Pestilence: Rise Of The Pure Undead-Chapter 1245: Three Loyalists

"What are the means of defence we have been able to learn about?"

"The barriers are obvious in their functions, but the way they were made and enhanced… It goes beyond what we have seen in the past, whilst not nearly as elaborate as the barriers created by the superpowers in the main world… These are made in unison with the realm, and are charged with amounts of life force that go beyond anything else"

"Yes. They don't have the ancestral techniques of thousand-year-old continents, but they have experience dealing with undeads and much greater materials at their disposal, although we are unaffected by it due to the realm's conditions, the ambient life force is registered as the highest ever recorded for an enclosed realm…"

"Indeed, the only places where it was found to be higher were much smaller, and couldn't maintain that level consistently… The Peaceful Realm keeps these levels at all times without fail. The barriers are powered and maintained by the very energy floating within this realm"

"Mmh… What else?"

"The presence of the Death Hunters has been confirmed. Thus, it is reasonable to expect them to have access to–Presumably enhanced–Life mist producers. We should expect to be flooded if we were to launch an attack, and once again, the mist will be direly powerful, considering the life force all around us. Many would be at risk of melting or falling apart from prolonged contact, even if the estimates are lowered"

"I assume that we should expect their life arts to be empowered as well?"

"Naturally"

"Do we have any means to force a gap to open in their barriers?"

"The calculations operate with incomplete parameters, but we do have the equipment to open holes in barriers. The only question is whether these barriers will be strong enough to resist what we have or not"

"I would recommend that we continue collecting information. If we try and it fails, they will know what to expect. We can't give up the element of surprise–It is potentially a chance for us to deal heavy damage on our first assault"

"I agree, but are we certain that collecting intel will be enough to know whether or not our equipment can do the job? Time means nothing to us, but to livings? They are probably seeking any possible means to fight back as we speak. Their fear fuels their creativity. We can not let them get ahead of us"

"That is also true, but there is not much that we can do. Our options are limited since our most powerful are barred from entry in this realm. The livings, unfortunately, have a real fighting chance against us. We need to be careful and not allow them to gain any form of momentum"

"That's right, we must keep them on the defensive, holed up in their barriers. We shouldn't allow them to grow too bold–Unless it's for the purpose of setting a trap"

"Mmh… You two make good arguments. What about their notable warriors? So far, I have not seen anything from the commandant woman… I had been expecting her to send those fighting spirits after us from the very beginning"

Hidden beneath the earth, and within a twisted, bent pocket of space–Three undeads were discussing amongst one another. Currently, they were the ones in charge of the invasion, but that was deemed to change in the future. Soon enough, the right and left hands of Loimos would probably arrive to lead the conquest efforts.

However, the Vanguard had been involved in the conquest of many other realms and even territories within the main world–This included a secret invasion of Yoreterre… Such an operation naturally required ample amounts of professional personnel.

Thus, this had led to three members of the 'Sons Of Loimos' to temporarily take charge after having proven themselves capable of it. Regardless, the trio was very concerned with doing things properly.

This was an incredible opportunity to slaughter the vile escapees and finish something Loimos had begun…

Many livings might be capable of standing in opposition to the spread of the Undead Empire, but only those who lived inside this realm had actually experienced what it was like to face off against undeath. They had experience. They had knowledge. They had too much of both of these things.

They simply could not be allowed to roam this world freely for any longer than the bare minimum.

They were simply too much of a potential threat. The chances of them blooming into something problematic were far too high… As such, the three undeads were intent on doing things properly and slaying the runaways.

"Antieeld, you mean? I would presume that she is holding back to make sure hostilities begin as late as possible… I believe her actions are proof that the livings are in the midst of preparing defensive measures, and thus, do not wish to fight just yet"

"She is certainly one of the most dangerous livings in this realm, however. We are uncertain to what extent her ability can go. She could be capable of summoning the fighting spirits of especially powerful individuals, even if only for an instant. The damage that would be dealt would be enormous"

"Mmh… What about Helena? She is the only living known to be capable of casting a zone. It is highly unlikely that any undead with the same capabilities would not be refused entry to this realm… Also, she is not just a beginner in this regard. Anti-zone techniques will certainly not be very effective"

"...Then, there are the offspring she had with the Heir of Gold. Information about most of them is scarce, but from my understanding, they are abnormally powerful for their age and levels of practical experience. The boy, Griar, has been seen travelling to several other realms as well. He appears to have the ability to do so for unclear reasons. He has already proven to be a threat"

"Next, is Lizi. She has only shown herself in the Stagnant Realm, but what she demonstrated was more than enough to also be considered a threat. Her swordsmanship goes far beyond what the 'average' should look like"

"Louizon might be the most dangerous of the band in terms of pure firepower. She is considered a priority target due to this power, magical talent, and due to her mother's identity–It would be greatly damaging to our conquest if she were able to develop any of the greater forms of spellcasting"

"Alize, we know very little about her. Although she possesses charm magic, it is unclear how strong this charm is, and if it could get past the natural mental defences provided by undeath. All soldiers need to be careful, nonetheless"

"The twins… Zaya and Zally… Similar to Alize in terms of the amount of information we have on them. We only know their affinity for nature magic, but that is enough to be worried about. Nature has a strong link to life, and this realm is overflowing with vegetation…"

"The worries concerning the learning of superior levels of spellcasting can be applied to all of them in some way… Griar and Lizi are just less likely, considering that they seem to only utilise magic in more simplistic, direct manners"

The three undeads went over the runaways one by one, making sure that they were all on the same page.

…Unfortunately, most of the runaways had not been heard about much at all ever since they had escaped for the first time. As such, it was unclear whether the information the undeads were working with was in any way accurate to the present day. It was likely that all of the escapees had grown in strength…

The biggest hurdle remained the fact that undeads at, or above, a certain level of strength, were simply barred from entering this realm, and with the absurd concentration of life force in the air, any attempts at spreading miasma would definitely prove fruitless. As such, they had few ways to bring down the influence of life, or even combat the life-based defences of the inhabitants of the Peaceful Realm.

They would need to engage in a battle that would inevitably be lengthy, and although they had endless soldiers, it didn't mean much when the best way for them to bypass a barrier was a piece of equipment which could only open up a way about as big as the average doorway.

These specialised machines, to work properly in this realm, needed to be built in a very specific manner, which had an impact on their efficiency.

The chances of a swift and total victory occurring were extremely slim. This was most certainly going to turn into a long war, which was fine for the undeads. However, their methods of approaching the situation were limited, so if they failed repeatedly, they would have to rely on new methods being produced.

For now, the undead trio was more focused on further securing a foothold and gathering intel. They wouldn't want to mess something up just before the right and left hands of Loimos arrived.

…Even if the temptation to kill was strong.