Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

"I was just about to look for you. I'm surprised you dared to show your face." Alex stood at the edge of the Dark Forest, her gaze fixed on Zarvox, a hint of disdain in her eyes.

"Garethor's gone, isn't he? Why wouldn't I dare to come?" Zarvox cackled, as if victory was already within his grasp. Upon seeing the new undead lord, his bloodline surged with excitement.

He was thrilled, his eyes gleaming with predatory hunger, as if looking at prey already caught in his trap.

Alex didn't know how Zarvox had sensed Garethor's presence, but he had deliberately released his aura as he approached, intending to lure her out.

He even seemed to know about new undead lord return.

"It seems I underestimated you. No wonder Garethor couldn't find you."

Alex had a hunch. This was likely a unique ability of the King Ghoul.

"Since you're about to die anyway, I don't mind telling you. I can sense the bloodline of every one of you. You could call it a pheromone. I can even devour you and claim your bloodline for myself."

Zarvox cackled again, taking a step forward. "So, only I can plunder bloodlines. Those fools, Garethor and Torin, can't!"

He was gloating, revealing his reason for refusing to submit. Zarvox wanted to become the undead lord himself.

"Oh, is that all? You just have a keen sense of smell. You're nothing but a dog of the undead race. I never thought the day would come when you'd bite your master."

Alex's words enraged Zarvox.

"You bitch! My loyalty lies with the previous undead lord. Who are you? I've never betrayed anyone!"

Zarvox lunged forward, transforming. He didn't want to talk anymore. He would end her now.

"Ignorant fool. Do you really think you can devour me with the power bestowed upon you by the previous undead lord?"

Although Alex looked down on this King Ghoul, he was still a race king. She drew her scythe, waiting for him to attack.

"Arrogant!"

Zarvox had transformed into a monstrous creature. The pustules on his back erupted, spewing green poison gas that instantly withered the surrounding trees, spreading rapidly.

Green slime shot from the pustules towards Alex, coating his body in a venomous armor.

"Wind."

Alex murmured, and a gentle breeze stirred around her, quickly intensifying into a raging tempest. The poison gas dissipated, and the slime, as if hitting an invisible barrier, hung suspended in the air before her.

With a wave of her hand, Alex sent the slime crashing to the ground, where it corroded the vegetation, releasing wisps of white smoke.

Zarvox charged on all fours, his massive claws dripping with venom, aiming to tear her to shreds.

Shing!

A flash of silver, too fast for Zarvox to even register, and his entire right arm was severed.

Zarvox stared in horror, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then, he felt an invisible force slam into him.

His body flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through several trees before coming to a halt hundreds of meters away.

With a deafening crash, Zarvox slammed into the ground, feeling every bone in his body shatter. His usually reliable self-healing ability was completely useless!

How was this possible?!

He had been utterly defeated in their first exchange. He was a lv6 Emperor level being!

Even if Alex had also reached Emperor level, he shouldn't have been so easily overwhelmed. (Alex was initially lv9 King level, and the system reward had granted her a level up, making her Emperor level.)

Alex stood her ground, unmoved. This was the outcome she had expected.

If she couldn't even defeat a mid-level Emperor, how could she possibly challenge the Beastman Emperor?

Emperor level battles weren't decided by level differences but by the mastery of one's sphere. However, generally speaking, higher levels correlated with deeper comprehension.

But there were exceptions, like Alex. She wielded over a dozen spheres and possessed a rudimentary world of fusion. This was her true strength.

Alex slowly walked towards Zarvox. Her pace seemed leisurely, but she covered the distance of several hundred meters in an instant.

"Do you understand the gap between us now?"

Alex's eyes glowed, and a wave of black energy rippled outward.

This black energy was irresistible to any undead. Under its influence, Alex could instantly kill any undead.

Zarvox, feeling the overwhelming power at close range, was terrified. His muscles trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't muster even a sliver of strength.

"I understand now. Thank you for your respect, Queen. I am ready to die."

Zarvox lay on the ground, closing his eyes.

He finally realized that it was impossible for them, the race kings, to defeat the undead lord.

Alex could have easily killed him with this black energy, but she had given him a chance to fight her head-on.

He had been wrong, but unfortunately, there were no second chances.

Alex simultaneously cast summoning and soul magic, extracting Zarvox's bloodline and gathering it in her hand.

As his soul fire extinguished, his body began to decay, eventually turning to ash.

Returning to the undead Imperial Capital, Alex immediately summoned all the Ghouls to the plaza.

She surveyed the assembled Ghouls. There were only a few tens of thousands, a small number compared to other undead types. Their usefulness had been limited, so Alex hadn't focused on developing them until now.

It wasn't until King level that she truly discovered the Ghoul's potential. They were like scavengers of the undead race.

They could gain experience points by devouring corpses, indicating their potential for growth.

This was why Alex had kept Zarvox's bloodline.

Among the tens of thousands of Ghouls present, there was only one King level. It had reached this level through its own efforts, without any assistance from other kings.

The Ghoul's level cap was King level, so this Ghoul had reached its peak.

"From now on, your name is Vulture. You are the new King Ghoul."

Alex infused the bloodline into Vulture, supplementing it with undead transformation magic. The process was smooth.

"Thank you for your grace, Queen!"

Vulture knelt before Alex, his face filled with reverence.

Alex then gathered the dissipated faith power. This was what she had intended to give to the newly born King Ghoul.

After absorbing the faith power, Vulture's level surged to lv6 King level. Although still lagging behind the other race kings, it didn't matter.

The undead's growth and expansion relied on slaughter. Vulture could increase its strength by devouring countless corpses.

Alex believed that it wouldn't be long before Vulture surpassed the other race kings in level.