I, Necromancer Chapter 34 (Patreon)

The Forging Sect never disappointed me.

They delivered even faster than my estimates and request. Despite the body of the turtle – one of the disciples had theorized with me that it could be a Xuanwu of another world – being impossibly hard, the Forging Sect had no problems carving it apart.

Apparently they have tools that cut between the atoms or something. Too fragile to be made into weapons, but can be used with enough gentle care to carve materials and whatnot.

Yi Xuan then proceeded to buy a massive amount of those carved materials, had them shaped into pillars, then sold them for a hundred-times the price she bought them for.

Her Formation and Arrays have a weak-point; The Core. Thus, make the core out of a materials that resisted nearly a billion years of rapid aging in the span of minutes and could still take blows from two juiced up Heavenly Dragons, Lu Bu, Hunter and Mugen put together… Simply put, the Formation Cores won't need to be guarded anymore.

She's probably the richest person in the world right now, seeing how many of those damn things she sold within a few days.

I stared up at the massive black pillar inscribed with Runes that made my Soul twitch in pain just from looking at them, the sheer Spiritual Energy shoved into each one being nothing to laugh at.

This thing was a bit overkill, since the Xuanwu Turtle that is now my fourth Undead Minion is basically tough as hell. I've had Sirzechs hit it at full power and he didn't even scrape off an inch with his Power of Destruction.

It made him pout quite a bit since he used that to show off to Millicas, only to basically erase Reality all around the pillar… But the pillar. The fact that Millicas proceeded to point and laugh at him made things worse.

"Was there a need to make it this powerful?" I ask, turning to stare at Yi Xuan, who wore a look of satisfied pride and pure, dripping smug. Her black and golden robes were wrapped loosely around her curvaceous form, showing shoulders, cleavage and leg in a tantalizing display of flesh she does often when around me.

"This is my magnum opus." She sniffs, tilting her chin up haughtily, "'Tis been a bit since I had the pleasure to truly go all out when making a Formation."

I look back at the fifty meters tall pitch black pillar, "The pressure coming from it nearly made the group I am supposed to look after piss themselves." It was funny, I'll admit, and further cemented the notion that yes, I am the leader. And that yes, they will suffer.

I've learned this from Fleurdelys, as she is a fantastic leader herself. Be harsh, but be rewarding. And I've barely started with the harsh part.

Yi Xuan shrugs, making her breasts bounce and nearly spill free, "Those brats must learn and grow. Pressure is needed to grind out impurities, no?" A fair point I cannot argue against. They'll have to face hordes and beings that will release far worse auras than this, coupled with immense, mindless blood-lust.

If this little thing is enough to make their legs quiver, then… I guess I have a lot of work to do.

Putting that aside, I turn to a Jianqshi General standing nearby. Towering at more than two meters, covered in pitch black armor, with near blinding Necrotic Flames pouring out from the gaps in it, giving the Undead a nightmarish appearance. "How is everyone settling in?"

The Jianqshi bows and slams its free fist against its chest-plate, "The meat-bags are tense and wandering around without aim, my Lord." I hum, lips twitching at the 'meat-bag' comment. I certainly did not wire that into them.

"Let the tense air stew for another ten minutes, then gather them all in the courtyard." I pause, "If anyone resists, break their legs and drag them by the hair."

The General bows, the Necrotic Flames spewing out of the helmet's visor intensifying for a moment, "It shall be done, my Lord." With that, the General departs, steps heavy and halberd at the ready.

I think he is looking forward to beating someone up.

"Huh…" Yi Xuan muses softly, hand hovering below her chin, "They can talk now?" Ah yeah, she just met Mugen, who was the only one of my Undead capable of speech. Kinda.

"Lu Bu can talk too, he just prefers not to." Unless it is to hurl ancient Chinese slurs at Zani during a game of Uno because the woman cheats and keeps dropping Draw Four his way.

Didn't know there were old Chinese slurs for Devils back then. Lucifer must've been up to some shit, huh?

I go to move, before I pause and perk up. My new Undead had the improved Souls thanks to the boon given to me by Hades, and I moved to basically fix the Souls I had already created and were inhabiting the bodies of my best soldiers.

Lu Bu wasn't much of a problem. Touki was a way to manifest the Soul, and he had somehow improved the poorly made Soul I gave him until it was far better than what I could do at the time.

