Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 304: The Death Spirit's true objective

Arsen Continent, Lilith's city.

Xiao Mu's figure arrived close behind. Lilith wasn't surprised by Xiao Mu's arrival; she was more concerned about the strength of these three undead.

Standing before the Portal of Transit, she paused, looking back at Xiao Mu and the three undead.

"Are you all going together?"

"No, we need to assess the demon's strength first."

Xiao Mu explained, then gestured for Death Spirit to proceed.

Without a word, Death Spirit flew into the Portal of Transit.

Lilith watched anxiously as the orange-red light of the portal shimmered, her heart heavy with worry.

Meanwhile, on the Valoria Continent, the valley had been razed to the ground.

The once idyllic scenery of birdsong and fragrant flowers had transformed into a desolate wasteland, reeking of decay.

The cat-eared maid Lord, the demon man, Lilith, and even the King level demon had all vanished, leaving only a ruined town behind.

They were now trapped within Croakzoth's realm.

Instead of an empty void of darkness, the realm was littered with crumbling ruins.

Croakzoth wasn't its usual gigantic self here. It had taken on a human-like size, and instead of killing them outright, it was toying with them.

Perhaps its long slumber had left it feeling playful, or maybe it simply enjoyed watching its prey struggle in vain.

After all, who knew what strange whims a creature that had slept for centuries might have?

This, however, gave Lilith and the others a chance to survive within Croakzoth's realm.

They hid among the ruins, desperately seeking a way out.

Whenever Lilith or the demon man were about to be discovered, they would order their troops to distract the demon, buying them precious time.

After a whole night of evasion, Lilith's fallen angels, the demon man's shadowy figures, and even the cat-eared maids had all been wiped out, sacrificing themselves to buy time for their masters.

Lilith knew her time was running out.

By morning, despair had set in. No matter what they tried, they couldn't escape the demon's realm.

The time their troops had bought them only amounted to a few extra hours of life.

A King level's realm was entirely under their control. To those below King level, it was an endless prison, boundless and timeless, beyond their reach.

The only way to break it was with another King level's realm, and even then, escape was not guaranteed.

For them, the realm was an inescapable cage.

Lilith and the cat-eared maid lord were hiding inside a dilapidated building.

Her face was haggard as she looked up at the endless darkness above, knowing that escape was unlikely.

She had kept the maid lord alive for one reason: to facilitate their escape through teleportation.

The maid lord was terrified. Faced with the cruelty of this world, he had lost control of his bladder and bowels, his eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted.

If he weren't still useful, even if Croakzoth hadn't killed him, Lilith would have lost her patience and killed him herself.

He was completely useless.

As a lord, he wasn't even as brave as those cat-eared maids.

If that demon found them again, she would have to abandon him.

Lilith sighed, glancing at the trembling figure huddled in the corner.

Suddenly, the building above them began to shake. Cracks appeared on the walls and ceiling, and debris rained down.

Lilith looked around in alarm, her eyes meeting Croakzoth's, who was approaching with a sinister grin.

This is bad!

The maid lord beside her fainted dead away.

Lilith immediately tried to spread her wings and flee. She had been holding back her fallen angel powers, afraid of attracting the demon's attention.

But as she was about to escape, she realized Croakzoth was staring at her with blood-red eyes.

She can't move!

Lilith found herself rooted to the spot, her body refusing to obey her commands. She could only watch helplessly as Croakzoth approached.

With each leisurely step, the demon closed the distance between them by dozens of meters.

Even now, Lilith refused to give up. She knew she was going to die, but instead of panicking, she became calmer, focusing all her energy on breaking free.

But courage and composure couldn't bridge the gap in their strength.

As the demon drew closer, Lilith felt a surge of resentment. She didn't want to die like this.

It seemed Alex's rescue wouldn't arrive in time. She knew herself well enough to know that her clone would definitely seek Alex's help.

But there was still no sign of reinforcements. Lilith sighed. Could it be that even Alex was powerless against this?

Just as Croakzoth was about to reach them, the ground between them suddenly split open. A black light shot up into the sky, forcing Croakzoth to take a step back.

The force of it slammed into Lilith, forcing her to close her eyes.

A moment later, she felt the pressure vanish and slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the surrounding wasteland, then the ruined town in the distance.

"I'm out of that creepy space!"

Lilith was overjoyed, knowing she had been saved. It had to be Alex.

She really had reached King level...

"I... I'm out of hell! Hahaha!"

The demon man behind her also woke up. Seeing their surroundings, he burst into laughter, overcome with relief.

Lilith shot him a glare, then turned to return to her city. Whether this guy lived or died was of no concern to her.

The Valoria Continent was too dangerous, filled with hidden threats. The Arsen Continent was much more to her liking.

Within the realm, Croakzoth looked at the intruder with confusion, then flew into a rage. Its body swelled in size, and it charged towards Death Spirit.

Its realm power clashed against Death Spirit's, shaking the very foundation of the realm. Buildings crumbled, and space itself seemed to warp and crack under the immense pressure.

The demon man watched in terror and relief. The sudden arrival of this King level intruder had given him a chance to escape.

Cracks spread across Death Spirit's realm, on the verge of collapsing, while Croakzoth's realm only showed minor damage.

It's not enough!

The demon man could see that this King level creature was no match for Croakzoth. At this rate, it would never escape.

Gritting its teeth, the demon man decided to use its trump card, to aid Death Spirit and create an opportunity for its own survival.

He pressed his fingers together, forming a sharp point, and plunged them into his own heart. With a grimace of pain, he drew out a single drop of black blood.

