I wake up to horns blaring at dusk. Mu Bai and I rush out of our rooms, nod at each other, and head outside, seeing several Illuminate: Flare spells lighting up the sky at the north wall. It's an assembly signal, calling for any Mages who can provide assistance.
Upon arriving there, the place is crowded with Magicians, mostly Basic ones.
"All Magicians in the Intermediate Level and above should gather at the top of the walls. The others will remain here on standby," a loud voice rings out, echoing in the ears of the Magicians.
The few Intermediate Magicians immediately made their way up into a hall that was open on both ends, where they could see the darkness looming over the vast land in the distance.
"Are these all we have?" asks a deep voice. A man with a beard and an extraordinary temperament walks down from the stairs leading to somewhere higher in the tower, followed by a Royal Guard and a commander.
"Greetings, Councilman!"
"Greetings, Councilman!"
A few Intermediate Magicians who are fairly active around the area immediately greet him respectfully.
[Wait a minute, that's Zhu Meng!]
He appears to recognize me as well. "It's you again, the kid with bad luck!"
"I did feel like it's quite bad luck to stumble into you!"
"How bold!" The commander glares at me, but Zhu Meng waves his hand in dismissal. However, the commander, Zhou Min, and Mu Bai are looking at me in bewilderment, evidently not comprehending how a Councilman is familiar with a nobody like me.
Zhu Meng suddenly stares at me, his eyes bulging. "Did you… become an Advanced Mage? How old are you?"
"Yes and 19, nearly 20."
Though the Royal Guard and my friends are also gazing at me in shock, the former reminds Zhu Meng, "Councilman, we have an urgent matter on our hands."
To his credit, Zhu Meng instantly recovers, addressing everyone in the hall. "I'm genuinely glad to have all of you here, but I must convey some unsettling news."
As he speaks, he strides gracefully toward the hall's edge in his polished black boots, positioning himself near the intricately engraved barrier adorned with motifs of dragons and phoenixes. He pauses briefly, casting a shadow over the gathering, his countenance reflecting a sense of melancholy.
"Unfortunately, a Dark Abyss is emerging a mere thirty kilometers to the north."
"A Dark Abyss?"
"Why so close to the city? Could this be a mistake?" protests one of the Hunters, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"A mere thirty kilometers away! Are we going to be overrun by the undead!?" exclaims a middle-aged Magician, his distress palpable.
Zhou Min, unfamiliar with the concept of a Dark Abyss, turns to her team leader, Zhong Zishan, seeking clarification.
"Sorry, what's the Dark Abyss and why is it so horrible?"
Zhong Zishan recovers from his initial astonishment, grappling with the gravity of the information presented.
"Do you know what I once considered the most terrifying encounter in this world?" Zhong Zishan poses a question, his gaze fixed on her.
"A Commander-level undead sinking its teeth into my arm, nearly claiming my life…" Zhong Zishan shares, his visage contorting as he relives the ordeal. "But that changed when I encountered a Dark Abyss."
Zhong Zishan's recollections are vivid, his eyes revealing traces of lingering fear.
"The Dark Abyss can be described as a burning pot of Hell with its lid removed. You can clearly see the edge of Hell when you stand close to the edge. Hundreds of ghosts uttering cries of hatred, thousands of zombies munching at anything that is moving, including their own kind. Ten thousand demons, waving their claws waiting for fresh blood to be poured on them… I was unlucky enough to encounter the smallest Dark Abyss possible when I first became a Hunter. My friend, whom I grew up with since childhood, fell into it. I watched him fall, watched the countless hands drag him down as the undead crawled onto him, forming a giant ball of undead. At that time, I was sure that if anyone mentioned that going to Hell was the greatest curse and punishment ever, falling into a Dark Abyss was on a similar level. The only thought I had left back then was to pray that I wouldn't fall into it, too." Zhong Zishan recounts, his voice quivering.
"Moreover, the Dark Abyss possesses an unsettling characteristic," Mu Bai interjects.
"What characteristic?" Zhou Min inquires.
"In addition to its relentless expansion through the consumption of lives, its Spatial Unpredictability presents a formidable challenge," Mu Bai elucidates.
"Spatial Unpredictability?"
"Indeed, it means that the Abyss can emerge anywhere, at any moment, defying all logic and prediction," Zhong Zishan clarifies.
[All reasons why most of the Hunters I approached back then did not agree to take me to Sunny Goat Village and Hua Village. The Dark Abyss is no laughing matter. I don't know how Zhang Xiaohou survived falling into it.]
