Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

At the center of the Aether Isle, Alex strained against the immense pressure of the World's Heart, her God's Path a torturous, uphill climb. She had only progressed a quarter of the way.

Ascending to godhood was no easy feat.

Her senses were blocked on the Aether Isle. She was unaware of the events unfolding outside, only that time was of the essence. If she didn't hurry, her allies might not hold out.

If the angel gods reached the island and disrupted her ascension, all would be lost.

The Angel race, puppets of the World's Heart for untold years, had the easiest path to pseudo-godhood, their ascension fueled by the faith power channeled through the World's Heart.

Even true gods received a degree of leniency from the World's Heart, their banishment delayed.

Alex had a growing suspicion about the reason for the true gods' eventual banishment.

They posed a threat to the World's Heart.

Since arriving on the Aether Isle, hidden truths had begun to surface.

The World's Heart wasn't alive. It was the residual power of a deceased God of Creation.

This explained its unconscious nature and its fear of true gods.

Even in death, a God of Creation's power was immense. It was terrifying to imagine their strength in life.

This also explained the system's desire to absorb the World's Heart.

But the system's current whereabouts and its true nature remained a mystery.

Alex had interacted with the system more than any other entity, yet it remained the most enigmatic.

She could only hope it wouldn't interfere at this crucial moment.

Destroying cores of will caused the Aether Isle to rise. Now, as she ascended, the continents were converging. Alex didn't know what this meant, perhaps an unconscious act of defiance by the World's Heart.

But both continents with and without cores of will seemed equally affected.

And as she progressed further along her God's Path, she felt the Aether Isle begin to descend.

Were the continents and the Aether Isle merging into a single landmass?

Did this herald a world reset?

Time seemed to stand still on the Aether Isle. There was only the crushing pressure, the relentless force of the World's Heart pushing against her.

She had to endure, complete her God's Path, ascend to godhood, and bring order to this chaotic world.

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...

On the Mossvale continent, a terrifying power erupted from a hidden tunnel. Emberon emerged, his body radiating heat.

He had absorbed the Fire Godhead, forcibly ascending to pseudo-godhood.

Ice Cream remained in the cave, absorbing the Frost Heart's power. Emberon had sacrificed his own potential to ensure Ice Cream's ascension. He would use this newfound power to claim the remaining dragon treasures while the chieftains were away, fighting on the Endless Sea.

Ice Cream would become the new Dragon God.

Emberon transformed into a massive fire dragon, soaring towards the heart of the dragon race's territory.

No dragon could stop him now.

After Emberon's departure, a shadowy figure appeared outside Ice Cream's tunnel: Death Spirit, standing guard. Although it couldn't defeat gods, it could handle weaker Sovereigns.

Undead poured from the fortresses scattered across the Mossvale continent.

The Rock Dragons and their vassal sub-dragon races joined the fray.

Chaos engulfed the Mossvale continent. Whether Ice Cream would become the new Dragon God remained uncertain. Death Spirit couldn't rely on him alone.

Destroying the Mossvale continent's core of will was their top priority.

The dragons, having learned from their previous encounter with the undead, were prepared this time.

Moreover, they were confident in their ability to repel this weakened undead force. If they couldn't even handle this, they were unworthy of being dragons.

While the dragon armies clashed with the undead, a red figure slipped through their lines, unnoticed.

The undead attack was a perfect diversion, drawing the dragons' attention away from Emberon.

The battle raged. The Mossvale continent wouldn't escape unscathed.

...

Back on the Eldoria continent, in the undead empire, Death Spirit commanded the undead armies, while Xiao Mu and Ruby oversaw the defense of the undead Imperial Capital.

Two Sovereign level beings were enough to handle most threats, as long as no pseudo-gods were involved.

But just as the allied races had targeted the Angel race's civilian population to weaken their pseudo-gods, the angels had devised their own plan.

No race knew pseudo-gods better than the Angel race.

But instead of sending an army to destroy the undead empire, they sent gods.

Three beams of holy light streaked across the sky, heading towards the northern Eldoria continent. Within the light were three eight-winged angels!

Xiao Mu, Ruby, Death Spirit, and Sophie were stunned. Despair washed over them.

Even Death Spirit couldn't believe the Angel race still had god-level combatants to spare.

But if they had so many gods, why not send them to the Aether Isle instead of targeting the undead empire?

The Angel race wasn't foolish. They weren't going to deploy their forces piecemeal.

This was war, not a turn-based game.

