Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

The meeting concluded, and Alex had assigned tasks to everyone. They were going to war with the Beastman Empire, so thorough preparations were essential.

Alex rose from her seat, motioning for the others to follow her. They walked out of the hall and into the plaza, where she stopped.

"There are three paths to godhood," she began, her back to the group. "But the world only knows of two, or perhaps just one. That one is what the system has told us: establish a divine kingdom and conquer the continent's core of will."

Alex continued, her voice low. This information was top secret. Even Torin and Garethor only knew bits and pieces, but she had no intention of delving deeper into the topic.

Apart from Drake, Xiao Mu, Ice Cream, and Ruby, everyone else present had a level cap of pseudo-god. They couldn't become true gods, so there was no point in discussing it further.

As for the four of them, it wasn't that they had the potential to become true gods. On the contrary, even achieving pseudo-godhood would be a challenge for them.

Relying solely on faith power and the dragon race's treasure wouldn't suffice. If it were that simple, every dragon could become a pseudo-god, and other races would be scrambling to establish divine kingdoms.

Garethor, sensing something profound, looked astonished.

Torin, noticing his expression, instantly understood.

"Could it be that our Queen intends to take the most difficult path?!"

"Patience."

Garethor and Torin whispered to each other, patiently awaiting Alex's next move.

Alex raised her hand, her fingers spread wide. The next moment, a surge of white energy coursed through the city, converging towards her palm.

The energy emanating from the empire's core crystal was particularly intense.

"Faith power!"

Garethor and Torin gasped. The others instantly understood as well.

For a full half hour, all the faith power within the undead empire gathered in Alex's hand.

The amount of faith power generated over such a long period was staggering.

A massive white sphere of energy represented the undead empire's faith power. Beside it floated four smaller orbs of faith power.

These represented Sophie's dwarf kingdom, Drake's Dragon kingdom, Xiao Mu's Light Titan kingdom, and Ruby's Arctic Tigerfolk kingdom.

All four were vassal kingdoms of the undead empire, their faith power naturally under Alex's control.

Alex could now manipulate everything she desired without relying on the system.

This wasn't just a testament to her increased strength but also proof that she was gradually breaking free from the system's control.

The four smaller orbs flew towards the four vassal kings.

"Absorb it."

Alex spoke calmly.

"But doesn't this allow one to rapidly increase their strength? Why aren't you absorbing it yourself?"

Xiao Hui was puzzled. Why was Alex giving this power to them?

"The undead queen doesn't need faith power."

Garethor smiled, explaining to Xiao Hui. He saw a greater ambition in Alex's eyes than he had ever seen in the previous undead lord.

The others, hearing this, didn't question further. They knew that Alex had her own plans. They immediately began to absorb the faith power.

"Don't rely on the system's power. You must absorb it through your own comprehension."

Alex reminded them. They trusted her unconditionally and followed her instructions.

Absorbing through comprehension was significantly slower than with the system's assistance. What could be accomplished in an instant might now take hours, even days.

Alex then began to manipulate the largest white orb in her hand. It contained all the faith power of the undead empire, not just from the undead races but also from the other subjugated races. It was quite a mixed bag.

She divided the faith power into equal portions, preparing to distribute them to her ten race kings.

John (Skeleton King), Crane (Zombie King), Azure (Specter King), Arthur (Bone Dragon King), Riven (Ghost Dragon King), Arthas (Lich King), Garethor (Death Knight King), Torin (Necromancer King), and Xiao Hui (Death Angel King).

Distributing the faith power to the nine race kings was straightforward. She simply gave them the faith power generated by their respective troops.

Death Spirit, however, was a special case. It had no troops.

Similarly, the Reaper Guards considered Alex their sole ruler.

As for other troop types like zombie titans, Destroyers, and gargoyles, which didn't yet have race kings, Alex had no intention of keeping their faith power.

Although the remaining faith power was quite mixed, different troop strengths provided different levels of faith power, also influenced by their numbers. Therefore, the nine race kings wouldn't receive equal portions.

Alex decided to divide the remaining faith power equally among them, balancing out any discrepancies.

For Alex, even another race king wouldn't be of much help at this point. That was why she hadn't kept any for herself.

Soon, all the faith power was divided into nine equal portions and distributed to the nine race kings.

A small amount remained in Alex's hand. Everyone assumed she would give it to Death Spirit, but to their surprise, she simply released it, allowing it to return to the undead empire's core crystal.

They looked at Alex questioningly. She didn't hide anything.

"Death Spirit has no troops, so it can't receive faith power. Forcing the faith power of other races upon it would only be a burden."

Only Garethor and Torin exchanged knowing glances, as if they had guessed something.

Death Spirit, of course, had no objections. It was absolutely loyal to Alex and would obey her every command without question. Besides, its role wasn't combat-oriented.

As the nine race kings began to absorb the faith power, they joined the four vassal kings in the plaza, surrounding Alex as they quietly absorbed the energy.

The faith power was like a vast empire, with Alex as the supreme ruler and the race kings as her vassal kings, each commanding their own troops.