"So you've gathered us here to deal with the Dark Abyss? There's no way we can do anything against it. We're only a bunch of Intermediate Magicians," says someone to Zhu Meng.
"The place where a Dark Abyss once appeared will have a strong presence of death. Many Warrior-level or Commander-level undead will gather there fairly soon… I hope everyone here will guard the walls tonight. Once the higher-ranked undead show any signs of approaching the walls, you will eliminate them at once!" Zhu Meng replies.
Everyone relaxes, expressing willingness to handle the undead as long as the Dark Abyss isn't a part of the equation.
"One Ruler is likely to show up: the Phantom Tyrant. I and a few other Super Mages will deal with it, but it has a multitude of subordinates. Skeleton Generals, Zombie Generals, Phantom Generals, these are not an issue. However, the White Serene Ghosts, at the Commander level, will distract us with their Psychic powers; they'll require too much of our energy to eliminate, and we won't have enough to face the Phantom Tyrant. We'll rely on you to at least distract them during our battle against the Ruler. Yao Nan, I want you to lead the group that will clear a path to the White Serene Ghost Officials."
[Yao Nan? I know him…]
I've often seen him at the Clearsky Hunter Agency: a petite, feminine appearance belies his tremendous strength.
"Councilman, I will give the battle my all. I merely ask that you place him-," Yao Nan suddenly points at me, "under me."
"Certainly; perhaps you can offer him guidance, since you're more experienced with the Advanced stage."
"Indeed… what? He's-" Yao Nan whirls around to gaze at me, and his eyebrows raise after I allow him to probe my Spiritual World.
"Incredible. An Advanced Mage under 20 years old. I didn't know you'd leap forward so quickly, kid."
"I'll be surpassing you soon enough, senior."
He laughs. "I won't contest that, but I'm still your superior for now. Follow me with these 30 Intermediate Mages, and help me fight the Commanders."
"You're placing a newly ascended Advanced Mage in front of a Commander? How irresponsible."
"Shut up. I'm well aware of your skills."
…
…
We're marching to the mass of undead accumulating in the distance. Regular zombies, skeletons, and phantoms fill the battlefield, commanded by their respective Warrior-level Generals. The White Serene Ghosts are surrounded by a protective wall of undead; clearly, the leaders of the army are aware that Psychic disturbances will be the key to victory.
Battle commences. Yao Nan saw fit to leave me to my own devices, so I'm charging ahead of the group. The generic order of difficulty is Phantoms, then Zombies, then Skeletons. Several Phantoms die to a single Illuminate: Cleanse, and Illuminate: Gleamstrike can carve holes in the heads of a few Zombies. However, the Skeletons' hardy bones take longer to melt away under the focus of Cleanse or Gleamstrike, and killing a single one with the spell is wasteful.
Without the Light Element present, Zombies and Phantoms switch spots on the difficulty ranking, but Skeletons are even tougher to kill. Breaking their bones apart with a sword or shooting them with a bow hardly does anything; they reassemble in seconds, which might not be enough time to locate and remove/crush their undead crystals. I'm lucky to possess the Light Element and outstanding marksmanship, coupled with knowledge on undead crystal locations, but strong Skeleton Generals are not easy battles for most Intermediate Mages.
Currently, I'm enthralled with my obsidian and gold swords, slicing through the undead and their bodies like butter. Whether it's a Skeleton General or a regular zombie, all fall with evasive maneuvers followed by a single bisection through an undead crystal or the region near it. I'm already hundreds of meters ahead of the main group, and they're struggling to keep up even with the clear path in my wake. The undead are crowding together to deal with me, the cause of the hole in their ranks, but that'll just feed my swords even more blood.
Yao Nan flies up next to me with Wind Wings, a dumbfounded expression on his face. "At this rate, we'll reach the Commanders guarding the White Serene Ghosts in no time. I'd expected to use a significant amount of energy prior to facing them, but you've improved my odds at beating them."
"It's an urgent situation, so I exposed the trump card you're watching right now. It'll last for a couple of hours or so, then go on cooldown."
"I see, what an expensive piece of equipment."
[I almost feel bad fooling him.]
Almost. I don't think it's possible to extract these swords from my Spiritual World like some dark arts can do with other Magic Equipment, but I'm not taking any chances.
