Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 330: The Mage Association's request

A cruel smile played on Alex's lips. To Nori, she was a beautiful reaper, her presence radiating an aura of imminent doom.

He was certain she would strike him down without hesitation, right here in the tavern.

He tried to speak, to plead for his life, but his voice caught in his throat.

A searing pain ripped through his chest. He looked down in disbelief, his eyes widening as he saw a slender hand, crackling with purple lightning, protruding from his chest.

His strength drained away, his body paralyzed by the electric current coursing through his veins. His vision blurred, his head growing heavy.

Thump!

As Alex withdrew her hand, Nori's lifeless body slumped to the floor, the sound of his fall a dull thud in the otherwise silent tavern.

Alex, without uttering a single word, turned and walked away.

The two mages at the entrance, their faces pale with shock, stared at the scene unfolding before them. They hadn't expected the Magus to strike so suddenly, so ruthlessly.

They scrambled to block her path, their voices trembling slightly.

"Hold it right there! Even an Honorary Magus cannot escape justice for murder within Yellowrock City. You will provide us with an explanation."

They stood their ground, their voices firm despite their fear. This was a King level powerhouse they were dealing with.

"An explanation? What if he wasn't human? Is that explanation enough?" Alex said coldly, her magic aura flaring, pushing the two Monarch level mages back.

She strode out of the tavern, her steps measured and deliberate.

But as she stepped onto the square, her instincts screamed at her. She dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a massive stone pillar that erupted from the ground, shattering the tavern's entrance.

She looked up, her eyes narrowing as she saw a mage hovering in the air, her face contorted with rage.

"Murder in broad daylight! Resisting arrest! Your crimes are unforgivable, even for an Honorary Mage!"

The mage charged towards Alex, her intent clear. This wasn't an arrest. It was an execution.

A woman. That explained it.

Alex, her expression hardening, made no attempt to explain herself. Lightning crackled around her as she rose into the air, meeting the mage's aggression head-on.

A purple magic circle materialized before her, and a colossal lightning dragon, its scales crackling with energy, roared towards her attacker.

The clash of lightning and earth magic tore through the square, sending shockwaves rippling outwards. The air crackled with energy, the ground trembled, and debris flew in all directions.

Mages, drawn by the commotion, gathered around the square, their faces a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

The two mages from the tavern emerged from the rubble, their eyes wide with shock.

"What do we do?"

"I'll inform the vice president. You secure the body!"

One of the mages hurried away. They couldn't ignore Alex's claim. Nori's body was the evidence. Whether she was telling the truth or not, a simple examination would reveal the truth.

Ruby, witnessing the battle from the eatery, jumped to her feet, ready to intervene. But she remembered Alex's parting words and reluctantly sat back down.

Alex, however, was struggling. Her opponent was far stronger than she had anticipated. A glance at the mage's badge revealed her to be a lv8 King level mage.

Without her scythe, she couldn't access her double attribute bonus. And she couldn't unleash her full power without risking exposure.

She was outmatched.

If not for her Life Link skill, she would have been injured already.

Her mana points were depleting rapidly as she countered the relentless barrage of earth magic. Her most powerful lightning spells were ineffective against her opponent's mastery of earth.

She dodged and weaved, her lightning bolts shattering the incoming stone pillars.

The mage, however, wielded her earth magic with surprising fluidity and precision, her attacks flowing like water, adapting to Alex's every move.

Alex couldn't use her other magic types, her scythe, or even her full lightning potential without arousing suspicion. She was forced to rely on incantations, limiting her speed and power.

A yellow magic circle materialized behind her, and thick, earthen tendrils shot out, attempting to bind her.

Alex countered with a lightning magic circle, the two elements clashing violently.

Boom!

The explosion sent a shockwave through the square, a cloud of dust and debris obscuring the battlefield. The mage's magic circle shattered.

But the attack wasn't over.

A surge of yellow energy, emanating from the remnants of the shattered magic circle, rushed towards Alex.

It was her realm!

Using Alex's own realm to defend would expose her. But without it, she was doomed.

Just as she was about to activate Sacrifice, sacrificing undead to temporarily boost her power, a gruff voice boomed across the square.

"Enough!"

The mage's realm vanished instantly, her magic circle dissolving into nothingness. Alex felt a strange pressure, a force that prevented her from accessing her magic.

The dust settled, revealing a middle-aged man with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He wasn't wearing mage robes, and his aura was completely concealed.

He was clearly the Yellowrock City branch president or vice president.

The female mage landed gracefully before him, her voice laced with indignation as she launched into her accusations.

"Vice President, this woman committed murder in broad daylight and resisted arrest! She must be punished severely!"

Alex landed beside her, her gaze fixed on the man.

"Vice President, how can your tolerate such blatant disregard for justice? I merely eliminated an extraterrestrial visitor. This mage, however, shielded the criminal and attacked me without provocation, denying me even a chance to explain myself. Perhaps there's more to this story than meets the eye."

Alex's words, a thinly veiled accusation, enraged the female mage.

"You're lying! I was simply upholding the law! How could a three-star Magus possibly identify an extraterrestrial visitor? You're spouting nonsense!"

"Whether he was an extraterrestrial visitor or not is for the vice president to decide. But you, attacking an Honorary Mage of the Mage Association... your crimes are far greater."

Alex, confident in her assessment, stood her ground. Even if the vice president sided with the woman, she had a valid defense.

"Enough! Celine, your actions were reckless and unjustified. You are confined to the mage tower for three months."

