Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Meanwhile...

On the continent of Mossvale, the dragon pseudo-gods, having retreated from Aether Isle in a not-so-graceful manner, hightailed it back to their homeland. They were facing a full-blown undead invasion, and their first order of business was to deal with these lingering undead pests.

Although roughed up by Xiao Hui and Arthas, the two dragon pseudo-gods were still more than a match for these undead scrubs.

A few more pseudo-god level undead might have made things interesting, but unfortunately for the undead race, their heavy hitters were all busy brawling with titans on the continent of Tyrangar. No time for a Mossvale vacation, apparently.

Unsurprisingly, with three dragon pseudo-gods on the scene, the undead army on Mossvale was wiped out faster than free pizza at a college campus.

Returning to their homeland, ready to kick back and wait out the rest of the war, they discovered something truly shocking: their dragon treasure had been swiped! Not just from the three main clans, but even the stashes of the deceased dragon chieftains were completely cleaned out.

The dragon chieftain went ballistic. It was clear in a heartbeat: there was a traitor in their midst, someone who opposed his rule and wanted to create a new Dragon God!

The traitor couldn't be one of the chieftains, so it had to be one of the clan representatives, the next rung down on the power ladder. The poison dragon chieftain, in a fit of rage, decided to purge all the representatives.

Little did he know, an uninvited guest had arrived outside the magnificent Dragon God Temple. A world-shattering aura erupted, instantly reducing the temple and the surrounding poison dragon territory to rubble.

The three dragon pseudo-gods appeared in a flash, staring in horror at the figure before them. Bathed in holy light, with white wings eclipsing the sun, they couldn't make out the face hidden in the shadows. But the twelve wings were a dead giveaway.

"Leader, we were no match for the undead race, we had no choice but to retreat. Please forgive us!" The poison dragon pseudo-god immediately dropped to his knees, assuming the newcomer was there to chew them out for their less-than-stellar performance.

They hadn't just failed to defeat the enemy; they'd run away. A little divine wrath was to be expected. He was a true god, they were mere pseudo-gods. No arguing with that.

The figure in the sky remained silent for a moment, observing the kneeling chieftains. Then, he spoke. "Summon the core of will."

The chieftains exchanged confused glances. What was this about? But the angelic authority was undeniable, and they were firmly on the side of the Angel race. The dragon chieftain, without a second thought, summoned the core of will of Mossvale.

As the golden orb of energy floated towards him, a smile finally crept onto the impassive face of the angel figure, unnoticed by the kneeling chieftains. The core of will, drawn by an unseen force, drifted into his outstretched hand. In the next instant, he clenched his fist, shattering it.

*BOOM!*

The entire continent shuddered. The three chieftains gaped at the god in the sky, utterly bewildered. Why would he do that? They dared not ask. Before they could even process what had happened, an invisible force bound them, immobilizing them completely.

Danger!

Their pupils constricted, minds reeling. A wave of pure terror washed over them. He was going to kill them! Completely helpless, facing the true power of a true god, they felt the crushing weight of despair. As pseudo-gods, they had no chance, no recourse. They were dead.

Just as they braced for oblivion, a figure appeared before them. With a casual wave of his hand, he dispelled the true god's lethal attack.

"You think the dragon race is that easy to bully?" A cold voice echoed through the air. The three chieftains stared at the man's back in astonishment.

The new Dragon God… it was him!

"Interesting. You're the unexpected surprise she left me." The god in the sky chuckled, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't anticipated a hidden true god among the dragons. And judging by the aura he radiated, he'd just broken through.

"You're not the real deal, just a clone." In a blink, Ice Cream vanished, reappearing in front of the angelic figure, a fist rocketing towards him.

The god didn't react, a strange smile playing on his lips as Ice Cream's punch dispersed his form. Ice Cream hadn't used any divine power, relying solely on the physical enhancements that came with godhood.

Despite obliterating the clone, Ice Cream's expression grew grave. Something felt off. It was as if the god had *allowed* himself to be destroyed.

As far as Ice Cream knew, cloning wasn't a standard Angel race ability, at any level. Of course, that didn't rule out some sort of divine evolution. He himself could create clones using divine power, but such a clone wouldn't be capable of effortlessly swatting three pseudo-gods.

