Chapter 164: Building an Army [5]

Edgar slowly approached the massive stone door.

The glowing rune on its surface became brighter with every step he took, casting a faint blue light across the frozen bodies surrounding him.

He stopped directly in front of it and a low rumbling sound suddenly came from behind the door.

BOOM.

The ground trembled beneath Edgar’s feet.

He narrowed his eyes and placed one hand against the ancient stone.

The moment his fingers touched it, the door slowly began to open.

GRRRRRR...

The sound echoed throughout the cavern.

Edgar remained completely still as a gap appeared between the massive stone slabs.

There was no creature waiting behind it.

Instead, a long stone corridor stretched into the darkness.

Edgar hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

The freezing cold that had filled the cavern disappeared almost completely, replaced by a strange warmth that seemed to come from the walls themselves.

Edgar raised the small sphere of Solar Energy above his head and continued forward.

His footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Unlike the frozen chamber behind him, there were no corpses here.

After walking for several minutes, Edgar finally reached another chamber.

His footsteps stopped.

There was a statue standing in the center.

Edgar stared at the statue of a woman.

She wore a long robe that reached the ground, with one hand resting against her chest while the other held what appeared to be a small crescent-shaped object.

Her long hair fell down her back in smooth waves.

But that wasn’t what caught Edgar’s attention.

It was her face.

The statue looked eerily similar to Semele.

Edgar slowly walked around the statue. ’There’s no way.’

He looked at the statue again.

There were some differences, but they were so minor that Edgar couldn’t simply dismiss the resemblance.

Edgar looked around the chamber, there was nothing that explained who the woman was.

Only the statue stood there in complete silence.

Edgar approached it and examined the pedestal.

There were several ancient words carved into the stone, but even after staring at them for several seconds, he couldn’t understand their meaning.

He sighed. "Of course."

Edgar had come here expecting to discover some kind of powerful treasure.

He looked at the statue one last time before turning around.

Whatever this place was, he would have to investigate it later.

For now, he had something far more important to do.

Edgar walked back through the corridor and returned to the enormous frozen cavern.

His eyes immediately fell upon the countless bodies.

A faint smile appeared on his face. "Let’s see what you can become."

Edgar closed his eyes.

The moment he focused his mind, the Soul Network immediately responded.

Edgar mentally reached toward the human skeletons.

’Come here.’

The command travelled through the Soul Network.

Several Soul Guardians immediately changed direction.

Within a few moments, Edgar could feel dozens of his human skeleton Soul Guardians moving toward him from different parts of the Fortress.

Soon, dozens of skeletal figures were standing outside the narrow cave.

Edgar mentally ordered them to enter.

Because of their smaller bodies, they could easily squeeze through the narrow passage that had stopped the larger Soul Guardian earlier.

One by one, they entered the cavern.

When the last skeleton arrived, Edgar pointed toward the frozen bodies.

"Bring them out."

The skeletons immediately began working.

By the time Edgar finally left, the frozen chamber had already begun to look different.

The endless army of corpses was slowly being removed from its resting place.

---

Late afternoon fog covered the area, while workers moved through the streets carrying materials from one construction site to another.

The sight of dozens of Soul Guardians carrying frozen corpses immediately attracted attention.

Andrew was one of the first people to notice.

He ran toward Edgar while staring at the strange procession behind him. "Lord Edgar, what are those?"

Edgar glanced at him. "Dead bodies."

Edgar ignored the comment and continued walking.

Andrew hurried after him. "What are you planning to do with them?"

Edgar looked toward the enormous pile of corpses being placed inside the designated area. "I’m going to create an army."

Andrew stared at the frozen bodies for several seconds before looking back at Edgar.

He clearly wanted to ask more questions, but eventually decided against it.

Edgar continued toward the Defence Tower of Souls.

The moment he arrived, he immediately began preparing.

The previous tower had already been working continuously to refine Nightmare corpses, but Edgar didn’t want to mix these bodies with the others.

These corpses were different.

They had been preserved for an unknown amount of time, and he had no idea what would happen when their souls were refined.

So Edgar decided to create another Defence Tower of Souls.

Nightmare Stones were consumed rapidly as the structure formed.

Dark stone rose from the ground, followed by enormous skeletal pillars.