In the meantime, though, I've pierced through the outer layer of defense, body parts of hundreds of Undead strewn everywhere behind me. I barely notice how hard I'm breathing; adrenaline flowing through my veins fuels my exertions. I sprint to the inner layer, which consists of Generals of all three undead types, plus a few Commander-level Officials: Corpse Officials and Bone Officials protect the White Serene Ghosts, the Phantom Officials.
Yao Nan instructs, "We'll wait here and let the bulk of the 200 Intermediate Mages attack the Generals, allowing us to focus on the Officials."
"Got it."
The army charges at us with enthusiasm, encouraged by my display of dominance. They hold back the waves of undead, leaving a path for us to fight the hulking Officials.
There's two Corpse Officials, incredibly fat, hulking figures towering over 20 meters high. They're surrounded by auras of darkness and look despicably gruesome: like a disgusting blob of meat. Tentacles stemming from their torsos intermittently grab a few nearby undead and shove them into the Corpse Officials' bellies, sucking away all their energy and growing fatter.
Behind them is a Bone Official, far more robust, slim, and 30 meters tall. I suspect it's a Great Commander. Its appearance is intimidating, like I'm facing a warrior. This thing is not a typical undead; it knows how to fight.
"Uhh, Yao Nan? Which… what do I do?" I'm at a loss. I've never fought a Great Commander, but I've read plenty. They're vicious, powerful, and have scarred strong Advanced Mages for life, both mentally and physically. Let alone this thing, looking like a seasoned veteran on top of those traits.
"Try to distract those two Corpse Officials. I'll eliminate this Bone Official."
I breathe a sigh of relief. It still won't be an easy battle, but at least I'm not walking into my own death.
I pace towards the Corpse Officials while Yao Nan engages the Bone Official. They're already glaring at me, then lunge with surprising agility. My improved perception as an Advanced Mage keeps me inches from their outstretched arms as I twirl to the side. I'm forced to use Shadow Evade: Traverse to teleport a dozen meters away, avoiding a storm of tentacles battering the ground where I was just standing. While they're distracted, I use Blood Tabi and launch myself onto one Corpse Official's shoulder. I'm already in the process of conjuring a Light Star Pattern, but I'm forced to stop and merge into the shadows, moving away as the tentacles locate me with chilling haste and precision.
Luckily, my 4th tier Basic Shadow spell provides a clone that draws the attention of the tentacles, so I spring into action, immobilizing the roots of the tentacles using all 15 of the nails in Shadow Nails: Shadow Array, then a Shadow Nails: Thorns, then another Shadow Array. It drains me slightly to use 2 4th tier and 1 3rd tier Intermediate Shadow spells consecutively, but the mental backlash is far lower now that I'm an Advanced Mage.
The Corpse Officials bellow, unable to swing their tentacles any longer. I can finally approach their hulking figures without getting smashed to bits or drawn into their bellies. However, they approach me first. Run at me is a more appropriate term. I remain rooted to my current position as they're a mere dozen meters away, then execute my plan.
I summon the Bull Xenon, filling my body with incredible agility. Their punches are no longer blurs of motion: I can make out details on their mottled arms as they speed at me. I jump onto the left one's outstretched limb and sprint at its head. The tentacles aren't there to interfere, so I summon the swords, already glowing from feeding them multiple Tier 4 Intermediate spells. I plunge them into either side of its neck while leaping off its shoulder, allowing gravity to carry me down and cutting two deep smoking ravines in its body. Roaring in pain and spurting waterfalls of blood, it thrashes around, and I barely maneuver around its flailing limbs to locate the undead crystal in its exposed chest cavity.
[Yes!]
Now is not the time to loot the undead; I need to remain mobile. Wincing at the opportunistic cost, I crush its crystal, but the other Corpse Official's attacks replace the original's. Without the pressure of 2 Commanders and having figured out where it hides its crystal, it's far easier to perform the same procedure, leaving 2 giant corpses with gashes on their chests immobile on the ground.
I'm panting. That took a lot out of me.
Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any rare or mutated materials in their corpses. But I'm rewarded with glowing Commander Soul Remnants, the first ones that I get to keep. Nyx is shuddering in excitement, and so am I: defeating two Lesser Commanders is an incredible feat for a newly ascended Advanced Mage.
I rest for a minute, then jog to Yao Nan's battle with the Bone Official. It's already over: the huge skeleton is encased in an even larger block of ice. He turns to me with sweat dripping into his eyes and minor wounds all over his body. I'm impressed; few Advanced Mages can claim to kill Great Commanders. As expected of a Hunter in the Clearsky Agency.
