Chapter 709: Chapter 701: The Long Night is Coming Chapter 709: Chapter 701: The Long Night is Coming “What is going on?” In the opulent and magnificent palace, a corpulent grand duke gazed anxiously at the projection before him. It displayed scenes occurring recently at the entrance of the Undead Dungeon within his kingdom.

Visible to the naked eye, black clouds teeming with Death Qi gushed out vigorously from the dungeon entrance. Although the sunlight from above sizzled and purified the Death Qi at a visible rate, more of it surged out from the dungeon entrance than the amount being obliterated by the sunlight.

It was clear that some of the undead, bolstered by the Death Qi, launched an attack on the garrison legion stationed near the dungeon entrance. These highly robust undead, after weathering spells from the mage corps accompanying the army, engaged the garrison legion in a fierce melee encounter. The scene was terribly brutal.

An undead assault on the garrison legion emerging from the dungeon entrance was a common sight. However, such incidents typically happened at night, under the suspended glow of the moon.

What should have occurred after nightfall was taking place under the bright sunshine witnessed by the grand duke. He recalled there had been no accounts of undead attacking the garrison legion in the day since he had been in office. Yet, he was seeing this very scene unfold before his very eyes.

This roused a sense of fear within him. When a routine occurrence unexpectedly changes, it incites unease in anyone. Even as a high-ranking grand duke, this scene made him understand that circumstances were spiraling out of his control.

“Your Highness, the garrison legion is not the only one to have been impacted. Of the adventurers who have recently ventured into the Undead Dungeon, less than a thousand have survived and returned. According to their accounts, the undead within the dungeon have become unusually ferocious. Stellar increments were observed in their strength. Even an ordinary skeleton was as hard as steel.”

“What on earth happened in the Undead Dungeon?” The somewhat overweight grand duke quizzed, his face turning pale. As someone privy to numerous secrets, he had an ominous premonition.

“Comparing these anomalies with historical records, our initial conclusion is that the Undead Cataclysm is imminent.”

“Are you joking?” The grand duke’s face instantly turned ashen. He rose to his feet, his visage consumed by an unfamiliar rosy hue of fury. “Are you making a fool out of me? Don’t you assume that I am unaware? The previous Undead Cataclysm took place eight hundred years ago. We still have at least two hundred years until the next one. There’s no way it could occur now!”

“But, Your Highness, these indeed are the precursors to the Undead Cataclysm. These low-level undead, who dwell in darkness, dare to emerge from their burrows in broad daylight and assault humans.”

“How could this be?” The grand duke, a look of confusion on his face, slumped onto his throne behind him. As part of the ruling elite, he naturally possessed exceptional cultivation talent. However, talent wasn’t of much use once one reached the Soul Intent Level.

Thus, his strength rested somewhere around the Gold Rank. For a ruler of a human kingdom, this level of power was more than sufficient. He could rule his kingdom without difficulty for several centuries.

He had already planned it out. When the Undead Cataclysm would strike two hundred years later, he would have abdicated, and tall grass growing around his grave would have become a tree. He wouldn’t have to worry about it at all; that would be a problem for his son. He wasn’t bothered about what cataclysms might happen after his death. All he needed to do was maintain the current situation within the kingdom and enjoy everyday life! After all, life is short, so why not live it up?

But now, he was being informed that the Undead Cataclysm might break out during his reign. Once it occurs, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy himself anymore! As a grand duke, he would have to step forward and coordinate everything. He would even have to stand at the frontline during the kingdom’s direst moment. After all, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

He enjoyed the best offerings of the entire Duchy’s populace. When faced with danger, he had to step forward. Even if he was reluctant, his upbringing had taught him that he must do it—for the glory of the Grand Duke.

“What about the other kingdoms? Are they facing the same issues? If this situation unique to our Duchy, it could be a mere anomaly and wouldn’t signify the advent of Cataclysm.” The grand duke, appearing a little hopeful, questioned his court mage.

