The ridge was silent again.
The Silver Banner expedition had fled, their banners torn, their morale broken. Scouts that had once carried pride now dangled as Selena's dolls, their eyes black, their lips whispering hymns they did not believe. The campfires on the horizon sputtered out, leaving only the glow of the necro-soil fields.
Lucas stood on the battlements of the Night Castle. The Relay pulsed faintly under his hand, humming with captured fear and stolen life. The feeders moaned in their Hives. The Bone Dogs prowled the perimeter, jaws snapping at the night air. Above, the Red Eclipse burned dim and patient, as though waiting for him to act.
[Ding!]
[Global Update: Resistance Expedition Routed.]
[Reputation Shift: Unknown Lord → Soul Devourer, Puppet-Maker.]
[Threat Rating: Maximum.]
Selena stood below, her gown painted with blood, her lips still wet. She tilted her head back, eyes glowing crimson, and laughed softly. "My King, they will run home and cry into their banners. But their tears will feed us all the same."
Lucas's gaze did not move from the sky. "Fear spreads faster than war. But fear alone cannot sustain us. It is time."
"Time for what?" Selena asked, curious and hungry.
Lucas lifted his hand. The system answered with a deep chime that echoed across the territory.
[Ding!]
[Blood Evolution Tree — Unlocked.]
[Requirement Met: 10 territories conquered, 3 Lords devoured, Necro-Soil fields established.]
[Warning: Evolution is irreversible. Choose carefully.]
The world around him darkened further. The Relay, the Forge, even the spires of the Castle dimmed until only the system's crimson light remained. A vast tree unfolded in his vision—a tree of bone and blood. Its trunk split into many branches, each pulsing with a different aura. Each branch promised a path. Each path promised power.
Selena looked up at him, eyes wide, reverent. "What do you see, my King?"
"Choice," Lucas said. His voice was calm, but his eyes burned.
The first branch glowed faintly.
Path of the Gravebound.
Master of the Dead.
Units: stronger undead, higher resilience, loyalty absolute. Armies of corpses that never tire, never waver. A kingdom of silence.
The second branch throbbed with red light.
Path of the Fleshbound.
Master of the Living.
Slaves converted more efficiently, populations broken faster, fear turned into industry. A kingdom of blood and obedience.
And then the third branch split from both, glowing brighter, darker, heavier than the rest.
Hybrid Path: Dominator of the Living and the Dead.
The Lord who bends all to his will.
Undead armies fused with enslaved populations. The living become feeders, workers, soldiers. The dead rise beside them as guardians and killers. A kingdom that never stops growing, because every life and death feeds it.
The system whispered.
[Ding!]
[Branch Options:
— Gravebound Necro-Lord.
— Fleshbound Tyrant.
— Dominator of the Living and the Dead.]
[Choice will define Sovereign Path permanently.]
Lucas did not hesitate. "The third."
The tree shuddered. Its roots spread deep, cracking the vision. The branches writhed, then wrapped around him, binding him in their glow.
[Ding!]
[Selection Confirmed.]
[New Title: Dominator of the Living and the Dead.]
[Abilities unlocked:
— Unified Chain: Living and undead units share morale. Fear in one strengthens the other.
— Harvest Cycle: Living feeders produce death-energy on conversion, undead consume it to grow stronger.
— Throne Protocol: Subjugated populations automatically integrate as feeder or labor units; their corpses automatically rise as tiered undead.
— Sovereign Command: All within territory—living or dead—respond to the Lord's will without question.]
[Warning: System mutation accelerated. Audit threshold +10%.]
The crimson glow burst outward. The Night Castle shook. The feeders screamed in their Hives. The Bone Dogs threw back their heads and howled. The Sentinels slammed their shields into the ground, the sound echoing like thunder.
Selena staggered, her eyes widening as the aura washed over her. She dropped to one knee, her body trembling, not with weakness but with devotion.
"My King…" she whispered, her voice reverent, "you are not only Lord now. You are—everything. Flesh, bone, soul. All is yours."
Lucas descended the battlements. The Castle seemed to bend toward him as he walked, the Relay pulsing harder with each step. He stood before Selena. She kept her head bowed, her hair spilling across the blood-soaked ground.
He touched her chin, lifting her face. Her lips were stained, her eyes glowing. She smiled through her trembling.
"What will you do with such power?" she asked, almost breathless.
Lucas's voice was flat, merciless. "Use it."
The next day, the New Blood Protocol spread across every conquered village.
[Ding!]
[Throne Protocol engaged.]
[Population of Ash Veil — converted.]
[Population of Broken Spear — converted.]
[Population of Pale Gorge — converted.]
[Result: 2,000 feeders integrated. Casualties: 500 (automatic undead conversion).]
The streets filled with moans and whispers. Collared slaves moved in lines, carrying blood to the Hives, carrying bone to the Forge. Their faces were blank, their eyes empty. Behind them marched the risen dead—their former families, friends, neighbors—now hollow guardians bound to Lucas's will.
Unified. Living and dead.
The system whispered again.
[Ding!]
[Ability Activated: Unified Chain.]
[Effect: Feeder morale strengthens undead resistance. Undead ferocity spreads fear to living slaves. Cycle stable.]
The valley became an engine. Every death was fuel. Every life was labor. There was no line anymore.
Selena walked among the feeders, her fingers stroking their faces, her lips brushing their ears. "You live because he wills it," she whispered. "You die when he commands it. And both will be mine."
Some cried. Some knelt. None resisted.
She turned back to Lucas, her face radiant with hunger and devotion. "My King, this kingdom is no longer night alone. It is eternity."
He nodded once. His eyes lifted to the horizon, where smoke rose—not from his fields, but from far away. Armies were gathering. The Silver Banner was not finished.
[Ding!]
[Global Announcement.]
[Unknown Lord has evolved: Dominator of the Living and the Dead.]
[Threat Level: Catastrophic.]
[Faction Response: Silver Banner coalition rallying. Reinforcements en route.]
Selena's smile widened, fangs flashing. "They march here. Good. Let them come."
Lucas's gaze was cold as the grave. "They won't march home."