledge, I must be able to carry it out while minimizing the risk of being slain. That is where you come in, Commander Alastor.¡±


    The Lich rubbed its chin while looking at me. Checking my stats with <Appraisal>, the sensation of being stared deep into my soul is somewhat unpleasant, but not entirely discomforting.


    ¡°Truth be told. I never would have thought that I would revive such a unique undead. Not by species of course, but by status and abilities. The only thing I have ever seen higher than you in terms of both status and abilities is that <Undead: Magic Beast, Silver Tier>...¡±


    Perhaps Master is blessed with a fortunate retainer. Or by skills. Maybe both as well.


    ¡°Maybe so. Now then, onto what I was talking about earlier. Your first task, is to march an army of one thousand troops towards a nearby [City: Jurina].¡±


    The Lich produced a map and laid it out flat on the council table while tracing an invisible path towards marked areas on the map.


    ¡°One thousand troops, that is how much I shall give to you. While I have over fifty thousand undead roaming this land, I do not want sent out anymore incase other parties decide to intrude upon my domain.¡±


    Fifty thousand. How did it manage to get that much? According to Master, this is a small land and a wasteland to the boot. But my Master answer my question.


    ¡°This land use to be part of a kingdom. When war broke out, countless had died from diseases and violence. The kingdom¡¯s enemies salted the land and dumped infected bodies into the river to turn this land into an undead paradise. Of course, I decided to contribute more into the chaos that was happening here, hehe.¡±


    I see, most wise. Um, Master. This town you speak of, what are its defenses?


    I don¡¯t even know much about this world, much less its inhabitants and I certainly don¡¯t know what is in store for me if I decide to march up to a city.


    ¡°As expected of my commander, yes the town holds an above average defense.¡±


    By that, you mean¡­?


    ¡°Stone walls and soldiers protect the [City: Jurina]. The city is many miles from the capital, so fear not for reinforcement if they had not mobilize, hehe. However, the city holds several military garrison and Adventurers Guild.¡±


    Military I understand. Adventurers?


    ¡°Think of them as mercenaries. Only regulated by the government and monarch.¡±


    Thank you tolerating with my ignorance.


    The Lich wave its hand.


    ¡°Enough flattery, I know you can do some damage to that city. Slaughter as much as you can, loot armor, weapons, metals, potions, wealth, and corpses. As much as you can. It is difficult to control the hordes if their basic instinct is to attack everything in sight.¡±


    Yes Master¡­


    ¡°Good, now go assemble one thousand troops.¡±


    Wait, that¡¯s it? Nothing more? Go attack this city that is surrounded by stone walls and protected by mercenaries and soldiers? Professional ones too. I think.


    Ur¡­ Yes Master.


    The Lich showed me out onto the battlements and turn towards me.


    ¡°Go, use your <Command> to call forth one thousand troops. They¡¯re all mindless, once they respond to your call they will come forth. Because your <Command> is at <Lvl 2>, you can command at most one thousand units.¡±


    I see, so that is the reason why I am restricted to one thousand troops. None less, I believe that is plenty.


    I didn¡¯t really know how to use <Command Lvl 2>, but like I said: instinct.


    <ul>


    <li><Command Lvl 2> is in effect: Calling forth one thousand (1,000) troops.</li>


    </ul>


    <Command Lvl 2> requires mental work, I merely call nearby undead and stated that I need one thousands of them. No more or less. I liken them to ants, following orders without question and executing it perfectly. Kinda.


    The undead took a while to show up, the battlement is a huge field and I was standing on top of what appears to be a podium that was attached to a huge doorway next to Great Lich Trunai. It looks like I would be giving some sort of rallying speech from here.


    While I was waiting for my troops to gather, I decide to organize some of them that had already taken place. Within my mind, I imagine them in perfect square formation and they obey what my mind imagines.


    I notice that most of the undead, have at least a spear or a terrible looking blade. Along with small pieces of armors and sometimes a shield. All of them holds a wide variety of armaments.


    This might become a problem. Most of the undead armaments are in terrible condition, I would need to make use of an undead tireless nature. Anyway, there are other undead beside humanoid ones. That flying serpent I saw earlier had answer my call to arms and is circling overhead along with several other skeletal winged creatures.


    Oddly enough, the flying serpent has a bone structure of a typical snake; no wings, yet it can fly like an eastern dragon. I guess it¡¯s because of that red glowing orb that lies on where its heart should be.


    Serpent aside, I see two skeletons that tower over all others. About fifteen feet tall and nine feet wide. I wonder what those are, they do not look like any giants judging by their canine like skull and slouched backs with huge sharp claws that is colored black. I can instantly tell that those claws would have no issues cutting stones.


    About one fourth of the undead legions are four legged creatures. Skeletons that are most likely to resemble a giant wolf are the majority along with those lizard like skeletons. The least common I had seen so far is a spiky dinosaur like creature with sharp teeth and scorpion like tail. Scratch that, it looks more like a scythe!


    ¡°Interesting bunch among the indistinguishable.¡±


    I suppose so, they might be targeted more than the rest.


    Any unusual troop would be seen as a unique or powerful enemy and might be focus down if given a chance. Especially the gigantic ones and the flying serpent.


    I am worried about that flying serpent one. The burning orb within its body makes it a flying target.


    Great Lich Trunai took a glance at the flying serpent and disregard it with a snort.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that thing is highly mobile in the sky. Also those are actually mid-tier magic beast, difficult to kill, but not powerful.¡±


    I see.


    Staring off at the perfectly aligned legions, I saw misty like substance surrounding most of the undead joints.


    What are those mist that surrounds the joint areas Master?


    ¡°Ah, those are the flow of energy that allows movement. It is tied into <Necromastery>, the more higher the level their necromastery is, the better they move and stronger.¡±


    Thank you Master. It seems like I need to-


    ¡°Off you go, march this army into [City: Jurina].¡±


    Huh?!


    ¡°Move, now!¡±


    My body started moving on its own along with the rest of my troops. I walked down the stairs from the podium and marched alongside with my soldiers, although slightly faster to reach the front of my army.


    After <Greater Obedience> has worn off, I turned and check the conditions of my army.


