"Foolish. At a time like this, they're still fighting among themselves..." In the deepest chamber of the Wang family mansion, a skeleton wearing a crown stared into the mirror before it. Reflected within was the scene of the Umbral Knight and Kurosaki Satsuki joining forces against that grotesquely obese Spirit-rank zombie. The ghostly green soul fire in its eye sockets flared violently, clearly enraged by their actions.
"Ger, why be so angry?" Sitting beside it was Wang Hao. He removed his glasses and slowly wiped them with a cloth, appearing utterly uninterested in the situation.
"The prey has finally taken the bait, and they're still infighting. What do you think? Wang Hao, we've planned this for so long. Success or failure hinges on this moment. Aren't you worried at all?" Ger turned to glare at Wang Hao, irritation rising in its hollow chest. This human was always like this—calm to the point of being detestable.
"What's the use of worrying?" Wang Hao continued polishing his glasses, then looked up at Ger with a faint smile. "Since she's come, there's no way she'll be able to leave. As long as we capture her, everything else is basically irrelevant."
"Even if it's irrelevant, it's better than wasting time in foolish infighting!" Ger's anger had yet to subside. Those subordinates were truly disappointing.
"Heh. Don't you know what the Umbral Knights are like? Unless there's a war assembly, every Umbral Knight acts alone. They hardly ever care about the opinions of other non-Umbral undead. Unless the other party is someone they respect—or someone worthy of fighting—these arrogant fellows won't give face to anyone. Besides, Umbral Knights and zombies have always had all kinds of conflicts. This is just another outbreak. What's there to care about?"
Wang Hao seemed thoroughly familiar with the state of the undead. He cut straight to the heart of the matter and clearly explained the racial traits of the Umbral Knights.
"Hmph. No matter what, with a great enemy before us and a mission at hand, falling into internal strife is the height of stupidity. Regardless of the outcome, when I return, those two will suffer the most painful torment. Defying my will is not something that can simply be brushed aside." Ger understood this perfectly well. It was just that this incident had cost it face. In front of this human, its subordinates had fought for personal reasons. It was infuriating.
"It doesn't matter. Once we obtain the target, it won't matter even if this place is razed to the ground. With the Daughter of Fate in our hands, we will become the greatest contributors in the Otherside. When the great gate opens and countless troops pour into the present world, I very much look forward to the beginning of that war."
Wang Hao put his cleaned glasses back on. As he looked at Chu Lian's figure reflected in the mirror, his gaze flickered. A strange smile slowly spread across his lips, sending a chill down anyone's spine.
"Daughter of Fate... Once I obtain you, I will be a great hero of the undead. At that time, what could I not have? The Otherside? A mere Otherside is not where we should remain. Once we conquer this place and open the nexus that connects the myriad worlds, then countless worlds of the cosmos will become territory of the undead." After hearing Wang Hao's words, Ger also shifted its gaze to Chu Lian in the mirror. Its heart was filled with boundless visions of the future.
The undead were one of the major races in the Otherside, but not the strongest. They were too special. Few living beings were willing to associate with them. Thus, despite their great numbers, they had no answer to the faint encirclement formed by the other races.
If they could help their race obtain the key to opening the gate to reality this time, the undead would seize the initiative. Countless undead would pass through the gate into the present world. Those fragile humans would become nothing more than sources of reinforcement and battle strength.
At that time, the other races, desperate to gain passage through the gate, would inevitably compromise. The encirclement against the undead would be withdrawn. Only then could they become a truly powerful race.
And all of this might be brought about by itself. How could it not be excited? How could it not look forward to it?
That was why it was so dissatisfied with the Umbral Knight and the others for engaging in infighting at such a critical moment.
"Fools. When I become the true Lich King, whether it's the drought fiend or the Bone Dragon King, they will all stand beneath me. I will lead the undead toward an even more glorious future." Ger's long-dead heart seemed to throb faintly amid its excitement.
"Who exactly is the fool?" Wang Hao cast a sidelong glance at Ger. He said nothing, but a cold laugh had already risen in his heart. This fellow truly thought others were dogs that had to obey it. How naive.
Whether it's you, the undead, or even the entire Otherside—you're nothing more than stepping stones for me. I want Chu Lian not because she's some so-called Daughter of Fate, but because of the divinity within her.
Only by obtaining that divinity will I be the true victor. Once I digest her divinity, I will become one of the highest-ranking gods. Why would I care about this trivial world?
How long have I waited for this day? How could you possibly understand? Hahaha... Go on, struggle and fight to the death. In the end, everything will be mine.
If anyone were to learn of his inner thoughts, they would likely flee in terror. A person like this was far too frightening. Manipulating hearts, exploiting greed, lying dormant for so long—all for a single goal.
When everyone believed themselves to be the true victor, they would never know that the greatest winner had already left with the spoils. Those cheering were merely picking up the least valuable scraps.
