Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-One – "Culling the Green Tide"
The sun was hidden behind thick clouds as Crow stood on a cliff overlooking the Goblin village sprawled across the valley below. The settlement was vast — crude wooden structures, filthy trenches, and smoke-belching fires stretched as far as the eye could see.
According to his scan:
[Enemy Detected: Goblin Horde – 100,000 Units]
[Sub-Type: Goblin Warrior, Goblin Shaman, Goblin Beast Rider, Goblin Champion]
Mixed among them were another alert:
[Detected: 200 C-Rank Human Units – Captured Healers]
Crow narrowed his eyes.
He raised one hand, his aura flaring. Black mist oozed from the ground, coiling around his legs like a serpent. Behind him, Primordial Dragon Xar'Zenth yawned lazily, perched atop a levitating boulder, massive tail swaying in the air.
With a flick of Crow's fingers—
[Skill Activated: Cataclysmic Grave Reaping – Undead Sovereign Variant]
Darkness erupted from the ground below, swallowing half the village in a pulse of pure necrotic energy. Goblins screamed—but only briefly. Within seconds, tens of thousands dropped, their bodies turning gray as death took hold.
[Goblin x100,000 killed]
[EXP Gained: 1,000,000]
[Level Up: +4]
As the smoke cleared, skeletal hands rose from the battlefield. One by one, every fallen goblin stood back up—eyes glowing with cold blue fire.
[Undead Army Gained: Goblin Revenants x100,000]
"Loyal to Crow. Bound to soul. Command awaiting."
He walked through the ashes, cape dragging over charred wood and bone, until he reached the cages that held the healers. Emaciated and weak, their eyes widened in terror—and then awe.
Crow snapped the locks with a simple wave of elemental magic. He said nothing as the healers stumbled out.
"I'm not here to harm you," he said coldly. "You're free. But if you want purpose... serve under me."
Two hundred voices, in shaky unison, whispered:
"Yes, Lord Crow..."
And with that, Crow turned, his undead army following like a tidal wave of bone and shadow.
He raised a hand once more and muttered, "Now, move."
The valley emptied in minutes. A dead village behind him, a growing empire before him.