    Some of them sway back and forth like drunkards. Bumping into others around them. Their miasma, the ¡®invisible¡¯ black mist that controls their movement is rather unsteadily. I check decided to check their stats, here are all of their levels in <Necromastery> ranking them from lowest to highest.


    <ul>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 1> - 678 Units</li>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 2> - 320 Units</li>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 4> - 2 Units</li>


    </ul>


    Halt!


    The entire legions stopped, including the flying ones.


    Alright, in order for us to- Gah! What am I doing? You guys can¡¯t think for yourselves¡­ Okay, all of you who are grounded, focus your <Necromastery> onto your hips and legs.


    With that, the entire infantry begin to circulate their miasma towards their hips and legs for better marching.


    Now add some miasma on your spine for balance!


    The invisible black mist begins to branch off and wrap around their spines so that they don¡¯t lean oddly and fall over for not having any energy focus on their upper bodies.


    <ul>


    <li><Command Lvl 2> has increased to <Command Lvl 3></li>


    </ul>


    Oh? Maybe if I keep drilling them, I can command and control my army more efficiently.


    Alright, march!


    With that, the horde advanced without any more issues.

 Chapter 3: We fight!

    My troops had finally arrived at least a mile away from the [City: Jurina]. Huge stone walls that are taller than those canine giants by another meter.


    Looks like I need to perform some reconnaissance to see what are its capabilities. With my [Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor] I can become invisible with [Shadow Stance].


    I gave my army the orders to wait while I start towards the town walls.


    As an undead, my perception of time is greatly sped up if nothing interesting happens. Not to mention eternal patience.


    After walking many meters while under the effects of [Shadow Stance], I finally arrived in front of a huge steel gate. Guarded by two fully armored knights and four lightly armored guards. There is a smaller gate that seems to allow guards to move in and out with ease.


    Destroying the gate might be difficult, but if I am able to get up close and slice the gate with <Dimensional Cut>. I can lead my army in and proceed with the mission. That or I could use the canine giants to break it down.


    Glancing up at the tower walls, my heart (if I had one) sank a bit when I saw the cannons sticking out at the cutouts in the castle walls.


    So much for using the giants as battering rams.


    Looks like I would need to soften the guards that is manning the cannons. There appears to be three upper floors, all of them have cannons sticking out. The rooftop, upper-mid, and mid.


    I can use those archers to take out the rooftop cannons, but not those that are under the rooftop.


    I have several options, but I¡¯m not even going to bother listing all of them.


    I can either rain arrows down on the rooftop to soften the rooftop defense and others behind the walls, but that will alert the entire city.


    I can command my troops to charge first and I will try to slash down the gate with <Dimensional Cut> while allowing archers to provide support. However, the problem still lies that I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on the other side of the wall.


    Along with several other scenarios I can use, I want to make use of my aerial troops to support the ground troops.


    The visibility from the top tower can be up to a hundred meters with all those torches and telescopes in the dead of night. I think I stand a better chance using my aerial troops, follow with a charge while the archers and other range troops to fire and soften the enemies¡¯ defense.


    Yes¡­ Let¡¯s go with that.


    Making back towards my troop, noting that aside from a few animals and monsters passing by, there is nothing that would alert the towns guard.


    Forward!


    And so we marched towards the gate. Due to the fact that there is so far only one huge gate, we¡¯ll be tightly packed, so we need to make some new gates with the canine giants once our assault have distracted the cannons.


    Aerial troops, open fire on the people near the walls!


    The flying skeletal like imps wielding cruddy crossbows and bows took aim above the dark sky and let loose a rain of arrows on the soldiers below.


    The first rain of arrows sounds like rocks hitting the floor, majority of the soldiers on the rooftop were killed or gravely injured due to the gravitational pull on the arrows.


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡±


    ¡°Sound the alarm! Arrows are coming down from the sky!¡±


    ¡°Quickly set up the air defense!¡±


    The soldiers didn¡¯t falter by the second rain of arrows, unfortunately for them, the first wave of enemy troops had fallen trying to set up the mounted crossbows. According to the perception of my aerial troops.


    Yes I can see through my troops¡¯ eyes.


    Powerful headlights lit up the night while a bell rang loud throughout the city.


    Focus your miasma on your lower body and spine! Charge!


    You two.


    I called out on the canine giants.


    Stay here until I summon you! Archers hold back a few meters and fire over the walls! Air support, keep raining down arrows!


    The horde surged forward, their upper body leaning forward while their feet carried them quickly towards the gates.


    Damn it! Not fast enough to shock them! Double the effort! Forward!


    <ul>


    <li><Command Lvl 3> has evolve to <Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 3></li>


    <li><Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 3> - Allies near you will be have all their stats increased by 30%. Allies who are not nearby will receive 15% boost to all stats.</li>


    </ul>


    This new skill is a huge jump for me! A 30% all stats increased must be godly for these guys near me!


    Upgraded skill aside, the horde surrounding me suddenly burst forth nearly running be down in the process and charged at a frightening rate towards the gate.


    The guards that were guarding the gate had retreated inside, one knight and two light armored soldiers lay dead. Their heads pierced by the raining arrows.


    Take their armor and weapons! We¡¯ll take the corpse back when we¡¯re done!


    The cannons open fired on the undead legions. Scattering handful of troops, but fortunately, my aerial attack earlier had cause them to focus on the sky instead of the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s the undead! The gate! Barricade the gates! Do not let them into the city!¡±


    Not on my watch.


    I rushed at the gate, while my soldiers are following up quite nicely.


    <Dimensional Cut>!


    With <Swordsmanship Lvl 1> and the lightness of my sword, I swung my blade wildly at the gate like a madman and jumped aside as my soldiers rush by knocking what remained of the metal gates aside.


    <ul>


    <li><Swordsmanship Lvl 1> has been increased to <Swordsmanship Lvl 3></li>


    <li>Current MP: 450/900</li>


    </ul>


    Ugh, <Dimensional Cut> cost me half of my mana. Looks like I won¡¯t be able to use it a third time¡­ I still haven¡¯t use <Serus¡¯s Grace> yet. Wait¡­ I can still use it at the cost of my life force.


    The horde blew blast the barricade without issues, the beast like skeletons slipped by the barricade and began slaughtering the soldiers. Other humanoid skeletons knock down the unstable barricade and proceed to aid their beastly kin.


