When the call to arms was echoed by not only the Cerulean Defense Force but also by the top figures within the civilizations, the Undead Race had to make a decision.
“Hmm, a decision is needed.” The current Undead Race leader Zhask was pondering the information he had received from his subordinate who was well-connected to the civilizations outside.
Since the day the Death Sovereign surrendered to the Father God Dian, Zhask often wondered why his revered figure had to make that decision. He was still just a newborn existence in the Undead Pool at the time so he did not know important information like this one.
But looking at the curiosity and exploration of the undead element caused him to think about the possibility that the humans and the dwarves had discovered the very weakness of the Undead Pool itself.
‘That was probably why the Death Sovereign surrendered. He did not want to sever the birthplace of us Undead.’ Zhask thought while still pondering the important decision.
As for the current Undead Race, there were twenty Core Formation Realm powerhouses as well as thousands of Nothingness Realm undead as well as a million ordinary undead in total. It was because the transformation to be equal to the Core Formation Realm of humans was hard for them that the Undead Race even exchanged their knowledge of the undead element with the method humans use to reach the Core Formation Realm.
That knowledge elevated them to be nearly as powerful as the human Transcendent who reached that realm. And this improvement was even acknowledged by the Death Sovereign himself so Zhask was also happy for that.
Now that another important decision was on his hand, Zhask had to make an important decision. Going to war was a must as it showed the other two races that they were willing to fight in the Star Battle too.
But the issue lay in the fact that deploying the undead to the outside world was no easy feat. That was one reason why their deployment could not be as swift when they were in a high concentration of undead element.
The undead element was their sustenance so if it were to be depleted, the Undead Race might fall right there.
“I want to know whether the human will let us use the Withered White Tree alongside our forces here in the Undead Secret Realm.” Zhask asked his subordinate who was kneeling.
Withered White Tree was a species of tree that the humans had created by using one tree species from the outside to be nurtured inside the secret realm. After a decade of mixing various traits of the tree species, there was an important result for the undead.
And that was the tree that was able to store the undead element for them to absorb and to use as sustenance. It meant that deployment to the outside world could be as swift as in the secret realm if they were deployed with the Withered White Tree.
“Reporting to the leader, the humans and the dwarves have given their consent! They will need us on the frontline as soon as possible but…” the subordinate hesitated to tell Zhask about something.
“What is it?” Zhask had no choice but to inquire; otherwise, if it affected the whole Star Battle, then he would become the sinner of his race.
“There is a new vortex that appears on the other side of the first vortex. Surprisingly, the humans and the dwarves were saying that the second vortex leads to a place somewhere in the Heavensend Continent!” the subordinate said with a hint of passion in his voice.
“Heavensend Continent, the place where the Rift has appeared!?” Zhask was surprised to hear this. Add to the fact that now the Undead Secret Realm was connected to the Heavensend Continent made it so that the three races could exploit this to their advantage.
“Yes! Soon, the leaders of the civilizations are going to learn of this fact and even make tactics using this place!”
“Looks like we really have to deploy our forces in this Star Battle!” Zhask was now sure that the arrangement for another vortex that connected to the Heavensend Continent was no coincidence. It was arranged by the Father God Dian to make sure that the humans could get to the Heavensend Continent more easily.
“Tell all the other forces at the Core Formation Realm and at Nothingness Realm to prepare for deployment!” Zhask then used a special kind of frequency in his voice which used the undead element to relay his order to all the relevant undead in the Undead Secret Realm.
While this happened in the Undead Secret Realm, the Transcendent Academy also received the report about the other end of the second vortex that suddenly appeared in the Undead Secret Realm.
“Really!? Is that true?”
“We can finally go to the frontlines! Headmaster, your directive?”
Amidst the discussion and cheering for some of the teachers, Kushina still had a serious expression on her face. She looked at every single face in the conference room.
‘They are excited since this will be the first time they use the transcendent energy to battle. But we need to be cautious. After all, the young man has something to say.’ She thought while lastly glancing at Tatsumi who was standing on her left, slightly behind her seat.
“Young man, please introduce yourself and state the important matter you want to convey.” Kushina, who was sitting on her seat, suddenly said. The others heard what she said and could not help but follow her gaze.
Tatsumi nodded to her, thanking her for the opportunity and also for the opening.
“My name is Tatsumi. Perhaps my origin doesn’t matter since you all cared more about battling those aliens in the Star Battle but I have some news for you, news from the Afterlife…as well as directly from Father God.” Tatsumi opened by saying what he should say.
