Requiem of the Undead

Within the Labyrinth of Life, sickly yellow and emerald green lights faintly pulsed, lending an even more unsettling air to the grim environment of the Undead Factory. The hiss of undead wails, the drip-drip of blood mingled with the splattering of minced flesh—a sound that sent shivers down the spine. This subterranean expanse beneath the Earth Burial Sacred Tomb had become a ghastly domain of the undead and the deceased!

Brockman's undead assistant gently bit into the throat of a massive bear-kin corpse. "Hss!" he suddenly lunged, tearing away half of the bear-kin's throat with brute force. His gaping maw savagely chewed the slightly putrid flesh, before he tilted his head back and howled in primal satisfaction!

Squish! The half-eaten throat he'd just swallowed splattered back onto the ground. The undead glanced at his own rotting abdomen, gaping open with a massive hole. A grim smile split his face. "I forgot," he rasped, "my belly was shredded to uselessness by a Sacred Artifact Cannon back then; it can no longer hold sustenance... Heheheh!"

Similar scenes unfolded across every corner of the Undead Factory. Fiendkind soldiers, tasked with transporting corpses, clutched their noses and furrowed their brows, continuing their work.

The bear-kin corpse, previously gnawed by the undead, slowly lurched to its feet, drained of all color, its skin turned a ghastly, pallid white! The remaining half of its neck was insufficient to support its massive head. One hand cradled its skull, while the other gestured aimlessly. "I..." With half a throat gone, its voice was muffled and raspy. With every syllable, a spray of bloody foam burst from its torn arteries.

The undead assistant roared, "You! You are mine! You belong to the Legion Headquarters Guard Corps of the Undead Legion! Long live Lord Philip!"

Splash! A Fiendkind soldier sloshed a bucket of black-green sludge onto the bear-kin undead. Following this, its hollow eyes cleared. "I am yours! Long live Lord Philip!"

The bear-kin undead raised its arm in a cheer. However, the hand supporting its head slipped, and with a grotesque gurgle, the severed half of its neck could no longer bear the weight. Its head lolled grotesquely onto its chest, yet its massive maw still stretched in a ghastly grin.

The undead assistant also grinned, a vicious, snarling expression. "From this moment forth, you shall be known as Droopy-Head Bill! And I am your commanding officer, Rotgut Dawson! Remember, this name is the mark of your ascension as an officer in the Undead Legion!"

Droopy-Head Bill snapped to attention with a sickening crack. With that, an undead warrior's transformation was complete.

Rotgut Dawson continued, "Wait here. Your soldiers will soon rise. You will lead them out of the first level of the Undead Factory and into the second level of the Undead Base. Train them relentlessly; teach them discipline and order!"

As he spoke, one Undead soldier after another rose—some missing limbs, others with shattered legs, some blasted open, intestines spilling out… The stench of blood and decay intensified within the Undead Factory.

Droopy-Head Bill's subordinates were swiftly assigned, a hundred soldiers gathering into neat ranks. Rotgut Dawson nodded with satisfaction. "You brothers haven't been dead long. Not only are your bodies mostly intact, but you also retain most of your martial skills from life. Excellent, Droopy-Head Bill! Lead your soldiers to the base and report!"

Bill's head, dangling against his chest, grinned a macabre smile. "Yes, sir!" He took a step forward, then, suddenly!

"Aaagh!" He let out a piercing shriek of agony!

Du Chen's cunning 'little tricks,' left upon their bodies, had finally activated now that they were fully transformed into undead!

A faint golden glow appeared on Droopy-Head Bill's skin. His deathly pale skin, characteristic of the undead, gradually reverted to the pallor of a normal corpse...

...

The most sacred Lotus Holy Light, left by Du Chen on this batch of corpses, was known to cause chaos when encountering a large number of undead. But precisely how that chaos would unfold and develop, Du Chen could not have foreseen!

Though Philip's undead plan was wicked and insidious, from another perspective, wasn't it merely offering these fallen warriors a different form of existence?

Droopy-Head Bill obtained new Life Energy, coming alive in another way. But at this moment, the Lotus Holy Light hidden within him activated. The Holy Light devoured the undead Life Energy Bill had just gained, intending to transform him back into a corpse, then purify his soul and grant him eternal rest…

Droopy-Head Bill confusedly sensed the change within him. He had but one thought: I've only just 'come alive' again, how can I die so soon?

No, I refuse to die again! Those who have never tasted death can never truly comprehend its terror! I, I will not die!

He desperately surged the newly acquired undead power, attempting to resist the Lotus Holy Light's purification. But that vast, majestic, and sacred power left him utterly bewildered, unsure how to resist. As the two forces clashed, the Lotus Holy Light swiftly gained dominance. Yet, Bill's residual undead power allowed him to desperately cling to his newfound existence. This could only lead to one outcome—Droopy-Head Bill, radiating Holy Light, succumbed to a frenzied madness!