By absorbing this faith power, their troops' loyalty towards them would increase, but their primary allegiance would always be to the ruler of the undead empire.

The previous undead lord's empire was a prime example. Upon his death, the empire had fractured.

He had ordered the seven race kings to flee, but only three had managed to escape with their remaining forces.

However, this wasn't a concern for Alex. Everyone present had been tested and proven their unwavering loyalty to her.

===

The fusion process was quicker than Alex had anticipated. Garethor and Torin, being the highest-level, were the first to complete the integration of faith power, taking less than an hour.

"Queen, my injuries are healed!" Torin reported respectfully.

Alex nodded, unsurprised. She had expected this outcome.

However, most of the faith power had been used to heal his injuries, resulting in only a minor level increase.

By dusk, everyone had finished absorbing the faith power. Their faces were filled with excitement. They hadn't expected faith power to boost their levels so significantly.

Essentially, as long as faith existed, their power would endure.

If one day, all their troops perished, they would no longer receive faith power, and the faith power they had absorbed would gradually dissipate.

This could lead to a decline in level, or even a reduction in their level cap.

However, as undead, as long as the race king survived, their lineage would never be severed. This limitation didn't apply to them.

"Is this faith power? It's incredible! My troops now look at me as if I'm a god!"

Xiao Hui exclaimed in awe. The others were also experiencing the transformative effects of faith power.

The boost provided by faith power was in line with Alex's expectations.

Garethor's level remained unchanged. This amount of faith power wasn't enough to push him to lv9 Emperor.

Torin, now fully healed, had regained his lv6 Emperor level strength.

Ruby was stuck at lv9 King level. She needed to comprehend a sphere to ascend to Emperor level, something she hadn't achieved yet. Once she grasped the power of a sphere, she would break through.

The remaining six race kings, along with Xiao Mu and Drake, had reached high-level King, still some distance from lv9, but it was a significant improvement nonetheless.

Sophie had experienced the most dramatic increase, jumping from lv1 King level to lv5.

This was understandable. She ruled the entire dwarf kingdom, the most populous race besides the undead. Therefore, she received the second largest amount of faith power, second only to the undead. It was no surprise that her level had soared to lv5 King level.

Although Death Spirit didn't receive a faith power boost, its experience points had long since overflowed. Like Ruby, it hadn't yet comprehended a sphere, limiting it to lv9 King level.

Alex was pleased to see everyone grow stronger.

In the upcoming Chaotic Era, only the truly powerful would survive.

Ice Cream suddenly stepped forward. He hadn't absorbed any faith power and had been idle during the process.

He extended his hand, revealing two round fragments emanating a potent icy aura.

"Frost Heart?"

Alex was surprised. She didn't know what Ice Cream had been up to during his training, but he had managed to acquire two Frost Heart fragments.

"My uncle gave me these fragments. He found one by chance many years ago, and the other he snatched from the Angel race."

Ice Cream explained.

Alex took the Frost Heart fragments and retrieved the remaining one from her warehouse. She pieced the three fragments together, forming almost half a circle.

"If I gather all the fragments, can it help you become a true god?"

Alex asked Ice Cream abruptly.

Ice Cream was taken aback, unsure how to respond. He had assumed that Alex's previous offer was just a casual remark, but her current tone was serious.

"The remaining three fragments are in the hands of the Angel race, and the whereabouts of the last fragment are unknown. The Angel race is powerful. Even the entire dragon race isn't confident in retrieving those fragments..."

"Just answer my question."

Alex cut him off, repeating her question.

Ice Cream hesitated for a moment before replying solemnly, "Yes. The dragon race's treasure has two abilities. One is to achieve pseudo-godhood through its power. The other is to merge with the treasure and become a true god. However, after the fusion, the treasure will disappear, and other members of the race will no longer be able to rely on its power."

"Well, I'm the one who gathered these fragments. I should have the right to use them, shouldn't I?"

Alex weighed the three fragments in her hand, her gaze fixed on Ice Cream.

"Of course. It was a gift to you. You have the right to use it as you see fit."

This was part of their agreement. Ice Cream nodded in confirmation.

"Very well. I will gather the Frost Heart and help you ascend to true godhood!"

Alex pocketed the three fragments, her voice firm and unwavering.

Ice Cream was stunned, speechless.

True godhood? He hadn't even dared to dream of such a thing. Even pseudo-godhood was beyond his reach.

If he were to merge with the treasure and become a true god, he would be the new Dragon God, ruling over the entire dragon race!

However, Alex's motives were pure. She had never intended to use Ice Cream to control the dragon race. She was simply fulfilling her promise.

"Everyone, it's time to get to work. I hope that one day, I will lead you all to make the name of the undead a legend once more!"

Alex spread her arms wide, her gaze fixed on the horizon. A terrifying aura erupted from her, sending a shiver through the Dark Forest.

All the undead knelt before her, facing the plaza.

"Eternal reign to the Queen! The Undead Empire shall endure!"