Withering Rose

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Withering Rose (凋亡蔷薇)
Alias(es)	Undead Queen of the Underdark; Silver Queen; Rose Queen
Species/Race	Lich; later reborn as a Devil
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Mourning Poetry Society; Underdark kingdom
Occupation/Role	Queen of the Underdark; necromancer; ruler and mine owner
Status	Active; reborn in Hell after her Lich soul began fading
First Appearance	6

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Legendary Lich	69 70	Possesses the Legendary Boon Death Gaze, specializing almost exclusively in Necromancy.
Death Gaze enhanced to a Divine Art	296	Shar strengthens her boon: targets can be locked through a drop of blood or strand of hair, even across thousands of kilometers.
Reborn Devil	618 619	Amber Xiu transforms her Undead soul into a Devil soul and prepares a new body for her in Hell. She retains her appearance, though her skin becomes more lifelike.

Background / History

Withering Rose was born into a collateral branch of Lyne's royal family and grew up in the City of Dawn. Her father became emperor because his Lyne bloodline was purer than that of the previous ruler, and she was designated heir after demonstrating the ability to control the Dragon Armor. Despite her talent for Divine Arts and governance, the royal family treated her as a means to preserve its bloodline, forcing her into endless arranged matches. She fled Lyne rather than remain confined as a “breeding machine.” 240 592

Pursued by Lyne, she escaped into the Underdark and threw herself into its mercury lake. Master Morgan recovered both her body and soul, transformed her into a Lich, and trained her in Necromancy. Mercury permeated her body, preserving a durable, lifelike form rather than a conventional skeletal Lich body. After Morgan was killed by a Lyne Paladin, she returned to the mercury lake and began building a kingdom of her own. 42

Her early conquests nearly extinguished the neighboring drow elves, grey dwarves, and myconids. The drow became her vassals, the grey dwarves were enslaved, and the myconids fled their homeland. Her Underdark realm eventually reached nearly one-quarter of Lyne's size, supported by vast mineral wealth and a massive Undead army. 42

The destruction of Lyne became the obsession sustaining her as a Lich. After Lyne's imperial system was abolished and Amber Xiu was resurrected, those desires were fulfilled; her soul began to self-seal and fade. Amber Xiu instead helped her recover memories, emotion, and curiosity, then brought her to Hell to be reborn as a Devil. 538 539 618

Appearance

Withering Rose retains the appearance of an elegant noblewoman despite being Undead. Her mercury-preserved body resembles a living person more closely than a typical Lich, though her presence is intensely cold and threatening. 42 513

• Pale, flawless skin; after rebirth, her complexion becomes more natural. 42 619
• Crimson eyes and lips. 42 472
• Usually wears formal black dresses; she has also appeared in luxurious red gowns and elaborate royal ceremonial attire. 513 592
• Requires attendants to shield her from sunlight, though ordinary exposure does not seriously harm a Legendary Undead. 69
• Her body is reinforced by mercury throughout her muscles and bones, making it unusually durable. 42

Personality

Withering Rose is patient, calculating, and exceptionally ruthless. She treats most living beings as tools, discarding them once they lose their usefulness; this reputation makes even her own servants fear displeasing her. 42 69

Her hatred of Lyne is both her greatest motivation and her greatest vulnerability. The prospect of the Dragon Armor's return leaves her shaken, while signs of Lyne's internal collapse bring her visible joy. She recognizes that direct external attacks would unite Lyne and ultimately accepts Amber Xiu's slower plan to destroy it from within. 274 294 408

Despite her aloofness, she gradually becomes emotionally dependent on Amber Xiu and develops a protective, maternal attachment to Melina. Recovering her memories allows her to experience emotions and curiosity she had lost for centuries, giving her a reason to seek a life beyond vengeance. 244 538 539

Abilities & Skills

Death Gaze

Withering Rose's original Legendary Boon transforms living targets into Undead once they are locked by her Soul Fire or perception. It bypasses armor, resistances, magic shields, and conventional magical equipment. 69 241

• Can transform small creatures almost instantly; she converted hundreds of sewer insects into Undead puppets with a glance. 69
• Works through perception rather than literal eyesight. 241
• Is ineffective against creatures that are already Undead. 241
• Originally requires sustained attention; interruption breaks the transformation process. 296
• Targets can temporarily evade it by becoming nonliving, as James Watson did through Vaporization Form. 296
• After Shar's enhancement, it can target someone through blood or hair across thousands of kilometers. 296 337