A black magic circle appeared beneath his feet. He knelt, offering his most precious heart's blood as a sacrifice.

After a chant, the magic circle blazed with crimson light. Power surged into his body, etching red lines across his skin.

His power surged, leaping across several levels, reaching half-step King level.

The demon man seized the opportunity. He unleashed his full power, striking at the crack in Croakzoth's realm.

Boom!

The crack, eroded by the demonic energy, widened slightly.

The demon man didn't hesitate. He transformed into a shadow and vanished.

Croakzoth, locked in battle with Death Spirit, whirled around, eyes blazing with fury.

"Korvex!"

It roared, its power surging. Death Spirit's realm, unable to withstand the onslaught, shattered.

Croakzoth stood amidst the ruins, its chest heaving. It could sense that the Death Spirit it had just destroyed was merely a clone.

Not only had the fallen angel escaped, but that damned demon had gotten away too!

As the demon man fled, Croakzoth recognized the power it emanated. It was a minion of that other demon, Korvex!

Outside the realm, Lilith, about to return to her city, spotted the fleeing demon man. He was weak, his energy depleted.

Lilith wouldn't miss this opportunity. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be in this mess.

The demon man, having just escaped Croakzoth's realm, never expected to be ambushed by Lilith. He was swiftly cut down.

Fallen Angel City.

Just as Death Spirit entered the Portal of Transit, another Death Spirit clone appeared here.

Lilith was puzzled but didn't question it. Clearly, this undead possessed a cloning ability similar to hers.

About ten minutes later, Death Spirit possessed a nearby lv9 Monarch Reaper Guard.

Xiao Mu knew they had their answer.

"The demon's strength doesn't exceed mid-level King. And it seems it can't fully utilize its power, perhaps because it recently awakened and hasn't mastered its full strength."

Death Spirit spoke through the Reaper Guard, its voice raspy. It then saw the hope in Lilith's eyes.

"Your true body has been rescued. There's no need to worry. But my clone won't last much longer."

Xiao Mu was relieved. This meant the demon could be killed by the undead.

"Then we must act swiftly. Go to the Valoria Continent and kill it!"

Death Spirit nodded and, along with the other Reaper Guard, stepped into the Portal of Transit.

Lilith stared after them, stunned.

Heavens, they were actually going to kill that demon?!

Valoria Continent.

Lilith's true body had just slain the demon man. Within the realm, Croakzoth had destroyed Death Spirit's clone.

As Lilith prepared to return to her city, two shadows shot out from the ruined town.

A giant black rift appeared, swallowing them whole.

Two King level undead!

Lilith gasped, realizing that it wasn't Alex who had rescued her, but her troops.

With the arrival of these two King level undead, she understood. Alex wasn't here to save her; she was here to kill.

Lilith decided to stay. She brought the cat-eared maid lord to the town, ensuring his safety and providing a return portal for the undead.

Besides, she wanted to witness a battle between King levels.

Only now did Lilith truly grasp the terror of the undead. It wasn't that the undead were inherently stronger than their troops, but that Alex's abilities were simply too overpowered.

If they killed this demon, Alex would gain another King level powerhouse. The undead's rise to power was happening at an alarming rate.

As Lilith watched, space above the valley shattered.

A green figure plummeted from the sky.

Boom!

Croakzoth's massive body crashed into the ground, sending dust and debris flying. The impact created a crater.

Black blood trickled from its mouth, and wounds marred its body.

Its realm had been destroyed, leaving it severely weakened.

Hovering in the sky, a Reaper Guard, radiating death energy, leveled its scythe.

Lilith couldn't believe it. This powerful demon had been wounded so quickly.

Moreover, the Reaper Guard's aura seemed even stronger than Croakzoth's.

"That's right, I can use the system to check!"

Lilith suddenly remembered that they were within the territory of her subject's town.

She quickly used the system to check their stats, hoping to glean more information.

[lv2 King level Demon: Croakzoth]

[lv1 (+2) King level Undead: Reaper Guard]

[lv9 Monarch Undead: Reaper Guard]

Lilith didn't understand the "+2" next to the Reaper Guard's level. She didn't know it was due to Death Spirit's possession.

But then, the stats changed again. The King level undead dropped to lv1 (+1), while the lv9 Monarch became a half-step King level.

What was going on?

Lilith realized that she couldn't even comprehend Alex's troops anymore.

On the battlefield, Death Spirit had split its consciousness, possessing both Reaper Guards. With Croakzoth's realm destroyed, even a half-step King level could injure it.

But Death Spirit's goal wasn't simply to injure the demon. Otherwise, it would have possessed the King level Reaper Guard and finished it off.

The lv9 Monarch Reaper Guard was on the verge of a breakthrough. Killing this demon might be enough to push it to King level.

That was Death Spirit's true objective.

Croakzoth, lying wounded on the ground, finally felt fear. It sensed the undeniable presence of death.

Even at its peak, it wouldn't be able to defeat these creatures.

As it looked at the two Reaper Guards in the sky, realization dawned, and its eyes widened in horror.

It finally recognized the familiar aura. These were undead!

"You're Zarvox's minions?! I bear it no ill will! Why is it targeting me? Isn't it afraid of angering all demonkind?!"

The Reaper Guards ignored Croakzoth's roars and questions. They charged, their scythes gleaming.

The battle lasted less than ten minutes. Lilith witnessed a complete and utter beatdown. The demon was no match for the two undead.

She was puzzled as to why the undead kept holding back, choosing to wear down the demon's stamina and mana instead of finishing it off.

Then, the lv9 Monarch Reaper Guard delivered the final blow, and she understood.

The lv9 Monarch Reaper Guard had broken through to King level!