039 Death

The army of the undead surged forward in a vast, unstoppable tide. Before long, the Undead Market was once again under siege.

However, despite the fact that this current army was significantly larger and more formidable than the previous ones, the merchants within the market felt far less shock than they had before. For one, the novelty had worn off; for another, Karen’s current situation was truly dire. Even the lord of Aodo City dared to openly oppose him, and one could easily imagine the precarious state he was in. Under such circumstances, no one believed Karen was capable of any drastic actions—unless, of course, he had a death wish. Thus, the merchants mostly viewed this siege as mere entertainment.

Karen, however, was in no mood to concern himself with the merchants. Leading the undead army, he marched straight into the market. To his surprise, he found his own path blocked.

"Lord Necromancer, you may enter, but your undead legion cannot. There are far too many precious goods in this market; it would be unfortunate if your undead were to accidentally damage something," stated the captain of the market’s guard.

By all rights, the captain should have been Karen’s man, but the person standing before him was no longer loyal to him. Ever since Karen began bowing to the Silver Hand and the Kingdom of Bourbon, their influence had seeped in. This captain had defected to the Kingdom of Bourbon and, to prove his allegiance to his new masters, he chose to block Karen the moment the army arrived.

Karen did not say a word in response. He simply continued his advance with his legion. As the captain opened his mouth to say more, a blur flashed before his eyes, followed by a sharp, searing pain in his heart. He plunged into an endless abyss of darkness. From beginning to end, Karen did not even glance at the fallen captain, leading his forces directly toward the location of Bailey’s wife and child.

"Protect the mother and child. Leave not a single one of the others alive!"

Upon arriving at the scene, Karen issued the order for a massacre without hesitation. There was nothing left to discuss. This matter had severely crossed his bottom line, and for such things, Karen knew only the blade could provide a solution. If he showed even a hint of weakness now, the Silver Hand and the Kingdom of Bourbon would only push further. He had no choice. They had reached out their hands, and Karen would simply have to break them.

The operation proceeded smoothly. Within minutes, the courtyard was seized by Karen’s forces, and every human within was slaughtered by the undead. Bailey’s wife and child, who had been captured by the men of Aodo City, were successfully recovered. Everything went so easily—so easily that even Karen was surprised. But the greater surprise was yet to come.

As Karen approached the captives, Bailey’s wife offered him a bizarre, unsettling smile. "I’ve been waiting for a long time. You’ve finally arrived!"

Her voice, tinged with a manic, neurotic quality, made Karen’s expression shift. "Something is wrong with her. Seize her!"

Karen’s reaction was swift, but it was still a step too late. Before he could finish his command, Bailey’s 'wife' was already before him, her hand clamped tight around his throat. As she gripped him, a bone-chilling cold radiated from her palm. Karen felt his entire body freezing, unable to move even a finger. In moments, he was encased in a thick block of ice.

"So this is your 'invincible' teacher? I am deeply disappointed," she mocked, turning her gaze toward the young boy beside her. She ignored the frantic, enraged undead surrounding them. "I thought he would be stronger, but he’s barely more formidable than an ant. Killing such an opponent gives me no sense of accomplishment. But fortunately, there is still you."

Seeing the light fade from the boy’s eyes, replaced by tears, the psychopath was delighted. "Yes, that’s the look. The look of hope being shattered—despair, boundless despair! What to do, what to do? I love your despair so much..."

The manic laughter stopped, and she offered an even more deranged smile. "But it’s not enough. I think you can feel even more despair. I’ll give you a choice. I hold two lives in my hands: your beloved mother and your teacher. One gave you life and raised you; the other saved you from the abyss and gave you a new life. Both are incredibly important to you. Now, choose which one survives. Oh, and if you choose one, you must kill the other with your own hands."

"Hahaha! I am a genius to have come up with such a question! Answer quickly, child. Who will you choose? Tell me, what is your answer to such a perfect dilemma?"

Karen, still conscious, realized with a cold heart that the person before him was a total lunatic. He had suspected a mastermind behind these events, but he never imagined it would be a maniac of such terrifying power. He had been incapacitated before he could even react. Karen felt a sense of despair; in the hands of such a madwoman, his usual strategies were useless. She cared nothing for the potential undead riots that might follow his death; she was focused entirely on the boy.

"Speak! Who will you save? Who will you kill? I want to see you kill your most cherished person with your own hands!"

The madwoman revealed her true form, holding Karen in one hand and the boy’s mother in the other, urging him with manic intensity.

"No! I won't let you kill them! I'll beat you, you monster, and save my teacher and mother!" The boy roared, charging at her with clenched fists, putting every ounce of his strength into his blows.

The deranged smile vanished from the woman's face. "Your answer is boring. I am not satisfied! But no matter, I have another way to see you in even deeper despair. See your mother? You didn't make a choice, which means you abandoned her. Since you abandoned her, then kill her yourself!"

She thrust the mother toward the boy, and suddenly, a grey dagger appeared in his hand, guiding his arm inch by inch into his mother's heart.

"No, no! Let me go! I don't want to..." The boy was finally broken. He desperately tried to pull his hand away, but it was futile. He watched, helpless, as the dagger pierced his mother’s heart.

As the blade sank deep, the boy’s eyes lost all focus, and an aura of infinite despair erupted from him. The madwoman stepped forward and embraced him, inhaling his despair greedily. "Delicious despair. I like it. As a reward, I’ll spare your teacher, shall we?"

A glimmer of hope returned to the boy’s vacant eyes.

"Beg me. Beg me, and I’ll let your teacher live."

"Please, I beg you, don't kill my teacher," the boy whimpered.

"Good. I accept your plea!"

She released the boy, and almost instantly, the ice encasing Karen began to melt. As Karen emerged, the boy’s face showed a flicker of renewed hope. But as Karen fully broke free, the woman curled her lip, waved her hand, and Karen was torn in two.

"Sorry, I lied. I never intended to let him live."

In that moment, the boy’s final hope was extinguished. Simultaneously, the undead surrounding them, having lost their connection to Karen, descended into pure, mindless frenzy. Amidst this chaos, two of the undead underwent a radical transformation. A blood-red light erupted from Little Green, surging with power far beyond the fourth tier, while Alice was shrouded in a black radiance. Karen’s death had triggered an extraordinary breakthrough in them both.