Even if this caused a bit of uproar because some people did not believe him, Tatsumi planned to tell them important information since they were the forefront in engaging with the aliens.
But before he relayed the information, someone interjected. Slamming his fist on the large round table, one of the teachers protested.
“What does a brat like you know about the Afterlife, much less communicating with the Father God!? I don’t believe it!”
Tatsumi had an indifferent look as he did not care whether someone believed him or not. His duty was to convey things, whether the recipients believed it or not was not his concern.
So he just continued as if the outburst of that teacher was nothing more than a passing wind.
“So the races we are dealing with are two. As all of you heard and expected, one of them is subjected to slavery by the other. The dominant race is called Gling. They are known for their high reproductive rate as well as their swarm tactic. In our terms, it is the same as the human wave tactic that the records talked about.
“Their appearance could be a multiple-limb with a mouth without any eyes, the head full of acidic fluid that can melt even our strong metals, the flying monster with its attack that can bounce off from the target and hitting its surrounding targets, or the giants they could be used as a siege weapon or the flesh version of our armored vehicle.
“What you need to be wary of is the fact that their characteristic is metamorphic, meaning they can change appearance based on the stimuli it has received. Meaning, they can slowly adapt to the condition. You need to truly eliminate them, and assume they are still alive until you only see their ashes.
“The second is the slave race, let’s call it that. They have a great resemblance to humans, just more handsome and beautiful than our average but with long and pointy ears. That is their prominent characteristic but don’t be mistaken, they are as deadly as our weapon. They…are the ones who can produce Ether!”
Tatsumi conveyed all that he had received from Dian as well as information that the consciousness in the Afterlife was collecting.
There were murmurs and serious discussion occurred at the same time. But the most important thing for the teachers right now was the existence who could generate Ether!
“Quiet, everyone. This is the meeting that will decide our course of action, so listen until the end!” Kushina even had to yell with the enhancement of her transcendent energy.
Kushina gestured for Tatsumi to continue.
“I want every able Transcendent to be at the frontline. This is a new strategy that incorporates the prowess of the technology that we possess, as well as the prowess of the transcendent knowledge and power. I believe that even the General of the Cerulean Defense Force already has some guidelines for this strategy. I believe that now is the right time to show the world the power that a Transcendent truly has and how that will change the world!” Tatsumi said with a burning desire to see it with his own eyes.
“Yeah!”
“Let’s go!”
“For the Transcendent’s Dawn!”
“For further learning about transcendent energy!”
Kushina could see that the people in the conference room were excited. She did not want to extinguish the burning passion they had. In fact, she even wanted to spread it further.
“What do you think after hearing what this young man has to say?” Kushina glanced at everyone.
“We need to prepare our own weapon. But most of us cannot have Transcendent Weapon…” Another teacher spoke up but suddenly halted when he realized that the most important matter for anyone who wanted to fight was a weapon.
“May I speak up?” Mikazuki Yamaguchi raised his hand as he said this. Everyone was focused on him since they were going to go to the frontline, most of them.
Seeing that everyone kept silent, Yamaguchi continued.
“Mikazuki Heavy Industry will also help you with the logistics of weaponry. Well, for a good price, of course.”
Kushina chuckled. She had expected that the situation would turn into this but she did not reject. In fact, she allowed it to happen as the Transcendent Academy needed the support of such a giant for their own prosperity.
“I can’t see the reason to refuse such a good deal. Do you all agree, everyone?” Kushina asked but everyone present knew that it was not even a question but an authoritative figure asking for their agreement.
“We all agree!”
“So when will the weapon be delivered?”
“That can be discussed. I can arrange it right now.”
Seeing that everyone agreed and even requested for weapons, Kushina ended the meeting with a sentence.
“Alright. Since you all agree to this, then do it with all your heart and might. This meeting is adjourned.”
-
Dian was creating another entry to the Undead Secret Realm, where the exit was in the Heavensend Continent.
Of course, he did it for the infantry's convenience. The others had to cross the sea to get to the Rift, but at least all the able Transcendents would participate in the Star Battle by doing this.
Other than that, this would cause the Undead Race to be eager to participate in this event.
Leif and Ghylea were overseeing the movement of the Cerulean Defense Force, its logistics, and the safety of the races they managed, while Dian was more focused on creating more opportunities for their races to fight in optimal situations.
Other than that, Dian also had to manage the spirituality of the planet that was in the process of awakening.
“Hmm…looks like we managed to discover the Rift first. A good starter move, especially since this is a planetary war. But I am afraid that the next move will decide the trend of the battle.” Dian put his hand under his chin, pondering many possibilities that the civilizations had to face.
