Dante was standing in front of the Death Panther thinking of a name for the stubborn creature who wouldn't transform into her humanoid form for him. He went through all the ones he knew until settling on one. His red eyes lit up as he spoke. ''I've got the perfect one for you.''

He reached forward and ran his finger through her soft black fur, revealing. ''Nyx, she was the Goddess of Night on my old world.''

When the monster heard this she let out a deep purr before bumping him with her large head as she repiled. 'Thank you, master. I like it, especially if she was a goddess from where you came from.'

Following that, the two of them continued on for another few hours until Lilith returned in her raven form and landed on a branch above. ''Death, there's a Darkmoore town just through this forest. Why don't we attack? It's full of people?'' she revealed.

''Scout it out and return once you know what they're like,'' he replied.

The blonde agreed before flying off, leaving him alone with Nyx who prowled in the nearby shadows. Dante continued walking while wondering what the heroes were up to and chuckled at their panic when realizing he was on Dawnfen.

***

''Mary we need to rest!'' Robert the Human Knight called out. ''We've been traveling for days and haven't slept!''

The Elf Healer Mary turned around with a sigh but understood, their fear of this so called Death Monarch forced them to rush north toward Highvalley City, the capital of the Darkmoore Kingdom. She turned to face the group as Marcus, their Defender spoke up with a exhausted expression.

''We should camp for the night, get a goods night rest so we can think about things,'' he warmly said.

Everyone else agreed causing Mary to nod. ''Alright then, let's get settled by the riverbank,'' she said, pointing nearby. ''That's a good enough place.''

Following that, the Heroes set up as the blonde Elf watched on, guarding the area as their Warrior Orc Maria appeared beside her, a curious glint in her green eyes. ''So what was this monarch like? Similar to the Monster Monarch?''

Mary shook her head. ''I only saw him briefly, he looked human but his mana, eyes and the way he acts is anything but,'' she revealed.

''I heard he was one of the Ten Heroes in the far east, but was betrayed by his companions,'' Suzy, an S-Rank Elemental Mage added from behind.

''That's the rumors going around, yes,'' Mary replied but added her own thoughts. ''There is something about this monarch compared to the others. He's more brutal, its clear he took all the bodies from Hightower and the other settlements his decimated.''

''Did you hear?'' Robert suddenly said, walking back into camp, carrying a armful of firewood. ''Nemorath has been blockaded by Darkmoore, Highwood and the Ulmac Kingdoms. The undead are running wild.''

''That's the truth, I spoke to a naval commander on the road. He informed me that there are millions of Zombies, Ghouls and other undead monsters roaming the continent. Rumors say there is only a few hundred people surviving on it,'' Lira, their second Healer revealed.

''Let's check it out, I left a Golem Bat in one of the towns when we stayed there during one of the storms,'' Drenvar said as the group gathered around.

Moments later, a mana screen flickered to life as the creature stirred, its glowing eyes scanning the familiar wooden beams of the inn where they had stayed months ago during their journey. The Golem Bat, its wings glinting faintly in the dim moonlight streaming through shattered windows, hovered above the blood-smeared floorboards of the abandoned inn.

''Must of been abandoned during the Zombie attack,'' Drenvar guessed. ''See those blood hand prints? It looks like the people tried to hide it but it was too later, the undead knew they were in there.''

The group frowned as the Golem left the inn only to see a ruined town, building charred black, streets covered in debris and dust as the place must have been long abandoned thanks to the Death Monarch. Drenvar got angerier as he surveyed the devastation, his eyes narrowing at the horizon.

He raised a hand, his voice steady but grim. ''Scout the continent,'' he commanded the Golem Bat.

Its mana screen flared briefly in acknowledgment before it launched skyward, wings slicing through the stale air. Moments later, the bat's feed showed the group a terrifying sight: a million-strong zombie horde shambling up the main trade road, a mass of decayed flesh and glowing red eyes stretching as far as the horizon.

