Chapter 140

Chapter 140
## Chapter 140

### The Immortal King’s Uprising (4)

Immediately after the Immortal King exited the assembly room, a deep sense of suspicion gripped Viscount Audre. As a senior operative within the intelligence division of the Azeria Empire, attending the conference as a strategist for the Crown Prince, the entire sequence of events felt utterly bizarre.

Infiltrating the grand sanctuary should have been an monumental challenge, yet this monstrous entity had accomplished it, only to depart abruptly on what seemed like a mere whim. Audre operated on the firm conviction that every action carried an underlying objective. Even within the fractured mind of a lunatic, a twisted thread of rationale usually existed, much like the instinctual drive behind an infant’s cry.

Yet, the behavior demonstrated by the Immortal King defied logic entirely. Had the conflict persisted, the Champion and his formidable allies would undoubtedly have repelled the intruder, though the toll in human lives would have skyrocketed. In a worst-case scenario, the defensive barriers shielding the rear chambers would have shattered, resulting in a wholesale slaughter of the high-ranking delegates, including Audre himself.

While they had narrowly escaped a catastrophic fate, the investigator remained deeply unsettled.

Rustle— Rustle—

Audre quietly withdrew a collection of detailed dossiers compiled by the imperial intelligence network, which cataloged the backgrounds of every summit attendee. He focused his attention on the names of those who had perished in the recent skirmish.

The casualties included Count Cayenne Turkan of the Empire, who served as the primary confidant to the Crown Prince. From the Mercenary Guild, the casualties included the Mercenary King Kanbul alongside his trusted lieutenant, Payton. There were also notable figures from the Sharotti Kingdom.

As he cross-referenced the fatalities, a chilling pattern emerged. Every single individual who had fallen was compromised by a dark, ignoble past. While some delegates with equally dubious reputations had managed to survive the chaos, not a single virtuous soul was among the dead.

Audre refused to dismiss this as mere happenstance. A deliberate intention governed these outcomes, yet the underlying motive eluded his grasp. The concept of an undead sovereign acting as a selective executioner of the corrupt seemed entirely paradoxical.

Was the entity harvesting the tainted spiritual energy of wicked men? If so, an indiscriminate slaughter followed by a selective harvest would have been far more efficient. Was this precise targeting a prerequisite for some intricate necromantic ritual? Or was there an entirely different plot at play?

The conundrum plagued the veteran investigator for days, offering no respite. The effortless retreat of the dark monarch remained an impenetrable riddle. Audre wondered if his own analytical framework was too rigid, acknowledging that the Immortal King could not be measured against standard human deviants. Having spent a career dissecting the madness of mortal cultists and dark sorcerers, he recognized that this ancient entity existed on an entirely different plane of malice.

Just as he was on the verge of abandoning his evaluation, urgent dispatches arrived concerning the Rohan Duchy. The sudden development caused Audre to close his eyes in grim resignation as the continental crisis deepened. In the privacy of his thoughts, he whispered the name of the ultimate architect of this chaos: the Immortal King, Hans.

—

“What madness is this?! The Rohan Duchy is on the brink of collapse?”

“They were reportedly holding the line with absolute certainty. How could a collapse occur so swiftly?”

“An escalation of this magnitude should have yielded prior intelligence. We should have received advance warning!”

The assembly hall erupted into frantic chatter. The unexpected crisis left the delegates visibly shaken. Even the representatives of the non-human factions, who possessed limited knowledge regarding the geopolitics of the Ion Continent, maintained expressions of grim severity, fully grasping the implications of a sovereign nation fracturing.

Clank—

The heavy doors of the chamber swung open, admitting the delegation from the Rohan Duchy, the representatives of the Magic Tower, and the high officials of the Holy Church. The clamor died down instantly as every eye locked onto the newcomers.

Dennis and his companions took their seats in somber silence, their expressions rigid. Breaking the tension, Cardinal Cordelia stepped forward with an equally grave demeanor to address the anxious assembly.

“To prevent unnecessary speculation, I will state the primary conclusion first,” she began, her voice carrying across the silent room. “The duchy has not suffered total annihilation. However…”

Flanked by the Northern Mountains on three frontiers, the Rohan Duchy had funneled the entirety of its military assets into fortifying its borders ever since the outbreak of the madness phenomenon. Furthermore, the Holy Church had provided substantial military reinforcement, deploying localized temple garrisons alongside elite Paladins from the central see.

