Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 157: There was no justice or evil, only the strong defining the weak

"Actually, we could trade the undead Lord's location to those first-tier Alliances and let them handle our problem," Ivy finally voiced her idea, shocking everyone. This was completely contrary to their previous decision not to antagonize Alex.

"Why not just seek her help directly? How do you know she's alone without allies? And even if she only has one Monarch level undead, do you think those first-tier Alliances can defeat her?" Samson immediately countered. In his view, those Alliances wouldn't stand a chance against Alex. If they failed, the Elemental Alliance would be implicated, and they'd face Alex's wrath with no chance to escape.

"I..."

Ivy wanted to argue but realized it was futile and fell silent.

"Samson is right. If we ally with other Lords and they lose to the undead Lord, we won't be able to escape," Cain agreed, believing the Lords wouldn't be able to defeat Alex.

"What's the panic? Worst case, we switch to Freelancers and leave. Running around is a hassle, and the castle is a burden," the young and hot-blooded Boreas added. Though he disliked Alex, he despised the other Lords' actions more. Alex had no quarrel with anyone, yet they targeted her just because she was the strongest.

"So, what do we do?" Ivy asked, seeing everyone oppose her idea, her face showing frustration.

"Fight or flee. Becoming Freelancers is the last resort," they concluded.

In the end, they decided to station troops around the castle for defense, even building some makeshift fortifications. But with the enemy's main force nearby, this wouldn't hold for long.

Samson was tasked with contacting Alex for help, while Boreas and Ivy sought allies as a backup plan. Earl and Cain, being first-tier Lords, found it hard to be accepted by weaker Lords who feared their strength.

No Lord wanted a stronger Lord near their castle, as it would put them in a vulnerable position if the stronger Lord had ill intentions.

At this moment, the Elemental Alliance members regretted gathering five Alliances together. In hindsight, they shouldn't have invited Boreas, as it left them with no retreat.

...

Sunset Alliance, Galvin received Raphaela's Alliance request with a smug expression.

He didn't know how strong Raphaela and her Alliance were, only that all five members were first-tier Lords, which was formidable.

With the combined strength of multiple Alliances, Galvin believed they could handle Alex. The focus now was finding her castle. Galvin planned to attack before the leaderboard rewards were distributed, as Alex's strength would increase further with the rewards.

Alex's troops being undead was known, and they had prepared accordingly.

Though the combined troops of all Lords numbered a hundred thousand, Galvin knew quality mattered more than quantity against undead. Sending weak troops would only bolster the undead ranks.

Galvin planned for all Lords to deploy only Commanding level troops. With nearly a thousand Commanding levels, even if Alex had three Monarch level undead, they would have the advantage.

These Commanding level troops would be fully equipped, making it easy to kill low-level undead with soul attacks.

Facing such a large-scale assault, Galvin didn't believe Alex could resist. Without an Alliance, she couldn't even flee.

No Lord would be foolish enough to ally with her now, opposing all other Lords.

Confident, Galvin suddenly received a private message, smiling as he saw it. Opportunity had come quickly.

...

At the southern edge of Dark Forest, Blonde was furious. He had told the Lords he knew the undead Lord's location, but no one believed him. Instead, he was insulted as a beggar.

Blonde hadn't expected this. He thought his castle would be upgraded to a town, and the Lords would flock to him.

"Do I have to upgrade to a town first?" Blonde muttered, frustrated. He looked at the distant undead and abandoned his plan to send troops for resources.

Wood was easy to gather at the forest's edge, but stone, magic crystals, and iron ingots were out of reach.

"Better keep trying. May the Holy Lord bless me."

Blonde knew the first-tier Lords were forming an Alliance but didn't know who exactly. He targeted the active Lords in World Chat, messaging them one by one.

Blonde didn't want to miss the chance to eliminate Alex. Only by removing the true undead Lord could he become the second undead Lord.

Blonde had endured sixteen days of hardship—no women, no going out, barely enough food, and constant company of skeletons. He felt he was going mad.

Finally, Blonde messaged [Holy Wing] Lord, who responded differently.

...

On the stone pillar mountain in Arsen, Raphaela looked at her system dashboard, her eyebrows raised. Her intuition told her the Lord named [21 Nuns] wasn't lying.

If he dared deceive her, he would have nowhere to hide once they relocated. Raphaela wasn't worried about ambushes, confident in her strength.

Raphaela and Galvin were the main decision-makers in the Alliance. Though Galvin hadn't met Raphaela, he felt her invisible pressure.

Raphaela decided to consult Galvin, as he was coordinating most of the Lords.

She had a premonition they would soon find the undead Lord.

Raphaela's holy wings gently flapped as she flew down the mountain to discuss with her allies.

The four castles surrounding the mountain made it seem like Raphaela's subordinates, but they were equals. They had moved here for safety, and the mountaintop could only accommodate one castle, so the others were spread around.

...

[Blood Moon in the sky, darkness descends.]

Night had fallen, and Alex, having enjoyed a hearty meal, was sitting on the rooftop of her castle, gazing at the stars, though she could barely see them.

It was rare to have such a peaceful moment, staring blankly at the night sky with nothing to worry about.