"That took half of my energy. It seems Great Commanders are still difficult opponents, even if I'm nearly at the peak of the Advanced stage. Nevertheless, our job is done. The other dozen or so Advanced Mages are sufficient to distract the White Serene Ghosts. We'll take a breather until the Councilman and the other Super Mages come back with more orders."
…
…
There aren't any more orders. The Super Mages manage to kill the Phantom Tyrant, and the rest of the undead are cleaned up easily. Day is approaching, so the army starts heading back.
Zhu Meng ceases chatting with his peers and walks with Yao Nan and me.
"Excellent work, the two of you. I heard that you guys killed 3 Commanders, one being a Great Commander."
"I killed the Great Commander, and Yang Jianyu took out the other two Lesser ones."
"Ah, so that's what happe- WHAT?"
"Yes, I turned those 2 Lesser Commanders into piles of flesh. Yes, I'm a novice Advanced Mage. My Light happens to counter them, allowing me to face them in a melee without fear. I couldn't have done this for any non-undead or creatures who aren't dark."
[A blatant lie, but it'll do.]
"I… see."
Our pleasant conversation is interrupted by a roar. One so loud it flattens the short grass around us, despite the source being a kilometer away.
Colossal isn't sufficient to describe the enormity of the flying skeletal creature. Its wings, when fully unfolded, could easily cast a shadow over the entire army. It lets out another cry, accumulating a black glow around its beak, culminating in a beam of black light shooting out of its mouth directly at a section of the wall. A 100 meter portion of the 50 meter tall barrier crumbles down.
"The Nether Bone Ruler… but it's day! How?!" Zhu Meng, along with nearly everyone around me, wears the grimmest expression I've ever seen.
Purple lights flood the city. It's a Purple Alert, worse than the Blood Alert at Bo City.
Raindrops land on our heads. It's been raining for the last few minutes.
I don't like rain. Rain at Bo City, rain here.
[No. It can't be.]
A massive skeletal creature with bone wings is circling around in the sky, disdainfully glancing down at the city. It releases an ear splitting roar, commanding the undead to rise from their graves.
In the far distance, an enormous zombie the size of a mountain appears out of nowhere among the sea of undead. The quake produced from each step it takes spreads all the way here.
The Mountain Zombie is responding to the Nether Bone Ruler's cry. Its figure, over 5 kilometers tall, is like a towering banner, with millions of zombies crowding around it. The numbers of those crawling out from the ground and coming from the distance in the north is enough to fill the horizon. An ocean of undead. All of us could throw our lives away by attacking it, and we wouldn't even make a dent in their numbers.
The drizzle becomes heavier, reminding me of the rain's presence. My mouth opens to speak to Zhu Meng.
"Councilman, I think I know-"
And it closes again after witnessing the Mountain Zombie's maneuvers after approaching within 20 kilometers of the Ancient Capital.
The behemoth grabs a few Corpse Officials larger than the rest, forces them to swallow the surrounding zombies, skeletons, and phantoms, and lobs them into the city.
[Is it afraid of the Mages inside and wants to weaken us with the army of undead first?]
Whatever the reason, an absolute tragedy is occuring. Each Corpse Official swallowed at least a thousand undead, and they're escaping its stomach to attack the defenseless bystanders. Perhaps this was the Mountain Zombie's intention: kill as many civilians as possible before they seek shelter behind the inner city walls.
I dash to the closest landing site of one of the 30 meter tall piles of meat. Hundreds of undead have already massacred dozens of people who couldn't flee in time, and more are pouring out of the Corpse Official's belly. It's immobile during this grotesque process, so I crush the crystal after cutting through the flesh on its chest, but the lesser monsters are still escaping from its body.
6 people are about to be devoured by 20 zombies. I load 5 arrows and shoot thrice, scoring 10 headshots with the best multi-arrow accuracy I've ever had. A quick Gleamstrike takes out another 4. I immobilize the remaining 6 with the six nails produced by Shadow Array. I close the distance using Shadow Evade: Traverse and cut through each of their crystals in their heads.
But in the meantime, undead close in on another dozen people a fair distance from me. I try to save as many as I can with arrows and Gleamstrikes, but two young men and an old lady scream while skeletons tear them apart. I was around two meters away from saving the woman, and blood from the stump on her thigh sprays onto my face. I've failed.
In the process of securing the lives of more civilians, I find time to yell.
"EVERYONE! IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, GET CLOSE TO ME!"
