Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Rhode felt refreshed as soon as he stepped out of his Summon Gate. He knew that it would trigger disorder and destruction to the spiritual connection of the summoning stone if it was touched by unqualified ones and this would cause the summoned elemental creatures to be uncontrollable. Due to this reason, Rhode made Gracier and Madaras handle the situation. Since it wasn’t his campsite, he couldn’t care less if the fire elemental creatures wreaked havoc.
“Rhode, you’re back!”
Marlene and Lize rushed over worriedly.
“Are you alright, Mr. Rhode?”
“With me around, what trouble can this damned human possibly get into?” Celestina said with a gloomy expression.
She glared at the two young ladies, lifted her head, and let out a snort. On the other hand, Marlene and Lize showed bitter smiles to each other. Even though they didn’t interact much with Celestina in the past, they knew that there were numerous strange beings around Rhode.
“I’m fine, thanks for the concern.”
Rhode wrapped his arms and gazed at Celestina. The corners of his lips curled up and a trace of smile glinted in his eyes. Then, he turned to the two young ladies with a stern expression.
“I’ve gained huge results from this trip. Gather everyone. There’s something important to discuss.”
“Okay.” Marlene and Lize nodded without hesitation and headed off.
Rhode’s brows twitched. He couldn’t help but feel exhausted. Even though he had decided on how to resist the Undead Creatures’ upcoming attack after the investigations, this choice wasn’t one that he liked. If only he could get rid of the enemies as easily as how he dealt with the Necromancer back then… It was a pity that this world wouldn’t grant his wishes that simply. But… he wasn’t the only one who had it tough and this point alone was enough to make him feel better. Nothing was more fun than establishing his happiness on others’ misfortune.
That Lich must be infuriated.
Rhode’s guess was right because on the other side, Cullen was so furious that his lungs were about to explode. If he had this organ inside him, that was.
Bam!
Cullen smacked the table heavily and the map made from parchment trembled. The entire tent still. Schrodinger hugged his cat for assurance as he cowered in the corner and gazed at Cullen who was exuding dense murderous intent. Schrodinger wouldn’t be alarmed if Cullen turned around and crushed him to death in the next moment. He looked around and the others were silent. Duran, the vampire patriarch, sat on a chair in the darkness while the mighty Death Knight stood quietly by the side. Through the gap in his helmet, the spiritual radiance in his eyes were flickering, which meant that he was pondering deeply.
“… It seems like we’ve underestimated our enemy.”
After a few moments, Cullen ground his teeth and said unconvincingly. In fact, he admitted that he was careless this time. Even though that foolish Simon had failed previously, Cullen didn’t take his failure to heart because he believed that Simon was simply useless. Besides, just as Rhode had thought, the Undead Army’s deployment wasn’t complete back then while his side was ready for them, so it wasn’t surprising that Simon had lost. But this time, Cullen had a complete army including more than a hundred of Skeletal Trolls and the formidable Night Wyvern. Cullen was angered at this thought. In fact, this young Night Wyvern joined Cullen’s army because it was curious and Cullen knew how beneficial the Night Wyvern would be for his army with its powerful strength. Even though Cullen daringly sent scouts into Rhode’s territory—they were eventually eliminated—Rhode didn’t take action, which was why Cullen didn’t expect him to send scouts into his camp.
But reality was always harsh and he still hadn’t come to terms.
Cullen didn’t think that he was too careless. He commanded his men to check all magical eyes, barriers, and look-out posts. However, the results stunned him. Everything turned out normal. None of them were destroyed and there were no signs of damage. In fact, the enchanted field around the summoning stone wasn’t disrupted at all.
When Cullen heard this news, he was more baffled than when he heard someone had infiltrated his camp. If it wasn’t for his experiences, perhaps he would think that he was listening to mad men. But, after scanning the area, he admitted that everything was true. If it weren’t for the flame traces and the missing Fantasy Key, he wouldn’t have believed that someone had trespassed his campsite.
Besides, not only was the Fantasy Key stolen, but five Necromancers were also killed. They were Cullen’s trusted aides and even though they weren’t comparable to a Corpse Slave like Sara, they were his trustworthy subordinates. The enemy sneaked through the magical barrier, stole the Fantasy Key, and even purposely activated the elemental teleportation door to give him a hard time… More importantly, the enemy killed five Necromancers!
Cullen checked the Necromancers’ corpses. Every one of them died in a single blow. Their Soul Cores were destroyed completely and their defensive spell didn’t seem to be activated. Although Cullen didn’t see it for himself, he was sure that they were slaughtered simultaneously. He understood his subordinates well. If they were ambushed by enemies, they would definitely report the situation to him. But based on this result, they didn’t seem to have noticed the enemy at all.
This is weird.
The enemy strolled in his camp and slaughtered whoever they wanted to. Bu, none of the detection spells and magical eyes caught onto them. Cullen swept a glance at the vampire patriarch hidden in the shadow. Even Vampires who were the best at concealing their presence couldn’t achieve this. Moreover, the Night Wyvern was present too. Perhaps the four legendary generals were capable, but Cullen was aware that they wouldn’t come here to fool with him.
What about the three Archangels? This guess was even more ridiculous. It would be impossible for the Undead Creatures to not detect their overbearingly holy, positive powers.
Cullen slammed the table impatiently. He gazed at the two figures, but he knew that they wouldn’t help. Everyone was clear from the cruel, violent battles in the Country of Darkness. Cullen felt humiliated that the humans had sneaked into his camp, killed five Necromancers, and stole the Fantasy Key. If this was reported to the higher-ups, perhaps Cullen’s position as the commander would be stripped.