Ice Cream turned to the stunned chieftains. Meeting his icy gaze, they immediately begged for mercy.

"New Dragon God, please forgive our transgressions!" With their power and treasure in his hands, they had no leverage. More importantly, Ice Cream wasn't a Dragon God they had chosen. He had no reason to show them any leniency.

"The dragon race was ruined by the likes of you!" Ice Cream unleashed a terrifying wave of divine might, engulfing the three chieftains. Their bodies began to disintegrate, inch by inch, until they vanished completely.

"Uncle, send word. I will return and rebuild the dragon race!" Ice Cream appeared before Emberon.

Emberon immediately knelt. "You are the Dragon God now. Such formality is unnecessary. Call me by my name."

Ice Cream paused, then nodded. Emberon had helped him immensely. Without him, reaching true godhood would have been questionable, at best.

"I understand. Go." Ice Cream watched Emberon fly away, his gaze fixed on distant Aether Isle. Now a true god, with Poseidon's support, victory wasn't guaranteed, but defeat was off the table.

His only concern was the Angel race true god. Why destroy the core of will?

One thing was certain: it wasn't to help Alex. Ice Cream hadn't intervened because he knew destroying the core of will would benefit Alex as well.

In the next moment, Ice Cream vanished, speeding towards Aether Isle.

....

"That's… the Angel race true god!!" Xiao Hui exclaimed, her voice tight with tension as she stared at the approaching angel. As a death angel, she knew exactly what those twelve wings signified.

Arthas, equally apprehensive, stood ready. They both knew they couldn't hold the true god back for more than a second, but they had no choice. Behind them was Aether Isle, and Alex, still in the midst of his breakthrough. They would die before letting the angel reach him.

"Two true gods for the Angel race?" Arthas hadn't expected this. They'd just received word from Death Spirit that the Angel race true god was battling the Mage Guild president. And that true god was the only female among them. This angel was clearly someone else.

The angel arrived in a flash, too fast for Xiao Hui and Arthas to react. "An extra Dragon God changes nothing." He sneered, launching his attack.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and vanished. A crimson beam of energy, crackling with strange divine power, streaked past, narrowly missing Xiao Hui and Arthas.

The angel reappeared in the distance, his face contorted in rage, as he turned towards the source of the attack. A hulking figure stood there, humanoid in shape, covered in black fur, with glowing red eyes.

Sensing the divine power, the angel's rage turned to a chilling laughter. "The werewolf race. You've given me another surprise!"

The newcomer was none other than Skoll, now a true god after devouring Dracula. His God's Path was simple: fuse the two bloodlines. Both he and Dracula had pursued the same path. Only Skoll had succeeded.

"A true god of the angels, and you resort to bullying the weak?" Skoll sneered, hovering in the air, facing the angelic true god.

"A weak god from a broken world." The angel's anger subsided, replaced by cold calculation. He glanced towards Aether Isle, then charged at Skoll.

The god battle erupted, their power exceeding even the clash on Nytheria. Nearby, the Titan true god and Poseidon watched in bewilderment.

A werewolf god? This was unexpected. Only Xiao Hui knew of Alex's past dealings with Skyreach Mountains and his acquaintance with Skoll.

"Why the surprise?" Poseidon chuckled, turning to the Titan true god.

Poseidon addressed the Titan true god because his shock stemmed from seeing the angelic true god, not Skoll.

After a moment of silence, the Titan true god spoke, his voice heavy. "I've met the Angel race true god. I'm certain. There is only *one*."

Poseidon froze, incredulous. "You're saying he's not the Angel race god?"

"Isn't it obvious? The true angel is currently engaged with that new Divine Mage." The Titan true god gestured towards Nytheria. True god battles resonated, regardless of location.

Both gods realized the anomaly. If there was only one Angel race true god, who was this? He'd infiltrated the Angel race and attacked the undead. He wasn't on anyone's side. And he was incredibly powerful.

The Titan true god and Poseidon exchanged a look. Without hesitation, they joined the fray. A two-god battle became a five-god war, with four against one.

Even facing four true gods, the angelic figure remained unfazed. He held his own, not giving an inch.

Only Xiao Hui, her brow furrowed in thought, seemed to recognize something familiar in the power he wielded.

"It's the system!" she suddenly cried out.