    Outside the gates archers took aim and rained down arrows, while the aerial troops had used up most of their ammunition. I gave them the order to dive and pick off any living beings while ordering them to get a hold of some useful armaments for themselves.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    A bulky soldier with a huge war hammer smashed a skeletal beast and shattering another. Blunt weapons are the bane of everything. Behind him, a platoon of soldiers carrying blunt weapons were charging at the horde.


    Screw it.


    I gave the command for the canine giants to gorge a hole in the wall to let more of my troops in. The giant canines rushed forward with their long arms clawing the dirt and propel themselves like rabbits.


    When the giants arrived at the walls, they lashed out. Shredding the stone walls like sand castles and ramming it with their bodies, effectively creating two more makeshift gates.


    The horde piled through the new gates gleefully and begin making quick work on the shocked citizens and soldiers.


    I need to support my army before reinforcement arrives. This is just the beginning.


    I made my way through the horde and activated <Serus¡¯s Grace>.


    My shield begins to emit mist from the sigil and quickly surrounds the area.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°T-the undead!¡±


    One soldier shouted and pointed at the severely crushed head of a skeletal beast. Quickly restoring itself and lunged towards the bulky soldier wielding the huge war hammer.


    The bulky soldier smashed the skeletal beast again, but only to growl at the skeletal beast¡¯s regeneration.


    ¡°It¡¯s the damn mist! There must be a lich nearby!¡±


    The bulky soldier, wears a gray armor that is decorated with black and red cloth. I made a mental note of his appearance and near my soldiers in the front so that they can feel the effects of my <Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 3>.


    Undead near me suddenly went from weak slash and stabs to a barrage of violence. The undead surged forward reckless ignoring the blunt weapons and stab violently at their enemies.


    ¡°Why are they becoming more powerful?!¡±


    Shouted a soldier who has holding his hand. It looked like he was disarmed when my troops suddenly went berserk.


    ¡°The mist is clearing up, but they¡¯re becoming more aggressive! Something must be enchanting them!¡±


    When the soldiers started using blunt weapons, the tide was turning as the undead is extremely weak towards blunted weapons. They cannot reform themselves when they take a bone shattering blow, dissipating their miasma and effectively killing them.


    Now, with my presence on the battlefield and <Serus¡¯s Grace>. The horde is turning the tide against the exhausted soldiers. The undead are relentless that is their strongest point, but they¡¯re weak compared to an average soldier.


    Not anymore, the horde begins to cut down the enemies like grass. Picking up their fallen foes armaments for themselves and rushing back into battle.


    In the background, the undead archers had taken over the tower walls and is using it to their advantage, while the giant canines tear down the nearby buildings and siege weapons.


    This looks like an easy victory.


    Seeing the destruction before my eyes. <Unfeeling> prevented me from feeling anything about the lost lives.


    Hm, I forgot about the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡­ Will I be seeing them? I hope they¡¯re not much of a problem...


    <u>William¡¯s Perspective</u>


    ¡°Come on! Don¡¯t let them enter the city¡¯s central!¡±


    Shouted an officer, a large horde of undead legions had broken through the gates.


    Among them are some unusual creatures. A skeletal flying serpent dives down shattering formations and artilleries.


    William DuVeilnoy is an A Rank Adventurer and a noble. His job is <Warrior>, individuals who specializes in close quarter combats with various weapons. He was called forth by the Guild Master when the alarm rang.


    The Guild Master was directing other adventurers other areas where they are needed to hold back the horde.


    ¡°William!¡±


    The Guild Master, Blake Jaegers called out to William.


    ¡°Your mother is somewhere near the walls fighting one of the giant beasts that crashed through!¡±


    William paled, his mother is a former adventurer who treated her children equally is strict, but loving. His father, is a noble knight who fought during the Great Wars.


    Both of his parents raised him and his siblings with care and drilled them with code of honor. They didn¡¯t spoil them, constantly correcting any sort of arrogance and snide in order to make them respectable people.


    During their childhood, they were taught that family is important and that they should hold their family as dearly as possible as not every children were lucky.


    But last month, William¡¯s father died. Killed by an unknown assailant, who dumped his body in front of the main square late at night. Leaving his entire family with grief and rage. Ever since William¡¯s father death, his mother searched high and low for his killer. Till the point of death by exhaustion. William and his siblings agreed to hold off on the hunt until their mother is well.


    Unable to stand living near the area where her husband was killed. William¡¯s mother moved near the city walls in hope for a better change in scenery.


    Things were going well, William¡¯s mother had revert to her usual self, while William¡¯s siblings hunt down their father¡¯s killer. In a covert operation, they finally took down a criminal organization and slayed the assassin that was proudly boasting about killing William¡¯s father.


    With a sense of peace, things were back to normal after that event. Of course, their mother becomes depressed occasionally, but rebukes it with the love for her children. William and his siblings has always loved her deeply for her efforts and valiant.


    Now she¡¯s in danger.


    The horde displayed an unusual strength that is never seen before. Normally, the undead would be mindlessly marching forward, killing everything in sight without securing strategic positions.


    Even with a Lich in command, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make the best out of their troops due to the undeads¡¯ lack of intelligent.


    Now, the undead had overtaken the walls and using them against the cities as the undead archers launch devastating rain of arrows down on the inhabitants.


    ¡°Incoming!¡±


    Shouted a soldier. The skeletal flying serpent dived down ramming the mounted crossbows that were used as anti-air and cannons for anti-infantry.


    Arrows rained down from the skies again. Striking unfortunate individuals and causing discord.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Focus down that flying snake!¡±


    The officer shouted at the distressed soldiers who were shivering with fear. The serpent dived once more, causing some of the soldiers to scream and run.


    ¡°I got this!¡±


    William ran towards the diving serpent, intercepting its movements.


    <Holy Pierce>


    <Angelical Movement>


    William¡¯s sword and body begin to shine like a divine creature. Charging towards the serpent, William jumped and slashed the skeletal serpent dissipating its miasma.


    The serpent¡¯s skull was cut in two, its body falling apart and scattering all over the ground. The red glowing heart fading.