Mugen's had improved during his birth process, and further improved by the blood of the Infinity flowing through his Undead body.

Hunter was the one that had the biggest improvement. From making her a Soul that was Grafted together with millions of other ones, I've also made her a cluster of millions of Souls. Not only does that give her immense power over her many forms, and being able to fuse several together at the same time, but she can also have these forms be destroyed.

That wounds one of the Clustered Souls, but doesn't kill her. She just cannot use that form until she 'Heals'. Normal healing doesn't work, hence why I also made her able to devour Souls, which will heal the damage done to her.

But I forgot to fix one group of Souls, "Say, could you bring out the Soul Gems I gave you for a moment?" I ask the beautiful Formation Master, who blinks but grants me my request without asking why.

The gems appear around her in a flash of light, and I tilt my head at the sight of their Soul, "Did you teach them how to cultivate too?" Their Souls were… Less a clump of energy as I made them, but more corporeal. Illusory flames wrapped around their sphere-like forms, nearly tangible but also not.

I presume they are still in the Illusory Stage, which is the first Realm of the Cultivation Method Yi Xuan created, but they are looking quite nice.

With a hum, a reach up to them. Their light grows more focused, denser, their shape condensing some more, their core becoming more than just a bundle of energy woven together until it stuck.

Yi Xuan blinks, eyes widening, "I felt that." She makes the jewels twirl and shine around her, "My connection with them is far greater than before, and they aren't struggling as much in their Cultivation. What did you do?"

I dusted my hands off with a smile despite having not really done any dirty work, "Before I got the blessing from Hades, I simply wove Soul together in the crudest way possible. They grew, they learned, they worked, but… Not as fast as they could. I fixed that now."

A Soul must have a 'shape' from birth, as it is the blueprint one will follow throughout their life.

Before, all my troops learned fast through being taught by Lu Bu, and then devouring Souls on the battlefield that made their Souls greater. Then having knowledge Grafted unto them.

By having them learn the knowledge imprinted on a body, I could mass produce those Souls over time, but now I don't need to. I can just copy that information, hence why now my Priests and Sorcerers are far greater in number than before.

Yi Xuan huffs, sending the Soul Gems away with a flick of her wrist, "Keep spoiling me, will you." She eyes me up and down like a wolf would with a rabbit, "I'd shatter your hips, but I owe sweet Changli. Can't drain her man before she does."

My lips twitch at that. I should probably stop teasing Changli and give her what we both want very much. It is just hard to do so, because she is so sweet and adorable.

But I also really want to her her cry my name.

"How kind of you." I drawl out with a smirk, before shaking my head, "Either way; What can you tell me about the group the Sword Sect sent?"

The Sword Master had sent his daughter and ten young men, and those were the only fighters sent by the Chinese Faction. Aside from that, youngsters from the Forging Sect, Alchemy Sect and even the Music Sect have joined.

Forging Sect takes care of the gear, the Alchemy Sect takes care of things my Priests cannot fix with Omni Heal, and the Music Sect people are basically beautiful and alluring young women and young men.

They sing, they dance, they make art, some even cook food. They basically help relax everyone after harsh training sessions and future battles.

Plus, some clearly have been given missions to uh… Baby-trap some of the most promising people among the two-hundred strong group.

"The Sword Sect has ten Elders… Well, had. Now they are nine." Right, one of them died in the battle of the Eternal Forest against the Dryad Dragon, "Each Elder takes up one disciple, teaches them their arts and treats them like their own child."

"As you know, Sword Cultivators are known as the Cultivators with the greatest offensive and lethal might of all, but with the weakest defense." Yeah, they put their all into offense. If they can't cut the attack, it means their sword and sharpness wasn't passable enough, thus they'd welcome death and wouldn't bother dodging.

They just attack. That's it. And yet they are insanely lethal.

"These disciples are know as the 'Ten Swords', each young but very, very talented. The best the Sword Sect has to offer." Yi Xuan hums and crosses her arms beneath her bust, "I'm surprised they even sent them here."

I shrug, "The tempering they will go through here is something even the Beast Tide cannot offer, after all." After all, they either become monsters while under my thumb, or they better off die and not waste my precious time.