Riding atop Suicune, Chu Lian suddenly felt a tremor in her heart, as though someone filled with malice was plotting against her. Yet when she thought about it, she could not pinpoint who it might be. She quietly recorded this unease in her mind, intending to trace its source when time allowed.
Right now, the most important thing was how to deal with the enemies before her—this group of undead.
"Big Sis, it seems I'll have to learn from Satsuki and face them alone." Chu Chu floated in front of Chu Lian, staring at the undead hovering at the very rear of the formation—a figure with a pair of black wings spread wide. Her eyes were filled with solemn resolve.
"Are you sure you want to face them alone? I think it's better if we attack together. No matter what, this group of undead are at least mid-Spirit rank. The one that can transform into a crow is even early Earth rank. Your strength is currently being slightly suppressed. If you face them alone, I'm afraid the odds will be against you. I won't allow that to happen." Chu Lian would not let Chu Chu do something so reckless.
She let Kurosaki Satsuki handle it not because she didn't care about the white-haired girl, but because she understood her thoughts. In that situation, if she had forcibly taken her away or intervened herself, it would inevitably have left a scar on her heart. Later, her progress would become exceedingly difficult.
Moreover, the opponent was not truly someone she could not defeat. Combined with her knowledge of the Umbral Knight's somewhat infuriating racial traits, she had felt at ease letting her go.
But the undead were different. They were an extremely cunning pack of hunters, constantly slipping into the shadow plane, launching attacks that were impossible to guard against. They were as despicable as they were shameless. Chu Chu's combat experience was, after all, limited. Facing such enemies, she was practically the embodiment of flustered confusion.
Even if the enemy could not harm Chu Chu once her momentum was fully unleashed, there was still an early Earth-rank undead eyeing her like a tiger watching its prey. Chu Lian did not believe that, under such encirclement, Chu Chu could guarantee her own safety.
"There really won't be any problem, Big Sis. Because..." Chu Chu spread her arms and floated in midair. Behind her, a bewitchingly mature woman appeared, mimicking her posture as she hovered as well. "Because I have Liya!"
As if to prove she truly could do it, she lowered her voice and instructed Liya, "Liya, summon all the warriors."
Heeheehee~ A laugh that seemed to melt the bones rang out. Upon receiving Chu Chu's order, Liya immediately raised a hand and pointed toward the sky.
The night, originally bathed in moonlight, suddenly gathered into a mass of dense black clouds. Amid flashing lightning, female warriors clad in armor descended one after another from within the clouds, hovering around Chu Chu like a royal guard protecting their queen.
"Lightning Empress!" Chu Lian looked at Chu Chu's actions, then at Liya, and immediately understood what was happening.
She had known that Chu Chu possessed a companion spirit, but she had never paid much attention to that woman. She had not sensed particularly powerful energy from her and had simply regarded her as an ordinary lightning spirit.
But this time, the lightning spirit she had always overlooked made such a shocking move that she could not help but be stunned.
"That's right. Liya—she is the Lightning Empress. All lightning spirits heed her command. In large-scale chaos, Chu Chu isn't afraid at all! Otherwise, how could I say I would protect Big Sis?" Surrounding her were thirty high-Spirit-rank lightning spirits, their numbers nearly matching those of the undead.
Lightning was one of the most yang and forceful forms of energy, and also one of the greatest counters to the undead. There was already a rank suppression. Their racial attributes were superior to the enemy's. Now, with elemental restraint added on top, whether these undead attempted to slip into the shadow plane or flee, their chances were doomed to be slim.
As the lightning spirits entangled the undead, the early Earth-rank undead on the opposing side faced the combined assault of Chu Chu and the Lightning Empress. Even with a full rank advantage, it could no longer form overwhelming suppression.
Chu Lian gazed deeply at Chu Chu and did not attempt to dissuade her further. This girl, who had once always needed her protection, was now finally able to proudly say to her, "Big Sis, let me protect you." Chu Chu... I'm truly so happy...
Watching Chu Lian and Inori Yuzuriha ride away on Suicune, Chu Chu finally let go completely. Looking at the undead before her, she said, "Even though I'm very afraid of you, for Big Sis, I absolutely won't give up. Liya, let's go!"
Lightning gathered. Chu Chu pointed forward, and Liya, sword in hand, drifted ahead, engaging the Earth-rank undead in close combat.
Their actions were like a decree of attack. All the lightning spirits and undead collided, erupting into a chaotic battle in midair.
Lightning and gray mist intertwined and surged. Chu Chu stood quietly within it all. Endless arcs of electricity flashed. In the sky, thunder dragons churned as she murmured softly, "Heavenly Prison of Myriad Thunder..."
Boom— A deafening explosion of lightning resounded. Chu Lian turned back and saw Chu Chu's long hair flowing, her solemn figure bathed in white lightning radiance.