Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 307: Hey Ruby, it's been ages

After giving the instructions, Maulclaw activated its realm power and vanished before the tiger guard's eyes, leaving no room for reply.

High above the city, three powerful auras surged skyward, converging on the spot where Maulclaw had disappeared.

Three elders, led by Bravetail, hovered in mid-air, their gazes fixed on the city below.

The tiger guard peeked through the window, its heart sinking. This is it, we're done for.

Bravetail, positioned in the center, frowned, its face contorted with rage.

"Hmph, I knew that traitor Maulclaw was behind this!"

The three elders unleashed their realm powers, attempting to trap Maulclaw and Shadowfang.

Just as their realms were about to collide with Maulclaw's, a black blade of energy sliced through them, severing the connection.

"Who?!"

Bravetail scanned their surroundings. As the energy dissipated, Alex materialized, her white hair billowing in the wind. She held a massive scythe, her gaze cold and unwavering as she stared down the three elders.

"A human?"

Bravetail was bewildered. Why was a human powerhouse here?

"So it was Maulclaw, that treacherous old fool! To think he would collude with humans!"

Seeing Alex outside Maulclaw's city, Bravetail naturally assumed she was working with him.

Bravetail wasn't worried. Maulclaw only had one ally. They couldn't stop them. And even if they did, there were two more elders waiting at their destination. They wouldn't stand a chance.

Alex's reason for intercepting them was simple. Since they were here, might as well take care of them.

It was a fortunate coincidence. They had to be dealt with sooner or later, and this was a good opportunity to test Shadowfang's loyalty for Ruby.

"Attack!"

Bravetail roared. The three elders combined their realm powers, unleashing a devastating attack on Alex. They held nothing back.

"Aren't you afraid of offending the Mages' Association by killing me?"

Alex smirked, revealing her two-star magic mentor badge.

The elders froze, their realm powers dissipating.

They stared at the badge, dumbfounded. It couldn't be fake. It dawned on them that a human powerhouse wouldn't be without credentials.

Bravetail stepped forward, forcing a smile.

"We apologize deeply. We were blind to your esteemed status. Please forgive our transgression. May we inquire if your presence here concerns our Ruby?"

Alex inwardly scoffed at Bravetail's fawning.

It had been a simple test. If these elders feared the Beastman Empire so much, then they would surely show respect to a human, representing a force even mightier than the Beastmen.

Just as she had predicted.

But her expression remained impassive. The mocking smile vanished.

"You spineless sycophants, you parasites of the Arctic Tigerfolk!"

Alex's cold voice echoed across the snowy expanse of the Far North. Now she understood why Ruby, the daughter of the Arctic Tigerfolk queen, was being targeted.

The elders flinched but maintained their smiles. They attributed Alex's anger to their previous offense.

"Kill them!"

Three black vortexes appeared before Alex, coalescing into three Reaper Guards. One radiated an intense aura of death, distinct from the other two.

But all three were King level.

"You're not with the Mages' Association! They don't have such strange magic!"

Bravetail exclaimed. It had dealt with humans before and had never seen such magic.

Alex ignored them and vanished.

The three Reaper Guards charged towards the elders, led by Bravetail.

Bravetail bristled at being ignored. It scoffed at the three shadowy figures.

"You think you can stop us with three oddly dressed lackeys?"

"Take them out! We need to reach Sabertooth!"

Bravetail knew Alex must be a King level as well. Her involvement could jeopardize their plan to capture Ruby.

That was unacceptable. Of course, it might soon be unable to see anything at all.

The six King levels clashed in a fierce battle above the city.

...

Meanwhile, on a small island off the northwestern coast of the Far North, Ruby and her followers were hiding.

She was focused on healing her injuries, oblivious to the approaching danger.

They had dug a series of interconnected ice huts beneath the surface, concealing themselves from prying eyes.

Such a large group needed sustenance, and in this environment, that meant fishing. This was one of the reasons Ruby had chosen this remote coastline.

It was close enough to the Far North, the cold climate was conducive to their strength, and food was readily available.

But the main reason was that Ruby had reached a bottleneck in her cultivation. She needed a specific environment to break through to King level, and this was the perfect place. That was why she hadn't left the Far North entirely.

The exit was to the northwest, a vast expanse of the Endless Sea and countless islands. To leave the Far North, they would have to travel south, crossing the entire region, increasing the risk of discovery.

Ruby had a feeling that she would break through to King level once she fully recovered, so she focused on healing.

As for hunting, surely that wasn't a task for the queen.

This had led to their encounter with the sea folk. A careless mistake, a coincidence, or perhaps fate.

The ice huts, flush with the surface, were only meant to blend in from a distance.

A Monarch or King level could easily detect the Arctic Tigerfolk hidden within.

Sabertooth and another elder were scouring the coastline, island by island. They knew Ruby was somewhere along the northwestern coast, but the area was vast. Even they couldn't pinpoint the exact location.

They had to resort to a slow and methodical search, flying low, extending their senses, checking every nook and cranny.

They hadn't brought any followers, fearing they might alert Ruby. But searching with only two elders was a slow process.

Fortunately, their King level senses had a wide range. They would cover the area soon enough.

Ruby was only a Monarch. Even with her powerful spatial magic, she wouldn't be able to escape in this open terrain.

Suddenly, Sabertooth paused, its eyes narrowing. It thought it saw movement on the ice in the distance.

