Pestilence: Rise Of The Pure Undead-Chapter 1224: Deal With The Devil

Sitting upon the immense roof of her den, Ariespes overlooked her hatchlings playing together in the grass down below. Three little blessings… Or maybe more if one counted the child with two heads to count as more than a single individual.

Ironically, the one who had inherited part of his father's most noticeable attribute–His three heads–Was also the only one who had actually gotten his scales and draconic breath from Ariespes.

Making for a two-headed dragon with a strong predisposition toward wielding death and necromancy in particular. Though at the moment, he was still a baby. The eggs had hatched several years ago, but because of Ariespes's strong affinity for death, it seemed like they were growing at a very slow rate.

It was fine by her. Ariespes had believed for the longest time that all of her eggs would come out rotten and incapable of bearing life within them. They were miracles… Sinistre miracles.

She had struck a deal with a dark figure to be capable of becoming a mother. She did regret it sometimes. Although it had allowed her to have children and actually find a life-time partner–Something she could have never done before–It had come at a price. Her loyalty no longer lay with Dragonnerie…

At the moment, it had seemed like a great deal. Ariespes had felt like an outcast with no future. She had a powerful draconic breath, but she had never been one to enjoy combat of any kind. All she had ever wanted was motherhood. To see dragonlings of her own blood scamper around. To love and be loved.

However, now that she actually had all of this. Now that she had experienced a bright life, she could see that she had sold off something of incredible importance. In the blink of an eye, she could be forced to turn onto this land. Onto the land that was supposed to see her children grow. Onto the land that her mate, Solast, was working hard to preserve and protect.

Had she known this before being offered the deal, she never would have taken it. Alas, it was meaningless to wallow in despair now. What had happened couldn't be changed, and she knew very well that there had been no way back then to refuse.

This was why the dark shadow had approached her. It had known with certainty that the deal it offered was one she could not refuse.

It had been many, many years since the dark shadow had visited her. She had not thought about it at all for a very long time. The subject had slipped from her mind as it had never shown or manifested itself again… Until today.

"Your hatchlings have grown well, I see. You have my congratulations"

"What do you want?"

"I have come to tell you that it is time to fulfil your end of the bargain, Ariespes. It is time for Dragonnerie to be liberated and consecrated"

"Is it… Do you really need my help to do it? Can I not simply have nothing to do with all of this?"

The dark shadow tilted its head–Only, it was not a dark shadow at all. There was no darkness. The figure stood in broad daylight, uncloaked of mystery.

"If you desire for your involvement to remain anonymous, then I will ensure that it remains so"

Ariespes wanted to ask how this could be done, turning her head to face the figure, but she was cut off. As the visitor held out his hand, a dark crystal that was quickly condensed into an oval-shaped gemstone of sorts.

"This is pure, condensed Festering Death Force. Specifically made to be used once by a living without consequences to them. This will not only increase the power of your necromantic breath but also make it impossible to tell that it was your doing. It will merely appear as a wave of death force washed over the continent"

"Since it is my Festering Death Force, no one will suspect you"

"...I don't understand. Could you not do anything I can, but better? I am not trying to argue against you, but I don't get why I am even needed at all if it's to use necromancy…"

"It is very simple. I need to do something else that will require my full attention to ensure that it is flawless–Ariespes, you will wield your necromantic breath to turn all fallen beings of this continent into undeads. This will bring chaos to Dragonnerie, but also raise an enormous amount of death force"

"As such, to ensure that the fate of Dragonnerie does not spread to the other superpowers, I will be handling a barrier to make it seem that everything is going as per usual here. The other superpowers can not be allowed to know and prepare"

Ariespes looked at the undead for several long seconds, not responding at all.

"Your old den is unoccupied, is it not? Head there to perform your breath. Bring your hatchlings with you. The undeads you raise using my Festering Death Force will not attack you"

"What about Solast?"

"As co-conspirators, you have my word that he shall only die by your side"

Ariespes did not like the sound of this promise, but there was nothing that could be done. After all, she was conversing with The One. With a being she could only exist in the presence of because he allowed it.

"...When?"

"At nightfall. You merely need to touch the gemstone with the intent to use it to channel its effects. Whatever your breath does after this will give you a taste of what you could be capable of once lessened of the curse of life"

In the next instant, the undead had vanished from where he had been standing.

Ariespes looked at her three children for a long time, a flaming sigh escaped her maw as she eventually went down. The three adorable hatchlings immediately crowed their mother. Their already murderous claws scratched without effect against her black scales.

"Now… Calm down, little ones… Mother is going to show you a new place, alright?"

Using her arm-like front paws, she gently scooped the trio of little rascals up, holding them close to her chest as she flapped her wings, slowly gaining altitude before flying toward her old den. This desolate place had been left behind. She had gone to live in Solast's den instead.

This had been for the best. Her former den only harboured memories of solitude, and to this day, no other dragon had come to occupy it. The air there was still charged with remnants of her necromantic attribute.

Of course, mere remnants could not even threaten baby dragons, but they could threaten eggs. So naturally, no one else wanted to be around such a place until the remnants faded away completely.

Once there, Ariespes headed for the underground area, a place illuminated by countless, naturally-formed, bioluminescent mana crystals. This was where she once spent the majority of her time. Simply lying in the middle of the room, doing nothing but thinking about an alternate reality where her draconic breath had not been something so crippling.

She placed her three dragonlings a distance away from the center, lifting a hatch using one finger.

It was no coincidence that she had been told to come here specifically.

Although once a very lonely dragon, Ariespes had still done her due diligence. Back then, since she couldn't lay any viable eggs, she figured that she might as well strengthen her draconic breath. Who knows, maybe she would reach a point where she could control it enough to reverse its effects? At least, that was what she had been telling herself so as not to give up on everything.

Regardless… To train her draconic breath, she had built this simple device, which was basically one huge tunnel that pierced through the earth. It allowed the energy corpses gave off to coalesce here, and be funnelled directly to the top… But since it could bring things up, it was only natural to assume that the same could be done in reverse.

The undead wanted her to unleash her empowered necromantic breath down this chute, which–If his words were to be believed–Would result in the entirety of the continent's dead to rise once more… Which would include the former Dragonlords, as well.

None were anywhere near as strong as Ronarkatast, but it would definitely result in untold chaos.

Ariespes hesitated and looked at her three adorable children for a few moments. Alas, the deal compelled her to go through with it. There was no going around it. It was like a binding contract.

She placed the gemstone in the pit of her enormous hand and clenched it, preparing her necromantic breath. The moment she was ready to do it, the power of the stone revealed itself, the crystallised Festering Death Force melded with her draconic breath, empowering it to absolutely maddening levels of power.

The black flames were fired down into the pit.

The effect was instantaneous. The entirety of Dragonnerie seemed to rumble.

From the depths of the earth, a bone-chilling howl resounded.

The dead were rising.