Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 302: We attack directly

"What?!"

Shadowfang was taken aback. It had always assumed that the human man had married above his station, but in reality, it was their queen who had done so?

This was a lot to process for Shadowfang. It contradicted everything it had heard. Now it made sense why the other elders always avoided mentioning the former queen's husband.

"He was truly a Sovereign level?"

"As true as day. And with his talent and strength, an average Sovereign level wouldn't stand a chance against him. I witnessed him battling another Sovereign level in the Endless Sea. After that, he vanished."

Maulclaw seemed lost in thought, recalling that scene from centuries ago. The sheer power of a Sovereign level still sent shivers down its spine.

Shadowfang fell silent. So, the Arctic Tigerfolk's prosperity might have been partly due to that man's help.

But it was all in the distant past. Even if there was evidence, the other elders probably erased it.

"And Ruby is their daughter. She inherited his bloodline. Do you really think her potential is limited to King level? Forget Emperor level, she might even reach Sovereign level!"

Maulclaw continued, and this wasn't just speculation. It was a conclusion drawn from observing Ruby.

These words deeply shocked Shadowfang. It had never heard any of this before.

For Shadowfang, its loyalty lay first with the tribe, and then with the queen who had led them to prosperity, even though it had never met her.

The Beastman Empire dared to be so arrogant mainly because they had a Sovereign level.

If their Arctic Tigerfolk also had one, why would they submit to those half-breed mongrels?

Maulclaw's words resonated with Shadowfang. Ruby had the potential to lead their tribe to greatness, at least more so than those corrupt elders.

"It's not too late to pledge your support to Ruby. Those old geezers will face their reckoning eventually."

Seeing Shadowfang waver, Maulclaw pressed on.

Alex stood up, the scythe reappearing in her hand.

"I don't have much time. So you have three seconds to decide."

Between submitting to the Beastman Empire and following Ruby, Shadowfang chose the latter.

Besides, it was still young. While not afraid of death, it didn't mean it wanted to die.

"Alright, I agree to support Ruby."

Shadowfang hesitated for a moment before making up its mind.

Maulclaw breathed a sigh of relief. It knew Shadowfang was just impulsive and resented the Beastmen. It wasn't truly against Ruby, which was why Maulclaw had tried to persuade it.

Alex put away the scythe and sat back down. Shadowfang's submission didn't make much difference to her.

"Now, tell me about Ruby's situation."

Maulclaw gestured for Shadowfang to sit down and took a seat itself, beginning to explain Ruby's situation to Alex.

The tiger guard, whose emotions had gone from terror to joy to worry, finally relaxed, silently listening to the conversation between these powerful figures.

It finally understood that this outcome was all thanks to Alex's overwhelming strength.

"Ruby escaped?"

Alex was taken aback, while the tiger guard's face lit up with joy.

It seemed her injuries weren't serious, or perhaps she had other tricks up her sleeve.

The enraged elders had destroyed the palace within the iceberg and discovered the Subglacial River. The tiger beings had searched along the river, even reaching the Endless Sea to the north.

But they still couldn't find any trace of Ruby. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

The high-ranking Beastman was furious and threatened to wipe out the entire Arctic Tigerfolk. It had run out of patience.

"It dared to say that? Do those elders plan to let it leave the Far North alive?"

Alex was puzzled. She had learned about the Beastmen's strength from Maulclaw. She couldn't understand their audacity.

"You don't understand. I suspect their plan is to wait for the Beastmen to leave, then move the entire tribe away from the Far North, escaping the Beastman Empire."

Maulclaw sighed. Shadowfang snorted, clearly angered by the elders' cowardice.

Letting them leave would leave room for negotiation with the Beastman Empire. But killing them would be a blatant declaration of war.

No force would tolerate the loss of a King level without retaliation.

The reason these Beastmen were considered high-ranking was that the King level among them was rumored to be a descendant of a certain Alpha in the Beastman Empire.

This was another reason why the elders didn't dare to act rashly.

"Have they left yet?"

Alex was already planning to intercept and kill them on their way out.

"Not yet. They're still waiting for the search results from the Endless Sea. They should have an answer by tonight. If they still can't find Ruby, they'll probably leave in a rage."

Although Maulclaw rarely participated in tribe meetings, as the longest-serving elder, it had its eyes and ears everywhere. It was privy to most of the tribe's affairs.

Ruby was a Monarch level with spatial magic. Catching her was no easy feat.

Therefore, the search party mainly consisted of Monarch levels, personally led by two elders. Their goal wasn't to capture Ruby but to find the tiger beings who had escaped with her. As long as they found them, they could force Ruby to show herself.

"Are there any other elders we can try to persuade?"

Alex remembered the two neutral elders. If they could be won over, it would be a great help to Ruby.

"It's chaos out there now. I'm afraid there's no opportunity to persuade them. Besides, those two old geezers are unlikely to give up their power."

Maulclaw shook its head. If Ruby returned and overpowered the other elders with her strength, they might accept her without question.

But asking them to relinquish their power and acknowledge a girl who was only at Monarch level as their queen? Even if they agreed, they wouldn't be truly convinced. It would be a hidden danger in the future.

Moreover, one of the neutral elders had already gone with the other elders to entertain the Beastmen. This was a clear indication of its stance.

"I see. Then there's no need to bother. If even you're not confident, it's better to just kill them."

Alex stood up and walked towards the window, looking out at the city.

"Don't be rash. Now that Ruby has escaped, our top priority is to find her before they do. As for what comes next, we need to plan carefully."

Maulclaw hurriedly tried to dissuade her. There were at least three King levels down there. If a fight broke out and alerted the other elders, the situation would spiral out of control once they returned.

Alex didn't answer Maulclaw but instead smiled at Shadowfang.

"What do you think?"

Shadowfang didn't understand why Alex suddenly asked for its opinion. They had three King levels on their side, and there were three more down there. Two had already left to search for Ruby, leaving at most one neutral elder in the city. However that elder might not necessarily support the other elders.

So, the worst-case scenario was a three-on-three. As long as they ended the fight quickly, there was nothing to worry about.

"I say we attack directly!"

Shadowfang blurted out. Alex's smile widened.

"I agree."