"What about the daughter?" At that, Yi Xuan's face contorts, much to my surprise. Not out of distaste of hate… But out of fear.

"That child…" She lets out a shuddering sigh, "She terrifies me, Scaith. I mean it." She bites her lips, fingers keeping themselves busy with the hem of her black and gold robes, "The Heavens sometimes give birth to children that are blessed. That coast through Cultivation and techniques like breathing. But that child…?"

"I saw her when she was five years old. When she picked up the sword, a wooden one, for the first time in a practice match against her eldest brother." Her haunted eyes met mine, "She carved the palace in half, Scaith. Nearly slew her brother right then and there. Split the Formation the Sword Master had me set up in half like it was butter. One of my Formations."

I breathe in, then slowly let it out, "I presume this doesn't end well?" She shakes her head, shoulders sagging.

"The accident traumatized her. From wanting to wield the sword since she could walk, to never wanting to touch it since she nearly slew her beloved eldest brother." Her fingers twirl a strand of her pale hair between them, "She still practices, still trains… But in a way that just satisfies those around her, squandering her talent, following the path before her only because it is her duty as the child of the Sword Master, but not because she wants to."

That… Is not my first impression of this girl when I first laid my eyes on her. She was this cheerful, friendly, always grinning and laughing girl.

Guess she masks this trauma quite well, huh?

"Alas, we must bring that talent out of her. Make her embrace it and not waste it." Yi Xuan huffs out a soft laugh at my words.

"Do be careful though, Scaith. That girl…" She shivers and bites her lower lips, "She could put that Super Devil monster to shame in terms of how terrifying her talent is." Well now, she just made me more curious and eager to bring it out.

"I'll be extra careful, don't worry." She huffs and rolls her eyes, before turning to leave, her fingers grazing my jawline teasingly as she does so.

"You better not have that pretty face be ruined, yes? I still have to sit on it, after all." I blink as she leaves behind that purr, hips swaying enticingly as she retreats towards her private quarters.

Man… She really is something, huh?

I trace the ghost of her touch on my jawline before chuckling and shaking my head. I could feel my soldiers and generals start to gather the two-hundred strong group to the courtyard, so it was now time to fully crush their egos.

The citadel carved upon the back of Xuanwu was quite large, way more than enough to house several tens of thousands of people on it. Even more, thanks to the Spatial Enchantments active all over the place, turning small rooms into large mansions.

I take a detour on my way to the large training courtyard, mainly to make everyone stress even more under the intense gazes of my powerful Jianqshi watching them. And I enjoy the view through their eyes.

The scent of incense and perfumes soon floods my nostrils as I reach the large building that was fashioned into a tavern of sort, and being decorated in all kinds of colorful cloths and tapestry.

The inside was filled with candles, incense, and laughter. Some were tuning their instruments, others were placing the tables in ways they could move and dance between them, and others were already testing the choreography of their dance at the tune of music.

"Scaith!" I chuckle as a gray missile rams into me, nearly taking me off my feet. My arms instinctively wrap around Phrolova to not let her fall as the towering form of Hecate flashes beside us, the feeling of an exasperated mom lingering around her powerful frame.

"Having fun?" I ask as the Super Devil grins at me, happy to be around people that enjoy her passion for music and the fine arts just as much as she does. Plus, everyone here got used to Hecate's presence quite easily, despite her being a monster from beyond the Gates.

"Mhm! Some of the girls are teaching me how to play the Zither! It makes such beautiful sounds!" I chuckle at how excited she is about reveling in music. Fleurdelys wasn't one for music, until Phrolova started playing.

Her powers make her music just addicting to listen to, as she can basically play strings related to certain Concepts. It tires her out fast despite her immense power as a Super Devil, but that is why I brought her along.

To train her, make her master this power, and also because she'll be a godsend to have around… And because I love her music, too. I gotta be greedy sometimes. "Oh? Better than the violin?"

She makes a face at my teasing words that nearly makes me burst out into laughter, "The violin is undefeated!" She slaps my chest, words loud enough for the other Music Sect disciples to hear and let out loud, fake gasps. "Hmph! Just wait 'till I play, you heathens! I shall truly open your eyes and… And make you see Mount Tai!"

This time I do burst out laughing, and I leave the make-shift tavern with an aching belly and jaw, and an argument with the usually shy and withdrawn Phrolova at the center.

