A Core Ship From The Start

Upon learning from his subordinates that the garrison of Modheim had set off for Aldorf, Manfred von Carstein revealed a cold, triumphant smile.

As the sole remaining, and most powerful, Vampire Count of the Carstein family, Manfred naturally coveted the Dimension Stones within Modheim City. He aspired to acquire these stones and with their power, revive the greatest Necromancer in history, the creator of all Undead Creatures—Nagash. By leveraging his strength, he hoped to turn the world into a homestead ruled by death and the deceased.

Initially, Manfred’s target was the Crown of Witchcraft, for it was a Divine Artifact created by Nagash, within which even fragments of Nagash’s consciousness existed. But after he painstakingly arrived at the ruins of Toddheim and summoned the Army of the Dead for a battle against the Chaos Warriors stationed there, he could not find the Crown of Witchcraft that supposedly laid at the site.

Indeed, Manfred could hear Nagash’s roar from the depths of hell at the time, so he had to change his plans and aim for the Dimension Stone in Modheim instead.

Back then, Manfred didn’t act immediately but chose to lay low, aware of the undercurrents running within present-day Modheim City. So, Manfred decided to bide his time and let the other parties in Modheim City fight amongst themselves before swooping in to steal the fruits of the battle.

Manfred was undoubtedly aware of the Imperial Army’s arrival, as it was a well-known happening. Yet what he did not expect was that the Imperial Army would consecutively defeat the other Chaos Believers and the Ratmen, ending up as the final victor.

Manfred had initially planned to wait a little longer and assault the Rock Monastery with his undead after the garrison withdrew. But unexpectedly, he learned from his binnen the army that His Majesty The Emperor ordered all the Dimension Stones to be immediately transported to Aldorf!

Upon hearing this, Manfred was extremely delighted. It’s understandable because storming a temple and monastery within a city was a concern for him. However, things were different in the open. Manfred could lay traps with his Undead Army and ambush the enemy, completely annihilation them and taking away the Dimension Stones!

At that moment, he lay in ambush on the road from Modheim City to Aldorf, waiting for the army to pass. Manfred had a perfect plan. As soon as the army arrived, he would strike instantly! The opposition most likely wouldn’t suspect the existence of an enemy, causing them to panic and subsequently be defeated by Manfred!

The advantage is mine! This is a sure win!

Just then, Manfred saw an army slowly advacing on the road not far away. His eyes glowed with a bright red light.

Imperials, you are far too far from home. Allow me, the rightful ruler of the empire, Manfred von Carstein, send you…what is that thing?!

Just as Manfred was about to awaken the Undead Army beneath the ground to encircle and strike the Imperial Army, he suddenly saw a gigantic, eerie, terrifying shadow at the forefront of the army.

At the head of the army, a massive beast stood cloaked in pitch-black, steel-like skin was striding forward while a tall figure covered in black steel armor, clutching a War Hammer, sat on its back. The armor was adorned with patterns of white skulls and blood-red crosses, which was disconcerting and sent chills down one’s spine.

From where did this Champion of Chaos Warrior come?

For a moment, Manfred thought he had targeted the wrong group – could this be a Chaos Legion that had penetrated deep into the Imperial territory?

Yet, upon closer inspection, soldiers carrying the banner of the empire followed behind him. In addition, within the army, there were indeed a number of carriages loaded with Dimension Stones.

“…………”

Manfred was momentarily confused. Could it be that someone had attacked this Imperial Army before him? It didn’t seem so. Moreover, his scout didn’t report that this army had been ambushed.

Never mind, forget about it!

Manfred promptly put his doubts aside. Regardless of the situation, he was determined to obtain the Dimension Stones!

Now, let the game begin!!

Manfred raised his hands high, and with this gesture, the Undying spirits lurking beneath the ground began to act!

“Wham!!”

The ground cracked open, and dozens of shriveled hands reached out from beneath. The next moment, hordes of skeletons and zombies crawled out from under the ground, surrounding the Imperial Army!

“Ambush!!”

Faced with the sudden attack, the soldiers were taken aback. While shouting, they quickly raised their spears and shields, and lined up on both sides, halting the further advance of the Undead Army.

An ambush?

