Chapter 702: New Dark Altar
Kazumi stood in the center of the road, her gaze calm as she watched the Death Raider legion, with its soaring killing intent and imposing military appearance. A nearly imperceptible satisfaction flickered in the depths of her eyes. This legion had become the sharpest spear in her hand and the most solid foundation for territorial expansion.
“Rise,” she commanded, her voice clear and cold, yet carrying unquestionable authority. “Continue your work.”
“As you command, Lord!” Mor Ririan responded subserviently. The enormous skeletal head bowed again in respect before he immediately stood upright. Without even looking back, he simply waved a hand.
Behind him, the dense mass of Death Knights rose as one, like precision war machines, their movements fluid as they remounted their steeds. The entire process was free of any extraneous noise, with only the faint rustle of armor, the subtle sounds of bone movement, and the occasional low whinny of the skeletal warhorses.
Upon receiving Kazumi’s clear order, Mor Ririan did not linger for a moment. He hoisted the terrifying greatsword onto his shoulder once more, turned his horse’s head, and led the legion, laden with spoils of victory, rumbling toward the city’s warehouse district.
The heavy hoofbeats echoed again, but this time with less of the ferocity of conquest and more of the steady rhythm of a completed mission.
Kazumi gazed at the magnificent legion as it departed, her satisfaction deepening. The last raid on the Dark Altar, and the spoils from the powerful entity’s remains (or rather, ashes?), had brought about a qualitative leap in her overall strength.
It wasn’t just about gaining this incredibly powerful cavalry-based legion on paper, greatly enhancing the strength of her troops. More importantly, for the territorial annexation function that had been activated previously, the appearance of the Death Raider legion was a perfect fit.
This undead legion, whose very existence was dedicated to plundering life and spreading death, exhibited unparalleled efficiency and terrifying power in external conquest, sweeping away resistance in newly annexed territories and plundering all valuable resources. Especially under the meticulous planning of Executor Lei, the targets chosen for territorial annexation were prioritized for those with relatively abundant resources that Hades City, with its current size, could handle, such as villages or small town sectors. Thus, a highly efficient and brutal process was formed: After new death territories were annexed, Mor Ririan would lead the Death Raider legion in the first wave of lightning-fast attacks and purges, crushing all resistance, and seizing energy, flesh, energy items, and captives. Following that, a large convoy of undead slaves and ghoul laborers, personally organized by Lei, would march in, meticulously scavenging every last bit, from timber and stone to discarded weapons and even floor tiles and door panels from houses… Everything that could be utilized would be ruthlessly dismantled and transported back to Hades City, fed into the endless construction and expansion of this city of death, which was like a monstrous beast.
This was currently the primary mode of resource acquisition and development for the black box territory. It was simple and crude, yet extremely effective.
The only limiting factor was the rather lengthy cooldown period of the territorial annexation function and its inherent randomness. It wasn’t always possible to be fortunate enough to annex areas rich in past settlements and resources; sometimes, they would encounter barren wilderness or areas with special environments, yielding far less profit.
“Lord,” Lei, the guard standing beside her, and Kazumi, who had been watching Mor Ririan’s departure direction, mistakenly thought the leader was displeased with the general’s somewhat hurried departure. He quickly explained, “Lord Mor Ririan should have just finished the initial sweep and plunder of the newly annexed territory. What he brought back are urgently needed materials, especially a large quantity of flesh and energy items. Therefore, they need to be processed in special warehouses as quickly as possible, hence the hasty action. It wasn’t intended to show disrespect.”
Kazumi withdrew her gaze, her tone indifferent. “I am not blaming it.”
She was naturally aware of Mor Ririan’s nature. It was an entity that existed purely for war and slaughter. Efficiently carrying out orders was its primary task, and elaborate etiquette was simply not its forte.
Lei and Kazumi did not mind and continued to report on related matters:
“Regarding the subsequent material transportation and transfer work for that new territory, this subordinate will immediately arrange for the large contingent of undead slaves to take over. Additionally, concerning the selection of territorial annexation sectors, this subordinate has always strictly followed your previous instructions, Lord. Unless there are extremely special sectors marked as high priority, all annexation will be directed towards targets with the highest expected returns, and no unauthorized interference has been made.”
“Well done,” Kazumi nodded, approving of Lei’s arrangements.
She did not linger and continued walking towards her original destination—the Dark Altar.
Along the way, witnessing the immense changes in the territory and combining it with Lei’s report, Kazumi couldn’t help but sigh again at how astonishingly fast the territory’s current development speed was. This efficient and orderly expansion was inseparable from Lei’s strategic planning as an all-around executor, as well as the efforts of subordinates like Mor Ririan and Punk, who each fulfilled their respective duties.
During their conversation, the two had already arrived at the Dark Altar, located in the relatively outer region of Hades City.
The Dark Altar at this moment had changed considerably from Kazumi’s memory. It was no longer a solitary, strange stone altar standing on the ground, but was now surrounded by various newly built reinforced stone buildings. These buildings were uniform in style, carrying strong traces of necromantic magic, appearing to be places for pre-processing, material classification, or performing some kind of preparatory ritual.
This made the altar area appear even more mysterious and orderly. The altar itself seemed to have been maintained and reinforced. The ground around it had been leveled and paved with stone slabs inscribed with guiding runes. In the center of the altar, the eternally burning verdant green flame seemed more vigorous than ever.
Several robed monks, clad in tattered gray robes and wearing hoods that obscured their faces, were chanting obscure incantations around the central flame in an ancient and eerie tone. Their arms were constantly raised upwards, their hands, imbued with verdant green death energy, continuously channeling power upwards.
And above the altar, a sacrificial coffin, seemingly condensed from the deepest darkness, floated silently. The lid was tightly shut, and incomprehensible energy ripples flowed across its surface. It had already been filled with the sacrificial offerings prepared by Lei, awaiting the exchange with the unknown dark consciousness on the other end for precious tributes.