I move onto the next area, a make-shift Church set up by Michael and Gabriel, working as a place of prayer and infirmary both, the majority of my robed Undead Priests hanging around this area.

The inside makes me pause, mostly due to all the bright white and gold around instead of the black from the stone making up Xuanwu's body. The scent of pain was thick in the air, and some of my robed priests had smudges of gold and white on their dark clothing.

And they did not look amused, despite their decayed faces being hidden beneath the hoods.

"Ah, Scaith!" I look up at the rafters, then snort at the sight of Michael, dressed like a common worker, holding a can of white paint in one end and a brush in the other, his appearance disheveled but smiling brightly. The Archangel, ladies and gentlemen, getting down and dirty with paint, "I hope you don't mind us making the place look more… Lively?"

I go to answer, but a "Nyooooommm-!" as Gabriel, equally dripping in golden paint, shoots around the church, painting a perfect golden strip around the rafters before vanishing.

Michael looks seconds away from laughing his ass off the rafters and into the ground below.

"I think this just made my day." I shake my head, fighting down a wide and amused grin, though I soon spot two people that aren't Undead, but radiate a slightly Angelic feeling, "And these two are?"

One of the two perks up from her spot on the floor, wide green eyes meeting mine, a smear of golden paint on the tip of her cute noise, "O-Oh! I am so sorry for not greeting you, Mister!" The one and only Asia Argento speaks and fumbles to her feet, big sweet smile on her face, words unmistakably Italian yet translated through the natural power the Supernatural Races are, "I-I am Asia Argento, sent here by the Lord to offer any help I can!"

Michael lands down beside her, ruffling her hair like a doting older brother, wide loving smile on his face, "Mother turned her into an Angel and pampered her for a bit- How can you not, look at how adorable she is!" He pokes Asia's cheeks, making the poor girl let out a noise akin to a boiling tea-kettle, four radiant white wings blooming behind her together with a silver halo above her head, "She wields the Twilight Healing Sacred Gear. Not as powerful as the Healing your Undead can provide, but still…"

I hum and cup my chin, smiling warmly at the sweet girl before me. I'm glad to see her alive and well, and clearly being adored by Yah for being such a sweet-heart. "Very well; Asia, you will be in charge of the Infirmary and the Undead Priests. Order them and act as you see fit, alright?"

The girl perks up at the sudden drop of responsibilities on her shoulders, "E-Eh?! I-Is that alright!?" She looks between me and Michael, who gives me a thankful smile and a proud grin at her right after, "I-I'll make sure not to disappoint!"

I shrug, "Highly doubt you will." Being greeted by her radiant smile after getting the crap kicked out of them by brutish Undead? Yeah, they'll worship her as a Goddess by the end of the week.

Then I tilt my head towards the other Human, "And she is…?" The girl was peculiar, a bit taller and more mature than Asia, but radiating that same sweet innocent air as the Italian blonde.

Her hair were short and a bright silver, framing her face and going down the back of her neck, with her eyes being rather peculiar. Both were a bright blue, but her pupils weren't human. The left one had a blinking red zero in it, while the right one had a blinking bright green one in it.

The girl smiles and bows as she stops beside Asia, her appearance less dirty with paint than everyone else, "My name is Vladilena, good sir." She bows, voice thick with a Russian accent, cheeks flushing when Michael ruffled her hair too.

"She is the wielder of a New Longinus Tier Sacred Gear called Max Machina." The Taxiarch informs me, waving towards the metallic choker wrapped around Vladilena's neck.

It was made of a metal I couldn't recognize at a glance, topped with a ruby and emerald that glowed one at a time like blinking Christmas lights, "It is a Growth Type that requires battle and learns through them, but we haven't tested it much just yet."

I hum and nod, then turn to Michael, "I have some corpses of monster I can bring back as punching bags. Feel free to make use of them to test what this Max Machina can do." I then turn to Vladilena, "It is your choice if you wish to join the battlefield. Just know that it will be harsh, and I will be much harsher."

The Russian young woman bows her head deeply, "I wish to repay the Lord for their granting me a new life. If it must be through the corpses of rabid beasts, then so be it." Huh… I like her already.

...Did Michael just wipe a proud tear out of his eyes?