He knew the Gling were something that had some greatness about them. Especially when developed well, the race could just use the swarm tactic alone to dominate the others.
But it did not mean that the civilizations under him were helpless. No, in fact, Dian believed that the races under him could overcome this battle. It was just a matter of deploying the effective weapon at the right time, place and occasion.
Dian looked at one panel where the Transcendent group from the Heavensend Kingdom was on their way to the Rift. Their speed could make them arrive in four hours of journey.
“But the opponents will not let this slide. I wonder what they are planning…” Dian smiled slightly as he looked at the two opposite him.
Whatever it was, Dian made sure that the races under him were informed of the characteristics of their enemies. Additional information flowed with Dian informing the race under him through the Library of Consciousness as well as sending a whisper to Tatsumi, as he was the only one who could receive his directive directly.
-
“We’ve arrived.” A group of Transcendents moved first to secure the entrance to the new world. The moment they had arrived, they were met with the large Rift that spanned kilometers in size. From their point of view, it looked like the Rift was the dividing line between their world and the alien world.
They were wearing a white cloak with a hood that covered their head. They also wore the appropriate shoes so as not to let the sand obstruct their movements.
They used their enhanced senses to scan the Rift and its surroundings.
“There is no alien in sight. We should guard this place first before the main forces come.” One of them suggested.
“That is what we are planning to do in the first place. Without knowing exactly the other side of the Rift, it is extremely risky to enter it.” The leader of the Transcendent group said.
There was a scout, three warriors and one communicator in this group of Transcendent and they knew exactly what to do when faced with the Star Battle.
“This is Group One. We have arrived at the Rift. There is no sign of the alien on our ground but the situation on the other side of the Rift is unknown. I repeat, the situation on the other side is unknown.” The communicator used the walkie-talkie to relay the current situation to the rest of the Cerulean Defense Force.
“Wait a minute, Miss Communicator!” the leader of the group said with a stern face.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is there any chance that our assumption is wrong about something?” the leader asked about something that had been bothering him.
“If you have something to say personally, then you should say it directly to this device.” The communicator said. The leader grabbed the device and used it to convey what he had in his mind.
“This is the leader of Group One. HQ, is there a chance that the enemy discovers the Rift first but does not come to our side?”
“This is General Wazowski, the Strategic Intelligence Division of the Hinon Federation stated that there is such a possibility. Please confirm whether this is true by scouting the area beyond the Rift on the other side. Do you copy?”
Hearing that the one who replied to his communication was actually the general of the Cerulean Defense Force made the leader seriously consider the option.
“Copy. We will proceed with simple scouting on the other side of the Rift. Out.” The leader gave the communication device back to the communicator.
Then the leader gestured to the scout. The scout understood that as a signal to come to the leader.
“I need you to check the area on the other side of the Rift. Actually, you have to take half a step into it before you instantly return to our side without looking back. Can you do it?”
The scout nodded while saying, “I can do it! Leave it to me!”
Even though the request was a bit strange, the scout chose to trust the leader. He approached the Rift while keeping vigilant. From what he could sense, the other side was calm. Too calm in his opinion.
But he kept remembering the words of the leader and he decided to do just that. He realized that the leader was up to something and needed his help to scout things.
The moment he passed the Rift, he could feel that the air had changed. Not only that but he also felt that the area around the Rift was too calm and quiet. He followed the instructions of the leader and instantly used his movement skill with transcendent energy to leap back into the Rift.
He could sense that something was coming fast at his previous position.
‘An ambush! So it is actually the case where the other side came first. Alright, report to the leader, I guess.’ The scout extended his senses to the other side of the Rift and saw that there was an arrow that stuck in the ground, forming a small crater.
The arrow was made from an unknown material but it did not matter as the scout safely returned from the Rift.
The leader nodded in confirmation. He gestured to the communicator to give his report.
“The enemy has prepared a welcoming party for us, it seems.” General Wazowski spoke to the communicator.
He continued, “You keep guard there. We need to slightly modify the plan since Plan A doesn’t work anymore.”
Plan A was in the case that they were the first to come to the Rift. But since their opponent came to the Rift first, they had to reciprocate the ‘kindness’ shown by the opponents.
After ending the communication with Group One, General Wazowski immediately said to the special communication channel.
“Prepare the Bio Weapon! Might as well give them the gift of civilization this way.”
The other plan was for the newly tested Bio Weapon to be their opening move. This would also be its practical application, so some scientists would be present to collect the data.