Rotgut Dawson froze slightly, feeling an aura emanating from Droopy-Head Bill that filled him with unimaginable dread. He then discovered, to his horror, that after Droopy-Head Bill's light shone upon him, he himself began to melt!

It wasn't just him, nor just Droopy-Head Bill. All seven or eight hundred newly arrived corpses underwent the same transformation, radiating the same sacred glow! And the seven to eight thousand undead, manufactured as soldiers in the Undead Factory, were all melting away under this power!

Meanwhile, those seven or eight hundred new corpses scattered in a frenzied panic. Wherever they ran, the Holy Light would inevitably dissolve the undead!

"This is… Lord Brockman! Damn it, the Grand Duke's child is unwell! Lord Philip? Heavens, someone tell me what to do!?"

Rotgut Dawson suddenly realized that he was the highest-ranking officer in the Undead Factory, yet he was utterly helpless!

Fiendkind soldiers transporting corpses through the tunnels noticed the anomaly. "Quick, report to the Marshal! There's a problem at the factory!"

Dawson snapped back to attention, turning and fleeing towards the deeper levels of the Undead Base!

Droopy-Head Bill and his entire cohort of undead had become walking sources of Holy Light. They ran wildly, aimlessly scattering, but if anyone dared to block their path, they were instantly slaughtered on the spot! Droopy-Head Bill confusedly saw his commanding officer flee and instinctively followed, entering the Undead Base himself!

Droopy-Head Bill was not alone! At this moment, he was imbued with Holy Light, and he had just gained a hundred soldiers! Under the threat of death, these soldiers had only one thought—follow the commanding officer!

More than a hundred sources of Holy Light, inadvertently led by Rotgut Dawson, plunged into the base—a base housing a hundred thousand undead! It was like a hundred wolves unleashed upon a hundred thousand rabbits… The outcome was self-evident!

The entire Undead Factory and Undead Base within the Labyrinth of Life descended into utter chaos!

A hundred thousand unformed undead began to run in disarray. Everyone wanted to avoid those plague-ridden fiends, but the base was only so large…

"Damn it, clear the way! I'm an officer!"

"Go to your grave, and stay there!"

"Kill him!"

"Huh? How are you standing again? Oh, right, we're all undead. Damn it, this time I'll smash your head in!"

On the surface, the beastmen's Earth Burial ceremony was still underway. Upon the high altar, Rebadon the Beast Emperor silently watched his soldiers being interred. His icy gaze occasionally darted towards Du Chen in the viewing stands.

In a nearby tent, an even more venomous pair of eyes also fixed upon Du Chen—Lombaton, Family Head of the Saint Baton Clan!

Lombaton and Rebadon the Beast Emperor bore a striking resemblance, both towering lion-men, yet remarkably humanoid in their features. "Hmph, so your sister-in-law held a Secret Convocation with Francis just now, did she? Has that wanton hussy taken a fancy to that young, handsome Grand Duke?"

Hawkins, standing behind Lombaton, whispered, "Eldest Brother, Sister-in-law is unreliable! But Francis's character, however, is impeccable. Nothing should happen between them."

Lombaton pointed at Du Chen, his voice frigid. "Summon him to me!" His expression was grim!

Hawkins sighed inwardly. Since his Eldest Brother married Susanna, knowing full well Susanna's nature, why was he still so petty and narrow-minded? He glanced at his elder brother's piercing glare, dared not defy the order, and led his men to the viewing stands.

Du Chen and Deboning sat on chairs, while the Pontiff, Tyr, Mas, and others, disguised as attendants, stood respectfully behind Du Chen alongside the two Grand Matriarchs. Hawkins clapped Du Chen's shoulder and whispered, "My Eldest Brother requests your presence!"

"Family Head Lombaton wishes to see me?" Du Chen blinked in mild surprise.

"Yes, immediately." Hawkins' face was troubled. "My Eldest Brother has a foul temper, and is a bit petty. When you go, whatever you do, don't mention that hussy Susanna!"

Du Chen understood instantly, but how could he leave at such a moment? Tyr, eyes slightly closed behind him, was monitoring the situation within the Labyrinth of Life; a massive battle was on the verge of erupting.

At this, Tyr whispered a few words into the Pontiff's ear. The Pontiff suddenly waved his hand. "Francis, do not go!"

Hawkins glared at the Pontiff. "I am speaking with your master, who are you to interrupt? What standing do you have?"

The Pontiff remained unperturbed. He slowly removed his tall hat, revealing the Golden Circlet of the Divine and his cultivated and refined countenance. "I am Sama IX, the living representative of the Divine!"