Necromancy and Dark Magic

A true specialist in Necromancy, Withering Rose can command and create large-scale Undead forces while demonstrating control over dark Magic Power that surpasses Amber Xiu's. 70 77

• Commands Death Knights, Zombies, Specters, Magic Puppets, and other Undead troops. 80 407
• Restores Undead bodies by shaping dark Magic Power into new bone. 77
• Casts high-level Necromancy, including Finger of Death and Greater Invisibility. 84
• Can steadily expand her army during battle by converting enemies and corpses. 80

Wealth, Industry, and Political Influence

As the wealthiest member of the Mourning Poetry Society, Withering Rose can influence mineral markets across the Nine Kingdoms and finance operations on a national scale. 42 62

• Offered to manipulate ore prices, purchase mines, and bankrupt smaller competitors to secure materials. 40 42
• Maintains a kingdom centered on the Underdark's mercury lake and valuable ore deposits. 42
• Keeps spies inside Lyne, particularly in newly acquired territories where imperial control is weaker. 303
• Negotiates trade and industrial arrangements for Amber Xiu, including alchemical production facilities in the Tidal Kingdom. 409

Relationships

• Amber Xiu — Business partner, closest ally, and eventual emotional anchor. She repeatedly supports his plans, protects his interests after his apparent death, and trusts him completely with her soul. 6 296 513 538
• Melina — Her adopted daughter, a Legendary Death Knight created by Amber Xiu from three Legendary Orc corpses. Withering Rose personally names her daughter and raises her with unusual gentleness. 244
• Cang Gu — Best friend and “sister”; Cang Gu serves as a scout and adviser, particularly regarding love and relationships. 62 91 514
• Master Morgan — Her rescuer and Necromancy teacher. He recovered her from the mercury lake, transformed her into a Lich, and was later killed by a Lyne Paladin. 42
• Shar — Patron deity who upgrades Death Gaze in exchange for a Divine Position. 295 296
• Ariel — Initially a diplomatic contact in the Tidal Kingdom; Withering Rose becomes unexpectedly friendly toward her and requests her as a guide. 409 410
• Lyne royal family and empire — Her lifelong enemies. Their persecution forced her into the Underdark and shaped the obsession that sustained her Lich existence. 42 407

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Undead troop commission — Contacts Amber Xiu to commission high-level Undead capable of threatening Lyne's Imperial Capital, beginning their long business relationship. 6
• Underdark ruler — Uses her wealth, mines, and army to dominate the mercury-lake region and manipulate ore markets. 40 42
• Alchemy City incident — Enters Alchemy City under an academic pretext, investigates its sewers for Amber Xiu, and helps him reach the Druids amid the city's ritual crisis. 67 69 78
• War against Lyne — Battles Paladins, monitors Lyne's divine artifacts, and ultimately adopts Amber Xiu's strategy of eroding the empire internally rather than conquering it by force. 62 84 408
• Creation of Melina — Supplies three Legendary Orc corpses and commissions Amber Xiu to create a powerful Death Knight, whom she adopts as her daughter. 241 244
• Remote assassination campaign — Uses Shar-enhanced Death Gaze and Rechel Angelo's hair to target the Iron-Blooded General through Holy Light defenses. 296 337
• Fall of Lyne and Amber Xiu's legacy — Takes control of Amber Xiu's assets after his apparent death, seeks aid from the Mourning Poetry Society to revive him, and later becomes Lyne's final queen for its coronation-and-abdication ceremony. 513 514 592
• Soul crisis and rebirth — Begins fading after her obsessions are fulfilled, regains part of her humanity through Amber Xiu's intervention, and accepts rebirth as a Devil in Hell. 538 539 618

Notable Quotes

“From today on, you are my daughter.” 244

“I was always beautiful.” 619

Trivia

• Her title, the Silver Queen, comes from her kingdom's location beside the Underdark's Sea of Mercury. 125
• She has little interest in Alchemy and prefers to rely on Amber Xiu for its technical aspects. 69 70
• Although she once hoped to bind Amber Xiu to the Underdark through emotion, she repeatedly finds herself solving his problems instead. 102
• She considers Arthur Lyne worthy of some respect despite hating the Lyne royal name, believing he was not responsible for the empire's later corruption. 240 411