Chapter 85: Undead Summoning

Fortunately, it didn’t take Cassian long to piece together what had happened.

​After everything he had witnessed during his audience with the Eternal Serpent, waking up to Nyxara performing emergency resuscitation on him wasn’t even among the strangest experiences of the day.

​Cassian rubbed his aching temple before looking toward his champion. "What happened?"

​Nyxara immediately straightened, though the lingering relief in her violet eyes had yet to fade.

​"My Lord, you collapsed after the battle," she began, her tone carefully restrained. "At first, everything appeared normal, you remained unconscious, but your breathing and heartbeat were stable."

​Her expression darkened slightly as she recalled the event.

​"Then, approximately fifteen minutes later, your heart suddenly stopped."

​Cassian blinked in surprise. "Stopped?"

​Nyxara nodded, her hands clenching tightly into fists. "I believed you were dying. I attempted to awaken you, but there was no response. I checked for physical injuries, but there were none. I attempted to stimulate your mana flow, but it had no effect."

​For a brief moment, the usually composed champion looked away, the raw terror of the memory clearly visible on her pale face.

​"So, I was forced to perform resuscitation."

​Understanding dawned on Cassian instantly. That explained the chest compressions... and the mouth-to-mouth.

​"..."

​For several seconds, neither spoke as Cassian simply stared at her.

​Nyxara remained completely serious, without even a trace of embarrassment in her expression.

To her, saving her Lord had simply been the highest priority, and nothing else mattered.

​Cassian suddenly smiled, not a grand gesture, nor one of mere amusement, but a genuine, warm smile.

It was the kind that appeared naturally when someone realized another person truly cared for their life.

​The sight caught Nyxara completely off guard.

​Cassian’s handsome features softened, and the tension around his eyes melted away.

Seeing that rare, open expression caused Nyxara’s heartbeat to quicken unexpectedly as her fingers twitched at her side.

​"Thank you," Cassian said softly, his voice calm and grounded. "Sincerely. You saved my life."

​Nyxara froze.

​She had prepared for countless responses: analytical questions, immediate orders, or perhaps even stoic detachment.

But gratitude? Delivered with such effortless sincerity?

​For several moments, she remained silent as the ruined battlefield around them seemed to fade away.

​Then, a smile appeared on her face.

​It was small at first, then wider, brighter, and warmer. The cold, solemn distance she normally carried vanished completely.

​For the first time since Cassian had summoned her, he saw her truly smile.

​It utterly transformed her appearance, leaving behind a strikingly beautiful shadow elf whose radiant expression could rival the morning emerald sun.

​Cassian found himself momentarily stunned. He had always known Nyxara was exceptionally beautiful, but this was different, this was the first time he had seen her genuinely happy.

​"My Lord..." Her voice softened, carrying a gentle warmth. "You do not need to thank me. My life belongs to you; I merely fulfilled my duty."

​Despite her formal words, the smile never left her face, in fact, it seemed to glow even brighter.

​Cassian stared at her for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle.

​To be honest, he liked seeing her like this far more than the perpetually stoic champion who constantly carried the crushing weight of her past on her shoulders.

​For a brief moment, neither Lord nor Champion spoke.

​The bloody aftermath of battle surrounded them, and the crisp, clean scent of fresh rain lingered softly in the air.

....

​The aftermath of battle stretched in every direction beneath a rain that drizzled softly from the emerald sky.

The ruined Kragmar Dominion was little more than a vast graveyard of corpses and shattered structures.

​For several moments, neither Cassian nor Nyxara spoke.

​Then, Cassian finally broke the stillness:

​"You can get off me now, Nyxara."

​The champion froze, her violet eyes widening slightly as she realized she was still partially leaning over his bare chest.

​She rose to her feet immediately, her movements smooth and graceful despite the awkward realization.

Strangely enough, she didn’t apologize. Had this been shortly after her summoning, she undoubtedly would have lowered her head and offered a formal, anxious apology.

​Now, she didn’t.

​Not because she lacked respect, but because somewhere along the way, she had stopped feeling the need to maintain an unyielding barrier between herself and her Lord.

​Cassian noticed it immediately. And honestly? He preferred it this way. It meant they had grown closer, and that Nyxara was beginning to see herself as more than merely a summoned weapon.

​Cassian pushed himself fully upright. The ache within his Lord Seed was still present, but it had settled into something manageable.

​His gaze swept across the battlefield, settling on the legion waiting silently nearby.

​The moment they registered his attention, movement rippled through the ranks.

​The Five Nightmares, the Deathmark Commander, the Nightveil Commander, the Dreadlance Commander, the Soulpiercer Commander, and the Gravewall Commander, alongside the Deathspeaker, the support units, the special elites, and soldiers... thousands upon thousands of undead.

​As one, they lowered their heads in perfect, eerie synchronization.

​An army forged from death itself.

​Then, their voices echoed across the ruined territory:

​"Welcome back, Our Lord."

​The words carried absolute respect, loyalty, and unwavering devotion.

​Cassian couldn’t help but smile faintly. "At ease."

​The legion immediately relaxed. Yet, while observing them, Cassian noticed the difference in their numbers, they had decreased.

​The army that had marched upon the Kragmar Dominion had not emerged entirely unscathed. Although the battle had been overwhelmingly in their favor, casualties were inevitable.

Many of the fallen had been caught within the residual shockwaves of Morghanna’s attacks, crushed beneath gravitational distortions, or simply unfortunate enough to stand too close to clashes far beyond their rank.

​The losses were not catastrophic, but they were noticeable.

​Cassian’s smile slowly faded as his eyes swept over the endless corpses scattered throughout the ruined dominion: orcs, warriors, berserkers, shamans, and hunters.

​Tens of thousands of them. More than one hundred thousand corpses littered the settlement and the surrounding mud.

​Blood mixed with rain, flowing between broken weapons that protruded like jagged gravestones.

​Cassian stared at the sea of death, and a cold, sharp smile formed on his face. His sky-blue eyes began glowing with an eerie, soul-piercing intensity as his newly acquired skill surfaced in his mind:

​[Undead Summoning]

​A skill that transformed battlefields into recruitment grounds, and turned death itself into absolute strength.

​Mana surged within Cassian, causing the air around him to vibrate.

​The commanders noticed the shift immediately, their soul flames flaring brightly. Nyxara’s eyes widened, she could feel the tremendous buildup of power, knowing something monumental was about to occur.

​Cassian slowly raised his hand.

​The battlefield fell dead silent. Even the falling rain seemed to mute itself against the oppressive atmosphere.

​His gaze swept across the endless graveyard one last time, and his voice echoed with supreme authority across the fallen dominion:

​"It is time."

​The army stood motionless, waiting, watching, anticipating.

​A cold, confident grin spread across Cassian’s face, brimming with unholy ambition.

​"It is time to rebuild my army."

​The moment those words left his lips, mana erupted from his body like a dark tidal wave.

​The corpses scattered across the vast battlefield began to violently tremble. The bloody mud churned, broken weapons rattled against armor, and the very foundation of the earth shook.

​And throughout the ruined Kragmar Dominion... death answered its master.