Inside the barren cave, Varian decided to build a treasure to take away the Undead.
As he finalized his plan, the invisible undead energy everywhere in the air kept trying to turn him into an Undead.
It didn't succeed but its incessant attempts did create an annoyance in his otherwise calm mind and slowed down his progress.
'Purgatory marks these Undead as its property. It doesn't let them leave.'
That's why even Klynster, despite strength breaching the high rank 1 range, remained a helpless prisoner here.
Varian had taken his time to observe how this marking system worked and the mechanism it employed to lock these Undead down.
While he immersed himself in creating the solution he promised them, Klynster and his colleagues sat in the far distance, watching the mist of death rushing into the cave at a hurried pace.
"Do you think he ca…never mind."
The elven man who cried at the end of his lover just a while ago lowered his head.
Klynster shrugged with a nonchalant gaze, in complete contrast to the depressed mood his team drowned in.
"If it has to happen, it will happen." He had a peaceful smile on his face as he looked up at the sky. "If it doesn't happen, well, no worries. There is a solution for us to get out of here. Trust me, our mission will be fulfilled."
There were only two accepted ways to get out of this place.
One, never get bogged down the local death energy and get marked. In short, don't bother traveling here unless you got everything figured out.
Two, defeat the guardian of the Purgatory and gain the approval of Purgatory.
Since the first option was essentially useless to them, second option was the only way out.
But…the guardian was a bit too strong for them to even think of a battle.
"If she senses your presence missing from purgatory, will she come running?" A member asked with a grave face.
Klynster's calm face crumpled for the first time and he nodded with resentment. "She can't know my location in shelters but she can feel my presence. That…crazy bug is hell bent on fulfilling her vision."
He wasn't the strongest under the guardian. The parasite queen was significantly stronger than him.
Before Klynster was even a thing in purgatory, she was said to have challenged the guardian impulsively and almost got killed.
Even though she got out alive, she regressed back to low rank 1 and had to rebuild everything from scratch.
Once bitten, twice shy. She adopted a clever and patient strategy.
Due to the very nature of the place, despite outsiders getting in and converting or the natives reproducing by splitting into various new Undead, Purgatory itself would create millions of beings in regular periods.
Parasite Queen's plan was to use these resources to strengthen herself enough for the fated battle.
"Maybe she decided the wait is enough. Now is the time to harvest her labor." A woman said in an emotionless tone before realizing it and putting on a bitter expression.
Parasite Queen allowed Klynster to take some natives and outsiders under his ring, train them hard, strengthen them with the plan to devour them when they're ripe. Klynster was the special dish she was saving up.
Thankfully, the structure of purgatory allowed them to stay hidden from her minions most of the time.
While the same rules prevented them from leaving this hell, they also gave them security.
As the mythology of this place mentioned, this forbidden region was created by a Primordial God.
Even after billions of years, it could block rank 2s from sneaking in. In front of that power, rank 1s like them were helpless ants.
"I just don't get why he's so confident." Another Undead said with an emotionless face.
Klynster narrowed his eyes.
"Ugh," Groaning in discomfort, the Undead continued. "Varian is too delusional. No one can match a god's power, even if it's a dead god."
He would've been right if Varian didn't have the things closest to the Primordial God in today's world.
Slivers.
The partial slivers of life and death could not give him powers over Purgatory itself. They weren't even the real slivers and his mastery of the partial slivers itself was not very great for a divine rank.
But a little twisting here and there was definitely achievable. And that's what he aimed for.
While the Undead group planned for the next battle against Parasite and discussed the problems of the shelter, time flowed without notice.
When they all seem to have forgotten Varian's existence, the cave shook violently and a translucent castle broke out of the structure.
With the sound of a snap, the castle solidified and matter materialized, providingnecessary facilities for the Undead population, especially a strong defense against aura shocks.
"Get in. I will get you out of purgatory."
Varian's commanding voice spread across the field, startling the Undead recovering from the dangerous encounter.
They looked at each other in confusion first, disbelief second and desire third.
Finally, they turned to Klynster's team with eyes that longed for the truth yet feared it simultaneously.
Instead of agreeing right away, Klynster leapt next to the castle and inspected it with a critical eye.
Even though it now looked like a normal castle, it's a pure construct of solidified space.
Moreover, while the time flow inside the castle maintained the same rate as outside, the flow itself was independent.
In essence, it's a separate world from Purgatory. Not a stable world that would last for years, heck not even days.
But it should be able to hold a bunch of divine rankers over for a few seconds.
"Can you really do it?" Klynster turned to Varian with a bitter smile.
The bubbling hope and the overwhelming fear in his voice might not have been sensed by the leader himself but they were a bit too obvious for Varian.
"I believe there is a significant chance."
"Then we'll trust you." Klynster waved at his people. "Just like you trusted us!"
His words were the catalyst that pushed their hopes above their fears and the bustling crowd of Undead rushed into the castle with all their might.
Varian watched them enter the little shelter with sparkling eyes. They weren't just bringing themselves with him, they were also carrying their hopes, dreams and aspirations. Even more than that, they were taking on the goals that the departed once aimed for.
"I trust you."
Patting his shoulder, the ash-skinned man gave him a bright smile and stepped into the castle without asking any questions.
Those three words were a huge responsibility and Varian chose to bear them wholeheartedly.
Even he was surprised that they actually came with him. After all, he barely knew them for a few days and now they're staking their lives on his words.
Were they just too trusting or were they so tired of their usual lives that they didn't care if they ceased to exist?
'Is my charisma transcending even the state of existence and pulling the Undead?' Varian began to worry.
[Host, maybe you can try charming that parasite queen and sugar baby your way out?]
"…" Varian gnashed his teeth.
[Why that indignant face? Out of the 10/100 progress you have in your divine ranks, 9 points are gained through Synergy.
You've once again proved yourself to be a role model for all men throughout Eden.
Why bother to train hard and get stronger?
Just get a strong wife! If they dare, wives!
The path of divine is not supreme, the path of sugar mommies is.]
"Buckle up!"
The castle disappeared.