CHAPTER 87

Before the enchanted city, the empire's army once again clashed with the elves' army, led by the fallen angels. The proud knights of the empire, mounted on griffins, charged forward with their lances, while the disciplined ranks of the elven army stood ready. Behind their spearmen, their renowned archers prepared to unleash a torrent of arrows upon the imperial forces.

However, this was not just any imperial army they faced. This time, the empire had deployed its royal army, armed with colossal magical cannons. With every shot fired, thousands of elves were obliterated, creating a crimson mist across the battlefield—the very sight the empire desired. The more blood was shed, the more frenzied their reinforcements from the north became.

Siegfried, who had been making his way south, had been persuaded by Arthur with an irresistible offer, bringing with him an army of giants. Yet, before he could continue south, he was blocked by the elves. After a brief skirmish and the elves' insult to him and his warrior race of giants, he decided to teach the long-eared ones a lesson on his way forward—aligning himself with the empire.

The sight of towering giants alongside magical cannons, the presence of King Arthur himself, and two legendary Archdukes fueled the imperial army's morale to fight with unrelenting ferocity. Meanwhile, on the other side, Caesar, positioned behind the elven army, had already entered the battlefield multiple times but was forced to face the two legendary figures. Furious, he tore apart the empire's decree that ordered him to retreat from the central continent and glared at the two legends with burning rage.

"How is their power equal to mine?!"

He couldn't understand why his bloodline's power failed to suppress them. In every encounter, he was on the verge of defeat, forced to sacrifice angels to escape—something that pained him deeply. His hatred, forged through repeated failures, blinded him to the elven casualties. The battlefield, drenched in waves of blood and corpses, painted a grim and horrifying scene.

"I swear one day, with my own hands, I will tear your pathetic eyes out!!! I swear your eyes will witness my conquest of this world!!!"

Refusing to accept defeat, he would not leave the battlefield.

In the south, before the fortress of Hazard, a group of royal couriers arrived, carrying a cage. Inside it, a man in tattered clothes was bound in chains. As they reached the fortress gates, Hazard came to greet them and sent a message to Scarlet.

"What did you send?""Has it arrived? You might like this... Consider it a gift from me, since your lab reminded me of you. You can repay me later!"

Intrigued, Hazard stepped closer to the magical cage. Upon seeing the captive inside, he was utterly shocked. It was none other than the most infamous dark sorcerer of the central continent—Genibas, a master of chimera creation—now captured and delivered to him in chains.

"What a perfect gift!"

Hazard's voice echoed like a whisper from the abyss, waking Genibas from his unconscious state. As he lifted his head, he saw the towering, undead colossus before him, its fiery eyes gleaming ominously.

"Huh?"

Before he could process the situation, he lost consciousness again.

"Release him and return to your queen!"

Hazard then examined Genibas, considering his usefulness. His gaze shifted toward his massive storerooms and the forge's roaring furnaces.

"Could he be of use to me?"

With that thought, he unlatched the cage, picked up Genibas effortlessly with one hand, and carried him inside the fortress. As he walked, he commanded his surrounding liches:

"Bring me the obsidian skull and armor from Laurin!"

Then, he turned toward the deafening sounds of hammering metal.

"Is it time to reveal my cards?"

Hours passed. Hazard stood in his colossal laboratory, a level-7 upgraded chamber that had cost him a fortune. The fortress itself had now reached an awe-inspiring height of 1.5 kilometers, dwarfing the surrounding mountains—a monolithic structure resembling the tower of a demon god.

His gaze fell upon Genibas, who was just regaining consciousness. A skeletal skull lay in Hazard's hand, and beside him, a full obsidian suit of armor rested, adorned even with his own pauldrons.

"Finally awake!"

Genibas, now alert, found himself trapped in a vast laboratory steeped in a deathly aura. Powerful undead loomed around him. Fear gripped him once more, and he almost fainted again—until Hazard shoved a health-restoring potion into his mouth.

"If you pass out again, I'll turn you into an undead!"

Regaining his composure, Genibas kneeled before him.

"W-What do you want?"

"Ah, Genibas! Stand up and sign this!"

Before him appeared a contract—one that left no room for negotiation. It was nothing short of a pact of servitude.

"This...!"

"Life or death, Genibas. Your little tricks have cost me dearly!"

Genibas lowered his head, recalling the countless undead that had perished due to his failed experiments on the battlefield. As a man who valued his life above all else, he signed without hesitation.

"Good!"

Hazard then handed him the human skull he had been holding.

"Genibas, with your skills and mine, let us create our first masterpiece together!"

Shocked, the dark scientist's fear was swiftly replaced by curiosity. He examined the skull in his hands, glanced around the laboratory filled with monster crystals, and stared at the suit of obsidian armor—its craftsmanship reaching the peak of legendary quality.

"What do you intend to make?"

No longer frightened, Genibas—the mad scientist—felt his brain working faster than any computer.

"Another undead!"

Hazard was taken aback; he hadn't expected such a response. Like a lunatic, the old man dived into the pile of monster crystals, biting some, stuffing others under his arms, and selecting the most suitable ones with a manic gleam in his eyes.

"What… is he doing?"

It was as if he had completely forgotten Hazard's presence. But after observing him closely, Hazard realized that the old man was... cooking.

Stepping back to give him space, Hazard contacted Scarlet.

"What happened to this old man's lab?""It was almost completely burned down. Only a few chimera corpses remain..."

Hearing this, Hazard turned back to Genibas.

"Did you burn your own lab?"

Genibas looked up at him.

"When I left, I was experimenting on a legendary dark dragon..."

"Oh."

"These monster crystals have strong affinities with death and earth magic. If you want to create an undead golem, these have the best mana resonance!"

Hazard took note of this information.

"So, what's your plan?"

Genibas placed the skull at the center of the chamber and began inscribing sigils and drawing magic circles using the monster crystals.

"Soul binding and magic infusion!"

Hazard watched with satisfaction. He had made the right decision. As he observed Genibas's masterful skills, he smirked.

An hour later, Genibas sat back, looking at Hazard.

"It's complete. Now, place the armor at the center!"

As he said this, his eyes locked onto the glowing crystal embedded in Hazard's chest.