Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Lich Maid and the Skeleton Dragon
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*Bang!*
A muffled sound echoed from the "Demon King's Manor", formerly known as the Count Vedler Estate. Immediately after, a skeleton with a height of seven to eight meters and an "inky black" body was seen flying out of the inner courtyard in a parabolic trajectory, as if it had been kicked out.
In the Ilinor Kingdom, red hair is a symbol of the royal family. Similarly, among skeletal undead, black bones are an extremely rare representation, typically found only on "Skeleton Kings."
However, the current Skeleton King did not possess even the slightest bit of a king's aura.
After being kicked out and falling onto the lawn in the outer courtyard, it dared not linger and quickly propped itself up with its arms, afraid of crushing the grass beneath the manor.
In reality, the manor's grounds were already ruined after being struck by the Skeleton King, which weighed several tons. Many flowers and plants had turned into mud.
This made the Skeleton King anxious.
The bonefire in its deep eye sockets seemed to tremble with fear. It quickly crouched down and attempted to use its massive bony hands to lift the flattened flowers and plants, but this was impossible.
Not only did this fail to appease Eileen, but it also further angered the Succubus, who was the "lady of the Demon King's Manor."
"Dian, are you planning to use such garbage as the guard for our Demon race's stronghold!?" Eileen couldn't hold back her anger and sternly questioned the Sorcerer Demon next to her, who had a helpless expression on his face.
After Reji decided to transform the Count Estate into the first stronghold for the Demon race, he would definitely need to continue summoning Demons from the Chaos Rift.
So, after the Wisdom Demon, Sorcerer Demon, and Shadow Demon, Reji had the Succubus and Decay Demon come through Dian's portal as well.
Transforming a human manor into a Demon stronghold was not as simple as it sounded; it required large-scale reconstruction.
Among the Apostles, the only ones skilled in "leadership" and "command" aside from the Wisdom Demon were the Succubus, who served as Reji's "secretary."
As for why the Decay Demon Eris was also summoned, Reji considered the research on the "Egg," which only a Decay Demon proficient in "flesh and blood" could conduct.
To facilitate the investigation, Eris was brought directly to Reji's side instead of remaining in the rear.
Returning to the opening scene, every female has a strong sense of territory and places great importance on her "home."
Upon finally being allowed by Reji to come to the human world, Eileen was extremely excited. She treated the Count's Estate as if it were her and Reji's love nest. Because of this, Eileen had very strict requirements.
Now, there was a serious dispute between her and the Sorcerer Demon Dian, regarding the issues of "guards" and "servants."
Dian thought that since he had previously misunderstood Reji's message and cast the eighth-tier spell [Army of the Undead] to protect him, he had only temporarily recalled the undead.
Now that Reji wanted to establish a base, Dian believed it would be the perfect opportunity to bring back the [Army of the Undead] he had summoned to serve as defensive forces for the base.
In anticipation of Eileen's dissatisfaction with these undead guards, Dian had even specially combined and summoned a portion of the undead to create a seventh-tier "Skeleton King," thinking it should be sufficient.
However, upon seeing Eileen's expression of disdain for the "Skeleton King," Dian couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
"So, what do you want to do, Eileen?"
"Of course, we should also summon high-ranking Greater Demons and Sword Demons!" the Succubus replied without hesitation.
In Eileen's opinion, "high-ranking" referred to Demons level 80 and above.
Although the "Skeleton King," as a seventh-tier high-level undead, was around level 70, it seemed that there was only a 10-level difference compared to level 80, which didn't seem like much.
However, in reality, the level suppression became harder and wider as levels increased, with even a single level difference creating a significant gap in power.
Furthermore, level was only a partial consideration of strength. In terms of fate, Star Sculpt, skills, talents, passives, and more, the Skeleton King was far inferior to Greater Demons and Sword Demons, which were the elite forces of the Demon race.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a seventh-tier Skeleton King would likely lose to a sixth-tier Greater Demon. It was no wonder Eileen was so dissatisfied.
Dian was unable to suppress Eileen.
The Sorcerer Demon had no control over the Succubus. This matter required Reji to personally intervene.
"Ahem! Eileen, there's no need for that. You should understand Dian's situation. He has already consumed a lot of magical power by bringing you and Eris here.
Besides, this manor is only our temporary small base; there's no need to make such a big fuss."
"Our race's true territory wouldn't be just a small estate that humans have used before, right? Once we completely control the Ilinor Kingdom, it will be time to bring over our main forces and build a true demonic stronghold. For now, this place is just a temporary base."