Nevermind, I'd rather not know. "I'll be going to the main courtyard to start the training for all the others. Feel free to join and watch anytime, alright?" I move to leave, before pausing and turning an apologetic look towards Asia, "You might receive a lot of, uhm… Victims very soon. I apologize in advance."

I leave after that, a pouting and 'glaring' Asia being left behind, hands on her hips in a cute way to show her disapproval. Michael looked like he got stabbed when Asia turned that dangerous weapon towards him when he said nothing to me.

I'm going to enjoy this mission far more than I thought, aren't I?

Soon, I reach the massive courtyard flanked by towering pitch-black building. All two-hundred strong soon-to-be victims stood within the dirty and rough patch of earth where their blood, sweet and tears will soon fall.

The air was tense and quiet, especially due to the dozen Jianqshi surrounding them, Necrotic Flames spewing out of their armor and making them appear quite horrifying. Their mighty presence just made it much worse.

These brats were powerful but unrefined. They had might, skill… But none that would help on the battlefield. As long as that ego persisted, they would just be problems when facing our targets. Thus, it had to go.

Somehow, they all tensed even more when the noticed my arrival, and the way the towering Undead bowed before me. Then they tensed more when I didn't speak, just… Looked at them.

The silence lasted for a long minute before I broke it; "I have a rough estimate on how strong you all are… But that strength will mean little against what we will have to kill to achieve our goal." And while I'd gladly bear the responsibility of leading my immense armies to clear everything, I know I cannot do that.

Mostly because all Pantheons want to be part of it, feeling like they are the main Heroes of this grand event of our long history in this Universe.

Like usual, best not have the Pantheons throw a childish fit and give them an ounce of glory. Which is nothing, really, in the grand scheme of things.

"Your initial training will be simple, but quite horrible." I smile and clap my hands, and the dozens of Jianqshi Generals take a ground-shaking stomp forward. The faces of the young 'Heroes' of countless Pantheons instantly paled in realization, "These mighty soldiers of mine will break you down until the arrogance deep within your marrow is nothing more."

"You will fight, you will lose, and you will learn and grow at the same time." I lower my hands and cross them behind my back, "Here's my first order; I want twenty groups of ten, quickly." I raise a hand when they started to move, "But first, let us remove the odd ones, since your total number is two-hundred and two."

I lower the hand and grin, "Miss Augusta, Miss Li Lu, please step forward." The tall red-haired Spirit Inheritor steps forward, her white tunic with the bronze armor beneath hugging her alluring and fit figure. Her gaze was calm and collected, seemingly having expected such a thing to happen.

Far to her left, a girl in white robes stepped forward. Bright blue eyes, pure white hair that matched her robes, and a long odachi attached behind her waist.

She looked sweet and nervous, offering the Ten Swords behind her an encouraging smile while they cheered for her quite loudly.

"Your training will be… Special. And worse than theirs. Please step beside me." Li Lu looked ready to run away and cry at the same time, but she just sighed, pouted, sagged her shoulders, and stomped her way over.

Augusta offered me a smile that I returned, an eager light in her eyes as she stopped beside me.

"Proceed with making the groups." It took but a few moments for everyone to move into place, nervous but ready for what was to come.

"Good." I snap my fingers, and the Jianqshi Generals move, each one stomping to stand beside one of the groups of ten, "They will be your current teachers. Each group will fight one of my Generals until you quite literally cannot stand up anymore."

I smirk, and snap my fingers once more. From behind me, robed figures drifted into view. "These are my Undead Priests… Who will heal you, so that you can be broken again and again. Ten times in a row in total, and the last time you won't be healed."

"Fight until you can't move. Fight even when out of Magic or whatever power you wield. Even if you must bite and swing your broken limbs, keep on fighting." With that said, I turned to leave. "Spread out across the large courtyard, and give it your all. I do hope you all can last more than an hour, or I'd be thoroughly disappointed."

Of course, I doubt they can reach even the half hour mark. Most of them are far too green, haven't really fought the true horrors that are spewed out of the Gates.

They will learn.

I turned to the two ladies and gave them an encouraging smile, "This way, please." Li Lu let out a soft, keening whine before stomping her feet after me.

