CHAPTER 55
Upon reaching the castle, the waves of slaughter and the announcement of coins gleamed in Hazard's account, but the army of the Death King was also collapsing with every passing moment. Hazard rushed to the altar, knowing that after yesterday's battle between the Death King and the Archmage Jenibas, the required number of heroic souls for the upgrade was close to completion—even though heroes on the side of darkness were scarce.
With his half-body resting in the embrace of a mare before the altar, and a massive scythe-wielding guardian standing above it, each passing second saw the altar absorbing every soul that was acquired. Then, as the required number was reached, the altar emitted a final radiance, and Hazard, ceasing further collection, activated the last level-six talent.
[Confirm Evolution?]
[Yes/No]
Wasting no time, he pressed "Yes," and as an intense heat surged through his body, the world around him turned black. For the first time, a vision appeared before him.
In a realm resembling the Abyss but brimming with an overwhelmingly powerful death energy, the dead lurked everywhere. However, what puzzled him was that all these creatures were at epic levels or even higher. More striking than their strength was their sheer number—millions of undead, wailing in despair, their fiery eyes hollow with endless anticipation. Their long wait seemed unbearable, and as soon as Hazard appeared, their burning eyes locked onto him, their pleas echoing in his mind:
[Summon me!][War! Give me war!][I have rotted for centuries—grant me glory to shine once more!][You are free, so free us!][Grant me eternal death!]
The scattered undead lunged at him, but Hazard lacked the power to summon them or offer aid. Besides, these undead were ancient—their distorted appearances, their decayed weapons, their grotesque movements, and their fragmented minds made it clear that eternal existence in this place had driven them to madness.
Then, suddenly, he was back in the castle. As he regained his sight, he realized he had grown to an eight-meter height, with eight massive horns, dark skeletal limbs lined with thick golden veins. However, his wings were gone, replaced by four powerful arms, making him even deadlier in close combat.
[Name: Hazard]
[Final Race: Death God (Second Half)]
[Level: 6]
[Health: 10,500]
[Strength: 6,000]
[Agility: 2,500]
[Mana (Miasma): 101,500]
[Endurance: -]
[Available Points: 504]
Abilities:
Hell's Undead Summon: Summon ten thousand hellish creatures two levels weaker than yourself for one hour. (Cooldown: 6 months)
Chain Lightning of Death: A death-element lightning strike that deals lethal damage to any living being and drains their life force based on their level. (Activation cost: 1,000 Dark Mana per strike)
Summon Throne of the Death God: A throne that, within a ten-kilometer radius, enhances undead by 100% and weakens living enemies by 50%. (Note: Cannot move while using. Cooldown: 6 months)
Legendary Mastery (Inactive): Fully prepares the user for ascension to the Legendary level. (Activation cost: Sacrifice 10 Epic-ranked beings [1/10])
Skills:Master of Elements (A), Master of Magic (A), Master of Combat Skills (A), Master of Potions (A), Saint (A), Master of Forging & Crafting (A), Translator (A), Fusion (A), and more...
With the conditions for his evolution changed, Hazard contemplated his next move. Having slain Morgana, he had completed one of the ten required sacrifices—but where would he find the remaining nine? His gaze shifted toward the battlefield, focusing on his newly unlocked summons.
"Mercenaries of the Death Heaven"
Level: ???
Health: -
Strength: -
Agility: -
Mana (Dark): -
Endurance: -
Talent: -
Summoning Cost: 100,000 Points
"Royal Guards of the Death God"
Level: Low Epic
Health: 20,000
Strength: 9,000
Agility: 12,000
Mana (Miasma): 30,000
Endurance: -
Talents: Death's Royal Domain, Undead Resurrection, Spirit Summoning, Death's Realm, Death Worship
Skills: Weapon Mastery (S), Death Magic (S), Curses (S), Teleportation (A), Command (A), Battlefield Control (A), and more…
Summoning Cost: 500 million gold coins, 1 million Death Jewels, 1 Level-6 Hero Soul (Max summonable: 2 units)
Hazard examined the two new summons and briefly paused to let the remaining souls collected by the Death King's army be absorbed by the altar. However, as he approached the 100,000 threshold, the soul acquisition rate slowed drastically—bad news for Hazard.
"Just hold on a little longer!"
Never in his life did he imagine wanting the Death King to survive, but now, the Death King had become his shield, sending waves of gold and souls his way. As the death rate on the battlefield slowed to one every ten seconds, Hazard finally reached 100,000 points and initiated the summon.
The altar shone intensely and trembled before birthing a creature—a massive, 60-meter-long skeletal worm lined with five-meter-long fangs, with a grotesque, human-like face at its front.
"M…Master Death…immortality has driven me mad… He has given the sky to his daughter's fabrics… What is he doing…? Your war… from which war? Save me, I who once… sought refuge in his sister's chastity!"
Hazard could barely make sense of its broken speech, nor endure the tremors of its massive body. Yet, he quickly checked its stats.
"Ashar, the Butcher Reaper"
Level: Low Epic
Health: 15,000
Strength: 5,000
Agility: 40,000
Mana (Miasma): 30,000
Endurance: -
Talents: Rotational Acceleration, Undead Resurrection, Spirit Summoning, Death's Realm, Butcher
Skills: Teleportation (S), Butchery (S), Berserk (S), Hunter (A), and more…
Satisfied with its incredible speed and epic rank, Hazard wasted no time. He grabbed Ashar by the head and soared toward the battlefield, summoning 5,500 liches with all his remaining resources and sending 5,000 of them into the fight.
Meanwhile, in the north, the situation had turned chaotic. Merlin, the white-robed man, was captivated upon seeing the epic-tier staff in Hezna's hands.
"That staff belonged to Morgana, as far as I recall. It's truly strange to see it in your hands… but it suits you far better than that old hag. A noble lady such as yourself deserves even greater treasures!"
Feeling the presence of an epic-tier being, Hezna was both thrilled and unnerved. Upon recognizing the man's long white beard, she confirmed his identity—Archduke Merlin, the Wrath of Heaven, the Grand Mage of the Empire. With his peak epic power, there was no doubt that a single attack from him could wipe out the entire undead army. However, Merlin was not a warmonger, and knowing his personality gave Hezna a glimmer of hope. Even so, she had no intention of handing over the staff—it was more precious to her than life itself.
"Hahaha, you flatter me. But isn't there a more pressing matter at hand?"
Following her gaze, Merlin spotted the Grand Undead General and Lancelot standing together, shaking hands.
"Oh, it seems they've reached an agreement—nothing to worry about_"
Merlin was mid-sentence when suddenly, Lancelot and the Undead General turned and drew their swords, attacking each other.
"Ah, youth…"
[Two minutes earlier]
Lancelot stood before the Grand Undead General. Upon seeing the long white hair, the divine engravings on the feminine armor denoting a Paladin, he felt his heart stir for the first time—not for worship, but for something else.
"I am Duke Lancelot, descendant of Pellinore, Duke of the Southern Golden Plains, Grand Master of the Star Paladins, and Honorary Cardinal of the Star."
The Grand General, taken aback by the titles, struggled to find words. Tasked by Hazard to face such an army, he needed to at least stand on equal ground.
"Grand Undead General, nameless commander of the glorious army of the True Death King, victor of the Obsidian War…"
He paused, unable to recall more, and simply raised his head.
"The Obsidian War… So, the obsidian mines were conquered after all?"
Lancelot's eyes gleamed.