NOVEL NEXT B4 | Chapter 52
Somewhere in Outer Space
Raja Singh Amunet silently stares out of the bridge at the space in front of them as his flagship moves towards the dark mages of the Arcadian Society. But the only thing on his mind is the thought of wiping out the creatures who dare try to attack Lady Death.
There aren't many things Raja cares about in life. Or death.
He doesn't need to eat. He doesn't need to sleep. He can't age, and there isn't even a single other creature in the entire universe that is the same species as him.
He has no reproductive urges or capabilities as a special undead without any reproductive organs whether external or internal, and he doesn't even believe it's possible for him to develop any sort of romantic urges either.
So the only thing he could turn to and did turn to was worship.
It was that or kill himself to relieve the boredom and emptiness.
And for the first million years of creating a nation and spreading the worship of Death, and the Horseman of Death, he had briefly wondered why he even bothered. Since, while it did give him something to do and enjoy, he didn't even know what the Horseman of Death would be like.
The other three Horsemen weren't very good role models for what they could turn out to be either.
But then he met Aria.
The wonderful, beautiful, and graceful Horseman of Death.
She is everything he hoped she would be, and just his first sight of her made everything click in his head.
He's glad he began to worship Death. Began to worship her.
And the mere idea that someone would try to harm her is blasphemy.
So when his soldiers ask if they can move out to crush the heretics the moment they arrive in front of the dark mage's fleet of several hundred ships, he instantly denies them and steps through a miasmic gate to leave his ship and appear outside of it himself. Then he spreads both of his arms to his sides and sends out a flood of miasma.
The greatest flood of miasma the universe has ever seen.
One so large it covers a few planets that happened to be too close in the process of covering the fleet. Turning everything on those planets into undead. While also turning the dark mages within the fleet into undead.
All of whom are completely under his control.
And without even giving them a moment to think about what just happened, he snaps his fingers, controlling the dark mages to turn their ships around and head for the capital planet of the Verian State Republic.
Veria.
Let's see them enjoy their own gift.
After sending the dark mages away, he snaps his fingers to place a single command within the minds of the undead. One that would terrify the dark mages if they knew what he did.
When he arrives back in his flagship, he finds all of his officers looking smug and proud of what he did. Without a single unsatisfied person on the ship.
As it should be.
But his own feeling of satisfaction fades a little bit when a call suddenly comes through from the heretic of the Arcadian Society. And after a brief second, he accepts the call, making the heretic's face appear on a large screen in front of him.
"You fucking bastard, do you have any idea what you've just done?!" Archmage Isabella de la Vega shouts, her voice filling the entire bridge of the pharaoh's ship. "You've broken the Grand Treaty!!"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The Pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead just blankly stares at her without a single emotion on his face as he asks, "Just what have I done to break the treaty?"
The archmage opens her mouth to speak, only to no doubt realize her own error.
Because unless she recognizes the dark mages as a part of her own forces, there is no violation of the treaty. And even if she did recognize them as her own forces, it's too late, since he converted them beforehand.
Additionally, he only turned them into undead.
He didn't kill them.
So the Grand Treaty – one set in place so that the Grands themselves don't simply go around slaughtering the forces of other Grands with abandon – was not violated.
The archmage grits her teeth as she glares at the pharaoh with more hatred than he's seen in a while. Then she just scoffs and says, "Your precious Death won't be so free forever, Raja. Mark my words."
"If you really believe that then you're more of an idiot than I thought," Raja states without a single hint of emotion or care in his words. As if he's talking to an ant. Which he is, at least in his own mind. "If you don't want to lose your place amongst the Grands, I suggest you go find Famine or speak with one of the Grand Void Spirits to nullify that oath of yours."
The malice in the archmage's gaze grows even stronger at his words. Because he knows without a doubt that she will never be able to get rid of that oath.
After all, the only two beings capable of that are one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse who all hate her, Famine, and the Grand Void Spirits. None of which ever involve themselves with mortal matters and would never assist her.
The foolish child never should've made that oath if she knew what was good for her. If she ever directly attacks My Lady, I will not hesitate to declare war and cut her entire nation off from the Gates.
He doesn't feel any hesitation with this decision either. Nor does he care what the other Grands will think.
Not that the other Grands have the best impression of the archmage either, so he doesn't think it'll cause many issues with them. And every single one of his officers in the bridge is glaring daggers at the video call, with each one having a deep hatred for the archmage themselves.
Without another word, the archmage cuts off the call. Clearly too emotional to say anything else.
So with that, the pharaoh simply looks out of the bridge again at the rapidly retreating dark mage ships.
This should be good.
The Military Headquarters of the Verian State Republic
Several days later
"Where the fuck are the dark mages?!" General Delares shouts, his voice reverberating throughout the entire chamber. "They said they were going to arrive on Val days ago, and now they aren't even answering our calls?!"
"Calm down, General Delares," General Varse says, clearly having gotten sick of his whining by now. "They're most likely having some sort of communication issue. The Arcadian Society isn't known for its technology after all."
The High General leans over the table as he recalls how much the Society relies on magic. Taking magic over science any day. Which is one of the reasons for their clashes with the Rex Dynasty over the years, other than their archmage's grudge.
But something doesn't sit right with the High General. Because even if they were having technological issues, they wouldn't be leaving them in the dark for so long.
Not when it comes to the Horseman of Death.
Out of nowhere, the alarms all across the city begin to go off as a loud shattering sound echoes throughout the planet. Making each of the generals shoot up from their seats before quickly making calls to check on what's happening.
But before any of them can so much as connect their calls, several soldiers march into the room and begin talking all at once.
"Sirs, there is a fleet approaching!" "We're under attack!" "The barrier around the planet was rammed!!!"
The High General feels alarm bells ringing in his head as he rushes through the base, appearing on a balcony far away in the blink of an eye. But what he sees when he looks up at the sky leaves him feeling helpless.
Because it's the sight of a fleet of hundreds of ships all flying straight down through a shattered barrier.
And they aren't slowing down.
The High General helplessly watches as the fleet all crash into the ground of his planet. With the ships each crashing in different locations across the entire planet.
Crushing any hope of the planet recovering.
But if that weren't enough, even after the explosions and dust settle around where the ships crashed, a flood of unintelligent zombies begin to rush out of the ships to attack any survivors.
Spreading a zombie apocalypse throughout the planet and ending the Verian State Republic in a single instant.
Aria
"What… am I looking at?" I mutter as I cross through the Gate to the Beta Tier capital planet of the main force attacking Val.
"I… don't know…" General Elara Crescent mutters in return.
I have no idea how this… actually, I might have some idea. But maybe it's best if I act like I didn't see it.
Because the entire world of Veria, a former Beta Tier world, is now just a zombie-covered wasteland. With shipwrecks all across the planet and nothing but zombies left behind. With the few people who managed to survive no doubt fleeing the planet on whatever ships they could salvage from the ships that seem to have rammed the planet.
Several seconds pass before I turn to the general and ask, "Well… should we move on to the other two planets?"
She numbly nods her head without saying a word. Then the two of us leave the Gate along with our forces before heading towards the other two nations attacking our own.
Meanwhile I pretend I didn't see anything.