“…Yet, while their primary legions were engaged with the monstrous hordes, the defenses across all three mountainous frontiers failed simultaneously due to an undetermined catalyst. Compounding this disaster, coordinated insurgent strikes targeted critical infrastructure throughout the heart of the duchy.”

The localized bastions of the knightly orders, the primary sanctuaries of the Holy Church, the central spires of the Magic Tower Alliance, and even the sovereign palace housing the Duke himself were struck by a highly organized, anonymous force. Because the local clergy had forwarded their main combatants to the front lines, the remaining skeleton crew was overwhelmed, resulting in the total destruction of the holy gateway—the primary mechanism for the Church’s rapid deployment. The other targeted strongholds suffered identical fates.

“To bypass a skeleton crew and completely dismantle a consecrated sanctuary of the Holy Church…”

“The scale of coordination is terrifying. How many high-security locations were compromised at the exact same moment?”

“The orchestration suggests that the saboteurs within the interior were working in tandem with the breach at the mountain passes. And this occurred despite the presence of both ecclesiastical and imperial reinforcements.”

The delegates whispered urgently among themselves, their collective suspicions rapidly narrowing toward a singular conclusion.

“This bears the unmistakable mark of the Immortal King, Hans.”

“It is entirely logical! He staged the assault on our summit purely as a grand distraction to mask his true objective.”

“His erratic behavior during the confrontation makes perfect sense now.”

“We were completely blinded! The monster was simply playing with us!”

The consensus formed swiftly, as the dread surrounding the Immortal King’s reputation was potent enough to sway even the most skeptical diplomats in the room. Among those who nodded in solemn agreement was Heinrich, the designated Saint of the Holy Church and the prophesied adversary of the undead monarch.

Beneath his composed exterior, however, Heinrich’s mind was racing with absolute bewilderment. He had never anticipated that a fabricated narrative would manifest into such a devastating reality. Knitting his brows, he scrutinized the incoming intelligence reports with intense focus.

The sheer malice behind the operation was palpable—a calculated campaign designed for the total subversion of Rohan. By fracturing the border defenses during a monster surge and systematically crippling the communication networks of the Church and Magic Tower, the perpetrators had effectively isolated the nation. Such a feat required resources and long-term planning far beyond the scope of a standard rogue faction. It was an operation years in the making.

Only one clandestine network possessed the capability and the historical motive to execute such a plot.

‘The Oath of Heaven’s Defiance… This is their handiwork.’

Though Heinrich had routinely dismantled their local operations in the past, he never underestimated their macro-scale threat. They were, after all, the architects responsible for fracturing the dimensional seal and unleashing the corrupting ‘madness’ upon the world. Overturning a vulnerable kingdom was well within their capabilities.

‘The regional commander provided no intelligence regarding an operation of this scale. This is the inherent flaw of dealing with a decentralized cell structure.’

He recalled the individual known as Old Man, the regional director for the Tulk Kingdom sector of the Oath of Heaven’s Defiance, who had been apprehended by the Banshee Queen, Olivia. She had encountered extreme difficulty during interrogation due to a lethal restrictive curse bound to the captive’s vital organs. Yet, such mortal constraints should have posed little obstacle to a master of the arcane like Hans.

While the restriction functioned primarily as a fatal self-destruct mechanism designed to obliterate the soul before secrets could be spilled, Hans possessed the forbidden insights necessary to navigate such magic. According to ancient texts, these soul-binding techniques originated from abyssal entities, far surpassing standard human capability. Heinrich resolved to re-examine the captive personally to ensure no crucial details had been overlooked.

The current crisis was too monumental to ignore. Corrupted beasts were pouring through the ruptured mountain defenses without intermission. With the local teleportation networks and magical spires reduced to rubble, the mobilization of relief forces was severely bottlenecked. Although secondary defensive perimeters existed within the interior, their longevity was highly questionable given that the primary border armies had already been bypassed. The situation had progressed beyond a localized breach; it was an existential threat to the state.