"U-Uhm… Sir Scaith-"

"Call me Senior Brother." Li Lu is startled at my sudden command, before lighting up like a the Sun and grinning cutely.

"Senior Brother!" Aaah… My face must look quite refreshed right now. "U-Uhm, is my training… Really going to be quite hard?" I just grin at her, "S-Senior Brother..? P-Please answer me!" My grin turns evil. "Senior Brother, please!"

So easy to bully.

I turn to Augusta, "Any questions?" She huffs out a soft laugh, hand on her shapely hip.

"I bet you'll set me against that monster of yours, Lu Bu." Aah, a good guess.

But- "Nope!" I cackle at her surprised face, "He'll be your final test. But I have someone else perfect for your Sacred Gear to throw you against."

We reach the rooms I had prepared for them just as I had finished speaking, each one was right beside the others, with towering black doors hiding who was waiting for them. "So, who wants to go first?"

Augusta steps forward without hesitation, and I wave her to the door on the right. She pushes the doors open after taking a deep breath, and finds the room… Empty.

"Your enemy is one of my finest creations. Augusta, meet Hunter." The fiery haired beauty's eyes widen, and she leaps back as her shadow grows darker and a woman with tenebrous, light-devouring skin rises out of it.

Glowing blood-red eyes lock onto Augusta like a predator's would with a rabbit, and the woman pales beneath the sheer blood-lust my Minion radiates.

I stand by the doors, smiling as Hunter gets ready to pounce and two Undead Priests drift within the dark but large training room. "Hunter can shift forms into monsters she has slain and devoured. Feel free to slay those forms she takes if you can, it won't kill Hunter."

The large doors start creaking close, and I send Augusta an encouraging smile, "Your training will be over when you can kill exactly one million of Hunter's forms… Consecutively." The widening of her horrified eyes is the last thing I see before Hunter pounces and shifts into a gigantic wolf, and the doors slam shut.

Li Lu was staring at me like I was the most horrible person in existence. "Just wait to see what I have in store for you." She actively sobbed at my words.

"Senior brother, please…" The cute young woman bites her lower lips and fusses over her long, wide sleeves, "I'm not what you want me to be. Whatever you heard of me from my Esteemed Father… That is not who I wish to be. To become. So, please…"

I hum, then nod towards her training room while taking the lead, "You have the chance to make a difference. Would you really squander it?" I ask curiously, without any accusation in my voice, nor any displeasure.

Perhaps it was this frankness of mine that had Li Lu relax a bit, "I don't… Want to be that. I care not about glory and whatnot. I just… Want to be normal, Senior Brother."

My hum rings out for a few moments longer, "Your older siblings are fighting, are they not?" She winches at my words, but nods nonetheless, "You have the opportunity to stop their fight. To bring an end to the risk they take on each day against the Beast Horde." I turn and hold her gaze, but she avoids it like the plague, "Yet you'd still wish to not bring out that talent of yours?"

She chews on her bottom lip and remains quiet, so I push the door open and step within the room. A sharp air that makes her wince lingers inside, making her hand instinctively go for her blade.

"Some time back, in my hubris to seek a fight against a powerful being, I put my focus completely on that." I start, leaning against the doors, capturing her with my words, "I didn't pay attention to my surroundings, nor about the direction I led my army towards. I simply fought, fought and fought… Until I was right next to the Core of No Man's Land." Her eyes widened in horror, and I grinned.

"One of the beings residing there heard the ruckus of my battle and flew over. One blow obliterated my army of tens of millions. Then it killed one of my strongest Undead at the time, and the two Heavenly Dragons right after, within the span of time it took to deploy a teleportation Magic Circle."

Her eyes were wide, trembling and properly horrified. "There will come a day when one of those primordial monsters won't be able to stave off their insanity and decide to lay waste to all of existence."

"You may, one day, become someone strong enough to assist in battle against such unholy monstrosities. Saving tens of millions… And your family, in turn."

Her shoulders sag, and her eyes glare at me, "You really are mean, Senior Brother." I laugh softly, then reach over to gently pat her head.

"How about this, then. Let us make a deal; You do this for me, you at least try, and in exchange… I will heal your crippled Eldest Brother." Her eyes widen in hope, and a tinge of fear.

"Y-You can do that?"

