The air reeked of blood, steel, and burning corpses. The once-proud banners of the Valerian Legion lay tattered, trampled beneath the boots of traitors. Screams of the dying echoed in the distance, but Damien Valerian barely heard them.
He lay on the cold ground, blood pooling beneath his broken body. His silver armor, once a symbol of his unstoppable might, was cracked and drenched in crimson. His vision blurred, but he could still make out the sneering faces above him.
"You were too arrogant, Damien," a familiar voice said, laced with mockery. General Alric, his most trusted commander, loomed over him. The man who had sworn loyalty now raised his blade, its edge still slick with the blood of Damien's soldiers.
Betrayal. The sting of it hurt more than the wounds in his flesh.
Damien tried to move, but his limbs were weak, his body refusing to obey.
A group of golden-armored knights stepped forward—holy warriors of the Holy Dominion, the very empire he had spent years resisting. Their leader, High Inquisitor Ravos, looked down at him with contempt.
"The so-called 'Heavenly Warbringer,' reduced to nothing more than a dying dog. You defied the will of the gods, and now… you will be erased."
Ravos lifted his Divine Executioner Blade, its radiant light burning against Damien's skin. He felt the searing pain before the blade even touched him.
The world dimmed.
A final thought echoed in his fading consciousness.
If only… I had more power.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
---
Cold.
A bone-chilling cold unlike anything Damien had ever felt.
His eyes snapped open, but instead of the battlefield, he found himself lying on a slab of obsidian stone. The air was thick with an eerie energy, and towering black pillars surrounded him. The symbols on them glowed with an unsettling purple light.
Where am I?
He sat up, his body moving with unnatural ease. The pain from his fatal wounds was gone.
That's when he noticed his hands.
Pale. Almost gray. His veins pulsed with black energy instead of blood. He reached up, touching his face—his flesh was cold, his heart… no longer beating.
Before he could process the implications, a voice echoed in his mind.
Ding!
[You have been chosen by the Abyssal Necromancer System.]
[Initializing Rebirth…]
[Welcome, Host. You are now a Level 1 Necromancer.]
A flood of information surged into his mind—spells, rituals, commands. Knowledge of the undead arts that no living being should possess.
And then another message appeared.
[Congratulations! As the First Undead Sovereign, you have unlocked the Sign-In System!]
[Sign in at the Temple of the Fallen?]
Damien's lips curled into a smirk. A system? This was no ordinary second chance.
"...Sign in."
Ding!
[Sign-In Complete!]
[Reward: Forbidden Tome of Eternal Summoning + 100 Elite Undead Soldiers]
The ground trembled. In the shadows of the ruined temple, figures emerged.
Blackened armor. Burning blue eyes. Elite undead knights, each radiating power. They knelt before him in absolute loyalty.
For the first time since his death… Damien felt alive.
---
He stood, the weight of his new existence settling in. He was no longer Damien Valerian, the betrayed general.
He was something greater.
A Necromancer Lord.
And he had unfinished business.
"System, status."
A translucent panel appeared before him.
—
[Name]: Damien Valerian
[Race]: Undead Sovereign
[Class]: Abyssal Necromancer (Tier 1)
[Level]: 1
[Abilities]:
Eternal Summoning (S): Summoned undead cannot be permanently destroyed.
Soul Reclamation (A): Absorb the souls of fallen enemies to enhance power.
Dark Dominion (B): Passive aura strengthens all undead within range.
—
A slow chuckle rumbled from his throat. This power… it was only the beginning.
Then, a new notification appeared.
[New Mission: Conquer the Ruined City of Noxhaven]
[Rewards: Necromancer's Throne + Deathlord's Authority]
Damien's eyes gleamed.
Noxhaven. A long-forgotten city, rumored to be infested with powerful undead creatures and lost treasures.
The perfect first conquest.
He turned to his new soldiers, their silent obedience absolute. He raised a hand, dark energy swirling at his fingertips.
"Rise, my army. Our conquest begins now."
The undead knights moved as one, their hollow eyes burning with the will of their new master.
The Holy Dominion thought they had killed Damien Valerian.
They had only created a monster.
---
[End of Chapter 1]