The Violet-Bloods

Philip was indeed stirring up trouble near the Beastkin Earth Burial grounds. Hundreds of thousands of Undead, and their numbers only grew with each skirmish. What exactly was that scoundrel Philip trying to achieve?

Regardless, those fallen beastmen were revered heroes who sacrificed themselves for their nation. Philip’s scheme to exploit their corpses… Heh heh, what an opportunity for a grand act of benevolence!

Du Chen soared, seizing the vine beneath a Green Gourd Beast’s small head. The two creatures were identical, so he couldn’t tell if it was the younger or older sibling. “Honestly tell me what’s beneath the Sacred Tomb of the Beastmen Earth Burial grounds!”

“Heh-ga-ga, my poor throat!”

The Green Gourd Beast struggled painfully for a moment, then cried, “Let me speak slowly! I told you just now, there are three lifelines in this vicinity: one at Blade of Heaven Peak, one at Longblade Peak, and another beneath the Auerbach Grand Canyon. However, beneath the Auerbach Grand Canyon’s lifeline, there’s a vast, empty labyrinthine space… Look, at these walls nearby!”

Du Chen glanced at the rugged wooden walls.

“These walls are incredibly sturdy; I’ve never seen anyone break through them. But over a year ago, some people came beneath the Orbach lifeline. They were incredibly powerful, actually breaching the walls! Then they dragged all the corpses from the beastmen graveyard into the Labyrinth of Life. Right there in the tunnels, they transformed the bodies into Undead, then transported them away in batches…”

Du Chen tightened his grip. “You mean their Undead initiative has been underway for over a year?”

“Yes! Over a year ago, when they first arrived, we Green Gourd Beasts saw there were only a few of them and thought we’d eat them. But who knew those fiends were even more formidable than you? They struck, killing dozens of our brethren! Then another monster named Philip arrived. He turned our deceased brothers into Undead Beasts to help them dig up corpses…”

***

“The Fourth Regiment of the Eighteenth Undead Army Corps is fully assembled, requesting Lord Philip’s approval to enter the base and be incorporated into the ranks!”

Somewhere in the vast, boundless Tunnel of Life, an Undead beastman with a sinister countenance and exposed shoulder bones stood at attention, shouting. Behind him, a full regiment of eight hundred Undead beastmen had just risen from the ground, standing solemnly in neat formation.

Philip stood on a high platform in the center of the clearing, his grotesque face twisting into a sinister grin as he gave a slight nod. He wasn’t clad in a laboratory alchemist’s robe, but in military-issue red battle armor. His massive right arm was bare outside the armor, a skull scepter clutched in his giant hand. On his left shoulder, a beast-head pauldron hung, adorned with the tails of eight animals—lion, tiger, wyrm, snake, and more—forming a half-length, asymmetrical cloak.

“Excellent. Incorporate them into the ranks immediately!”

Thump, thump! The entire regiment of Undead marched with heavy steps, disappearing into an entrance of the Labyrinth of Life!

Brockman stood beside Philip, similarly attired in red battle armor, but with a small Tyran Beast hanging from his left ear, and his right shoulder’s half-cloak comprised of seven animal tails. “My Lord, the Eighteenth Army Corps will be fully assembled tonight. I shall report to the Marshal immediately and request approval for the Nineteenth Army Corps’ formation!”

Philip shook his head with a smile. “No need. The Marshal himself has already arrived at the Orbach lifeline!”

Brockman exclaimed, then frowned. “The Marshal himself has arrived at the Orbach lifeline? Is this… does he not trust you, My Lord?”

Philip chuckled, “No. I have assembled eighteen Army Corps, nearly six hundred thousand troops, for the Marshal within a year. He is coming to personally confer honors and commendations upon me!”

Brockman was overjoyed, bowing deeply in congratulation. “Congratulations, My Lord!” He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Among us Outsiders, we finally have a Nine-tailed superior!” Suddenly, the small Tyran Beast on his ear squeaked, “Father, Marshal Bonis and his Divine Pet, Duhong, are here!”

Brockman’s body stiffened!

Before the words fully faded, a hearty laugh echoed from afar. “Indeed, Philip is about to be promoted to Nine-tailed, and will become one of the three Grand Speakers of our clan’s council… and you, Lord Brockman, Eight-tailed Councilor!”

Eight-tailed Councilor? Brockman froze, then glanced at the seven tails on his right shoulder. So he, too, had been promoted for his merits! He gave a faint smile. “Thank you, Marshal!” Overwhelmed with delight, he realized Lord Philip had not only become one of the select twelve Nine-tails but had also entered their people’s council. This was truly cause for celebration!

One must understand, their race was fiercely exclusionary, especially towards humans! Before today, within their core ruling body—the Supreme Joint Council—there were three Grand Speakers and thirteen Councilors. These positions were firmly held by their own people. The highest position an Outsider could achieve was merely one of Lord Philip’s thirteen Councilors. But from this day forward, Lord Philip had become one of the three most revered figures among the Fiendkind, second only to Marshal Bonis!

Yes, the accursed Fiendkind! The Fiendkind that Divine Emperor Prince should have utterly annihilated a thousand years ago!

Oh no! They call themselves the Violet-Bloods! And they refer to humans and those of us who allied with the Fiendkind—the Outsiders—as… the Red-Bloods!