Alex had instructed Sophie to have the dwarves carve out a vegetable garden in the White Rock Mountains, so they wouldn't have to eat just roasted meat anymore.

After spending so many days together, Sophie had noticed Alex's ability to not feel hunger even without eating. So, in her eyes, the vegetable garden Alex built was for her.

Sophie was, of course, very happy about this, as it meant she could also enjoy some vegetables.

Just as Alex was about to jump down from the castle to go to bed, a private message came through.

It was from Chi-Chi.

Chi-Chi: "Miss Alex, my brother successfully infiltrated those Lords' Alliance and got important information!"

Alex was taken aback, not expecting Chi-Chi to still be concerned about her affairs while reuniting with her family.

Alex: "Your brother made it to the second tier?"

Chi-Chi: "No, he tricked them. There are ten thousand in the second tier; how could they check each one? Anyway, Miss Alex, let's get to the point."

Chi-Chi: "They have thirty-one first-tier Lords and over fifty second-tier Lords. The leader's castle is named [Ember], and the Lord's name is Galvin. Their combined troops total over 100K, with more than 1K Commanding level troops."

How could there be so many?

Even Alex was shocked. Nearly a hundred Lords with over 100K troops. Her castle only had 50K undead.

Logically, they wouldn't go to such lengths unless they were serious.

Alex felt this was beyond her expectations. With so many troops, she estimated at least fifteen hundred Commanding levels.

Fifteen hundred Commanding levels against five Monarch levels.

On average, three hundred Commanding levels against one Monarch level. Clearly, her lv1 Monarch level undead couldn't win.

Alright, so they're targeting me like this?

Alex was furious. She had no quarrel with them, just wanted to develop peacefully and earn some system rewards, yet they united against her.

Although her troops were undead, she hadn't committed any atrocities or evil deeds. Alex didn't consider herself a saint, but in this world, there were no absolute saints.

Those kind-hearted people had long perished.

Though Alex knew Chi-Chi's brother took this risk for Chi-Chi's sake, she still had to thank him.

Alex: "Thank your brother for me. I owe him one. And tell him not to worry. I don't want to die any more than he wants me to."

Chi-Chi: "Miss Alex, with so many of them, are you sure you'll be okay?"

Alex could see Chi-Chi was still worried.

Alex: "Silly, did you forget Alliances can relocate? I'll just move my castle. They won't find me. Don't worry, I've already found allies, but I can't ally with them now, or they'll notice."

Chi-Chi: "Miss Alex, I believe in you. If things get really bad, you can ally with my brother and move here. It's poor, but safe."

Alex: "Alright, get some rest."

Alex didn't want to trouble them. That was a last resort, only to be used if absolutely necessary. Besides, she said it to comfort Chi-Chi.

Alex never planned to run.

Running away would only embolden them, and they'd start targeting her everywhere in World Chat. They'd be relentless, and that's not what Alex wanted.

She needed to teach these Lords a lesson, showing them that in this world, absolute strength was everything.

There was no justice or evil, only the strong defining the weak.

Alex felt like her true strength had been exposed. Otherwise, they wouldn't go to such lengths.

When Alex and the Elemental Alliance had repelled Baldwin, it was just five Commanding level Lords. Despite Baldwin's Monarch level strength, he struggled against five.

Facing three hundred Commanding levels, her lv1 Monarch level undead couldn't win.

Alex had thought they'd gather a dozen Lords at most, but nearly a hundred?

"Treating me like a boss fight? Don't blame me for treating you like mobs."

Alex jumped down from the castle, thinking of the first-tier Lord who wanted to ally with her.

There was also a Lord named [Calamity Source], whom Alex remembered.

These two, like her, were first-tier Lords without Alliances. Alex analyzed this.

As first-tier Lords, they couldn't be weak. Not allying meant they believed they didn't need one, just like Alex.

This indicated they were not only strong but also willing to help Alex, which was good news.

Knowing she couldn't defeat the enemy alone, Alex sought their help.

She didn't know the exact strength of the enemy Alliance, only estimating based on available data.

Alex checked the time. It was past nine at night, so the Lord was probably still awake. She sent a message.

Meanwhile, at the Elemental Alliance, Samson and Boreas's troops returned, reporting that the Starfallen Empire had camped at Lucian's castle. The snow maidens and wind spirits only saw Baldwin, with no other Monarch level individuals.

As night fell, all human troops returned, not venturing further south.

The further south, the closer to the Empire's territory. The troops likely didn't expect the Elemental Alliance to be deeper in the Barren Plains.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Boreas had been tasked with finding an ally, and no one had high hopes. But Boreas had a friend no one knew about, whom he assured was trustworthy.

This must be Boreas's backup plan. Though he seemed impulsive, the young man understood the need for a backup plan.

He and his friend hadn't joined the same Alliance, but no one minded. In this strange world, even absolute allies couldn't be fully trusted.

Because Boreas contacted his friend, they had a fallback, so Samson didn't contact Alex.

The Elemental Alliance decided that if the Starfallen Empire found them, they'd leave. If not, they'd stay and develop.

There was no absolutely safe place in this world. No one could guarantee they'd be safer elsewhere.