    ¡°W-W-William!¡±


    Cried the soldiers, William turned to them and raised his sword.


    ¡°We can repel them! The Adventurers Guild just deployed three S Rank Adventurers, we can do this!¡±


    Hearing that the Guild deploying three S Ranks is like saying three gods had descended into the battlefield fighting for them. The soldiers discarded their fear and took up arms.


    ¡°Lieutenant! We¡¯re sorry for being cowards, please give us your command!¡±


    The officer held a prideful look and nodded.


    ¡°To the fifth garrison. We¡¯ll need to support the paladins who are dealing with the undead beasts! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Hurrah!¡±


    The soldiers cheered and marched eastward towards the fifth garrison. Leaving William and several other adventurers behind. William turned to the Guild Master.


    ¡°Sir, may I go find my mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Go, you already improved the morale for the army.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    William ran towards the giant beasts that was tearing through the buildings.


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯m coming with you too.¡±


    The Guild Master ran towards William along with three others.


    <u>Alastor¡¯s Perspective</u>


    <u></u>


    The last thing the flying serpent saw was a glowing figure flying towards it before the visual transmission was cut off.


    Damn it. That person didn¡¯t look like an ordinary soldier nor an officer. Looks like things are about to get tough¡­


    The flying skeletal serpent was killed by a <Holy> base attack, instant death. Not to mention that the serpent holds <Necromastery Lvl 4>. Only one <Necromastery Lvl 4> was left, the spiny back dinosaur with a scythe like tail was the only high rank undead left.


    Soldiers trying to fend off the spiny behemoth were impaled and sliced by its tail.


    Meanwhile the gigantic canine beast was knocking over buildings like sand castles. It seemed to enjoy its work before a bright light from the ground shot out and turn part of the giant to dust.


    Really? Another <Holy> user? Can this invasion get any worse?


    I decided to deal with the <Holy> fighter that was taking out my trump cards. Rushing towards where the light was, nearby undead that were surrounding the glowing figure were killed instantly.


    I took a ramp of a knocked over building and jump into the carnage dramatically.


    I landed with a loud clink and stood up facing the glowing figure. A forty year old woman, who looked younger than she should be.


    Dark long blond hair that was tied to a pony tailed and tucked away. A broadsword wielded with both hands and a determine expression.


    The hag wore a white and yellow clothing, looking like a noble. Brown boots and battle ready, the hag glared at me as I made my dramatic entrance.


    ¡°A Death Knight? No, something else¡­ Who are you?¡±


    She took a glance at my armaments, taking note of my armor and weapon.


    ¡°A Dark Guard¡¯s Armor? Are you from the nation [Draku]?¡±


    I don¡¯t know if I should respond with a shake of a head or a nod. It would be great to give false information, but I doubt she¡¯s someone who would fall for it. For the sake of obtaining info on powerful enemies, I decided to use <Appraisal> on her.


    <u>Profile:</u>


    <ul>


    <li>Marie Hymn DuVeilnoy, Former Grandmaster</li>


    <li>Race: <Human></li>


    <li>Title: [Grandmaster], [Sword Master], [S Rank], [Retired], [Holy Fighter], [Foe¡¯s Bane]</li>


    <li>HP: 8965/9877</li>


    <li>MP: 2405/3000</li>


    <li>Actives:


    <ul>


    <li><Holy Pierce Lvl 10></li>


    <li><Angelical Movement Lvl 7></li>


    <li><War Cry Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Blade Dance Lvl 10></li>


    <li><Goddess Strength Lvl 10></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>Passives:


    <ul>


    <li><Swordsmanship Lvl 13></li>


    <li><Agility Lvl 9></li>


    <li><Holy Aura Lvl 6></li>


    <li><War God¡¯s Blessing></li>


    <li><Ancient Authority></li>


    <li><Combat Mastery Lvl 10></li>


    <li><Adaptive Gaze Lvl 7></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>Equipment:


    <ul>


    <li>[Noble Clothes: Silk]


    <ul>


    <li>No Abilities</li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>[Standard Broadsword]


    <ul>


    <li>No Abilities</li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    I regret seeing her stats. Her weapons are normal along with having no armor to add insult to injury, her active skills are painful to see. Not to mention her health and mana is higher than mine, she¡¯s even a [Grandmaster]! I think I¡¯m screwed.


    It doesn¡¯t matter.


    I thought to myself. That¡¯s right, I have <Unholy Resurrection>. I might be able to wear her down or something¡­


    Marie knows the feeling of being appraised by someone. After all, she¡¯s been appraised by her Grandmasters during her training. It¡¯s also one of the skills used by shopkeepers and Guild officials to determine an items or an individual quality.


    For this mysterious knight to be able to use <Appraisal>. It must mean that this dark knight is extremely powerful or someone important.


    Marie toughen her guard against the dark knight that just took a battle stance.


    ¡°Why do you know <Appraisal>? Can you even talk?¡±


    I think you¡¯re asking too many questions.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t hear me. I decided to revive my soldiers with <Serus¡¯s Grace> using my HP in return. [Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor] will offset the missing health with its passive.


    <Serus¡¯s Grace>


    My shield gladly accepted my life force and begins emitting black mist from the sigil. Marie looked at her surrounding areas on guard. Her eyes widen as the ashes of my soldiers begins to reform. Within seconds, even the giant canine beast had been fully recover.


    They focus their attention on Marie who had slain them. But I didn¡¯t want them to die again so I gave them the order to ignore her and leave her to me.


    They turned their backs towards the carnage playing out and joyfully enter the fray. Marie was about to stop them before I bang my sword on my shield calling for her attention.


    Pointing my blade at her, I ready myself in battle position again.


    ¡°You¡¯re no lich nor a proper Death Knight. I think you¡¯re too dangerous to let loose, I accept your duel.¡±


    Marie ready herself and lunged at me with frightening speed.


    Oh sh-!


    I was send flying towards the stone wall and made a hole in it.


    <ul>


    <li>HP: 3698/5000</li>


    <li><Blood Veins> [Passive] is in effect.</li>


    <li>HP: 4203/5000</li>


    </ul>


    Oh, <Blood Veins> passive is really useful. But I doubt the regeneration can keep up with her speed and strength. I need to use everything to beat her, she¡¯s nearly twice as strong as me.