"Over there! Let's check it out!"

Trusting its keen eyesight, it alerted the other elder and changed course, flying towards the spot at full speed.

The Arctic Tigerfolk beneath the ice, about to head out for a hunt, lifted the ice sheet slightly to peek outside.

It spotted two white dots in the sky. There were no birds in the Far North. These were undoubtedly powerful members of their tribe, sent to search for them!

It quickly concealed itself, hoping to avoid detection.

At this distance, a Monarch level wouldn't have noticed it. But these were two King level elders.

As the Arctic Tigerfolk trembled in fear, a blinding light suddenly pierced through the ice.

It looked up, its eyes widening in terror.

"Found you!"

Sabertooth grinned triumphantly, staring down at the trapped Arctic Tigerfolk. It had no intention of killing it.

"She must be nearby. Seal off this area."

Sabertooth acted decisively, snatching the Arctic Tigerfolk with a flick of its paw. It then split up with the other elder, moving in opposite directions to surround the island.

Meanwhile, Ruby, hidden beneath the ice, remained oblivious to her discovery, focusing on enhancing her powers.

Their hideout consisted of interconnected chambers carved out of the ice, concealed beneath the original ice sheet, blending seamlessly with the surroundings.

However, these chambers weren't connected to Ruby's. Even if they realized they had been discovered, they couldn't warn her.

Surfacing would expose them and draw the elders' attention to Ruby's location.

The Arctic Tigerfolk that had been spotted was merely a scout, stationed some distance from their main hideout. But they knew they couldn't hide for long.

If they didn't warn Ruby now, she would have no chance to escape.

Inside one of the ice chambers, a group of Arctic Tigerfolk huddled, their faces grim. They had sensed the elders' arrival and were frantically discussing their options.

"There are only two of them, but they're elders! We have to warn the queen!"

"But if we surface, they'll spot us. The queen's resting place is miles away. How do we reach her?"

The Arctic Tigerfolk were in a panic. They were all Standard level. Their speed compared to a King level was vastly inferior.

Then, one of them came up with an idea, their only option.

"We'll all surface and scatter, alerting the others. We'll distract the elders while one of us sneaks off to warn the queen."

By creating chaos, they could prevent the elders from pinpointing Ruby's location. It was a desperate gamble, sacrificing themselves to buy Ruby time to escape.

If Ruby escaped, they would have no chance of survival.

Sabertooth had already found seven or eight Arctic Tigerfolk, each hiding alone in a separate chamber. The island was large, and their distribution was irregular, but Sabertooth wasn't worried.

There were only a hundred or so of them. It was only a matter of time before it found them all. The other elder was circling above, keeping watch, while Sabertooth searched for the hidden Arctic Tigerfolk on the ground.

Ruby's spatial magic shielded her from their senses, preventing them from finding her quickly.

"Sabertooth, they're all coming out!"

The elder in the sky shouted. Sabertooth looked around, surprised to see over a hundred Arctic Tigerfolk emerging from the ice.

"Hmph!"

Sabertooth scoffed, seeing through their ploy. It soared into the sky, ignoring the fleeing Arctic Tigerfolk.

It watched them from above.

Most of them scattered in all directions, but the fewest were heading northwest.

Sabertooth smirked. "She must be hiding there."

It flew towards the northwestern part of the island, leaving the other elder to continue observing the fleeing Arctic Tigerfolk.

Moments after Sabertooth left, Maulclaw and Shadowfang appeared in the distance. The elder's eyes widened in alarm.

Why hadn't Bravetail and its companion stopped them?

And why was Shadowfang with Maulclaw?

Maulclaw and Shadowfang only needed to find traces of Sabertooth and the other elder. They didn't need to waste time searching for Ruby, which was why they had arrived so quickly.

Sabertooth, spotting them, ignored them, signaling the other elder to intercept them. Once they captured Ruby, they would have leverage over Maulclaw. It wasn't worried.

Meanwhile, Ruby opened her eyes inside her ice chamber. The commotion outside and the alarm she had set up told her she had been discovered.

She didn't waste time wondering how. She burst out of the chamber and onto the ice, coming face to face with Sabertooth, who was flying towards her.

She glanced at the distance and saw Maulclaw and the other three elders. Without hesitation, she activated her spatial magic, attempting to escape.

Sabertooth was the strongest of the elders, besides Maulclaw and Bravetail. Even at her peak, Ruby wouldn't be able to handle a lv1 King level, let alone Sabertooth in its current state.

"You're not getting away!"

Sabertooth roared, accelerating. Suddenly, it sensed danger and abruptly changed course, dodging to the side.

A black scythe, wrapped in chains, slashed through the air where it had been a moment ago.

Sabertooth stared at the attacker, a shadowy figure cloaked in black, wielding a chained scythe.

"What is that thing?"

Sabertooth was bewildered. It had never seen such a creature, but it sensed a King level aura from its attack.

The Reaper Guard, rarely speaking except to their queen, ignored Sabertooth's shock and charged.

Sabertooth unleashed its full power, unwilling to waste time on this strange creature. Its only goal was to capture Ruby.

Ruby, fleeing in the distance, sensed the clash behind her. She turned and gasped.

That was Alex's undead!

Why was it here? Did that mean Alex was here too?

She sensed a familiar aura and looked ahead, her face lighting up with joy.

Standing before her was a beautiful girl with flowing white hair.

"Hey Ruby, it's been ages!"