Grand Finale #1

 

The first principle of surprise attack: You must strike the enemy’s weak point.

So, what’s the second rule? If you’ve been attacked, you need to strike as many times as possible in a short period of time.

My army was faithfully following two principles.

At most, it took 15 minutes before Michael noticed the change and began to respond in earnest.

We must inflict catastrophic damage on the Imperial Capital within these 15 minutes.

The gate was opened by my undead unit commander, Kamula.

“Kyahahahahaha!”

Camula roamed the streets of the capital, leading his vampires in a frenzy. The vampires grabbed the necks of any humans they saw and drank their blood.

“Estelle is annoying, but I have to admit, she’s got a good head on her shoulders!”

Despite his grumbling and complaining, Kamula is a talented individual. He always does everything he’s asked of him with perfect accuracy.

The capital was engulfed in chaos.

The citizens fled in all directions in terror, and among them were imperial soldiers who had thrown down their swords.

“Guys! There’s plenty of prey! Don’t miss a single one!”

Camula and the vampires transformed into bats and flew around quickly, changing their forms freely and attacking the soldiers.

Those elusive movements were not something that could be easily dealt with by those who were encountering vampires for the first time.

“How pathetic, don’t back down! If you show your back, I’ll cut you down myself!”

“Defend the Empire!”

Of course, the imperial capital was not filled with only cowards.

The commander, clad in imperial equipment that looked high quality at first glance, rallied his soldiers and launched a counterattack.

“Oh, my. But it doesn’t crumble easily.”

The attitude of a soldier doing his duty was certainly commendable.

But is that truly courage or arrogance? Future historians will be the ones to judge.

The vampires on the ground weren’t the only disasters that tested the Imperial soldiers.

“Hey, watch out for the sky! There’s a fucking flying undead there!”

The commander looked up at the sky and screamed at the top of his lungs.

I guess you’re just noticing now.

My undead army is not just made up of Camula and vampires.

You’d better watch out for the gargoyles and drakes led by Bone Dragon Alice.

“The Master’s command is simple and clear. The extermination of all humankind on Earth. There is no point in identifying friend or foe. All humans are enemies.”

Alice took a deep breath, then glided over the imperial capital and fired her breath.

Kwajik—!

The ground cracked as the unclean breath swept through, and people and buildings alike withered and crumbled.

The road that Alice and the aerial undead force had passed through was now a cool, straight road.

The Empire’s mapmakers will probably have to redraw their maps from today onwards.

Of course, if the city they called the imperial capital still exists.

“Kill and rob without regard for circumstances! Brothers!”

Along the path opened by the undead army of the sky, muscular orcs ran, shouting loudly.

The orcs, each a head taller than a human, were very excited and started chopping, tearing, and trampling.

The northern flavor is a bit rough. It’ll be quite spicy.

“How is it, Michael?”

I sat on a high spire, swinging my feet leisurely and looking down at the imperial capital.

Chaos, destruction, and screams echo throughout. It’s a truly satisfying sight.

“Your beloved toy is falling apart. It’ll take quite some time to repair, won’t it?”

Where I sit is on top of the cathedral in the imperial capital.

It must be utterly blasphemous for the Sun God to have his holy sanctuary fall at the feet of a lich like me.

But that’s none of my business. After all, the Empire’s Sun Cult has never shown mercy to those weaker than themselves.

You reap what you sow.

It is time for the Solar Cult, which has cleverly wrapped up the logic of the survival of the fittest in a plausible doctrine to step aside.

My raiding the cathedral first wasn’t just symbolic.

Undead are inherently vulnerable to holy attacks. If the priests of the Sun God assemble their ranks and buff their soldiers, they become difficult to deal with.

“I guess I’ll need some support soon.”

I snapped my fingers, looking down at the capital’s cityscape.

A black flash of light appeared, and the corpses of the Imperial soldiers lying within the compartment rose again.

The greatest strength of the undead army.

The defeated enemy will soon be revived by our forces.

Even if it is an advantage in simple numerical calculation, it is a fear that cannot be measured in numbers for enemies that must be faced and dealt with directly.

“What, you idiot! We’re on our own! Don’t attack!”

“Ahhh! We’re under attack by our own forces!”