His gentle voice spread across the fields, stunning Rebadon the Beast Emperor, Lombaton the Family Head, Hawkins, the honored guests, the two hundred thousand McAllen Guards stationed at the Sacred Tomb… all were utterly stunned!

The Pontiff flew into the sky above the Sacred Tomb. With a shudder, the Golden Circlet of the Divine flashed with dazzling light. On the altar, Rebadon exclaimed, "It truly is His Holiness the Pontiff!"

The Pontiff did not reply, simply stating, "Your Majesty Rebadon, Family Head of the Saint Baton Clan, allow me to show you something—my Fist of Enduring Earth!" With that, the Pontiff punched the air, striking the Sacred Tomb. The Beastkin soldiers guarding it had no time to react. The very earth of the graveyard seemed to stir with sentience, parting like waves and revealing a dark, yawning chasm that plunged deep underground.

Rebadon the Beast Emperor roared in fury, "Your Holiness, I respect you as the living representative of the Divine, but why disturb the eternal rest of my people's brave warriors, digging up their… Damn it, what is this?"

Deep within the fissure opened by the Pontiff, approximately twenty to thirty meters underground, a soldier in dark yellow battle armor carried a freshly interred corpse, staring blankly at the sky. He had been completely sealed by the Pontiff's power! He stood within a tunnel that stretched deep underground, its destination unknown!

Near this soldier, a corner of a massive Corpse-Looting Factory was revealed before everyone's eyes…

"Someone is looting corpses underground?! By the Ancestors, this is an outrage!" Rebadon the Beast Emperor roared in a frenzy, forgetting all decorum. "Guard Corps, heed my command! Seal everything off! Any damned scoundrel who dares to steal warriors consecrated to the Supreme Father God shall be annihilated!"

Family Head Lombaton also forgot his petty grievances with Du Chen, flying to Rebadon the Beast Emperor's side. "Your Holiness the Pontiff, what is the meaning of this?"

The Pontiff still did not answer. With swift movements, he seized the sealed soldier from mid-air. Holding the soldier with his left hand, he drew an Amia Silver Needle with his right. "Family Head Lombaton, this is an Amia Silver Needle. You should know its function!"

With that, the Pontiff inserted the silver needle into the soldier's chest, then pulled it out. The needle's tip… glowed purple!

"Fiendkind!?" That tiny needle tip caused more shock than the Pontiff's sudden appearance. A stunned silence fell from the Auerbach Grand Canyon to Amulang Mountain!

The Pontiff declared in a clear voice, "The Fiendkind have reappeared in the world. According to the Holy Church's Divine Edicts and treaties between nations, Your Majesty Rebadon and Family Head of the Saint Baton Clan, will you obey my command at this moment?"

Lombaton and the Saint Baton Family Head exchanged a look. "The Fiendkind have returned, and moreover, they desecrate the Supreme Father God by unearthing the bodies of our valiant heroes! We are willing to follow Your Holiness and fight!"

The Pontiff then looked towards the viewing stands. "Prime Minister Antoine, what of Lanning, whom you represent?"

Antoine's expression was uncertain, but he dared not hesitate. He rose and said, "In ancient times, my ancestor, Saint Bovin, and the Papal Curia had an agreement: when humanity faces extinction, the entire nation shall heed the Papal Curia's command! Prime Minister Lanning, and Negotiator Antoine, speaking on behalf of the Lanning Cabinet, pledge to obey His Holiness's command in this critical hour!"

Du Chen also rose. "Durkus the Grand Duke, third-rank Duke of Lanning, and General Francis, representing the negotiating military attaché group and the frontline legions, pledge to obey His Holiness's command at this moment!"

The Pontiff nodded gravely.

"Good! McAllen Guard Corps, heed my command! Use sacred artifacts of war to excavate the Earth Burial Sacred Tomb, bombard all tunnels, and launch a frontal assault on the Fiendkind!"

"Rebadon the Beast Emperor, lead all armies from McAllen's six major war zones to assemble in the Grand Canyon, bringing all sacred artifacts of war!"

"Prime Minister Antoine, by the Holy Church's Divine Edicts from the living representative of the Divine, Lanning and McAllen shall cease hostilities immediately! Arges's Lanning forces shall immediately reinforce Amulang Mountain; Beastkin are not to obstruct them! Nor shall Lanning forces seize this opportunity to attack McAllen. This agreement is guaranteed by the dignity of the Venerable Divine!"

A torrent of commands resounded through the assembly.

The Pontiff slowly spread his arms, his head held high, as if proclaiming to the entire world, "The Second Great War between humanity and the Fiendkind…"

"Begins!"