My chuckle made her pout, "There is little I cannot do, my sweet Junior Sister." Her pout puffs up, cheeks turning a sweet red color.

Then she squares her shoulders and reaches out towards me, "P-Pinky promise!?" I nearly wheeze at that, but still reach out to wrap my pinky around hers and give it a shake.

"I promise." She throws her arms in the air and screams in joy.

"Alright! This Junior Sister is pumped up! Let me at 'em already, Senior Brother-"

A sharp, cold voice cut through the air and her loud cheering, "Thus, this one shall be whose blade I test against mine, my Liege?" Li Lu freezes, face paling, hands swiftly shooting to draw her blade as she turns in the direction of the voice.

Only for her face to pale even further, body trembling when the owner of it is already long behind her, "I shan't go easy on her, my Liege."

A chuckle escapes me while Li Lu slowly turns around to meet the slitted eyes boring down on hers, "Li Lu, meet my newest Undead, and my sharpest sword."

"Antares.

A skeletal tail drifts lefts and right like the lazy wag of a cat, attached to the back of a tall, lean and cold looking woman with light blue hair, golden slitted eyes, a long odachi attached to her right hip.

Gray baggy pants and a thick blue jacket with armored black boots, all having a form of military motif to them, ending up with a simple beret sitting on her tied up hair.

I had immense Magical and Physical might in the form of Mugen and Lu Bu, but I lacked immense Lethality. I lacked a sword that could ignore defenses, so impossibly sharp that it could cut anything in my path, be it Magic or even the likes of Xuanwu.

So, through my own Advancements in Cultivation, my slowly strengthening Soul and Qi, and the vast array of techniques I bought from the Sword Sect… I moved to create my own sword.

Her Soul was given the shape of a 'Sword', the Odachi she carries was made and sharpened with the material of Xuanwu, given a Soul, and granted Ddraig's own Penetration attack, constantly active along the edge of the blade.

Every attack from Antares targets the physical body, the magical essence within, and the very Soul. Coupled with the immense mastery of Swordmanship I shoved into her Soul, and the countless other things to further enhance her senses and might… I ended up creating exactly what I wanted.

"I take it back, Senior Brother!" Li Lu all but screams, ending up in a dogeza before me and kowtowing a dozen times in a split second, "Please! Don't let me fight that monster! Please! I'm too pretty to get beat up!"

Li Lu turns her head and meets Antares' cold gaze, and gives a full body shudder, "Hiiii-!" Her big, teary eyes meet mine, "Senior Brother pweaaasseee-!"

"What about your Eldest Brother?"

"That mongrel can come here and fight that thing himself!"

Way to throw your crippled brother under the bus…

"Antares, beat her up."

A pitch black Odachi is drawn, "It shall be my pleasure, my Liege." The doors slam shut and I teleport out of the room, the horrid screech Li Lu lets out being the last thing I hear before I depart.

Of course, I went from one scream to hundreds more. Screams of pain, battle cries, literal crying, and earth-shaking impacts. Still, at least they are holding on, perhaps to try and improve my first impression of them.

Or perhaps their arrogance demands that they do so.

I did tell them that this was to crush them down, but I know that it won't fully work. That it will just make them believe they cannot surpass me and my Undead.

Hence why the real 'Crushing' will be in a week, against our first target.

Speaking of Targets…

[Gather (407'559'671 / 1'000'000'000) tithes!]

[Gather (828'461'992/1'000'000'000) prayers from your Undead servants!]

​

The Prayers are nearly done, thanks to my growing numbers of Undead Priests, but the tithes are taking a bit longer. They seem to require time to be sacrificed within the Necrotic Flames of the Altar and Statue Mugen is guarding personally.

I rest a hand on my chest, feeling the thrum of Divinity grow greater. A spark becoming an ember, the ember becoming the flame of a flickering candle. Soon, it will become a flame.

Then a raging inferno drowning in Faith, heralding my partial Apotheosis.

A shuddering breath leaves my lips. One week, roughly, to finish gathering all the prayers. I have all Five Undead Minions too; Mugen, Lu Bu, Hunter, Xuanwu and Antares.

All that remains are the tithes. One month or two, give or take.

My goal is within reach, a hop and skip away, but… I am lacking. I need more. I need to perfect my Spells, create more than aren't boosted by the Systems.