Eileen, being a Succubus, needed to be handled accordingly. She had initially cherished and valued the estate, but after hearing Reji's words, she suddenly realized that it was unbefitting for the Demon race to use a "second-hand" human mansion or estate.
Seeing that the Succubus was wavering, Reji, who was frugal and thrifty, quickly added, "However, what you said is also correct. Even if this is just a temporary base, it represents our race's prestige. Using a low-ranking undead like the Skeleton King is indeed inappropriate."
The Skeleton King felt aggrieved. First, Eileen had scolded it, and now Reji had referred to it as a "low-ranking undead." Was it really low-ranking? Or was it not?
The hierarchy of undead, from lowest to highest, was as follows: Undead Soldiers (levels 1-20), Undead Warriors (levels 20-30), Undead Heroes (levels 30-40), Undead Professionals (levels 40-50), Undead Lords (levels 50-60), and finally, the Skeleton King 70-80.
If even the Skeleton King was considered "low-ranking," what did that make its subordinates?
In the estate, the Skeleton King wasn't the only one being punished and scolded. There were also many other undead standing on the lawn behind it.
As an eighth-tier spell, the [Army of the Undead] encompassed all levels of undead, each of which had been summoned.
The Skeleton King could only vent its frustration on its subordinates, striking the Undead Lords behind it with its black bony hand, as if telling them to stand up straight and not disgrace themselves further.
The Undead Lords, unable to resist the Skeleton King, immediately followed suit and struck their own subordinatesseveral Undead Mages, Undead Assassins, and others.
These 'professional undead' also mimicked the behavior, striking the Undead Heroes behind them.
The Undead Heroes were a bit pitiful. They had no one left to strike, as they were the weakest undead in the army.
In reality, there should have been many Undead Warriors and Soldiers behind them, but the Sorcerer Demon had optimized them all, fusing them together to summon the current Skeleton King.
Upon seeing the foolish appearance of these undead, Reji shook his head and, after some thought, proposed a compromise.
"Very well, Dian. For the servants and guards inside the estate, we can continue using the original human staff. They are familiar with the place and have the necessary skills and experience. With Leo's Soul Bell controlling them, there's no need to worry about loyalty issues.
As for these undead..."
"Combine them to summon a Lich Specter."
"Yes, my king."
At the pinnacle of the undead hierarchy, there were two entities, one of which was the Lich Specter, the ultimate form of the undead.
The Sorcerer Demon raised his raven staff, and a vast amount of magical power rapidly gathered. A complex and profound magical array appeared beneath the skeletons on the estate's lawn.
After flashes of light, half of the original undead army disappeared, replaced by a female skeleton with silver-gray bones.
Her toes barely touched the ground, and she hovered slightly in the air. Deep, mysterious netherfire flickered in her eye sockets, and her slender bone fingers exuded an elegant beauty. She crossed her long leg bones gracefully, holding her skull high as if she were supreme.
Surges of death energy gathered in her palms, as if she could annihilate her enemies with a single breath.
However, this aura of grandeur didn't last long. Once the Lich Specter regained her senses and understood her surroundings, she quickly stopped hovering and knelt before Reji.
It was apparent that, as the pinnacle of undead life forms, the Lich Specter was significantly more intelligent and had a body that appealed to Reji's aesthetic sensibilities.
However, even so...
"Eileen, let her temporarily serve as a maid to assist you for now." Reji didn't dare give the Lich Specter a higher position, fearing that the Succubus would still find fault with her.
To completely silence Eileen and display the prestige of the Demon race, Reji instructed the Sorcerer Demon to use the remaining half of the undead army after summoning the Lich Specter to fuse and summon another high-level undead.
The only one that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Lich Specter...
A Skeleton Dragon.
The Skeleton Dragon, with its massive, terrifying wings composed entirely of jet-black bones, roared with its skull dragon head raised toward the sky. Its eye sockets flickered with a unique crimson netherfire, and its sharp bone spikes and dragon teeth gleamed with eerie light.
With a single jet of dragon breath, it released a dense death energy, and its entire body exuded both power and beauty.
However, in the next moment, it transformed into something resembling a playful puppy, shaking its bony dragon tail in an attempt to ingratiate itself with the Apostles and Reji, who now served as the Demon King.
Due to the "Dark Curtain," the noise within the estate was not a concern. However, the Skeleton Dragon was too conspicuous. It was indeed magnificent, but finding a suitable place to accommodate it was necessary.
Reji quickly came up with an idea. There was an empty spot at the entrance of the estate, perfect for placing a grand sculpture stand.