“Cardinal Pirei of the imperial Jeron Cathedral has committed to taking command of the relief effort,” Cardinal Cordelia announced, her voice remaining steady despite the underlying fury coloring her tone. “He is currently mobilizing elite ecclesiastical forces within the empire to converge on the closest operational sanctuary bordering Rohan, with the primary objective of facilitating a mass evacuation.”

The subsequent deliberations shifted entirely toward stabilizing the western theater. While the Holy Church and the Azeria Empire assumed administrative control over the immediate response, the crisis demanded the full attention of the continental coalition. Throughout the frantic strategic planning, Heinrich remained silent, observing the changing political landscape with a calculating eye.

—

“Mulo, have our eyes in the western theater provided further updates on the situation in Rohan?”

“Indeed, my Lord. Following the total collapse of the border fortifications, the auxiliary forces are attempting to establish a containment zone at the secondary line of defense. However, their numbers are insufficient to stem the tide.”

Heinz’s ongoing project to establish a comprehensive global intelligence apparatus was bearing fruit. Vampire operatives embedded within the region were transmitting tactical updates back to the clan leadership in real time.

Heinz took immense satisfaction in Mulo’s rapid advancement. Having integrated the properties of the Refined Blood Essence, the vampire coordinator had elevated his mastery over hemomancy to a degree that allowed instantaneous telepathic links with his field agents—an indispensable asset for managing a transnational espionage network.

Mulo’s briefing continued, painting a bleak picture. The hastily manned secondary line was severely undermanned, allowing numerous corrupted entities to bypass the perimeter entirely. The defense offered nothing more than a temporary delay.

“The current projection indicates the secondary perimeter will falter within days,” Mulo added, shaking his head. “They are currently attempting to consolidate their remaining forces for a final stand before the ducal capital, but the prospects are grim.”

“I see…”

Heinz closed his eyes, contemplating the broader strategic implications. He had no intention of deploying the vampire vanguard to salvage the Rohan Duchy. Such an intervention served no functional purpose for their long-term goals, nor were the geopolitical conditions favorable for an overt mobilization. Furthermore, employing the Ufersh Clan’s Blood Gate for large-scale troop transit demanded an immense expenditure of temporal and material resources, and the clan was not yet ready to reveal its full strength to the continental powers.

“Our course of action remains singular.”

“Understood, my Lord. Do you require immediate adjustments to our dispositions?”

“No. Maintain current parameters. What is the status of Theodore’s mobilization?”

“The recall is progressing smoothly. Though our kin are distributed across various distant territories, the concentration of forces at the designated staging ground faces no significant delay.”

The chosen staging ground was the Talia Kingdom, situated on the westernmost periphery of the continent. Heinz the Second intended to secure this territory as a sovereign domain, utilizing it as a foundation to expand the clan’s dominion. Once their infrastructure reached absolute readiness, an overt emergence onto the global stage would follow.

To complement this impending political shift, another piece of the puzzle required placement. It was time for the persona of Hans to claim a permanent seat of power.

Relying entirely on Hans’s dimensional subspace to house the legion of the dead was an inefficient long-term strategy. The immortal host required a localized stronghold to function at maximum capacity. Given the nature of an undead army, the location needed to be isolated, hazardous, and far removed from standard civilization.

The western territories were already designated as the domain of Heinz the Second. The central plains were heavily patrolled by the Empire and the Holy Church, while the eastern coast was dominated by the Sorcerous Kingdom and the Republic. The great southern expanse offered vast deserts, but an entry there would trigger an immediate conflict with the regional tribal coalitions.

Ultimately, only one uncharted territory fulfilled every strategic requirement. A sovereign domain for a lord of the dead belonged in a land characterized by extreme environmental hostility, impassable geography, and an abundance of apex predators—a region completely inaccessible to ordinary mortals.

The Northern Mountains.

“The geography is ideal,” Heinz mused. “However, establishing a stronghold too deep within the unmapped wastes limits our ability to project power and display the absolute might of the legion. The ideal site must be difficult to access, yet close enough to remain a constant, looming threat.”

A perfect geographical candidate already existed right along the frontier.

“The mountain ranges directly overlooking the northern border of the Rohan Duchy fit our requirements perfectly.”

Should that position be secured, the political realities of the region would inevitably shift. The remaining populace would be forced to adapt to a new master, replacing one absolute force with another.

Their allegiance would transition from the chaotic grip of ‘madness’ to the absolute certainty of ‘death’.