Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Alex pieced together her theory based on the information gathered and shared her thoughts with Boreas. Although he was the acting president, his understanding of the current landscape of the major races was undoubtedly less comprehensive than hers.

He was visibly astonished. The humans had no other allies.

"Thank you for informing me," Boreas said, his voice filled with a mix of awe and concern. "I will report your warning and speculation immediately."

He immediately began drafting a letter, his urgency evident. Alex rose from her seat. "Then I'll take my leave."

...

Outside Hurricane City, Alex glanced back at the familiar cityscape. A premonition told her this might be her last visit.

Just as she was about to depart, a red-haired man materialized before her.

He wore open red leather armor, revealing a muscular physique crisscrossed with scars. His face, framed by a thick beard, looked weary, but his eyes burned with an intense fire.

"Dragon race?" Alex questioned, sensing the volatile aura characteristic of dragons, specifically a Lava Dragon.

He was a second-stage Sovereign level being. He didn't seem hostile, but Alex remained cautious, ready to summon her undead troops at a moment's notice.

"I am Emberon," the man said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. "Greetings, Undead Lord."

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"A dragon apostle?" Alex asked. "What brings you here?"

If he wasn't here to fight, he must have another reason.

"A few days ago, I stumbled upon a terrifying truth," Emberon said, his voice grim. "I've come to share it with you."

He opened his hand, revealing four shards radiating an icy aura.

Alex gasped. "Frost Heart!"

It was the Azure Dragon race's treasure, shattered into seven pieces by the Angel race. Alex possessed three shards. The remaining four should have been in the Angel race's possession. How did this Lava Dragon get them?

Ignoring Alex's surprise, Emberon continued his story, seemingly unconcerned whether she was listening or not.

"That day, like the other apostles, I returned to the Mossvale continent to report. Dragons value solitude and typically keep to themselves.

But I discovered that some dragon race alphas were gathering their kin to build a city, seemingly intending to unite all dragon races to face the upcoming era crisis.

That in itself wasn't unusual. But they were also gathering the sub-dragon races.

Dragons are proud creatures. We consider sub-dragons to be no better than rats.

Something felt wrong. Our Lava Dragon clan's alpha is in slumber. He wouldn't have ordered this. I suspected there was a traitor among the dragon race, and my years of experience as an apostle gave me a hunch.

I investigated all the dragon races in secret and discovered that not all of them were building cities and gathering their kin. Moreover, the Dragon God's pronouncements, relayed through the azure dragon race, had become increasingly infrequent over the years. They all seemed to be following the Venom Dragon alpha's lead."

Emberon paused, meeting Alex's gaze before revealing the most crucial piece of information he had uncovered.

"I decided to confront the Venom Dragon leader. But when I arrived at their territory, he was nowhere to be found. In his room, I found four Frost Heart shards.

It all clicked. He had made a deal with the Angel race, or perhaps he was planning to join them. Returning the Frost Heart shards was proof of his allegiance. The Venom Dragons alone couldn't have retrieved all those shards from the Angel race."

Emberon's voice was filled with barely controlled rage, his aura flaring.

"I decided to confront the Dragon God himself. But two first-stage Sovereign level Venom Dragons guarded the Dragon God's temple. They refused me entry. But they didn't know I had already ignited my divine fire and reached the second stage. I injured them and forced my way in.

But when I finally opened the doors, my heart sank. The Dragon God wasn't there. He had already ascended!"

"What?!"

Even Alex was shocked. The dragon race's actions pointed to only one conclusion.

They were siding with the World's Heart!

"Doesn't that make you a traitor to the dragon race?" Alex asked, a strange look on her face.

"A traitor? Preposterous!" Emberon scoffed. "The Dragon God has always been neutral. He wanted to lead the dragon race away from conflict. It must have been those despicable Venom Dragons who forced him to ascend! They, and the other dragon races who support them, are the true traitors!"

Emberon, as a Lava Dragon, was clearly hot-headed and stubborn.

He had sought her out for Ice Cream's sake.

"Take the Frost Heart," Emberon said, handing the shards to Alex. "The undead race is neutral. Ice Cream grew up on the Eldoria continent and has been following you. He must understand the truth about this world. He's the only one I can trust now."

"You want Ice Cream to become the new Dragon God and unify the dragon race?"

"The dragon race cannot follow those villains to their doom. We need a new Dragon God to lead us. I can't obtain our race's treasure, so I can only place my hopes on him."

If he could, Emberon would have claimed the treasure himself and become a true god to unify the dragon race. But the Lava Dragon alpha was a pseudo-god, making it impossible for him to obtain it.

He was certain of the undead race's neutrality because Alex had destroyed the core of will without hesitation.

"I understand," Alex said gravely.

This put the humans in a dangerous position.

But she had already warned them. She had done all she could.

"News of the Dragon God's ascension has leaked. They won't come after me. Instead, they'll accelerate their plans before the news spreads." Emberon said.

This meant the dragon race had two targets: the Demon race and the humans.

They didn't need to defeat the true gods of those races. They just needed to force them to ascend. Without their true gods, those races would be vulnerable.

"How about you join the undead empire?" Alex offered. A lone Sovereign level being was insignificant in this chaotic war without the backing of a powerful faction.

"I will join the undead empire," Emberon replied. "But not now."