Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Alex used frost magic to handle the remaining griffins, restricting their mobility and leaving only their heads exposed for breathing.

However, the charging dwarf knights were the real concern now, and Alex couldn't spare her attention for the griffins.

"What are you all doing outside? Get back into the castle now!" Alex shouted to the dwarves who had stepped out of the castle, ready to join the fight.

"Lord, we know you are strong, but this trouble is our doing. Please allow us to fight!" A dwarf, who seemed to be the leader among those who had pledged allegiance to Sophie, spoke up to Alex.

"But war carries the risk of death. What if you die? Also, who are these dwarves, and how strong are they?" Alex questioned the dwarf leader, trying to gather some information. She knew these refugees might not know much, so she didn't hold much hope.

Hearing Alex's concern for their safety, the dwarves were even more moved. Their loyalty to Alex increased by 5 points.

"Two hundred miles outside the White Rock Mountains lives a noble faction from the dwarf kingdom, the Silverbeard Clan. Since the death of the dwarf king, they've harbored ambitions to unify the dwarf kingdom. It's said they've been secretly building a force of boar cavalry," the dwarf leader shared everything he knew with Alex.

Analyzing this, Alex guessed that this dwarf army wouldn't be weak.

But they wouldn't all be at a Commanding level; otherwise, the Silverbeard Clan would have already had the strength to unify the dwarf kingdom.

Ultimately, Alex allowed the dwarves to join the battle. Dwarves are straightforward and value loyalty; she didn't want to force them against their will.

"Big Shot, what do we do? The dwarf army is coming!" Sophie was panicking. It was all Sienna's fault; if not for her interference, her castle wouldn't have been discovered by the dwarf army so soon.

Unlike Sophie's panicked state, Alex was somewhat looking forward to this. It was her first time engaging with a local force's army.

Before the enemy arrived, Alex positioned two hundred Skeleton Warriors at the forefront, accompanied by the dwarves—currently her entire ground force.

Her advantage lay in the air forces, with five hundred gargoyles and specters ready in the sky, while the remaining necromancers guarded the Portal of Transit. With a level 6 Commanding necromancer there, Alex felt relatively secure.

"Sophie, you and the Acolytes should hide inside the castle. It's too dangerous outside."

"Big Shot, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Don't worry, I've got this."

Alex's reassurance gave Sophie a great sense of security. Believing in Alex's confidence, Sophie trusted that she had everything under control.

As Sophie took refuge inside the castle, the dwarf knights charged down the mountain on their massive boar mounts.

Using her enhanced right eye, Alex's vision was so sharp she could even see in the dark. She noticed not only the knights wielding war hammers but also some dwarves pulling out firearms.

Firearms?

Bang! Bang!

The dwarf knights began firing at range, shattering Skeleton Warriors directly and piercing through the bodies of gargoyles. However, the bullets passed harmlessly through the specters.

As the dwarf knights drew closer, the undead launched their counterattack. Gargoyles dove from the sky, using their sturdy bodies to tackle the dwarves on their boars, while specters, invisible and elusive, launched psychic attacks from the air.

The battlefield erupted into chaos as the dwarf knights clashed with the undead. The dwarf leader, clad in black armor, was stunned. These soulless spirits and animated skeletons reminded him of one thing—undead.

Undead on Arsen? They were supposed to have been extinct for years!

Though the dwarf leader had never seen real undead, his experience led him to identify these creatures. He paused to survey the surroundings. If the opponents were indeed undead, then his forces stood no chance.

Earlier on the mountain, the dwarves had only observed a group of beasts and griffins. They had seen gargoyles but hadn't considered the possibility of undead because such creatures were numerous. As for specters, they were invisible in the dark night, making them hard to spot from such a distance.

Just then, the dwarf leader spotted the glowing orange Portal of Transit.

A portal? He realized that these undead might have come through the portal.

Although he didn't know where it led, it must be destroyed.

The dwarf leader set his target, charging towards the Portal of Transit on his boar. He fired his firearm at the undead blocking his path, moving swiftly.

But just as he was about to reach the portal, numerous bone spikes emerged in front of him. It was too late to dodge; he leapt from his boar, decisively abandoning it to avoid the attack.

The boar was impaled by the bone spikes, turning into a corpse. The dwarf leader then faced his opponent, a level 6 Commanding necromancer.

Bang! He fired his firearm at the floating necromancer, who easily blocked it with a bone shield. The bullet left only a black mark on the white bone, not even a crack.

The necromancer's power far surpassed the dwarf leader's. His only aerial defense was his firearm, but it was ineffective.

As the necromancer attacked, the dwarf leader dodged while using his weapon to fend off the bone spikes. Suddenly, a bone dagger appeared beside him, nicking his cheek. He turned to see a skeleton had appeared beside the corpse of his boar.

He couldn't understand how this skeleton had come into being.

On the other side, Alex found it much easier to deal with the dwarf cavalry. Their only advantage was the massive impact of their charge. Once that was withstood, the dwarven knights had no advantage against the undead air forces.

As the battle continued, the number of dwarves and their boar mounts dwindled, but the number of undead not only didn't decrease—it increased!

Alex had expected a battle of equals but found it to be a one-sided slaughter instead.