Reviving a Corpse

Suburbs of North Wind Fortress.

Iron Dragon Wing Palace.

Keosius sat on the Iron Throne, below him were the three dukes: Lang Pu, Dolo, and Mezhuolash.

Currently, most of the Empire's high-ranking officials work in Istaria. They were only brought here urgently from Istaria after receiving an urgent summons from Keosius.

Keosius looked around and then asked:

"Everyone, you all understand the general situation now, right? What are your thoughts on this lich?"

Mezhuolash frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, these ancient and evil Undead Creatures are not worthy of trust."

He was, after all, a former Paladin, and understood that liches were hopeless beings.

Dolo countered, "He can be an asset to the Empire's war effort, which would perfectly fill our gaps in necromancy."

Lang Pu said, "Your Majesty has the Lich's Phylactery. These old monsters have lived for hundreds of years. Their memories contain anecdotes and chilling secrets lost to time. It's a treasure trove."

"We can squeeze it dry, little by little."

The Ogre Mage licked his lips, his tone revealing boundless greed.

"Well said."

"However, let me first show you how useful it is."

Keosius nodded slightly.

At his command, a squad of Tiefling carried in the Stone Coffin and laboriously opened the lid.

"This is Earl Hart."

Inside the Stone Coffin lay a tall, robust Half-Dragon, with a horrifying wound on his chest and pale, specially treated skin—clearly, he had already lost his life.

During the Margur Incident, Hart, the head of the Free Trade Caravan, was first frozen by magic and then stabbed to death by a hail of bullets during the Allied siege.

However, Duke Leo was surprised to find that the Dragonblood Earl's body was so strong that it could not be burned by flames.

So the Allied soldiers took Hart's body back to Strasbourg, Northern Nobles wanted to discover the secret of the dragon veins from him.

Unfortunately, before they could conduct any research, the army of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom breached Strasbourg and reclaimed the body.

After the victory in the war, Hart was officially proclaimed by the Empire as a "hero who sacrificed himself for the liberation of the the North" and was awarded the title of honorary marquis. His statue and remains were also displayed in the Imperial Memorial Hall.

But now, this body, imbued with dragon blood, has been transported here.

What Keosius wanted to do was self-evident—this was Earl whom he had personally bestowed upon him, and it would be a waste to let him die in vain.

"Let Aurest in."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The lich entered the hall tremblingly and knelt before the Red Dragon —his aura was considerably weakened because the Phylactery was in someone else's hands.

"Your Majesty, no, my esteemed master, I have come in accordance with your command."

"Transform him."

"Yes, Master, but what kind of Undead Creatures do you wish to be resurrected as?"

"The highest level, the kind with its own consciousness."

"But."

A troubled look appeared on Aurest's withered face.

Keosius gently raised his claw, and the [Myrkul's Bone Scepter] appeared out of thin air in front of the lich.

I'll lend it to you.

"Thank you for your kindness, Master."

Aurest brandished his skeletal staff, pointing it at Hart's corpse, where necromantic energy surged from the black Philosopher's Stone.

"An evil undead spirit born from mortals driven by Dark Desire and Great Vanity."

"Corpse Demon, heed my call!"

[Awaken Higher Undead]

When death silences a person's heart and extinguishes their life force, their spirit can return in an immortal form, attaching itself to its remains and waging an eternal war against the living.

That was the Corpse Demon.

They will obey the commands of any Dark Existence that transforms them into Undead Creatures, swearing to serve their new master while retaining their autonomy.

The tireless corpse demon will relentlessly pursue its goal and never be distracted.

Suddenly, Lang Pu spoke coldly, "Lich, are you converting your servants? Look carefully, who is the master here!"

Aurest froze, realizing that centuries of habit had almost led him to commit a colossal mistake.

This isn't about converting the dead for yourself!

It's for His Majesty!

He quickly lowered his head toward Keosius: "Of course it is Your Majesty Keosius, you are the undisputed master of this ghoul."

"Master, please lower your will and complete this final step."

The powerful will of the Red Dragon descended.

The final call has been made.

The necromantic mist enveloped the Half-Dragon.

Like embers, Negative Energy spread from the heart to the entire corpse, then penetrated the flesh, clothing, and armor, transforming the body into a vessel capable of containing the essence of the undead.

Hart felt as if he had been sinking into the dark void for a long time. Images of several spears stabbing him to death and flames burning his body flashed through his mind—images he had seen before his death, and his last memories before he died.

He seemed to hear some distant, grand call.

"Hart— "

That was the voice of the Dragon Lord.

That was the voice of His Majesty, who had given him a new life, changed his destiny, and bestowed upon him noble blood.

"His Majesty needs me."

"I want to go back."

Finally, he slowly opened his eyes; his two eyeballs were dark and shimmering.

"I'm alive?"

Hart slowly got up, looking at his cold body with some confusion, but he soon realized everything—His Majesty had allowed him to return to the world and given him a new life.

Corpse demons possess memories and are driven by their former self-awareness. However, whether these newly born corpse demons are undead monsters with false memories, completely different from their original owners, or continuations of the existence of their former owners, is a rather controversial issue.

He gradually adapted to the existence of Undead Creatures and crawled out of the coffin, kneeling before the Red Dragon.

"His Majesty."

The corpse demon's voice was hoarse and low, without any emotional fluctuation.

But Keosius could sense the loyalty that came from the depths of the soul, which included the submission of the Dragon Vein Kin and the Undead Creatures's following of the summoner.

"Welcome back to the Empire."

"Hart".

Keosius looked down at the newly born corpse demon and spoke calmly.

Undead Creatures are also a piece of the puzzle in the Empire's future blueprint; these creatures are extremely cheap cannon fodder, recyclable labor, and can be surprisingly effective in the Underdark.

However, Hart's resurrection was only the beginning.

Now, Keosius has an even more greedy and audacious idea for using this lich.