The ground seemed to groan under their march, their moans a low drone. Mary clutched her robes, her face pale as she stared at the screen. ''Order it to fly to the end of the horde!'' she exclaimed, trembling with dread. ''That's where the last survivors must be!''

Drenvar's expression darkened, his hand gripping the hilt of his blade. ''This is just one horde,'' he said, his voice heavy. ''My other Golems have been tracking more across the continent. But something's hunting them, a flying monster. It's been picking them off one by one.''

The group exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of his words shocking them. The Golem, oblivious to their fear, soared higher, locking onto the distant edge of the zombie tide. Far beyond the horde, a faint glimmer of light flickered, a beacon, perhaps, or the last stand of the living.

But above, a shadow loomed, vast and winged, its presence a chilling omen in the smoke-choked sky. It was quickly taken out, annoying the Dwarf Assassin. Following that, the last Golems were no less daunting, each image more harrowing than the last. As they soared over the continent, the landscape was ruined.

Villages reduced to smoldering husks, fields choked with ash and bones, and once-bustling cities now silent, toppled and streets buried under rubble. The Death Monarch's touch was unmistakable, rivers ran black, and the air shimmered with faint, death energy. Every direction the bat flew revealed the truth: destruction without end, a world gutted by the undead scourge.

Mary's breath hitched, her knuckles white as she gripped her staff. ''It's everywhere,'' she whispered. ''There's nothing left.''

Drenvar's eyes remained fixed on the screen, his face a mask of grim resolve. ''Keep scanning,'' he ordered the Golem, despite the despair creeping into the group.

The bat veered westward, its sensors sweeping over a shattered coastal fortress, its walls crumbled into the sea, and then northward, where a forest lay flattened, trees splintered like matchsticks, their roots clawing at the sky. Suddenly, the feed flickered as a shadow passed overhead.

A massive, winged silhouette, too fast for the screen to fully capture. The group stiffened, their eyes darting to Drenvar. ''That's the thing taking out my Golems,'' he growled. ''It's tracking us now.''

The bat's feed cut to a vast plain, where the zombie horde they'd seen earlier converged with others, forming a sea of decayed bodies that stretched beyond the horizon. At its far edge, the faint glimmer of light they'd spotted earlier pulsed weakly, surrounded by a barricade of stone and wood. Survivors.

Following that, the screen crackled, its mana barely holding as it showed them the final moments of Nemorath's last castle. The once-mighty fortress stood as a broken silhouette against a blood-red sky, its walls crumbling under the assault of the undead horde as Ghouls climbed up the sides.

Thousands of zombies surged forward, trampling over the bodies of defenders. Ghouls spilled onto the ramparts that tore into the remaining soldiers with claw and fang. Blood painted the stone walls, pooling in the courtyard where a massive undead ogre swung a rusted beam, shattering defenses with each blow.

Above, a monstrous winged shadow, its form bloacked by smoke and dark magic, dove toward the central keep, its talons ripping through stone with terrifying ease. The group watched in stunned silence as the feed captured the defenders' final stand. A lone knight on the battlements fought valiantly, his blade flashing before he was overwhelmed by a swarm of ghouls.

In the highest tower, a faint light pulsed, a glowing artifact wielded by a handful of survivors, their faces etched with desperation and defiance. The castle's fall was close, yet that light held, a beacon in the chaos. Drenvar's voice cut through the group's shock. ''Focus on that tower. We need to see who's left and what they're protecting.''

The Scene zoomed in revealing the survivor's determined stand as the undead breached the inner courtyard. Above, the winged creature screeched, preparing another strike, as the last hope of Nemorath flickered. Just then, they watched as the last Bat Golem was taken out by the undead.

Everyone fell silent as Lira spoke up. ''All that started by one monarch? How strong is he?''

''Yes, the Death Monarch. Blessed by the Death Goddess and her chosen one,'' Mary revealed, grimacing at the thought. ''He's her second in command, her confidant and the Light Goddess's greatest enemy.''

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.