“Your Highness, I regret to inform you that we have already contacted mages from other kingdoms prior to this report.” In response to his query, the chief court mage answered effortlessly. After all, the grand duke only focused on pleasure; they had to thoroughly investigate everything before reporting to him. How else could they expect this grand duke to issue any orders?

“It’s not just our kingdom that’s experiencing this, but the same is happening in all the other kingdoms. The lower-ranked undead have been launching daylight attacks on the garrison legions.”

“I see, I understand now.” The Duke, formerly pale and even angry, slowly regained his usual demeanor and the authority fitting of his title, “Notify the entire kingdom and order them to prepare for war! Command my attendants to prepare my armor and weapon. With the long night approaching, I will fight alongside my Duchy to the very end.”

“Your orders will be obeyed, Your Majesty!” Upon hearing the usually hedonistic Duke utter such grave words, the court mage who had come to deliver the report was stunned. He looked up at the somewhat corpulent Duke and memories of his early days as Duke flooded back–a time when he was not as fat, but an ambitious and spirited young man. However, he had slowly transformed into the indulgent overweight figure he was now.

…

As the usually quiet Undead Dungeon stirred with unusual activity, every nation on the Obistro Subcontinent reacted immediately. A time span of a millennium was extremely protracted for humans, the short-lived species.

Events that happened eight hundred years ago seemed to most humans as if they were only tales from legends. However, for humanity’s most powerful, such a catastrophe that would affect the entire continent was something they could never forget.

Therefore, for the moment, the entire Obistro Subcontinent quieted down. All conflicts ceased, all wars came to a halt. The rulers of each nation, as if an unspoken agreement had been reached, pulled back their armies that had originally been stationed along their borders.

In the face of a true catastrophe that would affect the entire continent, what did national grievances count for? Moreover, at such a time, if any ruler was still foolishly intent on inciting internal strife, they would be the first to be held accountable.

The Undead Cataclysm targeted all creatures on the continent. Regardless of your race, regardless of your status, in the face of undead that abhorred all living creatures, there were no distinctions.

…

“The Undead Cataclysm is about to erupt!” As all nations on the Obistro Subcontinent were consolidating their strength, preparing their armies for war, and waiting for the Cataclysm to arrive, Muria, who was cultivating in Xena Pus, also received the news. Together with the news came a plea for help from the Church – a message jointly sent out by all the churches on the continent.

“They are requesting my assistance in saving some of the kingdoms during the Undead Cataclysm?” There was no forceful demand or suggestion, just a calm plea for Muria to lend a hand.

“Your Majesty, if you are willing to help, we have generous rewards to provide.” In the Council Hall, a cardinal archbishop cloaked in a golden robe and wearing armor spoke.

“If I’m not mistaken, the Undead Cataclysm erupts on the Obistro Subcontinent once every thousand years, and the next one shouldn’t be due for another two hundred years or so.”

“Your Majesty, the so-called ‘thousand-year cycle’ is merely an approximation. Sometimes the Cataclysm arrives late, sometimes early. However, it is true that this time, the Cataclysm came too early; we were not prepared for it. Or rather, we had made no preparations at all. ”
The soliciting cardinal archbishop explained with a bitter smile, “Although nations on the continent have started making preparations after noticing the signs of the Cataclysm erupting, this one was too sudden. Before each Cataclysm, we usually have a buffer preparation time of ten to fifty years.”

Due to such circumstances, the powerhouses living on this continent began to seek all external forces for help, and Muria, along with his Xena Pus, naturally became the focus of their plea for aid.

“There’s no issue with assisting some human commoners during the Undead Cataclysm.” Muria nodded after a moment of silence. He inexplicably felt a bit guilty and began to suspect that the outbreak of this Cataclysm may have some connection to him – perhaps it was because he dug up the lair of Barbosa. But could a Great Lich truly possess such terrifying power?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read