Hundreds of panicked children, adults, and elderly all do their best to escape their undead pursuers and reach me. I wait until we're completely surrounded by most of the monsters that arose from the Corpse Official's body, and then cast as many Light barriers (and consequently the accumulated shields) as possible, enveloping the civilians in a comforting yellow glow. They flicker as the undead launch themselves at the partitions, but I replenish the ones that disappear. Undead die by the hundreds, and when my Light Galaxy only has 5 Intermediate spell's worth of mana remaining, the area around us is finally clear. A few zombies, skeletons and phantoms linger around, which I snipe with arrows and Gleamstrikes. Done.
"I'll escort you all to the inner walls. On the way, please stick together and when newcomers join, let them know to not panic if we come across the undead. I cannot promise every single one of you will live, but I can promise that I'll not let any of you die until I've tried my utmost to eliminate the threat. Staying in a group keeps you safer regardless; you'd be easy pickings for any random zombie if you went off on your own. So stay together and close to me."
I hear murmurs of assent amidst the crowd: it'd seem my massacre of over 1500 undead was not a feat they took lightly. Speaking of which, Nyx's gains have accumulated to 49 Soldier and 10 Warrior refined essences, as well as 6 Soldier and 1 Warrior natural Soul Essences. I use all 49 to upgrade the stars in my Water Nebula, unlocking two 4th tier spells, but I'm at a loss when it comes to the Warrior Soul Essences.
I can't do anything else, though, so I clench my teeth and use 7 of them to upgrade 7 stars of the Light Galaxy, unlocking a 5th tier Basic Light spell. Even though my Light Galaxy is nearly empty, I decide to cast it.
Illuminate: Dual Rays!
2 beams of light, each as dense as a Gleamstrike, are conjured, responding to my every whim for a few seconds until they fade away. This will significantly improve my long range prowess: light travels faster than arrows, and since I can pretty much draw Star Paths with a single thought, casting is much quicker than drawing back an arrow. If I had just upgraded it earlier (I did have exactly 7 Warrior Soul Essences) without fretting over the value of the essences, perhaps I wouldn't be covered in the blood of that old lady right now…
Instead of dwelling on my mistakes, I resolve to make a habit of immediately upgrading my stars once I accumulate enough refined essences to unlock a new spell.
The 3rd tier Water Basic spell is Water Defense: Circulate, which creates an omnidirectional barrier of water circling in a 1 meter radius around me. The 4th tier, Water Defense: Resist, does the same, except the barrier is twice as condensed and resists material attacks better. A common strategy by Mages with the Water Element is to cast any of the Water Defense spells when they're off cooldown, stacking layers of protection that can even tank Intermediate spells. I'm always busy using Light or Shadow, but this new spell significantly enhances the effectiveness of such a tactic.
The 3rd tier Water Intermediate spell is Violent Waves: Flooding, which sends a strong source of water in one general direction. The 4th tier, Violent Waves: Tides, floods everything near me in a 180 degree arc, and it finally gains the potency to crush the bones of some Warriors with the 3x boost from my Water Spirit.
…
…
The rest of the journey passes without much incident: the few Mages in the crowd kept watch, and their spells alerted me to locations where my attention was required. Battlemages atop the inner wall signal each other to open a gap, allowing us to enter the barrier. I decide to wander around and find Mu Bai or Zhang Xiaohou (the latter was already staying in the safe zone before the undead invasion), but I spot Zhu Meng entering a nondescript building.
[Fuck it.]
I follow him in, intending to inform him of my suspicions, and I do so before we enter the conference room.
…
…
The Purple Alert was sounded because of the Mountain Zombie; it's the leader of all the undead. The authorities can't realistically fight it off, so the alert calls for a retreat to the inner walls. The countless undead will rampage through the outer walls and into the city, and there's nothing to be done. We can only hope the inner wall's barrier will hold long enough for help to arrive.
Currently, all the authorities of the city are huddled in the Administrative Building. Councilman Zhu Meng, the president of the Clock Tower Magic Association (Han Ji), Senior Hunter Du Xiao, Elders Ling Xi and Chu Jia from the Hunter Union, Commanders Lu Xu and Yao Ting, Chief Military Instructor Fei Jiao (whom I informed about Zhang Xiaohou), a leader of the Imperial Magicians (Wang Kai), Elder Shi Zheng from the Enforcement Union, and Li Jia and Li Yujian as elder and head of the Li Family (respectively).
And then there's me. Zhu Meng requests me to voice my suspicions, and I comply.