“Wake up! They’re not our allies, they’re already dead! Don’t hesitate, I’m telling you, Veran!”

You must wear the armor of the Imperial Army and cross swords with your comrades who only moments ago fought shoulder to shoulder with you.

The Imperial soldiers were rapidly becoming exhausted, both physically and mentally.

“Jonathan, report the current situation.”

I took out my magic communicator and spoke to Jonathan.

“Whahaha! It’s going so smoothly! There’s nothing rough! Humans are so weak!”

“I’m so excited. Okay, where are you now?”

“Even if you ask me where I am, I can’t answer! This is my first time in a human city, so I have no idea what’s going on! There’s a huge, flashy palace right before my eyes!”

“The palace? Oh, I found the right place. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Is that so? Uh-huh!”

The Emperor’s palace, one of the top targets of the surprise attack.

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

Did he just run blindly along the main road without looking back and arrive at the palace naturally?

It’s like catching a rat while backing away, but luck is definitely a skill on the battlefield.

“If you do well, you will achieve the greatest achievement.”

“Woooo-! Of course! Estelle’s main force is our Snowfield Orcs!”

“You can raid the palace just like you’ve been raiding it before. There will be guards, but there won’t be many. Just sweep them all away.”

“Just leave it to me!”

Soon, loud shouts and the sound of clashing metal were heard from the communicator.

“Hehehe.”

A smile spread across my face without me realizing it.

The sight of the orcs’ boots trampling the splendid and luxurious palace was vivid in my mind.

I’ve conquered the Imperial Capital many times while playing “Nine Stars,” but this is the first time I’ve seen this method of conquering it.

A combined force of undead and orcs opened a portal in the underground sewer and launched a surprise attack.

I am proud to say that I think it is novel.

“If I failed, my life would be ruined.”

Honestly, the odds of success weren’t that high. At best, it was around 60%. But it was worth a try.

“It worked out in the end.”

As long as it succeeds, it’s fine.

Well then, I guess I’ll finish my work now.

I jumped off the spire and landed on the ground.

The orcs who knew me bowed their heads in respect, and the undead moved silently according to their duties.

The current situation is favorable. However, there is no guarantee that this momentum will continue.

A temporary advantage gained by surprise. My forces are still overwhelmingly inferior in total force size.

“We must decide the battle before the scattered imperial forces around the capital gather.”

The withdrawal of troops from the vassals to their own territories created a temporary vacuum in the capital’s defenses. This opportunity to seize the capital was crucial.

The fundamental grand strategy is the same as when dealing with Kamula.

“If I capture the capital before the Imperial Army returns, I win. If not, we lose.”

With the power of the capital’s triple walls and the Magic Cannon Tower, even if the imperial army gathers, it can be easily repelled.

Leaving behind the buildings blazing fiercely, I hurried my steps.

What must we do to win this war?

Captivate the Emperor?

No.

I shook my head. No one would worry about the well-being of the Emperor, who was already slumped over.

The heart of the empire now lies with one person.

‘Michael.’

Yes. There is only you. ‘Hero’ Michael.

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

From the moment I first entered the world of “Nine Stars,” I thought only of you.

My mortal enemy, my masterpiece.

In order to defeat Michael, I had to give up being a normal human and be reborn as a lich.

Now, finally, the time has come to put an end to it.

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

Thump, thump.

Behind me followed four heavily built Death Knights.

They are recognized as the strongest force in our undead army, and in terms of combat power, they are weapons of slaughter that are not inferior to Camula and Alice.

‘You want to fight where you’re most familiar and comfortable, right?’

The moment I left the cathedral, I already had a destination in mind.

The headquarters of the Knights of the Sun.

Michael will surely be waiting for you on the top floor of that magnificent building, in the ‘Hall of the Sun.’

I’m sure I would have done the same if I were playing Michael.

You could call it telepathy. Right now, I was so perceptive to Michael’s thoughts that it almost felt like our minds were connected.

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

“It won’t be a bad thing for you either. If you take me down yourself, the tables will turn.”

Even though I know, I have to go.

I must definitely finish this match I have been preparing for for a long time with my own hands.

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

All you can see are fallen corpses and moving corpses.

In a little while, the ending of this war will be decided.