Chapter 374: Alpha Birdman
As the King level Shadow Specter was brought into existence, the undead seemed to have gained an absolute advantage. However, Death Spirit, privy to the situation on all battlefields, sensed a looming threat, yet found itself utterly powerless to intervene.
Its greatest fear was the involvement of an Emperor level combatant on the front lines. Torin was currently occupied with holding back Zarvox, unable to spare any attention elsewhere.
However, there was some progress. The battlefield on the Arsen continent provided the undead empire with a vast influx of undead, primarily those capable of fusion.
Therefore, while stabilizing the Sea Race front, Death Spirit had already dispatched the surplus King level undead back to the undead Imperial Capital.
Their first priority was to eliminate the King level Ghouls on the periphery.
It was worth noting that undead were essentially beings summoned from the souls of the deceased, having technically died once already.
The only way to truly kill an undead was to obliterate its soul. Therefore, these enemy Ghouls couldn't be summoned again to bolster their own forces.
They were, for all intents and purposes, dead beyond death.
Death Spirit showed no mercy towards them. In its eyes, regardless of species, any being that stood against the queen was an enemy.
The distinction between enemy and friend extended beyond the realm of the undead.
Torin's battle with Zarvox raged on. Death Spirit estimated that it wouldn't be long before a victor emerged. The situation was becoming increasingly tense.
Should Torin fall, Death Spirit would immediately order a full retreat, abandoning the undead Imperial Capital and relying on the spatial distortions to buy them time.
An Emperor level Ghoul was simply beyond their ability to resist.
Suddenly, space itself fractured, and two figures crashed heavily to the ground. Death Spirit's gaze snapped towards them, filled with apprehension.
"Torin, have you gone mad? To resort to using primal power!"
Zarvox struggled to his feet, his form ravaged. Most of his rotting flesh had been stripped away, revealing the bones beneath. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and several bone spikes protruded from his chest.
Even Death Spirit could sense the waning aura emanating from him.
Torin, staff in hand, also rose to its feet. It, too, was in a sorry state. Its black robes were tattered, and its skeletal frame bore numerous deep wounds, though no blood flowed from them.
In contrast to Zarvox, Torin's aura was now exceptionally powerful, even surpassing its previous strength.
"We were both phantoms, abandoned by the world. It was the undead lord who bestowed upon us power. Now, a new undead lord has arisen, rebuilding the undead empire. We must not forget our oath to serve the undead queen!"
Torin's voice was resolute as it began to gather magical energy once more. From the moment their battle commenced, it had no intention of persuading Zarvox to surrender.
Its words now served only to declare its purpose.
"Madman!"
Zarvox cursed. He had no desire to fight to the death here. While he could kill Torin, it would come at a heavy cost to himself.
After hiding in the Valoria continent for so long, he wasn't willing to pay such a price.
Moreover, Torin had tapped into primal power, a power it couldn't sustain for long.
Once unleashed, primal power was irreversible. Zarvox had no desire to see his own level regress.
"Since your so-called queen isn't even present in the undead empire, I shall pay another visit another day. I hope you'll be standing before me just like this then!"
With a parting threat, Zarvox departed the Dark Forest, his destination unknown.
"Torin, are you alright?"
Death Spirit was concerned about its condition. Damage to one's quintessence could lead to a decline in level, or even death in severe cases.
"I'm fine. Zarvox is severely injured and won't dare to return anytime soon. However, after this battle, my level might drop to King level. I won't be able to assist you any further."
Torin's voice was filled with sorrow and a hint of shame. It was they, the old race kings, who had brought this calamity upon the undead empire.
"Return to the city and rest. Thank you for your intervention. Don't worry, when the undead queen returns, she will surely find a way."
Death Spirit believed that Alex would have a way to heal Torin. A decline in level was an acceptable price to pay.
Death Spirit's current concerns were the front lines and the ever-present threat of Zarvox's return.
The undead empire might be facing its greatest crisis yet.
Meanwhile, on the southern border of the Beastman Empire.
Alpha Birdman soared through the sky, gazing upon the smoldering ruins of the undead fortress, his rage still burning.
His name was Skyplume. His entire body was covered in pure white feathers. He possessed the head of an eagle and the body of a man, his feet ending in massive talons. In addition to the wings on his back, he also had functional hands.
This was the twenty-eighth undead fortress he had destroyed, bringing the total number destroyed by the Birdmen to thirty-five.
However, Skyplume wasn't foolish. He could tell that these massive fortresses could teleport undead, making them ideal for guerrilla warfare.
Each fortress housed around ten thousand undead, totaling a staggering three hundred and fifty thousand undead troops.
Even considering the undead summoned from the corpses of his slain brethren, the forces within each fortress wouldn't exceed fifty thousand, with only one, or even no, King level undead present.
Therefore, he concluded that the main force of the undead army, which had previously attacked his main city, had long since vanished to parts unknown, utilizing the undead fortresses.
Even as the alpha of the Birdmen, Skyplume couldn't simply scour the vast Beastman Empire to find them.
His current objective was to destroy all these undead fortresses and then systematically eliminate all undead within the empire's territory.
"Alpha, it's not good! Windcrest is under attack!"
A birdman hurriedly flew towards him, delivering the report with utmost respect. Skyplume, who was about to head towards the next undead fortress, halted in his tracks.
Windcrest, the third largest city of the Birdmen.
Now that their main city had been destroyed, the nearest city, Altocirrus, remained untouched, while the farthest, Windcrest, had suddenly come under attack.
There was no doubt that the main force of the undead army was there!
Skyplume's sphere was wind. The sky was his playground. Utilizing the power of his sphere, his speed was unmatched.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight, speeding towards Windcrest.
At that very moment, Xiao Mu and his companions were indeed at Windcrest. However, they were unaware that their actions had provoked the enemy alpha, who was now racing towards them at full speed.
Fortunately, Death Spirit, with its grasp of the overall situation, immediately relayed the information to them.
"Over twenty undead fortresses have been destroyed in less than two hours. It's the enemy alpha. Be extremely careful!"