Chapter 96: The Grand Finale #1

Chapter 96: The Grand Finale #1

The first principle of a surprise attack: catch the enemy off guard.

So what’s the second principle? Once you’ve caught them off guard, strike as hard and fast as possible.

My army was faithfully adhering to both principles.

We had a generous fifteen minutes before Michael realized something was amiss and began to properly respond.

Within these fifteen minutes, we had to inflict devastating damage on the Imperial capital.

The opening salvo was fired by my undead unit commander, Carmilla.

“Kyahahahaha!”

Carmilla cackled maniacally, leading the vampires through the capital’s streets. The vampires, true to their nature, seized humans by the neck and drank their blood.

“Estel is annoying, but I have to admit this. She’s got a sharp mind!”

Despite her constant grumbling and complaints, Carmilla was indeed an excellent subordinate. She carried out her orders flawlessly.

The capital was engulfed in chaos.

Citizens fled in all directions, terrified, and among them were Imperial soldiers who had abandoned their swords.

“Hey, everyone! The prey is scattered! Don’t let a single one escape!”

Carmilla and the vampires transformed into bats, soaring swiftly, and changing their forms at will to attack the soldiers.

Their elusive movements were not something that those facing vampires for the first time could easily counter.

“Pathetic! Don’t retreat! If you turn your backs, I’ll cut you down myself!”

“Defend the Empire!”

Of course, the Imperial capital wasn’t filled only with cowards.

A commander, clad head-to-toe in what appeared to be high-quality Imperial equipment, rallied his soldiers and launched a counterattack.

‘Oh? They’re not collapsing that easily, are they?’

Their dedication to their duty as soldiers was certainly commendable.

But, was it courage, or recklessness? The historians of the future would be the ones to judge.

The disaster that would test the Imperial soldiers wasn’t just the vampires on the ground.

“H-watch the skies! Damn it, there are flying undead!”

The commander screamed at the top of his lungs, looking up at the sky.

So, you’ve finally noticed.

My undead army isn’t just Carmilla and the vampires.

You’d best be wary of the gargoyles and drakes led by the Bone Dragon Alice.

“Master’s orders, simple and clear. Annihilate the humans on the ground. Identification of friend or foe is irrelevant. All humans are enemies.”

Alice took a deep breath and soared above the Imperial capital, unleashing her breath.

Crackle-!

The ground scorched by the unholy breath cracked, and everything, including humans and buildings, withered and crumbled.

The path cleared by Alice and the aerial undead unit became a neat, straight road.

The Imperial cartographers would likely have to redraw their maps after today.

Of course, that’s if the city they called the Imperial capital still existed.

“Kill and plunder without mercy! Brothers!”

Following the path carved by the undead army in the sky, burly orcs charged forward, shouting noisily.

The orcs, a head taller than humans, seemed highly agitated as they split, tore, and trampled everything in sight.

The Northern flavor is a bit rough, I admit. It’s quite spicy.

“How about it, Michael?”

I sat atop a towering spire, idly swinging my legs, and gazed down at the Imperial capital.

Chaos, destruction, and screams echoed everywhere. A truly satisfying sight.

“Your favorite toys are being smashed to pieces. It’ll take quite some time to repair them. Won’t it?”

I was perched atop the Imperial capital’s Grand Cathedral.

For the followers of the Sun God, this would be a deeply sacrilegious act. The holy sanctuary had fallen beneath the feet of a Lich like me.

But I couldn’t care less. The Empire’s Sun Cult had never shown mercy to the weaker ones anyway.

You reap what you sow.

The Sun Cult, which had skillfully disguised the law of the jungle with plausible doctrines, now had to make way.

My first target wasn’t the Grand Cathedral merely for symbolic reasons.

Undead are inherently vulnerable to holy attacks. If the Sun God’s priests were to form ranks and bestow buffs on their soldiers, they would become difficult to deal with.

“It’s probably time for reinforcements.”

I flicked my finger, looking down at the city streets.

A black flash of light, and the corpses of Imperial soldiers lying in the district rose again.

The greatest strength of the undead army.

Defeated enemies are soon resurrected as our own forces.

It’s not just a numerical advantage; it’s pure terror for those who have to face and fight them, a terror that cannot be measured by numbers.

“Y-you fool! That’s an ally! Don’t attack!”

“Kyaaak! We’re being attacked by our own unit!”

“Snap out of it! They’re not allies, they’re already dead! Don’t hesitate, cut them down!”

