Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 133: Drastic change in the Snowy Mountains

"It's my mistake. Your appearance reminded me of our Arctic Tigerfolk queen," the tiger being guard said apologetically, though he wasn't sure why it was considered a mistake.

"Is your queen in that chamber?" Alex asked, having noticed something peculiar about it. The other tiger beings were casual, but that chamber was guarded, and all the tiger beings seemed to be subtly protecting it.

"Yes, our queen is still asleep," the guard confirmed.

"So, your queen looks a lot like me?"

"Her hair is the same color as yours, white," the guard said, struggling with the human terminology for hair.

At that moment, Alex felt the entire bunker begin to tremble slightly.

The tiger beings continued eating happily, oblivious to the tremors. The guard stopped eating and looked at Alex, who had stood up.

"Do you feel that?"

"The ground is shaking, very slightly. Maybe something's happening outside," Alex speculated, hoping the cave wouldn't be discovered.

Outside the frost cave, the entire Frostwind snowy mountain was experiencing slight tremors.

At Lucian's castle, Count Nocturne looked towards the snowy mountain. Even from there, he could feel the tremors.

"Could the legends of Frostwind snowy mountain be true?" he wondered. The vague stories had led him here, but he had always been skeptical.

With the mountain shaking, Nocturne couldn't sit idly by. He led the vampires towards the snowy mountain, taking Lucian with them and leaving a few vampires to guard the castle.

Inside the snowy mountain, the werewolves and hobgoblins also noticed the tremors. They observed that the entire mountain was shaking but didn't know the cause.

The human mages, all in black robes, stood silently on the highest peak of Frostwind snowy mountain, unmoving.

The weather grew more ominous, the sky gray and the blizzard raging fiercely.

Weaker races hid in their caves, trembling. Their instincts warned them of a great disaster in the snowy mountain.

Inside the frost cave, Alex was unaware of the outside changes.

The tremors continued.

"The shaking seems stronger than before," Alex noted, wondering if two Monarch levels were fighting outside. She hoped one would kill the other.

The tiger beings, now full, picked at their teeth, ignoring the tremors.

'No common sense. If this is an earthquake, you deserve to be buried,' Alex thought, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, the chamber door was kicked open with a bang.

The tiger being queen stormed out, furious.

"Who is making all this noise?!"

The queen's anger was evident. Alex saw that, despite being a tiger being queen, she looked almost human.

She had white hair like Alex, though it was messy. She was wearing a gothic-style princess dress, clearly a local fashion.

The only difference was the pair of white, furry ears on her head.

The tiger beings were delighted to see their queen awake.

"Your Majesty, you're awake," the guard and others greeted her.

But the queen ignored them, her attention on Alex.

"Wow, a human! I haven't seen a human in months!" she exclaimed, ignoring the tiger beings and approaching Alex, inspecting her closely.

"So pretty, and with white hair like mine. We must be fated," she said, sniffing Alex.

"Uh... Your Majesty, she gave us food. She's an extraterrestrial visitor," the guard explained, knowing their queen's curiosity.

"An extraterrestrial visitor? That's so cool! What's your name? I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you," Ruby said, her anger forgotten, smiling at Alex.

Alex was surprised by the queen's demeanor. Ruby was slightly shorter than Alex and seemed eager to make a good impression.

"I'm Alex. Nice to meet you."

"Alex, what a lovely name. These are my kin who have protected me. Thank you for helping them. You're the best extraterrestrial visitor I've met," Ruby said, bowing to Alex.

"It's nothing, really. I just happened to be seeking refuge here," Alex replied, feeling a bit embarrassed by the bow.

Ruby then turned to the guard, who had been waiting expectantly. But Ruby's news disappointed him. She hadn't broken through to Monarch level. The snowy mountain's tremors had disturbed her, and she had sensed another energy that had forcibly awakened her.

Alex remembered what the goblin and Ice Cream had mentioned. Could something in the snowy mountain be affecting her slumber?

"Wait, haven't you heard the legends of Frostwind snowy mountain?" Alex asked, realizing the tremors weren't from a Monarch level fight.

The ground was shaking more violently now, and Alex felt the tremors growing stronger.

"What legends? Alex, do you know something? Tell us," Ruby asked, the tiger beings looking puzzled.

"I don't know the details, but there's a legend that something is hidden in the snowy mountain, attracting all these forces. It might be what's disturbing your sleep. Just a guess," Alex said.

As she finished speaking, the ground shook violently. The bunker began to collapse, cracks forming everywhere.

Alex and Ruby saw a blue orb floating in a crack caused by the tremors.

The orb emitted a strong light, sending a blue beam into the sky, piercing the snowy mountain and shooting into the heavens.

All the forces—humans, vampires, werewolves, hobgoblins—saw the beam and rushed towards it.

The blue beam of light vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving a person-sized hole in the bunker ceiling that opened directly to the outside of the snowy mountain. Snowflakes and wind drifted in through the opening.

