Journey to Become the Zenith

Chapter 256: The March of Death

The March of Death

Thump... Thump...

The sound of footsteps could be heard throughout the area. Not only could one hear the sound of multiple footsteps, and the clinking of armor, you could even feel the earth shake from this mighty march. This was the march of the undead, this was the march of death.

A cold wind swept across the barren road.

The sky above was covered by dark clouds, turning the afternoon into something closer to dusk. Dead leaves rolled across the ground as countless figures advanced without pause.

Skeleton soldiers marched in perfect formation.

Armored undead knights rode skeletal warhorses whose empty eye sockets glowed with eerie green flames.

Rotting corpses dragged rusted weapons behind them.

Towering undead abominations carried massive bone clubs over their shoulders.

Not a single one spoke.

Not a single one hesitated.

The only sound was the endless rhythm of death itself.

Clomp.

Clomp.

Clomp.

At the center of the army floated a figure wrapped in dark robes.

Alibaba.

The necromancer slowly observed the surroundings with faint amusement.

His pale fingers rested against his chin as his crimson eyes watched the world pass by.

"How disappointing," Alibaba muttered.

Beside him floated several undead guards.

One of them bowed its head.

"Master, should we continue toward Fantom City?"

Alibaba chuckled.

"Of course. Why would we stop now?"

The undead immediately fell silent.

The army continued moving forward like an unstoppable tide.

Earlier that day, they had already passed through three small villages.

The first village tried to resist.

Men armed with farming tools had stood before their homes.

An elderly village chief stepped forward despite the fear visible in his eyes.

"Protect the children!"

"Don’t let those monsters pass!"

The villagers charged.

They knew they couldn’t win.

They knew they would probably die.

But they still fought.

For their families.

For their homes.

For the people behind them.

Unfortunately, courage alone wasn’t enough.

The undead army crashed into them like a tsunami.

Skeletons pierced bodies with spears.

Undead knights trampled defenders beneath skeletal horses.

Within minutes the resistance collapsed.

The second village attempted to flee instead.

Women carried children.

Old men limped down muddy roads.

People abandoned everything they owned.

Yet the undead never tired.

Never slowed.

Never stopped.

The screams echoed across the fields until silence returned.

The third village barricaded itself.

Wooden walls were raised.

Makeshift defenses were prepared.

Archers waited atop rooftops.

When the undead arrived, arrows darkened the sky.

Several skeletons fell.

A few zombies lost limbs.

For a brief moment, hope appeared.

Then the undead army simply kept walking.

Fresh undead climbed over piles of destroyed corpses.

They smashed through gates.

They overwhelmed every defense through sheer numbers.

The village disappeared beneath the tide of death.

Now nothing remained except smoke and ruin.

Yet those villages were not the only victims.

Several hours ago, a knight patrol from Skyfall Kingdom had crossed paths with the undead army.

Nearly forty mounted knights.

Veterans.

Experienced soldiers.

Men who had survived battles against bandits and monsters.

Their captain, a broad-shouldered knight named Gareth, narrowed his eyes upon seeing the approaching army.

His horse nervously stomped the ground.

One of the younger knights swallowed hard.

"Captain... what are those things?"

Gareth’s expression darkened.

"Undead."

The word instantly made everyone’s faces pale.

Another knight gripped his sword tighter.

"There are thousands..."

A tense silence followed.

Retreat was the logical choice.

Yet Gareth slowly drew his blade.

Steel reflected the dim sunlight.

"If we run, nobody will warn Fantom City."

The knights exchanged looks.

Fear filled their hearts.

But none turned away.

Gareth raised his sword.

"We are knights of Skyfall Kingdom."

His voice echoed across the road.

"If we cannot stop them, then we buy time."

The younger knight inhaled deeply.

Then he nodded.

"For Skyfall."

"For Skyfall!"

"For Skyfall!"

The shout spread through the formation.

Alibaba watched from afar.

His expression remained indifferent.