"As I was saying to the Councilman earlier, I can smell the Black Vatican's hand in this mess. They created the frenzy liquid that enraged the beasts around Bo City, and now I suspect they have concocted a similar substance which provoked the undead to remain hostile during the day. Both times, it was raining, so it's likely they have some method of dispersing water infused with the substances as rain."
Li Yujian is skeptical. "Rain in two places does not imply that rain is the culprit."
"On the contrary, rain was unequivocally the culprit in Bo City: the rainwater was tested and the frenzy liquid was isolated. This is no mere guess."
He jumps to his feet. "What does a young brat know?! I think you're stirring up too much chaos by claiming the Black Vatican is responsible! Shouldn't we be thinking of a method of survival, rather than figure out why the undead are attacking us?"
"Family Head Li, it's of utmost importance that we comprehend the undead's method of remaining active in sunlight. Only by doing so can we develop any countermeasures, thereby ensuring the city's survival. This entails noting the perpetrator's actions, intentions, and motives to discern a pattern or likely sequence of events, and we can then act to prevent such a sequence from coming to fruition."
"The boy is right." An unfamiliar voice rings from outside the room, as a man wrapped from head to toe in yellowed, gray bands of cloth steps in.
"The Black Vatican is responsible for the current crisis; this was confirmed to me by a reliable informant. He also connected the rain in Bo City to the rain here, although the substance differs. In Bo City, the frenzy liquid was meant to mimic the Underground Holy Spring, luring demonic beasts to drink it: they went mad instead of gaining strength. It was just a test for the real plan here, making sure the substance could be spread via the rain to cause a bloodbath. Now, the substance is the Dew of Nine Serenities refined from the Underground Holy Spring; the Black Vatican have somehow gotten their hands on it elsewhere despite the spring in Bo City disappearing. The dew, mixed with the rain, provides the undead with enough energy to overcome the discomfort they experience during the day from not being surrounded by death or darkness.
"Moreover, the dew is only half the story. In fact, the other reason the undead are willing to wake up during the day is to welcome their King, who is on the verge of rising from his slumber. The Ancient King, Ying Zheng, ruled over China a thousand years ago with his overwhelming talent in the Undead and Earth Elements, even creating the Great Wall. He turned himself into an undead and constructed the Dark Abyss as a mausoleum for his resting body, ready to awaken when the moment arises.
"I wanted to ensure all of you were aware of this information: the Black Vatican is responsible for the calamity, but merely uprooting their influence now won't change anything. We need to-"
Suddenly, his pocket buzzes. He removes a phone, likely with all methods of locating it eliminated to ensure secrecy, and answers a call. After a minute, he puts it back and turns to us once again.
"My man has discovered another crucial secret, but he must tell me in person. He spoke to me in code, saying that he fears capture by the Black Vatican who may be listening to him, and he wants to speak face to face so they'll think twice about revealing themselves by stirring up a commotion large enough to kill us: I'm far stronger than him, after all. I'll be back once I hear him out. Do not be hasty, and listen to what that kid has to say."
He exits, and his final words ensure all the gazes in the room land on me.
[Fantastic, maybe they'll take me seriously now.]
Han Ji states, "That was enlightening, and I'm sure most of you will agree. The optimal course of action is searching for a method to prevent Ying Zheng's rise, not necessarily sniffing out the members of the Black Vatican; the former preserves the civilians' safety, while the latter does not. Once that's done, I believe it's highly probable that even the Mountain Zombie will return to its underground slumber, let alone the weaker undead. Does anyone possess useful knowledge on the Dark Abyss? Any ways to access the Ancient King's grave inside it, and prior to that, any method of preventing his resurrection?"
The room remains silent as they begin to ponder. Unfortunately, the key information seems to elude us all.
A few minutes pass, and an Imperial Magician (one of an elite group of Advanced Mages responsible for protecting the city) enters the room with somber news.
"We've found the pieces of the body of the cloth-wrapped man in an alleyway just south of the Clock Tower. His corpse has a deathly aura enveloping it; we suspect the undead tore him apart."
Gasps echo from everywhere in the room.
[Something isn't right. There's no Rulers in the city; they're content to send underlings for now.]
So how did he die? To a Great Commander? But if he was so confident in his strength, couldn't he at least escape one? He didn't seem like a rookie Advanced Mage.
My train of thought is interrupted as the same mysterious man walks in again.
"I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but at least one of you is a member of the Black Vatican!"