Volume 2, Chapter 55 – The Undead Lord’s Interest

In a valley not far from the fallen Northern Fortress, outside the enormous portal once used to transport undead armies, a massive floating castle now hung silently in the sky.

The fortress itself occupied nearly the entire valley, and aside from that gigantic portal, the rest of the space was nearly filled by the castle hovering above.

The castle was pitch black. At its very peak, a large, transparent crystal-like block of ice emitted an eerie blue glow, quietly suspended in midair. The moment any player or undead entered the valley and caught sight of that colossal ice crystal, they could also faintly see streams of freezing mist descending from it.

Surrounding both the dark fortress and the portal were countless gargoyles, grotesque creatures with blood-red eyes, circling and patrolling tirelessly. Beneath those airborne gargoyles, scattered across the ground, were Ghouls: skeletal, emaciated beings whose bodies were nothing but skin and bone, as if eternally starving.

And even deeper underground, massive spiders with multiple eyes and eight fur-covered legs were building intricate webbed tunnels that connected the entire subterranean network beneath the valley.

This place could be said to be the origin point of the Graveyard faction’s invasion of the Main World… and also the starting base from which the Graveyard first transported its armies. It had been fortified into a near-impenetrable bastion.

Deep within the dark fortress, in a palace illuminated by pale-blue ghostly flames, a man clad completely in armor sat quietly upon his throne.

Even though he was simply seated there, an overwhelming invisible pressure weighed down upon the hearts of everyone present.

The first to feel it was a monstrous being, hideous in face, caked in dirt, dragging a long iron chain behind it, its massive frame looming in the eerie light  That creature was none other than the Legendary Abomination, the same one Tianyin had slapped into the ground earlier, who still hadn’t dared crawl back out.

“Grand Duke… I…”

The Abomination spoke in a deep, muffled tone, its gravelly voice echoing through the hall. To the other undead present, the tone carried unmistakable shame and frustration.

“I was… slapped into the ground by a Throne-class…”

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“Pfft—”

As soon as the Abomination said that, the beautiful girl standing beside the man couldn’t help but stifle a laugh behind her hand. Her wine-red eyes shimmered with amusement.

“Hmm…”

The Abomination’s twisted face didn’t change in the slightest. It seemed it was already used to such reactions.

“Slapped into the ground by a Throne-class?”

The voice of the man called Grand Duke suddenly sounded, deep and commanding, carrying an authority that could not be seen nor touched.

“A Throne-class? And in our own territory, no less? Who could it be?”

In truth, the Grand Duke had already guessed the situation before hearing this report, but he wanted to question the Abomination further, partly to gather more details about this mysterious Throne-class being who had suddenly appeared, and partly to properly reprimand this unruly subordinate who was always eager to attack the Academy.

“Abomination… picking a fight with a Throne-class for no reason at all, only you would do something so foolish.”

“Grand Duke… this really isn’t my fault…”

The Abomination sounded a little indignant. Though its aura was far weaker than the Grand Duke’s, it still tried to argue back.

“Because before she appeared… I didn’t sense any Throne-class aura at all. By the time I realized it… I was already too late to retreat.”

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“There’s such a thing?”

Although he didn’t appreciate being contradicted, the Grand Duke, who was generally more tolerant, instinctively let that slide.

“Then do you know who that Throne-class is? The Emperor of the Fortress? The Heavenly Father of the Sanctuary? Or perhaps… the Paladin King of the Kingdom?”

“None of them…”

The Abomination replied in a low tone.

“Grand Duke… I’ve lived for hundreds of thousands of years… but in all that time, I’ve never seen a Throne-class like her.”

At that, the girl beside the Grand Duke, the one with the wine-red eyes, looked intrigued.

“A Throne-class you’ve never seen before… then tell me, is she of the dragon race?”

“I can say for certain… she’s definitely not a dragon.”

“Not a dragon…”

The Abomination’s answer made even the Grand Duke pause in thought. But the girl showed no such hesitation and pressed further.

“Then… What does this Throne-class look like?”

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“Her appearance…”

The Abomination paused for a moment, recalling the image of Tianyin from their brief encounter.

“Like Ysera… she has silver-white hair… and she looks like a little girl, still quite young… but her power is immense…”

“A little girl… with silver hair…”

Hearing that description, the Grand Duke couldn’t help but recall the image of the Frost Dragon Ysera in his mind.

“It must be the same Throne-class who defeated Ysera last time…”

Muttering softly, the Grand Duke’s expression hardened as he came to a conclusion.

Upon hearing his words, the Abomination secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Whatever the case, despite having provoked a Throne-class, it hadn’t been killed, quite the opposite, the girl it had attacked hadn’t even struck back seriously.

“Ha… looks like I got lucky this time…”

Though it neither feared nor shunned death, the Abomination had no intention of dying meaninglessly here and now.

So, what it truly felt grateful for… was not merely surviving, but that it still retained the life it’d need for revenge.

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“That Throne-class… Lilith.”

The man’s commanding voice resounded once more.

At his side, the graceful girl straightened her posture, lifted her delicate hand to her skirt, and bent slightly in a courteous bow.

“Grand Duke… Lilith, True Ancestor of Vampires, awaits your orders.”

“Come with me. This time, I will personally bring you to meet the one who suddenly appeared deep within our Graveyard territory, the same Throne-class who defeated the Frost Dragon Ysera.”

“Understood, Grand Duke. Shall we leave now?”

“Of course…”

The Grand Duke’s eyes glowed faintly as he glanced toward the Abomination.

“Remember this, don’t make the same mistake again. Understand?”

The Abomination lowered its head silently. On its ferocious, distorted face, the crimson light in its eyes flickered faintly, no one could tell what it was thinking.