Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 319: Upgrade Progress: 99/100

"What?!" Alex exclaimed, her voice laced with disbelief. Drake, sensing her shock, turned to her, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Maulclaw? Has he gone mad?"

Alex had planned for everything, even sending the Death Spirit ahead to reason with Maulclaw, to urge him to dissuade Ruby from acting rashly.

And yet, he had agreed?

Maulclaw, in Alex's experience, was cautious, conservative, even somewhat set in his ways. The idea of him willingly submitting their entire race to an extraterrestrial visitor was unfathomable.

"Did you explain that I'd already diverted the Beastman Empire's attention towards the humans? That the Arctic Tigerfolk were no longer in danger?" Alex asked, struggling to comprehend the situation.

"I did, my queen. But he offered no explanation. He simply stated his intention to accompany Ruby to Undead City," the Death Spirit replied, his voice devoid of inflection.

"Those stubborn fools!"

Alex abandoned her plans to conquest the next race. She needed to return to Undead City immediately and get to the bottom of this. It had only been two hours, and somehow, Ruby had managed to sway Maulclaw.

Drake, sensing her urgency, asked, "We're not conquesting the next race?"

"No, I need to return immediately."

And with that, Alex vanished, the Death Spirit dissolving into a wisp of black smoke. Drake and the two Rock Dragons were left alone, the silence of the forest pressing in around them.

"Well then, let's head back," Drake said.

...

Dark Forest, Undead City.

It was nearing midnight. The city was shrouded in an eerie silence, its inhabitants either asleep or diligently carrying out their tasks.

Ruby, flanked by Shadowfang and Maulclaw, entered Undead City through the main fortress.

The two Arctic Tigerfolk elders struggled to contain their astonishment as they took in the sight of the sprawling, macabre city.

Silverscale Leviathans, resembling colossal warships, hovered in the sky, the city itself exuded an aura of darkness and power, sending a shiver down their spines.

Bizarre undead creatures, unlike anything they had ever seen, roamed the streets, their presence both unsettling and awe-inspiring.

"This... is her city?" Shadowfang, his usual boisterous demeanor subdued, whispered, his voice barely audible.

He could sense dozens of half-step King level presences within the city walls. And that wasn't even counting the four King level undead he knew Alex had at her disposal.

But it wasn't just the city itself that unnerved him. The surrounding forest, cloaked in an unnatural darkness, pulsed with an unseen power.

Even with their King level senses, they couldn't penetrate the veil shrouding the Dark Forest.

Maulclaw, ever the pragmatist, had agreed to Ruby's decision for two reasons.

Firstly, Ruby, as their new leader, held the ultimate authority. The elders, bound by tradition, had to respect her choices, even if they didn't fully understand them.

Secondly, Ruby's revelations had shaken him to his core.

Alex, an extraterrestrial visitor of immense power, was already a cause for concern.

But it was the truth about Ruby's father that truly shocked him. The Sovereign level powerhouse who had protected the Arctic Tigerfolk for centuries, the one they had revered as a guardian deity, was, in fact, the former top-ranked Lord.

And now, Alex held that title.

Maulclaw understood the implications.

Alex's potential was limitless. If she survived long enough, godhood was not out of the question.

And the benefits of being associated with a future god were self-evident.

Offering support in times of need was far more valuable than pledging allegiance after one had already achieved greatness.

Alex was still on her rise to power. Their support, as a King level race, would be invaluable to her.

But once she reached Emperor level or, heaven forbid, Sovereign level, their loyalty would mean little.

Besides, there was no guarantee that Alex would always be there to bail them out. Submitting to her, however, would make their enemies think twice before attacking.

In essence, Maulclaw was gambling on their future, betting that their connection to Alex, through Ruby, could elevate their race to new heights.

The Arctic Tigerfolk, even without submitting to Alex, were living under the constant threat of the Beastman Empire. Submitting to a powerful leader, one with the potential to become a god, was starting to look like the safer option.

Ruby led Maulclaw and Shadowfang towards the palace. The dark elves, sensing their approach, opened the grand doors, ushering them inside.

The Death Spirit, possessing a specter, drifted towards them.

"Greetings. The queen will return shortly. Please make yourselves comfortable."

Ruby frowned. So Alex wasn't asleep.

"Where did she go?"

The Death Spirit hesitated for a moment before deciding that honesty was the best policy. Ruby would find out eventually anyway.

"The queen is currently on the Mossvale continent, gathering race's Tears."

Maulclaw's eyes widened. Not only did the undead possess the ability to teleport, but they could also cross the Endless Sea and reach other continents?

It seemed the rumors about the extraterrestrial visitors' diverse and potent abilities were true.

Currently, only races who had produced gods could traverse the vast expanse of the Endless Sea. Weaker races relied on the teleportation arrays of the stronger ones.

And those were rarely shared, a measure to prevent the spread and potential rise of rival powers.

After all, even the strongest races had relied on their gods to establish those initial connections, bridging the gap between continents.

The extraterrestrial visitors, however, possessed this ability from the get-go, even only at the Commanding level. It was simply unheard of.

Maulclaw, despite his initial skepticism, was starting to understand the true extent of their power.

"She went through all that trouble just to avoid accepting our submission?" Ruby exclaimed, her shoulders slumping.

She couldn't access the system and had no way of knowing Alex's current progress. She could only hope that Alex hadn't reached her goal yet.

Their offer of submission had to coincide with Alex's needs. It had to be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Meanwhile, Alex had returned to Undead City. However, she remained within the confines of the Portal of Transit chamber.

She opened her system interface and claimed her rewards.

[Congratulations! You have conquered the Winged Bird sub-dragon race. Rewards: Auxiliary Barracks, Race's Tear.]

Alex retrieved the Kingdom's Tear from her Warehouse and held it in her hands, channeling the newly acquired Race's Tear into it.

"Please, let this be it," she whispered, her voice tight with anticipation.

[Kingdom's Tear Upgrade Progress: 99/100]

"Are you kidding me?!"