The man's voice, firm and authoritative, silenced them both. He seemed to be aware of the situation.

Alex realized Celine was Nori's mother. The Silverbeard Clan chieftain was quite the charmer, it seemed, managing to get involved with a human mage.

As Alex's mind wandered, the man turned to her, his gaze filled with approval.

"You must be Alyssa, the newly appointed Honorary Magus. I've heard of you."

"Mr. Vice President, shouldn't you examine the body first?" Alex gestured towards the ruined tavern.

"That won't be necessary. He was indeed an extraterrestrial visitor. I'm aware of Celine's... involvement in this matter. However, we're currently short-staffed. A Magus is a valuable asset.

I apologize for Celine's reckless actions."

The man's voice was deep and gravelly, his expression neutral. He bowed slightly to Alex, a gesture of genuine apology.

"Since you've confirmed it yourself, I won't press the matter further. But you mentioned hearing of me. Am I that well-known?" Alex asked, her tone laced with curiosity.

Surely they didn't keep tabs on every mage who passed through their teleportation array.

"Not particularly. It's just that the Association hasn't had an Honorary Magus in several years. I was... curious," the vice president explained, his tone casual.

So it wasn't anything personal. That was a relief.

"Miss Alyssa, if you don't mind my asking, how many magic types have you mastered?" the man asked abruptly, catching Alex off guard.

She had only used lightning magic during the fight.

"Just lightning," she replied.

She had only visited two cities. At most, she could reveal her mastery of wind and lightning magic. Revealing her other magic types was out of the question.

"You have talent. To reach three-star Magus at such a young age... It's time you mastered a second magic type. What are your thoughts on earth magic?"

"Impressive defensive capabilities. Are you trying to recruit me to the Yellowrock City branch?" Alex asked, recognizing his intentions.

There was no such thing as a free lunch, especially from a stranger.

But joining the Mage Association was out of the question. It would classify her as a Traitor in the system's eyes.

She wouldn't compromise her standing for the sake of earth magic.

"You seem hesitant," the man observed, a hint of amusement in his voice.

It was rare for a mage to refuse a vice president's offer so directly.

"Mr. Vice President, I appreciate your offer, but I'm not one for rules and restrictions. That's why I'm only an Honorary Mage," Alex explained politely.

The "honorary" part of her title meant she had the status but no real authority within the Mage Association. And she wasn't bound by their rules.

That was why the system didn't consider her a member of the human race. It was a temporary position, one she could relinquish at any time.

The vice president wasn't surprised by her refusal. He wouldn't force the issue.

He paused, considering his options.

"How about this? You can become an Honorary Mage of Yellowrock City. And I'll grant you access to our earth magic teachings."

He was willing to compromise. For a mage, the allure of learning new magic was almost irresistible. He was confident she would accept.

"But I'm already an Honorary Mage of Thunder City. And Mr. Vice President, I suspect there's more to your offer."

Alex wasn't naive. There had to be a catch. And judging by his eagerness to recruit her, coupled with his earlier comments and the city's unusual emptiness, something was amiss in Yellowrock City. Something that had led to this shortage of personnel.

"You're perceptive. It's a small favor, one you're uniquely qualified for as an Honorary Mage."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"There's no rule stating that an Honorary Mage can only be affiliated with one city. Who issued your badge? I'll speak to them. You can remain an Honorary Mage of Thunder City."

"It was Vice President Eldrin. Perhaps you could elaborate on this 'favor,'" Alex said cautiously.

She wouldn't agree to anything without knowing the details.

Sensing her hesitation, the man decided to be upfront. He explained the situation in Yellowrock City.

The elves and giants had declared war on the Southridge Republic, the human nation on the Arsen continent.

The giants were one of the three strongest local factions on the Arsen continent, their overall strength surpassing even the elves and Featherfolk.

Their sudden declaration of war had caught the humans off guard. The lack of personnel in Yellowrock City was due to the mobilization of forces to the front lines.

However, unlike other races, the human kingdoms, while bolstered by powerful organizations like the Mage Association and the Holy Court, had relatively weak armies.

Their strength lay in their alliances with these powerful factions. Their ordinary troops were no match for the inherently powerful races.

Without the mages' support, the war would have been lost already, the Republic overrun.

Perhaps this was why the Holy Court was so eager to abandon the human kingdoms.

Alex frowned.

Even with their combined might, the elves and giants shouldn't pose a significant threat. A single Sovereign level powerhouse could easily crush them. Why were they being held back? And what could she possibly do? Was he asking her to join the war effort?

"Our investigations suggest that the Holy Court is behind this war. And the Holy Court, in turn, is backed by the Angel race," the man revealed, his voice grave.

Alex wasn't surprised. She already knew this.

"But we lack concrete evidence. We can't openly confront them. The Holy Court's recent actions only confirm our suspicions. The president is currently dealing with them. I'm in charge of Yellowrock City in his absence."

"Why not request assistance from other branches?" Alex asked.

"Alyssa, you misunderstand. We're simply short-staffed, not overwhelmed."

The man's gaze was steady, his confidence unwavering. It seemed the elves, giants, and the Holy Court's interference weren't enough to truly threaten the Yellowrock City branch.

"We've discovered a large concentration of angel beasts northwest of the Republic, near Knight City. We believe they're connected to this war. We need you to eliminate them and investigate the situation."

His voice was firm, his request clear.

"We can't intervene directly without giving the Angel race a reason to retaliate. But you... you don't have that constraint."