Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 284: Mage captives

In the continent of Valoria, deep beneath the surface in the town of demons, Satan was fuming with rage, a reaction that had him ironically laughing for the first time.

"What kind of ridiculous ranking is this? I'm only in seventh place? Who are Dragonridge and Phoenixcrest? I've never even heard of them, and they rank higher than me! I want all their information in three minutes!" he commanded.

Abaddon, standing beside him, simply turned and walked away. He wasn't actually going to look up the information; it was an impossible task. He just didn't want to deal with Satan's frenzy.

Inside the castle, Cain and Earl had grown accustomed to Satan's antics. They acted as if they hadn't heard anything and quietly moved away.

Satan continued to rant and rave for ten minutes before he realized that, at some point, he had been left completely alone in the town.

"Where is everyone, damn it?!" His voice echoed through the abyss, but no one responded.

Meanwhile, on the continent of Arsen, several thousand yards away from Ironforge, atop a desolate mountain, stood three figures. Two were cloaked in black robes, their faces hidden. The third, slightly shorter and dressed in plain clothes that seemed to be women's attire, had no discernible chest, confirming his male identity.

"Gentlemen, just ahead lies the destroyed Ironforge; the dwarf kingdom has fallen," Nori said obsequiously to the two cloaked mages.

The trio had traveled together to the dwarf kingdom, which indeed lay in ruins as Nori had described, obliterated by an unknown force.

One mage lifted his head to look at the other, his eyes clear beneath the hood. "Could it be the Holy Court?"

"Let's go and see for ourselves," responded the other mage, a man of action who preferred not to overthink. Known among mages as a barbarian for his straightforward approach, he was not one to engage in unnecessary contemplation.

However, Nori stopped them. "Gentlemen, I know where their headquarters are, at the southern border in Grimstone."

"And how would you know that?" asked the mage, skeptical yet not entirely dismissive.

"Gentlemen, I was once the city lord of Grimstone. I escaped from there; I assure you, I am not lying."

Convinced by Nori's earnestness, and knowing they were sent to investigate the fall of the dwarf kingdom, the mages decided to trust him.

The group immediately set off for Grimstone to the south. Nori knew the creatures responsible were undead, supported by extraterrestrial visitors, but he kept this to himself. The idea was too far-fetched for the Mage Association to believe that extraterrestrial visitors had annihilated the dwarf kingdom.

Thus, Nori provided only hints, leaving the mages to uncover the truth themselves. His lineage, as Alex had guessed, was indeed part human, part dwarf, born during a tumultuous time when the dwarf king had just died, and the kingdom was on the brink of chaos.

The ambitious chieftain of the Silverbeard Clan, knowing he couldn't seize the throne alone, had secretly sought human support from the Mage Association. The Mage Association, primarily concerned with human affairs, bluntly refused to help unify the dwarf kingdom under the Silverbeard Clan.

The dejected chieftain then came to a human city tavern, hoping to drown his sorrows in alcohol, but this decision led to a fateful encounter.

Known for his love of ale, the chieftain met a one-star mage from the Mage Association in a tavern. Unaware of each other's identities, they drank heavily and, under the influence of alcohol, the dwarf and the human female mage had sexual relations.

This encounter directly led to the human female mage's pregnancy with the dwarf's child, who would become Nori. The human female mage then used cloning technology to extract the embryo from her body. The 'Nori', still just a fertilized egg, was sent back to the Silverbeard Clan.

It was then that the chieftain realized the gravity of his mistake.

The human mage did not pursue the matter but severed all contact after imposing a gag order. 'Nori' was implanted into a female dwarf and born into the world, only learning of his true heritage as an adult.

When the Silverbeard Clan faced extinction, the chieftain again sought help from the human mage, only to be rebuffed. After the clan's fall, Nori fled to other clans and eventually escaped from Grimstone to the Mage Association, where he met his biological mother for the first time.

She denied their relationship and threatened him but agreed to use her influence to combat the forces that destroyed the dwarf kingdom—a task fitting the Mage Association's role, especially since a neighboring kingdom had been mysteriously wiped out.

However, the precondition for action was to gather detailed intelligence and find a suitable pretext, which was why Nori and the two mages had come to this place.

As they approached Grimstone, the silhouette of the town began to emerge. "What is that?" one mage asked, noting the ominous aura emanating from an undead fortress not far from Grimstone.

"Be careful, do not engage with the enemy. We are here to investigate," the other mage cautioned, aware that the force capable of annihilating an entire kingdom was beyond their ability to confront. Their mission was to gather information covertly and then return to the Mage Association.

"Nori, well done bringing two humans here," a raspy, chilling voice suddenly echoed.

"Who's there?" the mages reacted defensively, spotting a floating creature nearby.

"It looks like... a lich?! What the hell, how could there be undead here?"

The mages prepared to strike, hoping to eliminate the lich quickly before any major forces reacted. However, as they began to form a magic circle, several bone constructs swiftly bound them, preventing any rash actions.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Nori pulled out a teleportation device and vanished, leaving only his womanly garments floating down from the sky.

The lich had intentionally let Nori escape, following orders from the Death Spirit, which maintained clones in all cities for rapid intelligence transmission and defense—a highly effective strategy commanded by Alex.

The two human mages, merely level 2 Monarchs, stood no chance against a level 7 lich. They were taken to Grimstone, already under surveillance by the dwarfs, and Alex had been informed early on.

Surprised by Nori's audacity to return, Alex admired his courage. His bringing the mages indicated he had sought refuge with the humans after his escape. Why the humans had come here was unknown to Alex, but she did not wish to provoke the Mage Association. Thus, she had spared the two mages' lives and intentionally let Nori escape to sow discord between him and the humans.

The mages were now bound to the walls of Grimstone, silent and contemplative, aware that their fate might soon be sealed. The town housed only one lich, with other undead stationed in the distant fortress.

However, a significant number of Monarch-level dwarfs, mostly mid to high-level, remained in the town, having submitted to this unknown force. These dwarfs alone were more than a match for the two mages.

Their capture, rather than immediate execution, gave them a sliver of confidence. As members of the Mage Association, no power would openly antagonize them and risk becoming enemies. Their identity was their bargaining chip, hoping their captor was not a reckless madman.

Soon, Alex arrived at Grimstone via the undead fortress, spotting the two mages in mage robes on the wall as she descended from the sky. The situation had been clarified to her by the Death Spirit before her arrival.

Alex landed on the wall and slowly approached the mages, the dwarfs parting to create a path for her. The moment the mages saw Alex, their pupils constricted—they had not expected an extraterrestrial visitor!

And judging by the dwarfs' deference, this extraterrestrial visitor was likely the mastermind. How could an extraterrestrial have such formidable power?

Alex, uninterested in interrogation since mastering high-level soul magic, now had the ability to control others, albeit briefly compared to the long-term control exerted by Raphaela and Lilith.

As a flash of blue light passed through her left eye, the mages' expressions became vacant and listless, their eyes dulling as they came under her influence.