    My HP is nearly full, I decided to use <Blood Veins> [Active] to boost myself.


    I pulled myself up only to find Marie in front of me. With a powerful blow towards my head, my head was torn off cleanly along with my helmet.


    Marie didn¡¯t hold back, using <Holy Pierce> she destroyed my entire body.


    ¡°You¡¯re not much huh? What a disappointment.¡±


    I hear her say.


    Not yet.


    <ul>


    <li><Unholy Resurrection> has been activated</li>


    <li>HP and MP has been fully restored</li>


    <li>Equipment has been fully restored</li>


    </ul>


    My remains of my body and armor begins to melt and evaporate, turning myself into a huge mist. The black mist then begins to pull themselves together forming something like a black hole before solidifying.


    I took shape and was reborn. Good as new.


    Marie stared wordlessly at my resurrection. She took a battle stance and waited for my first move.


    <Blood Veins> [Active]


    I could feel my power rising and charge towards Marie. At the same time, Marie activated [Angelical Movement] and [Holy Pierce] welcoming my charge.


    ¡°Stay dead!¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for <Blood Veins>, I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the piercing light that just flew by my head.


    <Dimensional Cut>!


    I slashed at her right shoulder and brought my shield forward to cut her left arm with the spiny parts on the shield.


    She jumped back gracefully and avoided my attack. Next thing I knew, Marie had disappeared.


    <Blade Dance>


    I found my vision in pieces and my body shredded into ribbons.


    Oh come on.


    <ul>


    <li><Unholy Resurrection> has been activated</li>


    <li>HP and MP has been fully restored</li>


    <li>Equipment has been fully restored</li>


    </ul>


    My resurrection animation aside, I found myself facing death again as Marie brought her broadsword near my head.


    I duck and raised my shield, colliding with Marie¡¯s broadsword and strained under her pressure.


    <ul>


    <li><Shield Master Lvl 1> has been increased to <Shield Mastery Lvl 2></li>


    </ul>


    Give me something like level 4!


    I pulled back and use <Dimensional Cut>.


    Marie dodge, somehow knowing the effects of my sword.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you die?¡±


    Because I can revive myself.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t hear that. It¡¯s one of those coping mechanisms for not being able to talk.


    <Blood Veins> [Active]


    By now, I can grasp a slight bit of her movement. Jumping back when she uses <Holy Pierce> along with <Angelical Movement>. I was able to avoid serious damage thanks to my short and first hand combat experience with Marie.


    Don¡¯t forget <Blood Veins>, I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge all of this <Holy Pierce> since those things range from projectiles to embedment element in the sword.


    We clash, sword to sword and sword to shield. It was a stalemate, with <Blood Veins> passive and our evasion of certain kill moves, we weren¡¯t getting anywhere.


    <ul>


    <li><Swordsmanship Lvl 3> has been increased to <Swordsmanship Lvl 4></li>


    <li><Shield Mastery Lvl 2> has been increased to <Shield Mastery Lvl 3></li>


    <li>You have acquired a new passive <Agility Lvl 2></li>


    <li>You have acquired a new passive <Evasion Lvl 2></li>


    </ul>


    Perfect timing


    <Dimensional Cut>!


    Marie dodge the attack again, avoiding it even when we were sword locked. I guess her title as a [Grandmaster] didn¡¯t get rusted.


    <Holy Pierce>!


    I avoided the attack by side stepping and raising my shield to stop the second blow. Marie had already use <Blade Dance> once, and <Holy Pierce> in almost all of her attacks. She should be exhausted.


    <Appraisal>


    <ul>


    <li>Marie Hymn DuVeilnoy</li>


    <li>HP: 6596/9877</li>


    <li>MP: 195/3000</li>


    </ul>


    Ha, looks like she just wasted all of her mana trying to kill me, but why in the world would she stay and fight be despite knowing that I could revive myself?


    I got a sinking feeling as I checked my army status.


    Crap.


    About 78% of my army has been crushed while I was distracted fighting Marie. I turn my head towards the burning city and then looked at Marie.


    Marie wore a triumphal grin.


    No matter.


    I¡¯m starting to sound like an evil overlord, but I didn¡¯t really care.


    If only I can use <Serus¡¯s Grace> for my entire army¡­ Come on there must be some way to expand the range of <Serus¡¯s Grace>. Think¡­ Like some sort of sacrifice for the good of¡­ Everything?


    <ul>


    <li>You have acquired a new active skill <Ultimate Sacrifice></li>


    <li><Ultimate Sacrifice> - Reduces HP to 1 and MP to zero in exchange for amplifying any effects by 500%. If your HP and MP is less than 80%, you will be instantly killed. <Ultimate Sacrifice> cannot be used for three days after activation.</li>


    </ul>


    Okay¡­ That came out of nowhere¡­ But I¡¯ll take it. Nice to have a self-revival passive.


    The problem is, do I use <Ultimate Sacrifice> on <Serus¡¯s Grace> or <Dimensional Cut>?


    If I use it on <Serus¡¯s Grace>. I could revive entire army, but there might be a chance that this annoying person in front of me could wipe them out again.


    If I use it on <Dimensional Cut>, I can get rid of Marie instantly. Revive and use <Serus¡¯s Grace> to revive my troops.


    I decided to stick with <Dimensional Cut>, she¡¯s too dangerous to be left alive in the future.


    ¡°Surrender, I doubt you can revive your entire army.¡±


    Marie said, point her blade at me. I tilted my head like I am confused, I haven¡¯t lost yet.


    Marie frowned and took a step back, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have done that.


    Time to end this. For the greater good!


    <Ultimate Sacrifice> <Dimensional Cut>!


    I held my sword in front of me and ready myself. One cut and this is over. Of course, I would die in the process as well, but <Unholy Resurrection> is going to bring me back.


    Swinging my sword, a huge ripple in reality was casted as soon as I swung my blade in Marie¡¯s direction.


    Cutting Marie¡¯s entire body diagonally.


    Marie, who had fought against countless of powerful creatures never thought she would be killed so simply, fell in twos. The light in her eyes, fading.


    The moment I discharged <Dimensional Cut> completely. I felt my entire body caving in along with my soul and blacking out. The last thing I heard was a young male¡¯s voice shouting.


