Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

When Celine had so confidently revealed her suspicions about Alex's true identity, a plan had begun to form in Alex's mind. The very reason Celine wanted her dead would become the key to her demise.

After all, no one would believe a four-star Magus could kill an eight-star Magus.

Alex's fear was a carefully crafted act, designed to make Celine drop her guard.

Celine had every advantage. Her level, her mastery of earth magic – the perfect counter to Alex's lightning magic – and the fact that Alex was trapped within her mage tower, with no escape route.

Celine, feeling confident and in control, never expected Alex to strike first.

But Alex was done playing the victim.

Two points of light, one blue, one red, flared within the depths of Alex's hood – her eyes.

In a flash, Alex vanished, activating her Sacrifice skill. Nearly one hundred thousand undead were instantly sacrificed, their essence surging into her, propelling her to level 8 King level!

She reappeared before Celine, a massive black scythe in her hand, its blade aimed at Celine's heart.

Soul magic and curses slammed into Celine.

Alex was going all out.

At level 8 King level, within this confined space, Alex was confident no mage, especially not one as physically weak as Celine, could withstand her.

Celine stared in disbelief. How could Alex have become so powerful so quickly?

Instinctively, she conjured a wall of rock around herself.

But it was futile.

The ornament on Alex's scythe pulsed – a soul attack!

Celine's mind was assaulted by unimaginable pain. Blood trickled from her eyes and mouth, her thoughts scattered. She had to get away!

But her rock wall shattered upon contact with the scythe.

Impossible!

Fighting through the pain, Celine scrambled back, narrowly avoiding being cut in two. But the scythe still grazed her.

She crashed against the wall, falling to the ground.

One exchange. That's all it took for Alex to cripple her.

Celine, struggling to stay conscious, was shocked. Alex had been hiding her true power.

She was defeated.

She looked at Alex, a stranger now, with mismatched glowing eyes, wielding a monstrous black scythe, radiating an aura of menace.

"You... You're one of them! A extraterrestrial visitor!" Celine gasped.

"You're right, but it's too late for you. I'll make your death look like the work of a Shadowling. No one will believe a four-star Honorary Mage could kill you," Alex said coldly, echoing Celine's own words.

Out in the open, it might have been more difficult, but here, trapped within Celine's own mage tower, her fate was sealed.

Celine fumbled for a potion, but Alex saw her and shattered the vial with a blade of spatial energy.

"Don't bother. Weakness is a sin. Did you really think I was a weak mage like yourself?"

Celine had guessed Alex's secret, but instead of exposing her, she had chosen to act on her own. Foolish.

Celine, weakened by blood loss and the soul attack, was fading fast.

Alex retracted her scythe, summoned a dagger of dark magic, and plunged it into Celine's neck.

Simultaneously, she used nature magic to heal the wound inflicted by her scythe.

The scene was now a perfect imitation of a Shadowling attack. She couldn't forget to take Celine's soul.

She used summoning magic to capture Celine's soul, holding it in her hand.

Finally, she erased any traces of her own magic with dark magic. Satisfied, Alex activated Invisibility and left Celine's mage tower.

She couldn't return to her own tower yet. Celine's soul wouldn't last long. With the Vice President away, it was the perfect opportunity to slip out of Yellowrock City and summon Celine as an undead.

Twenty minutes later, Alex's level dropped back to level 4 King level. She was miles away from Yellowrock City.

"This will do," she muttered, landing on the ground.

She opened her hand, releasing Celine's soul, and summoned her as an undead.

It was the first time Alex had used her Sacrifice skill in battle. She hadn't pushed her level to 9 because the higher the level, the greater the sacrifice.

She had managed to cripple Celine due to several factors: the enclosed environment, Celine's arrogance, and her ignorance of Alex's true abilities.

The loss of one hundred thousand standard level undead was a small price to pay for a lv 8 King level undead.

With this new addition to their ranks, the Featherfolk battlefield would soon fall, providing them with yet another high-level King level undead.

As the summoning ritual concluded, Alex turned back towards Yellowrock City.

An hour later, she was back in her mage tower, still invisible. The entire had taken less than two hours. Ruby was still asleep, oblivious to Alex's actions.

Bored and unable to indulge in fine dining, Ruby could only sleep to pass the time.

Alex calmed herself and resumed her studies.

[Blood Moon in the sky, darkness descends]

Night fell, and the Vice President returned to Yellowrock City.

With only two King level mages under his care, he made an effort to look after them.

During their scheduled meal delivery, the apprentices noticed something amiss at Celine's mage tower.

There was no response to their calls. Wary of disturbing a high-ranking mage, they continued their rounds, calling out every half hour. After four attempts with no answer, they reported the anomaly.