Like a wisp of smoke, a handsome, poetic-looking middle-aged man with delicate features and a snow-white robe appeared before Philip. Behind him stood another individual, tall and gaunt, whose appearance… was none other than the Rebellious Dragon, Constantine!

It was indeed Fiend Marshal Bonis, and the Nether Dragon Duhong, who had impersonated Constantine and stirred up conflict between the Papal Curia and the Dragon Clan!

Philip and Brockman bowed respectfully.

Bonis returned the bow with a nod and smiled. “In one year, eighteen Army Corps and six hundred thousand troops, Lord Philip. We Violet-Bloods shall forever remember your contributions!” He bowed deeply himself, then personally lifted a beast tail and hung it on Philip’s shoulder.

Philip said, “Marshal, the First to Fifteenth Army Corps have already been assigned to your command. Currently, the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Army Corps are still being organized within the labyrinth base, totaling one hundred thousand troops…”

“Alright, I trust your work implicitly; handle the Undead Army Corps as you see fit!” Bonis gave an elegant smile, watching the ceaseless stream of Undead troops vanishing into the labyrinth entrance. “The Prerogative plan began two years ago, and today, I finally see the glimmer of success! Councilor Philip, I have no other demands, simply gather all remaining corpses within half a month, complete the formation of the Nineteenth Army Corps, and then we shall immediately initiate the third phase of the Prerogative plan—Undead Lightning!”

“Rest assured, Marshal!”

Bonis nodded. “Indeed. For these final two weeks, I shall remain here, personally overseeing operations! You all may continue your work.”

“You’re staying here? Hmph, Marshal, you are so high above, handling myriad affairs every day; why would you personally oversee a ‘minor’ sub-plan within the Fiendkind’s grand scheme to return to the human realm?” Brockman muttered, “Isn’t it just that you don’t trust Lord Philip?”

Duhong, identical in appearance to Constantine, immediately fixed a cold gaze on Brockman and hissed, “Brockman, do not presume that simply because you’ve been promoted to Eight-tailed Councilor and recently broke through to become a Nine-Star Battle God, you can be so presumptuous with the Marshal!”

Though their voices were low, Bonis, with his immense power, merely smiled upon hearing them. “Eight-tailed Councilor Brockman, it’s not that I distrust Lord Philip. Rather, these final two weeks are the most crucial moment for the Undead Army Corps plan…”

Bonis looked up at the ceiling walls and the steadily arriving corpses of Beastkin Warriors, then slowly stated, “The final step of the Undead Army Corps plan is to excavate the Orbach Mausoleum. Without alerting the beastmen, we will transform the corpse of Orbach, my most formidable old adversary from back then, into the commander of our Undead Army Corps, to serve as the vanguard for us Violet-Bloods to reclaim the Three Continents!”

Brockman said, “It’s merely excavating a mausoleum. During the previous Composite Aberrant Beasts plan, I once entered the Orbach Mausoleum; I could have stolen it then!”

Bonis shook his head. “Councilor, I came this time to tell you one thing: why did I not order you to take Orbach’s corpse then, but instead bound you by Military Edict not to disturb Orbach’s sarcophagus?”

Brockman jutted his neck. “Please enlighten me, Marshal!”

“Orbach!” Bonis pronounced the name heavily. “During the War of Fallen Gods, he clashed with me hundreds of times; I understand him too well! That lion was infallible in battle, his troop deployments unpredictable. What he excelled at most was anticipating his opponents. I guarantee you, by the lives of the hundreds of thousands of my soldiers who fell by Orbach’s hand, he would have meticulously arranged his affairs after death and would never permit future generations to disturb his sarcophagus. Unearthing Orbach’s corpse will be anything but simple!”

He paused, then spoke another name: “Lynch Baton!” He continued leisurely, “The Undying Death God was nicknamed ‘Undying’ throughout his life. Do you think this ‘undying’ merely refers to his Secret Technique—the Beast Emperor's Unyielding Body? Though his remains are gone, he must have left too many things for posterity! And the Saint Baton Family would certainly never permit us to easily take Orbach’s corpse!”

Brockman, unconvinced, retorted against Philip’s warning glance, “These are merely your speculations, Marshal!”

“Very well, consider these my speculations, even though I truly understand these two old adversaries deeply!” Bonis smiled faintly. “Previously, the Undead Battle God, Composite Aberrant Beasts… these were all elite troop plans. While elite troops are important in a war, what truly determines victory is the war potential represented by the most common soldiers. I can allow the loss of a few elite troops, but I absolutely cannot permit our core plan for our race’s return to the human realm—the fundamental strength, the guarantee of victory—the Undead Army Corps plan, to suffer any setback!”

Pointing to the marching Undead warriors, he declared, “They are the paramount interest of our race!”

Seeing the tension rise between them, Philip quipped, “Heh heh, I actually hope that person, who made me spit blood twice at Mount Tianshan and the Grand Canyon, comes again. Because if he dares to come this time, he’ll be provoking the Marshal’s reverse scale; he’ll simply be courting death!”

Bonis shook his head. “Do not underestimate your opponents. Although only Divine Emperor Prince could defeat me in a single move back then, and Margaret, the strongest among humans today, was once beaten to the point of spitting blood and fleeing by me, a thousand years have passed. Humanity has changed immensely; there might be some formidable hero who has emerged! Alright, I will oversee things here. Duhong, you may proceed with your mission!”