    ¡°Mom!¡±

 Chapter 4: Weve returned... (Unfinished)

    <u>William¡¯s Perspective</u>


    ¡°Mom! Y-you, no!¡±


    William howled at the dark armored figure that fell apart scattering bones and armor pieces.


    ¡°William¡­¡± (Blake)


    Blake Jaeger looked at their priest.


    ¡°Can you revive her?¡± (Blake)


    ¡°¡­! Something¡­ I can¡¯t revive her for some reason¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Priest)


    ¡°Why not?!¡± (William)


    William shot towards the priest, but before anyone could stop William. The fallen knight dissolve into a black mist like substance and begins condensing itself reforming the fallen knight that had just killed Marie.


    ¡°It can revive itself?!¡± (Blake)


    ¡°Impossible! I never seen this kind of revival!¡± (Priest)


    ¡°Bastard!¡± (William)


    ¡°Control yourself William!¡± (Blake)


    ¡°Ugh!¡± (William)


    The dark knight landed gracefully on the shattered stone floors, donning a black cape and dark color armor, the dark knight stared at the four figures with glowing purple orbs.


    Only two people can use <Appraisal>: the Guild Master, Blake Jaeger and the High Priest, Roy Syndic.


    ¡°Spread out, it might use that wind cut earlier¡­¡± (Blake)


    William bit his lips till it bled dying to kill the dark knight in front, but knows better not to if it could kill his mother with ease.


    Both Blake and Roy use <Appraisal> on the dark knight.


    <ul>


    <li><Appraisal>


    <ul>


    <li><u>Profile:</u>


    <ul>


    <li>Name: Commander Alastor, the Undying One</li>


    <li>Race: <Undead: [Blocked]></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li><Appraisal> has been blocked</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°What?!¡± (Blake and Roy)


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Been blocked? How?¡± (Roy)


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®blocked¡¯? (Archer)


    ¡°That guy just blocked <Appraisal>. Fall back I don¡¯t think we can¡­ Hm?!¡± (Blake)


    Blake knows the sensation of being appraised by another person and it¡¯s coming from the dark knight staring at him. A cold chill ran down Blake¡¯s spine.


    The dark knight turned its attention onto William.


    ¡°It can use <Appraisal>?!¡± (William)


    ¡°Shit¡­ So it¡¯s not your average commander.¡± (Blake)


    ¡°S-so¡­ Do we fall back?¡± (Archer)


    ¡°Yes¡­ Get back¡­¡± (Blake)


    All four individuals begin to retreat, the dark knight slowly fades away while locking eyes with William.


    ¡°Run!¡± (Blake)


    Blake started feeling cold, the knight is already powerful being able to kill Marie and reviving itself. But having the ability to cloak itself is beyond terrifying, who knows what sort of damage this monster can do?!


    ¡°Damn it, we need reinforcement! Where are the S Ranks?!¡± (Roy)


    The dark knight already faded away causing the four to become paranoid.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ Mom¡­¡± (William)


    <u></u>


    <u>Alastor¡¯s Perspective</u>


    Looks like they¡¯re afraid of <Shadow Stance>, I can understand the feeling I think¡­


    Anyway, now is the time to revive my entire army, while I am under <Shadow Stance> I begin to channel <Serus¡¯s Grace> when I reached the field scattered with shatter bones and dust.


    <ul>


    <li><Serus¡¯s Grace></li>


    </ul>


    The dark mist started devouring my fallen soldiers and remold them. The newly formed soldiers picked up their fallen weapons and resume attacking the remaining soldiers. Because the city¡¯s soldiers wiped the entire legion that was marching westward, they left only few soldiers behind that act like a human alarm.


    ¡°H-hey! The undead! They¡¯re pulling themselves together!¡±


    The soldier pulled out a whistle and send a series of shrill notes into the night.


    ¡°The undead are pulling themselves back together! We need reinforcement!¡±


    The soldiers bravely pointed their halberds at the charging horde in a fish scale formation. Too bad those halberds aren¡¯t meant the undead, it¡¯s for discouraging attackers that can feel pain and fear.


    The undead collided against the wall of soldiers, knocking them aside and maiming them with impossible strength thanks to <Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 5>.


    Oh by the way, my status has increased greatly since I killed Marie. Here it is.


    <ul>


    <li><u>Profile:</u></li>


    <li>Name: Commander Alastor, the Undying One</li>


    <li>Race: <Undead: Human></li>


    <li>Titles: [Commander-In-Chief], [The Undying One]</li>


    <li>HP: 11250/11250</li>


    <li>MP: 1640/1640</li>


    <li>Actives:


    <ul>


    <li><Appraisal></li>


    <li><Ultimate Sacrifice></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>Passives:


    <ul>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 12></li>


    <li><Unholy Resurrection></li>


    <li><Unfeeling></li>


    <li><Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Lifesteal Lvl 4></li>


    <li><Swordsmanship Lvl 8></li>


    <li><Shield Mastery Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Anti-Appraisal></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>Equipment:


    <ul>


    <li>[Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor]


    <ul>


    <li><Blood Veins Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Shadow Stance Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Heat Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Fire Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Light Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Holy Resistance Lvl 4></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li>[King Serus¡¯s Shield & Sword]


    <ul>


    <li><Serus¡¯s Grace></li>


    <li><Dimensional Cut></li>


    <li><Dark Dragon Bones></li>


    <li><Durability Lvl 11></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    Pretty neat huh? My soldiers are now 50% stronger when they¡¯re near me and 25% stronger if they are not. If they are under my command of course.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    One of the officer from the city guards shouted and begins fleeing along with the entire regiment. The undead gave chase, easily catching up to them and slaughtering them. I ordered my army to pick up the enemies halberds and make a line.


    I think it¡¯s time for me to really take control of my army.


    Those with halberds form a straight line and march forward. The rest of you pick what armor and weapons you can and follow behind them. All range units further back!


    I mimic the formation that the city soldiers used earlier since it was quite intimidating despite their small numbers.


    Ah, I forgot about my soldiers who had used up all their ammo from the city walls. I decide to make use of those cannons and crossbows that were posted on the city walls.


    Arrange the cannons and crossbows towards the city, fire at will!