Although he strengthened his defenses thereafter, he knew that this was only for show. Since the enemy successfully sneaked through his meticulously laid-out defensive net, the results would still be the same even with 100 more layers. Fortunately for him, his army was complete and the teleportation door was ready. Even though he didn’t have the Fantasy Key, he could create a replica using his specialized skills in creation. Of course, the replica wouldn’t be as useful as the authentic one.
“Fortunate, our army has fully gathered. Although the weak, lowly humans may have possibly gathered intelligence on our strength, they can’t come up with a solution to threaten us within this short period of time.”
Cullen wasn’t lying when he said this. In fact, if it were a battle between the Undead Creatures, perhaps the intelligence would be useful. But, the humans were too weak and drastically different from them. What could they even do with the information? They would only feel more hopeless about the state that they were in. However, for some unknown reasons, Cullen believed that everything wasn’t as perfect as he deemed after thinking about the enemy murdering the Necromancers and stealing the Fantasy Key.
“Everything go according to plan. We will attack the Land of Atonement three days later. Everything is for the sake of His Majesty’s honor!”
As Cullen gave out his determined order, inside the fortress in the near distance, Rhode described everything that he saw in the Undead Army camp. Everyone listened solemnly. There was a total of 150,000 Undead Creatures while they only had up to 20,000 troops. If it weren’t for the Battle Angel Army, Magic Fleet, and legendary spell casters like Mini Bubble Gum and Canary, they wouldn’t even need to step on the battlefield and were better off retreating.
At this moment, even Frederick kept his smile. He knew the serious consequences of this matter.
“But we don’t have to be so worried.”
Perhaps sensing the heavy atmosphere, Rhode clapped for everyone’s attention.
“Just as I’ve mentioned. They may have a 150,000 troops army, but most of them are low-level creatures like the Skeleton Soldiers, Skeleton Guards, and Death Knights. who we had slaughtered countless of. Besides, we have a secret weapon and with the Battle Angel Army around, this fortress definitely won’t fall. I guarantee this. Of course, everything that I’ve said here is a top secret. I guess everyone here understands what I mean.”
“Don’t worry, Sir Overlord. For the sake of victory, I’m willing to risk my life to stop every Undead Creatures from stepping into this fortress.”
Bayer stood up and bowed respectfully. He displayed a gloomy expression and appeared rather anxious. It was apparent that he understood the concept of a 150,000 troops army as a veteran and after recalling their previous battle with the Undead Creatures, he didn’t feel too hopeful. He merely treated Rhode’s ‘impassioned’ statement as a morale booster and the latter let out a bitter smile. After all, the young were fearless and had never seen that many enemies in their lives, which explained why they weren’t feeling as helpless as Bayer.
But Rhode was assured by Bayer’s action because even though the situation was looking bleak, Bayer declared his will to fight to the death. Although they came here as reinforcements, Rhode was aware that it was only human nature that they would flee after hearing about the number of enemies they were facing. Nothing was more admirable than knowing the threats before them and still continuing to fight to the last moment.
But Rhode was better off appointing someone to watch and keep Bayer from committing suicide. When that happened, it would surely turn into black comedy.
“Luckily, the enemies won’t have additional reinforcements. I’ve discovered during my investigations that their disposition of troops are ready, which means that they’re only waiting to move out. If I guess correctly, they will launch their attacks in three days.”
“Why is it three days later, Sir Overlord?” Serena blinked curiously and Rhode shrugged.
“The Country of Darkness worships the number ‘three’. Legends say that the Darkness Mainland was created by the first Dark Dragon Soul in three nights, where there were eternal nights thereafter and darkness ruled everything. This is why the Country of Darkness is tangled with the numbers ‘three’ and ‘nine’. For example, the Country of Darkness’ capital is divided into three regions while the Darkness Castle has nine floors. It is also a rule for them to launch their attacks three days after the complete disposition of troops because they believe that they will be blessed by the Dark Dragon Soul’s protection and be victorious.”
Rhode clapped.
“We only have three days to prepare ourselves and will face a fierce battle. Remember my words. We don’t need to be concerned about the massive amounts of Skeletal Warriors, Skeleton Guards, and Death Knights. Instead, the Skeletal Trolls and Vampire army are our greater concerns. Alright, go get ready!”
Everyone stood up without hesitation and left with stern expressions. Three days. They didn’t know what they could do within this period of time. But now, all they could do was to hope for the best.
Shortly after, the spacious meeting room turned empty without only a few members left: Beni, Gillian, Canary, Mini Bubble Gum, and Orchid Heart. Rhode had given them a few looks and even though they didn’t know what he wanted to say, they quietly stayed behind.
Rhode closed the doors and ordered Agatha to stop anyone from entering. Then, he turned around and said.
“Everyone. We’re in trouble.”
“We heard that just now, Leader.”
Mini Bubble Gum lifted the tea cup and said nonchalantly.
“What’s so great with those little Undead Creatures? Besides, isn’t the Battle Angel Army here too?”
Rhode spread his arms apart helplessly.
“I didn’t mention it earlier because I don’t want to frighten the rest and this spells trouble.”
“What’s the trouble, Leader? Look at your nervous self. Don’t tell me the Dark Dragon Soul will be paying us a visit personally?”
“… Apart from the Undead Army, I saw a…”
Rhode paused.
“Night Wyvern.”
Pfff! Bang!
Mini Bubble Gum spurted the tea in her mouth while Beni stood up abruptly and accidentally flipped the chair beside her. She pressed her hands on the table and glared at Rhode.
“Sir Overlord, are you sure it’s a Night Wyvern?!”
“I can’t be more sure than this. Even though it hasn’t grown fully yet, it is definitely a Night Wyvern.”
Rhode took in a deep breath and looked ahead. Not only Mini Bubble Gum, but Canary, Gillian, and Orchid Heart also turned pale.
“That’s why I said we’re in trouble.”