I need to create my own Identity, my own arsenal. I cannot coast by just by devouring Souls of Sorcerers that are scattered across the multiverse and thrown at my feet as feral, mindless husks.

This trip is a training montage meant for me too, so better use it properly.

Ugh, now I really want to start Grafting some unholy horror to life.

~XXX~

He hated this form of his.

Far too all-encompassing, far too all-knowing. He could hear all, Dream all, see all. Even things he honestly couldn't give less of a fuck about.

There's a reason be Dreamed a mortal body for himself and started doing cool damn tricks in that little, peaceful slice of Heaven of his after that other annoying creature fucked off somewhere.

For someone that apparently loved 'Silence', the Infinity tended to visit the very 'Loud' world quite often. And then she went and threw a damn hissy fit when he broke into her 'House' and made it his.

Squatter Rights, bitch. Deserved and styled on, and he made the place much cooler.

Mainly threw the continent-sized craters left behind when he failed a trick and smash down like an extinction-level event… Or when he had one hell of an itch on his back and used the earth to scratch it out.

Either way, the place was fantastic, peaceful, felt like home, had some fine ass craters all over the place- And then she came back with a vengeance and started throwing around all of her Infinite power in the mother of all temper tantrums.

He should've expected, really. They were Dragons, the most prideful, arrogant twats in existence. If they won, they gloated. If they lost, they threw temper tantrums that erased a few cities or islands out of existence.

But he was Great Red, True Dragon of Dreams, and he was no pussy. So he didn't back down from the fight and threw all of the power his mortal vessel could handle right back at the Infinity's face together with some of the vilest, meanest insults he could muster, as was his right as the challenged…

And then the Dimensional Gap blew the fuck up.

Now, that? That was the oopsy daisy of all oopsy daisys. And honestly? Great Red would have laughed his ass off- Had his mortal vessel not died during the cataclysmic collapse, that is.

At least he didn't lose. It ended in a draw, though he would have totally won had it kept going. The mere fact that he 'Woke' up first was proof enough that he was better.

Still… This was one hell of a cluster-fuck.

His gaze swept across the Underworld, across the trillions of invaders pouring out of the Gates from all across the Multiverse. Then his gaze swept across what had been called No Man's Land by the natives of the Underworld and other Pantheons.

Mainly, he looked at the Core. And only a few of the beings that had claimed it for themselves felt his gaze and stared back.

One sat atop a throne and grinned at the feeling of that gaze sweeping across their domain.

Another felt his gaze and swayed its gargantuan, Heaven-swallowing branches as it kept growing and fostering a land overflowing with life.

One stirred in the depths of the Ocean it appeared with, the rumble of its snores causing earthquakes that could be felt for hundreds of kilometers.

A Heaven-reaching titan ignored his gaze and kept going with its work, grabbing mountain-sized handful of mud and shaping them in titanic humanoid shapes that soon gained life and joined all the others.

Another kept sharpening its sun-like blade, its mere existence immolating all of existence around it.

Great Red beheld these mighty beings, then flickered to another Outside. The Necromancer.

He was surprised how the veiled Undead bearing the mark of the Infinity turned his head to meet Great Red's gaze the moment his Liege and creator graced the True Dragon's sight.

Both held the blood of the Infinity within them, while the God of the Bible had safely stored their deceased Mortal Vessels.

That won't do. He can't have the damn bratty Infinity get one ahead of him. A thread of his presence reaches towards the veiled Undead, who pauses and listens, before nodding.

Satisfied, Great Red withdraws his presence and gaze. If all goes well, his powers being used by others will assist him in creating another Mortal Vessel.

His gaze swept towards the Edge of the Universe. One corner of it held The Beast within its cage, while the other housed an eternal, infinite kaleidoscope. The lights were flaring, flashing, and growing brighter.

The Infinity.

He had to attain a Mortal Vessel before she awakened…

Lest all the 'Noise' may lead to her laying waste upon the Universe as a whole.

The bullshit he has to deal with just because he broke into her goddamn house...

A.N. Great Red is awake. He is cranky as fuck.

He can't rest because another cranky bitch is about to wake up, and coffee won't work.

Turns out even True Dragons abuse Squatter Rights, who woulda thought?

Hope y'all enjoyed this chappy!

Toodles!