    The skeleton archers discarded their bows and begin to move towards the cannons. Fortunately, the 25% strength boost from <Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 5> gives them enough strength to move the heavy cannons in groups.


    While I was still spamming <Serus¡¯s Grace>, the remnant of soldiers we fought earlier had regroup and is being supported by heavily armored knights with war hammers and shields. The knights¡¯ armor is mostly white and golden, I detect that they have <Holy> attributes to them, this might be a pain¡­


    My undead legion brought their halberds and spears forward and charged at the opposing army.


    ¡°Brace for impact! Shield up!¡± (City Officer)


    Fire those crossbows on those knights who are in the front line!Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The undeads who were manning the giant crossbows turn them towards the group of white knights and fired towards the paladins who had made a barricade with their huge shield.


    The results weren¡¯t pretty for them, the first giant arrow pierce through three paladins and impaled another in the chest. The second slice through part of the second line and the third crushed a cavalry who was wielding a hybrid of a spear and mace.


    ¡°Damn it, our city defense are being used against us! Retreat! Pull back!¡±


    The formation that the city guards had made was ruined within seconds and overrun by the undead. Stabbing their enemies through the gaps in their armors and bringing down the halberds on their skull, the disarray army were reduced by a quarter.


    I decided to stand in the front lines, but a cannonball crashed through my army scattering pieces of bones and metal everywhere. A barrage of cannonball came after the initial one followed by many giant crossbow arrows flying towards the city walls aimed at the skeletons who were manning the cannon and crossbows.


    It¡¯s a miracle I didn¡¯t get hit yet. I decided that this is where we have to retreat since it looked like the city has fortified the inner city. Dejected, in a sense; I activated <Serus¡¯s Grace> and ordered my troops to take back what my master commanded (corpses, metal, armor, weapons, ores, etc.) and retreat.


    Under the rain my giant crossbows arrows and cannonballs, I ordered my troops on at the city wall to fire back and try to make things more difficult for them. The exchange between the hijacked city defense and the military¡¯s emergency makeshift fort is intense.


    The area that we tore through had been almost looted clean, with the undead having their <Necromastery> influenced by my <Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 5> could pickup heavy objects that would normally cause them to fall apart.


    The two giant canine like skeletons shrugged off most of the cannonballs for us while the aerial troops drop some cannonballs on our enemies from above. We moved quickly out of the city and march towards the forest with our spoils of war.


    According to my troop¡¯s status, out of 1000 troops who had followed me. Only 450 had been left behind. Including the flying serpent creature. Not bad I supposed, we did manage to get a lot of new weapons and armors from the barracks.


    Good job everyone.


    No response from them. I forgot that they are mindless¡­ Oh well.


    ¡­


    We passed through the forest and into the wastelands where our master awaits for our return.


    I took note of the desolated scenery before my mind spaced out since there is nothing important here. So¡­ Time flew by and before I knew it I was standing outside the battlement where I had originally gather one thousands of my soldiers. Greater Lich Trunai was standing in front of me with a somewhat delightful expression.


    ¡°Well! Only 450 out of 1000 remained! I expected a lot more ¡®casualties¡¯ with all those powerful Adventurers station in [City: Jurina]. Judging by your stats¡­ Looks like you manage to kill one of them. Haha!¡±


    Did he seriously sent me out just to see how strong those mercenaries were? At least that was to be expected¡­


    I present to you, the spoils of war¡­


    I was about to order my troops to make a pile but Master waved his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll determine their location. You have done well. Come inside, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Yes Master¡­


    I walked up the stairs after my Master, trailing behind the Lich in a dignified manner.


    ¡°To my Throne Room we go. Now that you have proved yourself, I think it¡¯s time I should consider experimenting on you. Heh, my pardon my language. Upgrading you.¡±


    <ul>


    <li><Unfeeling> has been activated, all emotions are purged.</li>


    </ul>


    ¡­ Exper- Upgrading me? In other words I will be, in a sense your food taster?


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    I see.


    ¡°I still have much need from you, but you can¡¯t provide me anything without my help, of course. Therefore I have to consider what properties I should bestow on you. Such as <Appraisal>.¡±


    We enter the Throne Room. Greater Lich Trunai walked up to its throne and sat down, then lift its hand towards a decorated box that was place on his far right side. The box flew up into his hands.


    ¡°I forgot to hand this to you before you left.¡±


    Master tossed me a gray colored ring. A dragon like skull was crave out on the ring with red markings all over.


    ¡°That is an [Item Storage Ring]. Created from yours truly; that ring will allow you to store up to¡­ About half a mile wide and height of items. Corpses can also be stored as well.¡±


    Thank you Master. Truly a convenient item.


    ¡°Whatever, now on to business.¡±


    With a snap of the Lich¡¯s finger, an orb depicting a large group of giant spiders appeared in front of me.


    ¡°What do you see?¡±


    A large group of giant spiders swarming the land.


    ¡°Correct, these spiders are called Giant Blitz Spiders. They''ve been migrating from the western lands towards here. Already the living nations of these lands has send an army, including adventurers to deal with them. However, the spiders that are heading southward towards us are being ignored. Those living fools think that we would exhaust ourselves fighting those savage spiders. We will show them!¡±


    Giant Blitz Spiders¡­ Quite a large group of spiders. I am assuming that I will be task with exterminating this pests?


    ¡°You are partly correct. I do have an ulterior motive. Leading these spiders is the [Demonic Quicksilver Spider Queen]. Hear the word Demonic? It is part of the [Demon Race].¡±


    I see now. This being is for your ritual.


    ¡°It¡¯s for yours actually.¡±


    Mines?!


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shock. One single demonic modification to you isn¡¯t dangerous to you, but if I am able to replicate my ritual on a smaller scale¡­ It¡¯ll lead me to a better understanding on how this ritual work.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t using it on other Undead be more suitable? If any mishap were to occur¡­


    ¡°You have little faith in me. I said this is a single and simple modification, the first one won¡¯t be much for you. I need someone who is properly intelligent to experience the ritual. This ritual would be a huge waste on those mindless fodders.¡±


    I see¡­ When do I go? Also the location of their Queen.