Duanmu Huai, who was riding the Metal Secret Dragon, saw these Undead Creatures. He furrowed his brows and halted the Dragon. He looked around and saw a bald man standing on a nearby hill, looking this way in a pompous and arrogant manner—as if only the words “I am the BOSS” were missing from his face.

“Ogis, Lorena, Merlot, protect the transport carts. They mustn’t snatch the Dimension Stones! Feiya, make sure you die less!”

Duanmu Huai quickly issued commands, particularly to that abnormal puppet. She was decent against normal life forms, but against undead creatures, she held little advantage. Therefore, when Feiya attempted to charge into the undead army, Duanmu Huai promptly stopped her from acting further. After all, undead creatures are not fearful of critical hits, and without her critical hit, Feiya posed little threat to a horde of zombies and skeletons.

“Understood, Sir Knight!”

In that moment, Lorena gripped her holy canon tight and responded loudly. Whereas, Ogis gave a slight nod, raising both hands simultaneously, and soon, invisible wires drifted silently in the air, forming a solid defense line.

As for Merlot, she reached out to retrieve a shotgun from behind — the improved equipment she got from Kukulu for close quarter combat.

While not fully effective against these undead creatures, it was better than nothing.

“What about you, master?”

While Ogis was dismembering the undead creatures in front of her with her wire control, she asked. In response, Duanmu Huai stared at the bald-head in the distance, steering the metal secret dragon to turn around.

“I will decapitate their leader!”

As soon as she said that, Duanmu Huai drove her metal secret dragon straight into the undead army, charging towards the bald head!

Hmph, just what I expected.

While observing Duanmu Huai charging straight at him, Manfred von Carstein showed a cold smile. Then, he waved his hand once more and the surrounding zombies and skeletons immediately charged at Duanmu Huai, intending to completely drown their enemy in sheer numbers.

However, the reality was unexpected for Manfred.

He saw his undead army charge at the metallic monster, attempting to attack it with their weapons. Yet, their attacks proved to be ineffective, leaving no mark on the metallic monster whether they used long spears or sharp blades. On the contrary, the impact of the metallic giant dragon was unstoppable like a flood, crushing all enemies daring to stand in its way into pieces!

But it did not stop there!

Facing enemies from all directions, Duanmu Huai held her war hammer high. The next moment, a sacred intense white flame erupted from her body, instantly spreading across the entire battlefield. Under the bombardment of the white flame, the undead spirits instantly turned into ash!

Soul Flame!!

The bright glow even forced Manfred, who was standing afar, to raise a hand to shield his eyes. At this moment, he finally recognized the identity of his opponent. Yet, the heart of this Vampire Count was filled with surprise.

This bum is a sacred knight of Sigma?!

You dress like a Champion of Chaos, how did Sigma recognize you?!

Although Manfred felt speechless inwardly, he was also able to confirm that the enemy in front of him was the commanding officer of this army. As long as he could eliminate him, this entire army would completely collapse!

Upon this thought, Manfred raised his magic wand once again. Shortly, countless undead banshees materialized out of thin air. They let out a sharp, ear-piercing screech while rushing towards the sacred knight with a glimpse of dying desperation. This was Manfred’s unique trick, summoning the spirits of those who died in agony to harass his enemies. The screeching sound of these undead spirits could potentially send shivers down anyone’s spine!

However, when these undead banshees were right in front of Duanmu Huai, they shrieked as if they saw a horrifying creature. The very next moment, Manfred saw his own summoned spirits retreat as if fleeing, and then disappear completely.

???

What happened?

Baffled by this scene, Manfred was having a hard time understanding. Spirits were supposed to be fearless, and the sacred knight seemed to have not used any divine arts, why would his summoned banshees suddenly retreat?

Yet, now was not the time to figure out the answer, because Duanmu Huai had already charged across half the battlefield and was about to confront Manfred directly!

No choice!

Staring at the approaching giant shadow, Manfred’s brows furrowed deeply. Then, he made up his mind and whistled loudly.

Right after that, a gigantic monster unfurled its wings from the gloomy sky and descended with a roar, revealing ferocious fangs as it charged towards Duanmu Huai!

That was Manfred’s trump card — the Fear Beast!