Chapter 21: Another Unconventional Move

“My lord, Fortress Bruce is crucial for both Homer and us. I think no one would overlook that, especially under these circumstances. It’s likely too difficult to capture Fortress Bruce—over ten thousand regular troops are stationed there, and the disparity in strength is enormous; we have no chance.” Seizing that his lord was considering attacking Fortress Bruce, Fran shook his head, saying it was unlikely. Three thousand poorly equipped militia members trying to challenge over ten thousand Homer regular troops, with the latter holding the fortress, was simply unimaginable.
“Hmm, Fran, don’t worry. I’m not foolish enough to attempt a forceful attack on Fortress Bruce. Conventional warfare is certainly not feasible, but I am interested in trying other methods,” Kommer said with a sinister smile.
Fran also knew that his lord was not just a mere magician. The more he interacted with him, the more he realized how much there was hidden behind him—how more mysterious it became. With the arrival of the three magicians—Rebri, Mihajic, and Newman—as well as the two Dark Knights, Sorenberg and Vladkov, plus a bunch of mysterious mercenary groups, Fran had no idea where these people came from or why. That strange and eerie knight and mage also appeared out of nowhere, and now there were even more magicians shrouded in darkness. A myriad of strange figures gathered around Kommer, yet he seemed to handle them all with ease.
Listening to Kommer explain his plans, Mage Xuro, who only had eyes visible, frowned slightly. This dark lord seemed deeply indulged in the life of a secular ruler. Although expanding power and territory was beneficial for the Great Secret Sect’s future expansion northward, his enthusiasm seemed far beyond mere interest in the dark arts. Xuro even suspected that this dark lord had no interest in inheriting the dark arts at all. He must have summoned them simply to use the power of the Great Secret Sect to build a foundation for secular power.

It’s good to have ambition; without it, the Dark Sect wouldn’t have the drive to develop. But if ambition is overly focused on worldly power, that’s rather problematic. The Great Secret Sect’s lifelong pursuit has been to expand the Dark Sect. This Dark Lord has long shown no desire to take charge of it. Although he has some mages skilled in dark magic around him, these mages clearly don’t originate from the authentic Dark Holy Sect—they seem more rooted in dark slaughter and necromancy.

“Dark Lord, I understand your intention. You want to use the power of necromancy to launch an attack on the Homer soldiers in Bruce Fortress, forcing them to withdraw. But necromancy is just one part of the Dark Holy Sect’s magic. There are only two necromancers with me this time, and it might be difficult to control such a large number of undead.” Xuro hesitated before answering. He didn’t want to participate in the slaughter of those defenseless ordinary soldiers, but he couldn’t refuse Comer’s request, so he had to use objective constraints as an excuse.

“It doesn’t matter. I still have a Grand Necromancer here who can take charge. As long as you have other mages to assist, that will be enough. If necessary, I can also step in.” Comer smiled. “Mr. Uma, please come in.”

A gloomy aura surged in as the tent was lifted. The intense and pure dark energy instantly excited Xuro, making his hair stand on end. It had been a long time since he had felt such pure dark energy. Comer’s deliberate concealment made it impossible for Xuro to detect his own dark aura, but the aura carried by the person who entered was even purer than his own. This left Xuro both surprised and delighted—could it really be that the Great Emperor had risen from the dead?

The person’s vacant gaze and outdated attire greatly disappointed Xuro. Although the Dark Sect didn’t place much emphasis on appearance, wearing tattered thief’s clothes like this wasn’t something the sect pursued either. Yet how could such a person possess such a strong presence, even making Xuro feel an inexplicable sense of oppression?

Uma stepped in lightly. It could be said that the conditions of this temporary body were quite good, especially in terms of physical constitution. Yet it was a male body. Although Uma had endured hundreds of years of decline, the chance to be reborn made her reluctant to experience what it meant to be male. But survival came first. Though this body was male, its conditions were excellent enough to allow her to fully utilize her strength. Each time she changed bodies, it consumed a great deal of her primal energy. Uma could wait for the next best opportunity.