Imperial soldiers had to clash swords with comrades they had fought alongside just moments before, wearing the same Imperial armor.

The Imperial soldiers were rapidly depleting, both physically and mentally.

“Jonathan, report the current situation.”

I took out my magi-tech communicator and spoke to Jonathan.

“Wahaha! It’s going very smoothly! Nothing can stop us! Humans are weak!”

“You sound quite excited. Alright, where are you now?”

“I can’t tell you where I’m! This is my first time in a human city, so I don’t know anything! There’s a very shiny and large palace right in front of me!”

“A palace? Oh, you found it. Impressive.”

“Is that so? Ughaha!”

The Imperial Palace, one of the primary targets of the surprise attack.

Surprisingly, Jonathan’s Orc unit was the first to reach the palace.

Did they simply charge down the main road without looking and naturally arrive at the palace?

It was like a blind squirrel finding a nut, but in war, luck is also a skill.

“If this goes well, you might be the one to achieve the greatest merit.”

“Uoooh- Of course! The main force of the Estel army is us, the Snow Orcs!”

“Just plunder the palace as you’ve been doing. The Royal Guard might be defending it, but their numbers won’t be significant. Wipe them all out.”

“Leave it to me!”

Soon, the communicator was filled with loud shouts and the clash of metal.

“Heh heh.”

A faint smile escaped my lips without my realizing it.

I could vividly imagine the sight of Orc boots trampling the magnificent and luxurious palace.

I’ve raided the Imperial capital many times while playing “Nine Stars,” but this is the first time I’ve used such a strategy.

A surprise attack with a combined force of undead and orcs, opening a portal in the sewers.

I’m proud to say it’s quite innovative, even if I do say so myself.

“If it failed, my life would have been ruined, but…”

Honestly, the success rate wasn’t that high. At best, maybe 60%. But it was worth a shot.

“In the end, it succeeded.”

Success is success, no matter how you look at it.

So, shall I get back to my business?

I leaped from the spire and landed on the ground.

The Orcs who recognized me bowed their heads in respect, and the undead moved silently, carrying out their duties.

The current war situation is favorable. However, there’s no guarantee that this advantage will continue.

We have a temporary advantage due to the surprise attack. In terms of total troop numbers, my army is still overwhelmingly outnumbered.

‘We need to finish this before the Imperial forces scattered around the capital can regroup.’

Thanks to the ministers withdrawing their troops to their territories, there was a temporary void in the capital’s defense. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to seize the capital by exploiting that gap.

The fundamental grand strategy is the same as when I dealt with Carmilla.

‘If I capture the capital before the Imperial army returns, it’s my victory. Otherwise, it’s our defeat.’

With the triple walls of the capital and the magic cannon towers, we can repel the Imperial army even if they gather.

Leaving the buildings engulfed in flames behind me, I hastened my steps.

What must I do to win this war?

Capture the Emperor?

‘No.’

I shook my head. No one would worry about the safety of the fat, lazy Emperor at this point.

The true heart of the Empire now is only one person.

‘Michael.’

Yes. It’s you. ‘Hero’ Michael.

It was you from the beginning, and it’ll be you until the end.

From the moment I fell into the world of “Nine Stars,” I thought only of you.

My fated enemy, and my masterpiece.

To defeat Michael, I had to give up being an ordinary human and be reborn as a Lich.

Now, the time has finally come to bring that conclusion to fruition.

‘If I were you, where would I be right now?’

Thump, thump.

Four heavily built Death Knights followed behind me.

They are recognized as the strongest forces in our undead army, and in terms of combat power alone, they are no less than slaughter machines compared to Carmilla and Alice.

‘You’d want to fight in the most familiar and comfortable place, right?’

From the moment I left the Grand Cathedral, I had already decided on my destination.

The headquarters of the Sun Knights.

On the top floor of that magnificent building, in the ‘Hall of the Sun,’ Michael would surely be waiting.

I’m sure of it. If I were playing Michael, I would definitely do that.

It’s like telepathy. I understand Michael’s thoughts so well right now that it feels almost as if our minds are connected.

In other words, conversely, Michael must also be reading my thoughts.

‘It won’t be bad for you either. If you defeat me directly, the tide of battle will turn again.’

I have to go, even knowing this.

I must personally, and definitively, conclude the battle I’ve prepared for so long.

The sky turned red. The screams that had filled the capital had also subsided.

All that could be seen were fallen corpses and moving corpses.

In a short while, the outcome of this war will be decided.