"A little entertainment."

The captain lowered his blade.

"Charge!"

Forty horses exploded forward.

The ground trembled.

The knights became streaks of steel rushing toward the endless sea of undead.

The collision came moments later.

Boom!

The first rank of skeletons shattered beneath the cavalry charge.

Bones flew through the air.

Several undead were crushed instantly.

One knight swung his sword.

A skeleton lost its skull.

Another knight pierced two undead with a single thrust.

For a brief moment, the charge looked successful.

Then the numbers revealed themselves.

More skeletons emerged.

Then more.

And more.

They surrounded the knights from every direction.

"Keep moving!"

Gareth roared.

His sword cut through an undead knight.

Black energy exploded from the corpse.

A skeleton lunged at him.

He decapitated it instantly.

Another grabbed his horse’s leg.

Crunch!

The animal collapsed.

Gareth rolled across the ground and immediately rose to his feet.

All around him, battle erupted.

Steel clashed against rusted weapons.

Horses screamed.

Undead hissed.

One young knight fought desperately beside his captain.

"We’re surrounded!"

"I noticed!"

Gareth blocked an axe strike.

He kicked a zombie backward.

Then a skeletal spear pierced through his shoulder.

Blood sprayed.

The knight staggered.

Yet he continued fighting.

Nearby, another knight lost his footing.

Undead swarmed him immediately.

His scream lasted only seconds.

The formation began collapsing.

One by one, the knights fell.

Still, nobody fled.

They fought knowing death was inevitable.

A veteran knight laughed bitterly while cutting down another skeleton.

"My wife is going to kill me for this."

His friend grinned.

"She’ll have to wait her turn."

Moments later both disappeared beneath a wave of undead.

Gareth’s armor was covered in blood.

His breathing grew heavier.

His sword felt heavier with every swing.

Yet his eyes never lost their determination.

He looked toward the distant horizon.

Fantom City.

The city still had time.

At least a little.

"Keep fighting!"

The remaining knights answered with a roar.

Then an undead knight drove a spear through Gareth’s chest.

The captain froze.

Blood trickled from his lips.

For several seconds he remained standing.

Then he raised his sword one final time.

"For... Skyfall..."

Slash!

The undead before him split apart.

A moment later Gareth collapsed.

Silence followed.

The last knight died shortly afterward.

The battlefield became nothing more than a field of corpses.

Alibaba slowly floated forward.

He glanced at the fallen captain.

"Interesting."

One of the undead guards bowed.

"Master?"

Alibaba smiled faintly.

"They were weak."

His eyes narrowed.

"But at least they had spirit."

With a casual wave of his hand, dark mana surged outward.

The corpses of the fallen knights trembled.

Their fingers twitched.

Then they slowly rose again.

Empty eyes stared into nothingness.

The defenders of Skyfall had become soldiers of death.

The undead army grew larger.

Its march never stopped.

Hours passed.

The road leading toward Fantom City stretched endlessly before them.

Villages vanished behind them.

Forests trembled beneath their advance.

Animals fled long before the army arrived.

Even monsters avoided their path.

An unnatural chill lingered wherever they passed.

Now the next stop was Fantom City.

The reason this undead army had decided to march toward Fantom City was because their master, the Necromancer Alibaba, had become quite interested in Victor and his group.

The power and weapon Victor had used while fighting him were not something an ordinary human should have been capable of wielding.

That alone had piqued Alibaba’s curiosity.

And now that his previous experiment had failed, he found himself somewhat bored.

So he decided to capture Victor and his companions and turn them into his new test subjects.

Surely, unlike those weak villagers, they would produce far more interesting results and bring him one step closer to his pursuit of true immortality.

As an added bonus, if he happened to encounter any strong humans along the way, he would gladly take them as well.

Unfortunately, the humans he had encountered during his journey were nothing special.

A few were somewhat stronger than the villagers he had once controlled, but in Alibaba’s eyes, they were insignificant.

Hardly worth his attention.