Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Chapter57-Heard You’re Rich?
House Ashbourne was very famous in the Azure Kingdom, known as the foremost wealthy family.

They were experts in commerce, with businesses spanning across various kingdoms.

It appeared that the family collaborating with the Azure Kingdom’s royal family was indeed them.

As Owen’s mind power gradually extended toward the tent, inside, two corpulent men lay comfortably in rocking chairs.

A table before them was laden with a variety of delicious dishes, emitting tempting aromas.

Standing around them were many soldiers’ corpses, obediently following their orders and attending to their needs.

“Another mine collapse, burying over three hundred bodies. We’ve been losing more and more corpses lately. It’s about time to create another batch of zombies,” Robert said, downing a gulp of wine, his ruddy nose growing even redder.

Then he seemed to sense something, frowning slightly in displeasure.

Sean, who was looking up at the map hanging in the tent, scratched his curly, disheveled white hair and shook his head. “There’s no unrest at the border, so there aren’t any corpses available for us to use. I suggest we just take a few thousand people from the nearby villages and turn them into zombies. They have no real value alive anyway.”

Robert nodded in agreement. “That could work. Their physical condition can’t compare to soldiers, but we can make do. Besides, given the current situation, Kyrik is eyeing us greedily. There will be plenty of bodies soon enough.”

“Then let’s send a few teams of zombie soldiers to wipe out those villagers…” Sean’s eyes turned cold as he was about to give the order, but he suddenly noticed a figure appear in the tent.

Both Sean and Robert immediately stood up from their chairs, their expressions serious as they eyed the young man warily.

The youth, handsome with a deep and restrained aura, was none other than Owen!

“Owen?!”

Sean and Robert recognized Owen at the same time, a look of surprise flashing across their faces.

Although they were deep within Thousand Peaks, they were well-informed about external affairs and knew about the rising fame of Owen.

But shouldn’t he be at the duke’s mansion? How did he end up here?

“You must have been a mouse in a past life to find such a hidden place,” Sean said, his old face full of seriousness as he stared intently at Owen.

The location of the mana stone mine was a closely guarded secret of the Azure Kingdom royal family! Even some princes and princesses were unaware of it.

When a traitor leaked the information to Kyrik, the royal family was furious and granted the mining rights to House Ashbourne, which specialized in necromancy.

The first batch of living miners had long been turned into zombies because the dead keep secrets better than the living.

Moreover, this place had a natural labyrinth.

Even if someone stumbled upon it by accident, they would become hopelessly lost and eventually fall prey to spellbeasts.

They had only been able to reach this place safely by following special guidance.

So how did Owen manage to find it?

“It doesn’t matter how he found this place. We can’t let anyone else know about the mana stone. We need to kill him quickly and turn him into a zombie. A genius like him would make a valuable addition,” Robert said, rubbing his red nose and looking at Owen with interest.

Owen’s name was well-known.

He was recognized by Academy City as the greatest genius of the era!

His exceptional talent was well-proven by his numerous achievements.

The likes of Madelyn and Carlos, renowned figures in their own right, had all fallen to him.

Even senior figures like the vice leader of the Bounty Guild had met their end at his hands.

Agreeing with Robert, Sean nodded. Seeing that Owen hadn’t taken out the Godslayer Staff, he frowned and said, “Where’s the Godslayer Staff? You should have it with you. Hand it over, and we’ll give you a quick death.”

As he spoke, the aura of two platinum-tier level 4 mages emanated from them, causing the ground to crack and spread outwards in fan-shaped fractures.

As the two powerful auras swept towards him, Owen shook his head slightly, a hint of mockery playing on his lips.

He had already sensed the area and knew that apart from these two esteemed elders of House Ashbourne, there were no other living beings around.

This scarcity of personnel likely contributed to the secret of the mana stone mine remaining undiscovered for so long.

As for their strength, platinum-tier level 4, though formidable to most mages and representing absolute power, Owen did not consider them a significant threat.

His focus shifted to the area behind them.

There, a half-open storeroom door revealed piles of mana stones, emitting a tempting glow. There were also many treasures belonging to the Azure Kingdom’s royal family stored there.

“Well, it seems you have been quite diligent over the years,” Owen remarked. He didn’t want to waste time on them.

Obsidify activated instantly, surrounding Owen in a black glow. His wild and domineering mana stirred up the dust at his feet.

Seeing Owen’s arrogance, Robert and Sean’s faces darkened.

“Kid, don’t think that defeating a few juniors gives you the right to boast in front of us. Today, we’ll show you what it means to have people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens!”

As seasoned platinum-tier mages, they had never been so belittled by a youngster!

As they spoke, the corpses in the tent, seemingly responding to their anger, suddenly fixated their lifeless eyes on Owen and began to attack, bringing with them a nauseating stench of decay.

These soldiers’ corpses were quite resilient and had been specially treated, resembling mummies.

Their body hardness was comparable to bronze-tier mages.

Though not very powerful individually, they were fearless and numerous.

For those without sufficient strength, being overwhelmed by them would lead to death from mana depletion.

However, Owen had some experience dealing with zombie-like creatures. Numerous Judgment Light Swords formed above his head, creating a holy halo.

One by one, the flying swords shot out, leaving long trails in the air.

The foul odor was instantly purified.

The first zombie to approach Owen was pierced through by the light sword, which continued to impale the zombies behind it, forming a skewer of undead.

When the light swords exhausted their energy, they exploded, purifying the zombies into ashes that scattered to the ground.

Seeing that ordinary zombies couldn’t get close to Owen, Robert and Sean exchanged glances.

The storage rings on their fingers glowed, and two bloodwolves, the size of carriages, appeared beside them.

These bloodwolves were also corpses, covered in silver, needle-like fur.

As soon as they emerged in the tent, they made the ground sink slightly under their weight and emitted a strong stench.

Their presence was vastly more powerful than the soldier corpses, causing the mana in the tent to boil as if ignited.

Owen’s expression grew slightly more serious. The aura of these two bloodwolves was strong; before their deaths, they must have been close to diamond-tier.

Now, as Robert and Sean’s puppets, they were equivalent to platinum-tier level 4 strength!

“Owen, don’t say we didn’t give you a chance. This is your last opportunity. Surrender, and we’ll give you a quick death!” The appearance of the bloodwolves made Robert’s face more confident and smug.

They were both platinum-tier level 4 mages. With the bloodwolves, they could even contend with a diamond-tier mage. And now they faced only a gold-tier Owen?

Owen had many secrets they wanted to uncover before turning him into a zombie.

As they looked at him mockingly, Owen responded with a smile and asked, “I’m curious, do you have the skill book for controlling corpses with you? I’m quite interested in that technique.”

Before Owen finished speaking, Robert and Sean’s faces turned grim. Coldly, they commanded the bloodwolves, “Kill!”

In an instant, the bloodwolves powered up and charged at Owen.

With a thought, Owen summoned flames in his left hand and lightning in his right, then rushed toward the bloodwolves.

Bang!

Owen’s fists met the bloodwolves’ claws in mid-air.

The clash caused the air to explode with a deafening roar, creating shockwaves that shattered the tent and shook the surroundings.

Compared to the bloodwolves’ claws, Owen’s hands and feet seemed tiny, like fireflies against the moon.

However, with the Order of Fire and Order of Thunder enhancing him, flames and lightning erupted from his body the moment they made contact!