"What is this thing?" the tiger being guard muttered, his gaze fixed on the object. The bunker hadn't completely collapsed, but it was in ruins, a chaotic mess.

"Damn it!" Alex realized the gravity of the situation. The commotion had undoubtedly attracted all the forces in the snowy mountain.

"What are you standing around for? Run! At least three Monarch levels are heading this way!" she shouted, preparing to leave. She had no intention of staying to face certain death.

Ruby, having heard Alex's warning, quickly grasped the situation. The snowy mountain was teeming with forces, all likely drawn by this object.

Alex had no plans to take the object. Holding onto it would make her a target for all the Monarch levels. It was better to leave it and let it distract them, giving her an 80% chance of escaping.

After all, they were all here for the object. They wouldn't chase an escaping extraterrestrial visitor when the prize was right in front of them.

Ruby glanced around, making a quick decision.

"Hide here!" she ordered the other tiger beings. She knew leaving the object here would doom her kin. She grabbed the crystal from the crack and chased after Alex, intending to flee together and draw the Monarch levels away to protect her people.

"Hey, don't take that!" Alex saw Ruby with the object and shouted.

"I can't leave it here. My people will die," Ruby said firmly. Her kin had protected her all this way; she couldn't let them die. Many of them were Standard level, unable to escape a Monarch level.

"Let's run together. We'll have a better chance of surviving. Once we draw them away, we can ditch the object," Alex conceded. It was a plan. Together, they might stand a chance against a Monarch level. Alone, they were doomed.

Alex quickly messaged Sophie, instructing her to gather all the undead outside Alex's town territory and call Arthur to assist.

She told the undead to wait between the territory and Frostwind snowy mountain. With so many Monarch levels, she wouldn't risk exposing her castle's location.

"Let's go," Alex said, and they ran towards the exit. The tiger beings began hiding in the more intact rooms of the bunker.

Outside, the blizzard raged, the wind howled, and the sky was dark as night. The snowy mountain was riddled with massive cracks, as if struck by a natural disaster.

Even the battle between the six-winged angel and the frost dragon hadn't caused such destruction.

"Which way?" Ruby asked Alex, unfamiliar with the snowy mountain. She didn't even know where the cave was located.

"East, outside the snowy mountain," Alex said, stepping into the snow. Ruby hesitated.

"You're just going to run?"

"My mount was killed when I arrived," Alex explained.

Suddenly, they both noticed a giant wolf figure ahead.

So fast—it was the Monarch level from Skyreach Mountains!

The werewolf, closest to the location, had arrived first.

The werewolf's eyes locked onto the object in Ruby's hand, filled with greed. Without a word, it attacked.

Alex reacted first, grabbing Ruby's shoulder and teleporting them away, dodging the werewolf's strike.

"Run!" Alex shouted, sprinting away. She didn't use teleport again, as it had a five-second cooldown and couldn't be used continuously.

For a werewolf, a Monarch level known for physical prowess, the distance was nothing. In an instant, it was behind Alex and Ruby again.

Alex hadn't expected the werewolf to be so fast. With no time to dodge, she drew her scythe to block.

Boom!

Alex felt a tremendous force hit her, sending her flying into the snow.

This werewolf was far stronger than the human empire knight Baldwin!

The werewolf swiped at Ruby, who teleported away, landing beside Alex and helping her up.

"Take this!" Ruby handed the object to Alex, transforming into a nearly ten-foot-long white tiger.

"Get on!" Ruby's voice was no longer that of a human girl but an ethereal, slightly distorted sound, though still recognizable.

Alex climbed onto Ruby, thinking they couldn't outrun the werewolf even in tiger form. To her surprise, Ruby took flight, narrowly avoiding the werewolf's attack.

"You can fly?" Alex was astonished. Ruby wasn't even Monarch level, yet she could fly.

"Of course, I'm the queen!" Ruby said, carrying Alex into the sky. The werewolf, unable to fly, transformed into a giant wolf and chased them on the ground.

The giant wolf conjured numerous wolf shadows, launching them at Alex and Ruby. Though it couldn't fly, it had ranged attacks.

Ruby dodged in the air, relying on her ability to stay aloft. This state was draining her mental energy quickly.

Alex, riding on Ruby's back, didn't have time to examine the object. She used Frost Magic to attack the giant wolf below.

The werewolf was faster than them. They had to avoid getting too close to the mountain, as the werewolf could leap up and knock them down.

Alex took the brunt of the werewolf's attacks, preventing it from forcing Ruby into a bad position.

The werewolf was growing desperate. It wasn't worried about Alex and Ruby, but about the other Monarch levels arriving soon. If it couldn't seize the object before they arrived, it would have to compete with them, increasing the pressure.

Suddenly, several large wind blades attacked from the side.

Alex turned to see the human mage who had chased her earlier. He had arrived too!

The wind blades were too fast to dodge.

Alex used Dark Barrier to envelop herself and Ruby.