Chapter 23: The Empty City
On the streets of Iron Fortress Territory, the dead silence was profound enough that the faint friction of walking bones could be heard.
Kaito paced through this empty city, his pale finger bones propping up his chin. In his empty eye sockets, Soul Fire flickered unsteadily.
He had imagined many scenarios after the occupation.
Street fighting with stubborn resistance, the cries of commoners, the surrender of nobles... even the mutual destruction of the entire city's military and civilians.
But he never expected the scene before him.
The city was empty.
The people—every single one of them—were gone.
In the enormous Iron Fortress Territory, aside from the mess on the ground and the lingering smell of blood, not even a rat remained.
"Am I that scary?"
A helpless mutter echoed in Kaito's soul network.
"I didn't plan to massacre the city. Why did they all run away? I was planning to conquer them with virtue and set up a pilot program for a 'Community of Shared Destiny for Undead and Humans'."
He waved his hand. Greed, the Secretary of State behind him, understood immediately.
Leading a squad of Skeleton Soldiers, Greed began methodically taking inventory of supplies in the city, drawing maps, and assessing damage to city defenses.
The efficiency was so high it made Kaito click his tongue.
Well, if they ran, they ran.
The gains from this battle far exceeded his expectations.
With the extinguishing of the last shred of resistance in Iron Fortress, a flood of death energy, majestic beyond imagination, rose from every corner of the city.
It was the purest energy dissipated from over three thousand vanished souls—the fallen defenders, the commoners who committed suicide in despair.
This energy, mixed with the embers of Soul Fire generated when the defeated Skeleton Soldiers reassembled, turned into an Evolution Storm that swept through the entire army!
Whoosh—
The invisible wave washed over them.
Kaito could clearly perceive in the soul network that the Soul Fire of every unit was expanding and solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The original army of three thousand undead, after absorbing the nutrients of Iron Fortress, broke through the four thousand mark directly!
What made his heart surge even more was the leap in quality!
Except for three hundred Skeleton Soldiers responsible for logistics and menial tasks who remained at Tier 2, all other units—everyone—advanced to Tier 3!
This meant that even his most ordinary soldier possessed strength comparable to an elite Great Knight in the human world.
And as the convergence center of this energy flood, his six Generals underwent earth-shattering changes.
[General of Punishment · Pride] — Tier 4, Skeleton Berserker!
[General of Fearless Vanguard · Wrath] — Tier 4, Skeleton Knight!
[General of Aegis Legion · Gluttony] — Tier 4, Skeleton Giant!
[General of Extinction Legion · Envy] — Tier 4, Skeleton Archer!
[Secretary of State · Greed] — Tier 4, Vampire!
[General of Arcane Legion · Lust] — Tier 4, Skeleton Archmage!
Even his Tier 3 adjutant successfully evolved. Holding a staff, it impressively became a genuine Skeleton Archmage!
The four hundred Skeleton Soldiers under its command also all transformed into Tier 3 Skeleton Mages!
In an instant, the magical power of the entire undead legion rose by more than one tier.
Just then, Kaito's will turned to the captive he had saved from the battlefield.
The Skeleton Swordsman who was captured alive by the Silver Moon Squad, resurrected by him, and finally active on the battlefield.
In the previous battle, it had perfectly executed the tasks of marking and infiltration.
And at the critical moment, it created significant chaos behind the human lines.
With a thought, Kaito cast the one Naming opportunity he had gained from his previous advancement—but hadn't been willing to use—onto it.
"From this day forth, I bestow upon you the True Name — Skele-Sloth."
Majestic energy poured into the small body of the Skeleton Swordsman.
Its bones shattered inch by inch under the wash of energy, then reassembled at lightning speed under the guidance of Kaito's will.
Finally, when the light dissipated, a brand new figure appeared before all the Generals.
Tier 4, Skeleton Assassin!
"I appoint you as the General of Shadow Guards of Evernight Territory, responsible for intelligence, reconnaissance, and protection."
Kaito's voice echoed in the soul network.
And at the very moment Sloth completed its evolution, an unprecedented energy, vast as a sea of stars...
Fed back into Kaito from the soul network of the seven Generals and four thousand subordinates!
Under this energy feedback, Kaito himself naturally broke through.
Tier 4! Undead Ruler!
Simultaneously, a brand new ability was engraved deep in his soul.
[Indestructible]: When your Soul Fire is extinguished, you will immediately resurrect on the spot and restore to peak condition.
Cooldown: One day.
Kaito's Soul Fire jumped violently.
Resurrect on the spot? Peak condition?
Isn't this... a Guardian Angel (Revive)?
Although there was a one-day cooldown, this survivability was simply a qualitative leap!
A bold idea instantly occupied Kaito's mind.
He had to personally test the specific effects of this ability!
He turned around, facing the seven Generals and the army of four thousand who had just finished assembling and were watching him with fanatical gazes.
"Everyone back up."
Kaito issued a command that none of his subordinates could understand.
Although confused, absolute loyalty made them hesitate not in the slightest. They retreated in unison.
Leaving a huge empty space in the center of the city square for their Monarch.
Kaito stood in the center of the square and took a deep breath—even though he didn't have lungs.
Pop.
A soft sound.
The supreme Monarch of Evernight Territory, the Undead Ruler, Lord Kaito... the Soul Fire in his eyes extinguished.
His skeleton, losing support, collapsed with a clatter into a pile of bones.
D... Died?
In that instant, the entire soul network felt like it had been severed by an invisible hand.
All skeletons, from Generals to soldiers, saw the Soul Fire in their eyes flicker frantically, nearly going out.
Having lost the link with the Ruler, they were like ships losing their lighthouse, instantly swallowed by endless chaos and panic.
However, this doomsday-like scene lasted less than a breath.
Right atop Kaito's scattered pile of bones, the bones flew back to their original positions automatically, reassembling a hundred times faster than they had fallen apart.
An intact Kaito stood once again in the center of the square.
The core of the Soul Fire in his eyes was deeper and more solid than before.
Peak Condition! True to the name!
"I see..."
Kaito felt the surging power in his body, and the [Indestructible] ability deep in his soul that had just been activated...
But was now reset to be usable again. His Soul Fire couldn't help but thump wildly.
He had discovered a BUG.
This skill, when restoring to "Peak Condition," also refreshed the cooldown of the skill itself!
Which meant, as long as he wanted, he could infinitely... resurrect on the spot!
"Holy crap! Doesn't this make me invincible?"
Kaito forcibly suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, maintaining the majesty of a Lord.
He looked at his subordinates in the square, who had fallen into fanatical worship because of his resurrection from death, but his mind was thinking calmly.
Invincibility didn't mean he could do whatever he wanted.
He wasn't one of those native undead who only knew slaughter and destruction from birth.
He possessed eternal life. If he truly turned this world into a dead wasteland...
How boring would the endless years to come be?
A back garden capable of self-development, full of vitality, and even capable of birthing various interesting civilizations—that was what he wanted.