A terrifying realization struck Death Spirit. The Angel race had deployed their true god alongside these gods!

The Aether Isle was the true god's target. They were going for an all-out, decisive strike!

The three approaching angel gods filled them with dread. The undead empire couldn't be destroyed.

"Death Spirit," Xiao Mu declared, stepping forward, "I'll hold them off. Evacuate all undead. Better to die fighting on the battlefield than be slaughtered here!"

He would attempt to ascend to godhood, using the rules to buy them time.

He had nothing left to lose. Failure meant death anyway. Even as a god, he was unlikely to survive against three angel pseudo-gods.

"Ruby, Sophie, evacuate with the undead," Xiao Mu instructed.

Ruby, a first-stage Sovereign with no potential for godhood, and Sophie, a mid-level Emperor, were no match for these foes.

Death Spirit nodded. This was their best option. They had no other gods to defend the capital.

It immediately began organizing the evacuation. The undead empire could be rebuilt as long as Alex lived.

"Xiao Mu..." Sophie said, her voice filled with worry and a hint of sadness. This might be their last goodbye.

"Don't worry. I won't die," Xiao Mu replied, a forced smile on his face, his eyes betraying his true feelings.

He channeled the faith power of the Light Titan kingdom, focusing it above the undead Imperial Capital.

With a roar, he absorbed the energy. A golden barrier enveloped the city. The three approaching angels paused, surprised.

They hadn't expected anyone within the undead empire to attempt godhood. Judging by the energy signature, it wasn't an undead, but a... Titan?

A rare smirk appeared on their emotionless faces.

They weren't mocking the Titan's power, but its ignorance.

Due to their racial traits, Titans couldn't ascend to godhood through faith.

Beyond Sovereign level, they had only one path: true godhood!

This Titan's attempt was doomed to fail.

It would only buy them a few minutes. No matter what, it was still a Titan, bound by its racial limitations. The angels weren't worried.

As for ascending to true godhood? Preposterous.

Within the undead empire, Death Spirit watched with growing unease as the golden barrier weakened.

Xiao Mu's aura, instead of growing stronger, was fading.

He had failed.

The barrier shattered. Xiao Mu coughed up blood, his aura flickering. His path forward was blocked.

He had failed, his God's Path severed, his strength permanently capped at first-stage Sovereign.

"It wasn't my fault! I had enough faith power!" he cried, confused and frustrated.

"Xiao Mu, leave the capital!" Death Spirit yelled, flying towards him.

The three angel gods had entered the Dark Forest, approaching the undead Imperial Capital.

A holy light flashed. The Death Spirit clone approaching Xiao Mu was obliterated.

The angels hovered above the city, radiating blinding light.

A searing flash engulfed the undead Imperial Capital. Everything within its radius was purified, reduced to dust.

The combined power of the three angels spread outwards like a nuclear blast, obliterating everything in its path.

Walls crumbled, earth churned, and the magnificent palace collapsed. The imposing skeleton statues, the alchemy warlocks' laboratories, the subjugated races' dwellings, and any lords and Freelancers who hadn't escaped were annihilated, consumed by the blinding golden light.

Brak, Brok, the forest's subjugated races, the Rock Serpents, the man-eating ants... all gone, without a trace.

The dense forest was reduced to ashes. Even the spatial distortions within its depths offered no protection.

The golden light faded, revealing a desolate wasteland where the undead Imperial Capital, and indeed the entire Dark Forest, had once stood.

At the center of the devastation, Xiao Mu knelt, his eyes vacant, his face pale with shock. "It's gone... everything's gone..."

He knew he had no chance of escape. Even at his fastest, he couldn't outrun gods.

He looked up at the three angels hovering above, wondering why they hadn't killed him.

One of the angels descended, landing before him, its white wings obscuring its face.

"The light within you is pure," the angel said, its voice emotionless. "You have no connection to the undead race. Join us. We can restore your severed God's Path, even help you become a true god, the ruler of the Titan race. What do you say?"

Xiao Mu finally understood why he was still alive. The Angel race wanted the Light Titan clan.

They had never doubted their victory. But this war would reshape the world, leading to the extinction of many races. They would control and manipulate the remaining races to solidify their dominance.

Xiao Mu looked at the angel before him, then at the other two hovering above. He remained silent.

The angels weren't in a hurry. They had completed their mission. As a show of "good faith," they allowed Xiao Mu time to consider their offer.

He wasn't afraid of death. He was afraid of never seeing his sister again.