A gigantic skull eventually appeared at the top of the tower, its empty eye sockets glowing with crimson light.

Edgar stood before it. "Begin refining."

The first corpse was placed inside.

A strange energy immediately spread throughout the tower.

The body slowly dissolved into countless particles of light.

Then the Soul Essence began forming.

Edgar watched carefully.

After a few minutes, the tower suddenly released a powerful wave of energy.

BOOM!

The ground shook ans the first Soul Guardian stepped out.

It was a human looking warrior.

Its body was covered in ancient armor, and a large sword rested in its hand.

A faint blue flame burned inside its empty eye sockets.

Inherited Talent: Iron Will.

The Soul Guardian possessed an unusually powerful resistance against mental attacks and soul-based interference.

Edgar nodded. "Interesting."

The second guardian emerged shortly afterward.

This one was a dwarf.

It was considerably shorter than the human warrior, but its body was extremely thick and muscular.

It carried a massive hammer that looked almost too heavy for its size.

Inherited Talent: Master Smith.

The guardian could strengthen weapons and armor through Soul Energy, allowing it to repair and improve equipment during battle.

The third guardian was an elf.

It had a slender body and long ears, with a bow hanging across its back.

Inherited Talent: True Sight.

Its eyes could see through illusions and detect hidden enemies from an incredible distance.

Edgar immediately understood how useful that ability could become.

The fourth guardian was a giant orc.

Even after becoming a Soul Guardian, its enormous body remained intact.

It carried a massive stone axe in both hands.

Inherited Talent: Giant Strength.

The guardian’s physical strength increased dramatically when fighting larger enemies.

The fifth guardian emerged covered in scales.

It had a long tail, sharp claws, and a pair of curved horns.

Inherited Talent: Elemental Breath.

The creature could gather Soul Energy inside its chest and release it as a destructive elemental blast.

The sixth guardian was a four-armed warrior.

Each hand carried a different weapon.

A sword, axe, spear and a short blade.

Inherited Talent: Fourfold Combat.

The guardian could control all four weapons independently without reducing its combat ability.

It was same like him. Edgar even wondered if the race was related to the sun.

Edgar stared at it for several seconds. "This one is going to be troublesome."

The seventh guardian emerged from the tower with a pair of large horns on its forehead.

Its body was covered in dark markings.

Inherited Talent: Blood Fury.

The more damaged the guardian became, the stronger and faster its body would become.

The eighth was a strange creature Edgar couldn’t identify.

Its body was thin and covered with pale feathers, while its arms ended in sharp claws.

Inherited Talent: Wind Step.

The guardian could manipulate the air around its body, allowing it to move through the battlefield at incredible speed.

The ninth guardian was another human, but unlike the first warrior, this one wore robes instead of armor.

A staff made from blackened bone rested in its hand.

Inherited Talent: Soul Weaver.

It could manipulate Soul Energy directly and use it to strengthen nearby Soul Guardians.

Edgar’s eyes immediately lit up.

A support-type guardian.

That was something his army desperately needed.

Then the tenth guardian emerged.

It was an enormous beast with a body resembling a mixture of a wolf and a bear.

Its jaws were filled with long teeth, while several scars covered its frozen flesh.

Inherited Talent: Predator’s Instinct.

The guardian could sense the weakest target within a battlefield and would naturally focus its attacks on that enemy.

Edgar slowly looked at the ten different Soul Guardians standing before him.

All of them were now connected to his Soul Network.

He could feel their presence inside his mind.

These weren’t simply stronger versions of his existing Soul Guardians.

Each race had brought something different with it.

Edgar looked toward the remaining corpses.

There were still hundreds of them.

A faint smile appeared on his face. "This is only the beginning."

He immediately ordered the Soul Guardians to continue refining.

The tower began working again.

More bodies disappeared into the structure, and more Soul Guardians slowly began emerging.

Edgar watched them for several minutes before his thoughts returned to the statue beneath the mine.

The resemblance had been far too strong.

He couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Edgar slowly turned toward the direction of the forest.

His expression became serious.

There was only one person he knew who could possibly explain what he had seen.

Semele.

Edgar narrowed his eyes. "Who exactly are you, Semele?"