    ¡°You may leave tomorrow. I am currently locating their Queen, but it won¡¯t be for long. Hmm¡­ It seems you have some lingering thoughts, that [High Demon Longsword] was it? Go get it, you¡¯ll need it.¡±


    Uh, yes¡­ Thank you Master!


    I got up and left to room to retrieve the longsword I had long for earlier. No pun intended.


    ¡­


    The [High Demon Longsword] is lighter than it once was. The suggested requirement for equipping the longsword is <Necromastery Lvl 9>, I¡¯m in the Lvl 12 area¡­


    Anyway I had trouble deciding how I will strap the huge sword to my back with my cape blocking the way. I manage to place it underneath my cape with the hilt sticking out, but I had to adjust it a little bit to get it right. I¡¯m still keeping the sword and shield, I¡¯ll just use the longsword as a last resort or when I get serious.


    With that out of the way, I stroll back to the Throne Room where my Master rest. Seeing what that Lich have in store for me.


    ¡°Your back already? Perfect timing, I¡¯d just grasp the location of those Giant Blitz Spider¡¯s Queen. Remember the one with the long name? [Demonic Quicksilver Spider Queen]?¡±


    I remember its name, or species¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ll have a hard time navigating the forests without this.¡±


    Another ring flew towards me.


    ¡°I was going to give you an amulet, but I believe that it would be easily cut off by the chain. One can never have too many rings!¡±


    A [Ring Map]?


    ¡°Obviously. You¡¯re done here for now, go do whatever Undeads normally do.¡±


    <u></u>


    <u>Profile:</u>


    <ul>


    <li>Name: Commander Alastor, the Undying One</li>


    <li>Race: <Undead: Human></li>


    <li>Titles: [Commander-In-Chief], [The Undying One]</li>


    <li>HP: 11250/11250</li>


    <li>MP: 1640/1640</li>


    <li>Actives:</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Appraisal></li>


    <li><Ultimate Sacrifice></li>


    </ul>


    <li>Passives:</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Necromastery Lvl 12></li>


    <li><Unholy Resurrection></li>


    <li><Unfeeling></li>


    <li><Commander¡¯s Presence Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Lifesteal Lvl 4></li>


    <li><Swordsmanship Lvl 8></li>


    <li><Shield Mastery Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Anti-Appraisal></li>


    </ul>


    <li>Equipment:</li>


    <ul>


    <li>[Draku Dark Guard¡¯s Armor]</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Blood Veins Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Shadow Stance Lvl 5></li>


    <li><Heat Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Fire Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Light Resistance Lvl 6></li>


    <li><Holy Resistance Lvl 4></li>


    </ul>


    <li>[King Serus¡¯s Shield & Sword]</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Serus¡¯s Grace></li>


    <li><Dimensional Cut></li>


    <li><Dark Dragon Bones></li>


    <li><Durability Lvl 11></li>


    </ul>


    <li>[High Demon Longsword]</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Soul Decay></li>


    <li><Durability Lvl 11></li>


    <li><Unholy Slash></li>


    <li><Destructive Drive></li>


    </ul>


    <li>[Lich Item Ring]</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Dimensional Storage Lvl 50></li>


    </ul>


    <li>[Lich Ring Map]</li>


    <ul>


    <li><Aerial Navigation Lvl 22></li>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    <u>Jurina City Council</u>


    ¡°Our meeting will begin.¡±


    Inside [City: Jurina], the Council Room is packed with various officials and representatives.


    ¡°The Military Intelligence¡¯s Representative will be providing us what they believe is the undeads¡¯ motive.¡±


    All eyes focus on a light armor man with slick brown hair and a small hook nose.


    ¡°Yes, our intelligence show us that the recent Undead attack is done intentionally, but without any or lack of strategic purpose such as diminishing our military power or economy.¡±


    Another representative from the military spoke up.


    ¡°While this attack has severely harmed our city¡¯s power and even trade itself. The attack is not focus entirely on our military nor our economy, is what we are saying. Rather¡­ This attack seems to be testing our defenses, which I am sorry to say has proven that our defenses were not sufficient enough to withstand the undead horde¡­¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that whoever is behind this is simply toying with us?¡±


    The [Head Knight of the Holy Order] stood up and gaze at the military representative.


    ¡°Most likely, Sir Leon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Major Matten and Colonel Durst. Any opinion on their analysis?¡±


    No one spoke up.


    ¡°Very well, next the Guilds. Guild Master Blake Jaeger, please give us your account.¡±


    A pale muscular individual stood up.


    ¡°As you may know, the recent passing of Marie Hymn DuVeilnoy has been caused from this skirmish.¡±


    Murmurs spread throughout the whole Council Room regarding about the death of the former Grandmaster Marie. Sympathetic glances were directed at William, Marie¡¯s son who is sitting next to Blake, head hung low.


    ¡°During the invasion, Marie fought against the giant monsters that had breakthrough our city wall. Saving countless of lives. Unfortunately¡­¡±


    The air became tense.


    ¡°Marie fought against someone who we believe to be the one behind this invasion, a dark knight. We did not see the entire battle¡­ Only the end¡­ It¡¯s¡­ Hard to explain. Marie was killed by some sort of wind base attack, the dark knight perished along with her for some reason. Or so we thought.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®so we thought¡¯?¡±


    ¡°After a few seconds, the dark knight brought itself back to life. In an unusual way¡­ Its entire body, armor and weapons turn into mist and reformed itself. Bringing back the undead¡¯s commander in one piece.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As you may know, we hold a talisman that stores knowledge and status of monsters, humans and other beings connected to a library for the sake of collecting information. We decided to use <Appraisal> on the dark knight but it was blocked¡­¡±


    ¡°Blocked?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let me show you.¡±


    Blake pulled out a golden card and walk up towards the podium in the center of the council room. Placing the card down, a hologram beamed up from the card revealing what they manage to appraise.


    <ul>


    <li><Appraisal>


    <ul>


    <li><u>Profile:</u>


    <ul>


    <li>Name: Commander Alastor, the Undying One</li>


    <li>Race: <Undead: [Blocked]></li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    </ul>


    </li>


    <li><Apprasial> has been blocked.</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    The Head Knight from the [Holy Order] murmured out loud, others did the same thing.


    ¡°There¡¯s more.