Soon, shocking news spread throughout Yellowrock City: Celine, an eight-star Magus, was assassinated in her own mage tower!

"Respected Magus, the Vice President requests your presence in the main hall. It's urgent," an apprentice called out from outside Alex's tower.

"Understood," Alex replied calmly.

She closed her book and left her mage tower, her heart calm.

"I heard a King level Magus was killed in the city?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, the one I fought with a few days ago," Alex replied casually, not revealing the truth. The Vice President was back, and caution was advised.

"I'll be back soon. Wait here."

Alex left her mage tower and headed towards the main hall.

Inside, the hall was packed with every official mage in the city.

Alex, the only King level mage present, along with a few Monarch level mages, stood out amongst the mostly Novice Mages.

Apart from the Vice President, Alex was the highest-ranking mage present.

Celine's body lay in the center of the hall, surrounded by whispering mages.

The Vice President, his face worried, brightened slightly upon seeing Alex enter.

"Alyssa, come take a look. Do you think this was the work of a Shadowling?"

His knowledge of Shadowlings came solely from books. He had never encountered one and hadn't expected their retaliation to be so swift.

The mages parted, creating a path for Alex. She crouched beside Celine's body, examining the wound on her neck.

"Vice President, this is identical to the wounds I've seen before. It's definitely the work of a Shadowling," Alex confirmed.

The mages were uneasy.

A powerful eight-star Magus, slain in her own tower without a sound. It was a chilling reminder of their own vulnerability.

The Vice President pondered.

Could it be that their presence had been discovered, prompting this attack?

Shadow race were the bane of mages, capable of silent, swift assassinations.

But how did they know he was away?

This crisis had caught him off guard. The Shadow race were a threat, and they needed to act quickly.

Upon his return, he began to investigate and found that both Celine and Alex had not left their mage towers.

Besides, Alex had no motive to kill Celine, nor the power to do so. She was only a lv 4 King level mage, and instant kills were practically unheard of in mage-on-mage combat.

"Alyssa, what are your thoughts on this?" the Vice President asked.

All eyes turned to Alex.

"I believe the Shadowlings are connected to the Holy Court. The Angel race doesn't have a branch in the Arsen Continent, so the Holy Court acts as their representatives. They're up to something. As for why a Shadowling attacked Yellowrock City today, it means our cover is blown."

The Vice President understood. There was a traitor among them.

As for why Alex had been spared, she was a newcomer, an Honorary Mage, not officially registered. The traitor was unaware of her existence.

The mages began to debate.

Some advocated for informing their superiors and strengthening their defenses. Others wanted to confront the Holy Court.

Knock, knock!

A knock on the door silenced the room. All eyes turned to the entrance.

"Enter."

A mage apprentice entered.

"Vice President, two dwarves are here with a body. They believe it belongs to a member of the Holy Court."

The Vice President was surprised.

"Bring them in!"

Two dwarves, escorted by apprentices, entered the hall, carrying the body of a Templar Knight.

They laid the body on the ground. The mages gathered around, the Vice President's face grim.

Even from his seat, he could sense the residual energy from the body.

It was a Templar Knight, his level comparable to Celine's.

"Where did you find this body?" the Vice President asked the dwarves.

The dwarf kingdom lacked the power to kill a high-level King level.

"Your Excellency, we found him on the border of the Featherfolk territory. Our king instructed us to deliver his body to you," one of the dwarves replied.

They didn't recognize Alex in her mage robes.

"The Featherfolk?"

The Vice President wasn't concerned with how the Templar Knight had been killed. The Featherfolk chieftain was a high-level King level, capable of killing a Templar Knight.

He was furious at the Holy Court. They were manipulating the elves and giants against the humans, and now they were targeting the Featherfolk.

The Mage Guild had lacked evidence, but now they had a body.

They could easily prove it belonged to the Holy Court.

Coupled with the suspicion surrounding the Shadowlings, it was clear the Holy Court held the Mage Guild in contempt.

"Very well. You are dismissed. Thank your king for me."

The dwarves left.

The mages urged the Vice President to report the incident and declare war on the Holy Court and the Angel race.

The Vice President, armed with evidence, knew he had to act.

The death of a Magus and the Holy Court member's body were enough to justify action.

If the Holy Court denied involvement, they would confront the Titans. If the Titans couldn't explain, they would join forces with the Demon race.

The situation had escalated beyond his expectations. The meeting ended abruptly.

Alone in the hall, the Vice President wrote a message to his superiors.

Alex returned to her mage tower and resumed her studies.

At her current pace, she would master high-level earth magic within five days.

Before leaving, she planned to visit the Mage Guild's library, hoping to find useful information.

The recent events all pointed to the Holy Court. Alex was certain the Mage Guild would retaliate.