Uma had long known that the man staring at her with suspicion belonged to the Dark Lineage. Though the Emperor had vanished and the Dark Empire had fallen, the Dark Holy Religion, once a glorious faith, was not so easily extinguished. The power of faith and worship was infinite. To make faith disappear required it to lose all vitality; otherwise, it was like a seed hidden in the soil, growing strong with the right conditions. Seeing this man, Uma felt an indescribable sense of familiarity, even greater than when she saw Komer. How nice it would be if this man were the Emperor’s heir. Unfortunately, things never went as people wished. King Kenifer III’s legacy had to fall to this indecisive man.

“Mr. Uma, this is Mr. Xuro, from the Great Secret Religion. I think you two will surely have much in common in the future. But now, I must apologize—we have other more important matters to attend to.” Komer’s smile remained warm as spring, yet to the two of them, this lord seemed to be calculating everything at all times.

“Pleasure to meet you.” “It’s an honor to know you.”

Though both sensed a similar temperament in each other, their reserve kept them from showing too much enthusiasm, which pleased Komer. If they became close right away, that would be troublesome. At least their attention would shift to him immediately, forcing him to deal with their endless demands and entanglements. He really didn’t have the energy to shoulder the burdens of the Dark Lineage as well.

“Mr. Uma, I have an idea that requires your support and that of Mr. Xuro,” Reno got straight to the point. “As you can see, Fortress Bruce lies ahead of us, and those damned Homers are wasting time inside. If they really launch an attack, my militia may not be able to hold back. I want to find a solution that ensures the safety of Leon and the Caucasus—there’s only one way: by taking control of Fortress Bruce. So…”

Before Komer could finish speaking, Uma’s gloomy voice rang out, “My lord, you don’t need to tell me the reasons. Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Very well. My plan is for Mr. Xuro’s two necromancers to assist you in summoning undead, skeletons, and zombies at Fortress Bruce, forcing them to attack the defenders and create chaos, thereby forcing them to evacuate.” Komer’s words were concise and clear.

“Summon undead?” Uma pondered for a moment. His face showed no expression, not even in his yellow eyes.

“Yes. I want to turn Fortress Bruce into a city of panic, plunge it into utter fear, and force its army to withdraw. Their magicians are already exhausted, and the Homers don’t have many more magicians to send. It’s impossible in the short term, so I believe we can drive them out of Fortress Bruce in this battle.” Komer spoke with certainty.

“My lord, you should know that to create chaos in Bruce, the number of undead summoned by the necromancers alone is limited. It would be much better if Fortress Bruce was once an ancient battlefield or had a graveyard. We could simply use summoning magic to revive those abandoned skeletons and zombies,” Uma replied calmly.

“Wait a moment, let me think. Mr. Uma, there should be plenty of resources beneath the walls of Fortress Bruce for you to summon from. I’m not sure about inside the city, but from what I remember, there was an attempted mutiny suppressed there over a hundred years ago—there might be some remnants. As for a graveyard, I think there’s one east of the northern market, near the edge of the Greenland Forest.” Komer tried hard to recall, providing as much information as possible for Uma.

“If that’s the case, then there’s no problem.” Uma nodded.

“Mr. Uma, the two mages from Mr. Xuro will assist you. You can discuss the details thoroughly. However, I must remind Mr. Uma that my goal is merely to drive away the defenders inside Bruce Fortress City, while the merchants and ordinary people need to stay. Thus, the chaos can only spread among the defenders inside the city and not outside—it means the disorder must not spread beyond the city walls. I ask Mr. Uma and Mr. Xuro to pay close attention to this.” Komer was very careful about this matter; Bruce Fortress should not only serve as a defensive shield in the north but also as a link for the northern routes.

Both Uma and Xuro frowned simultaneously. This requirement was exceptionally high. Once the undead were unleashed, it would not be easy to bring them under complete control.

“Lord Komer, your demands are truly stringent. Nevertheless, I will do my best,” Uma said in a tone that seemed joking, but it sounded cold and devoid of any humor.