The confidence Azoh’Ran had in accomplishing the mission assigned to him at the start started to falter.
It had already succeeded in kidnapping Zia once. Not to mention, after Lucan opened the portal, it believed that the beautiful lady’s allies would think the Artemians had already gotten what they wanted and therefore reduce the number of powerful beings guarding her.
Even if they did, Azoh’Ran didn’t give a damn.
Boosted by his confidence after becoming an Archon, it believed that only the Majin Princes would be able to stop it from accomplishing its mission.
And yet, he was struggling against his opponent, who was neither a Majin Prince nor an Archon but a mere Rank 9 Death Knight. In theory, the other party shouldn’t have the strength to stand up to the Golden Azothrall.
Not to mention, the one currently being beaten black and blue was Azoh’Ran!
Three Undead Monsters were working together to keep him locked in place, and frankly, the Artemian Killing Machine was having a hard time facing them!
The Undead Centipede King, Jalrog.
The Undead Wyvern King, Vannaroth.
Last but not least was the Lord of Death, Erasmus.
But just as the Artemians thought that things couldn’t get any worse, the Lord of Death raised his hand towards the sky.
Countless dead Jinns, Artemians, and Wanderers on the battlefield rose up as the Undead.
Both their enemies and allies were horrified as these creatures, who should have left alone, reanimated and joined the fight once more.
But the one who suffered the most from this change of events was none other than the Artemians.
Seeing their dead comrades attack them was the worst feeling ever, dealing psychological stress.
In a large-scale war, death was inevitable.
Every passing minute, dozens of creatures would die.
So this was the perfect place for Erasmus to display his prowess and get into the nerves of their enemies.
And frankly, it was very effective!
"No! Go away!" an Artemian shouted. "Go away! Arhhhh!"
The pitiful man was swarmed by his former comrades and bitten to death by their teeth.
Half a minute later, he rose up again, and this time, he joined the other Undead in fighting against their own race, who were starting to panic from their current situation.
And the scariest part of it all? The Undead Army seemed invincible.
Even if the bodies of the undead monsters were burned, destroyed, or melted completely, they would once again reform after a minute or two and continue fighting as if they had just taken a short break.
Out of desperation, the Azothralls devoured these undead monsters, and it worked.
But there was a limit on how many they could devour before they could no longer do anything.
On top of that, fighting with a full stomach wasn’t really a good idea. Not only did it slow their movements, but it also lowered their fighting abilities, which was a lose-lose situation.
King Astrion, who finally noticed that his army was at a great disadvantage, shifted his attention to Erasmus in the distance.
’I have to kill that monster!’ King Astrion thought as he clashed with Cranky for the umpteenth time.
Channeling red lightning bolts in his hand, the King of Artem unleashed a deadly spear aimed at Cranky. But in truth, his true target was Erasmus.
Cranky didn’t know what his opponent was thinking, so when King Astrion threw the red lightning bolt, the Honey Badger dodged without thinking twice.
The deadly bolt streaked across the battlefield until it drew closer to the location where Erasmus and Azoh’Ran were fighting.
Azoh’Ran seems to have realized that it could not kill its opponent no matter what it did.
But the same could be said for Erasmus.
He might be invincible right now, but the Golden Azothrall was a true Archon. He couldn’t even kill it with the help of his two undead helpers.
Just then, the Lord of Death sensed a danger that was headed in its direction. But instead of feeling afraid, he rejoiced. Like a miracle, the answer to his problem was now headed his way!
Azoh’Ran had also sensed the approaching red lightning spear and decided to escape.
However, the Centipede King wrapped its body around the Golden Azothrall, holding it in place for a few seconds.
Erasmus also laughed as he jumped from his mount and used the power of Necromancery to encase them all in a Bone Wall, further preventing Azoh’Ran from escaping.
A roar filled with anger, madness, and desperation escaped the Azoh’Ran’s lips. Erasmus was unable to kill it, but the attack of the Artemian King could!
And just like that, a powerful explosion rocked the base of the Planar Mountain Range.
The ground where the red lighting bolt had hit melted completely.
And within that pool of lava, something stirred.
The Centipede King rose up, sending molten lava flying in every direction.
A roar spread as the Wyvern King also stood up, its body regenerating from the injuries it received.
Between them, a crown made up of bones emerged from the lava, followed by the head of the Lord of Death.
The green flames in his eye sockets burned brightly as he glanced in the direction of the Artemian King, who was surprised to see Erasmus survive his killing blow.
Countless bone fragments rose from the pool of lava and merged to form his body.
A moment later, a black cape swirled behind his back as Erasmus donned a new set of clothes.
As if to mock the Artemian King’s attempt to kill him, the Lord of Death chuckled and gave a thumbs up to King Astrion.
"Nice assist!" Erasmus then snapped his fingers, and another creature emerged from the molten lava.
Azoh’Ran’s body was nearly destroyed, leaving only its upper part behind.
The Golden Azothrall died with grievance, but that too disappeared after its death.
"Rise," Erasmus commanded, and the missing body parts of the Azothrall pieced together and reformed its body.
Most importantly, Azoh’Ran retained its consciousness, but its loyalty toward Lucan was severed alongside its death.
It was now a hybrid Undead—neither an undead nor a living creature, but in between, made possible by the Golden Azothrall’s special properties.
In short, Azoh’Ran had turned into a creature similar to a vampire who hungered for the blood of the Artemians it once served.
"Feast to your heart’s content," Erasmus ordered.
With a roar filled with anger, Azoh’Ran flew not toward the Artemian Army but toward Lucan’s location.
The first thing it wanted to do was to drag its former Master, who had caused it to die in the hands of its own King.
Erasmus then shifted its attention to Azoh’Karn, who didn’t hesitate to back away after seeing the death of its comrade.
Since the Lord of Death couldn’t stray too far from Zion’s side, he couldn’t actively fight any Majin Prince or Archon on the battlefield.
’I hope they just kill each other,’ Erasmus thought. ’That is the best case scenario.’
Erasmus knew that he was only on borrowed time and wanted to end the battle as soon as possible.
With Azoh’Ran joining his roster of subordinates, their side currently had an advantage.
However, there was a problem.
It was the red dimensional gate that was still active in the sky.
Artemians were still pouring in as reinforcements.
Due to the suddenness of the opening of the gate, the Artemian King had given the order for his generals to gather and follow him in Pangea.
Still, they were too far from the location of the gate and would take time before arriving.
The moment more Archons joined the battlefield, the advantage they currently possess would disappear.
Erasmus was single-handedly making the Artemians feel despair. But once his invincible time was up, he would once again return to being a Rank 9 Sovereign who could be easily killed by the Artemian King, who was still confused why the Undead Monster refused to die!