Supreme Magus - Chapter 3673

Chapter 3673: Cooperation and Coercion (Part 2)
The Upyrs staggered in pain for one second, and that was all the time the allied forces needed to turn Orpal’s thralls into ashes.

“Stand down and calm down.” Lith’s voice sounded deep and gravely. “The enemy is defeated. Don’t turn against your allies.”

Many undead had fallen into a battle frenzy and would have attacked the Demons on sight if not for the Tiamat’s warning. With their black features and armor, the Upyrs were too similar to the Demons for comfort.

The main difference was the eyes instead of flames, but it was hard to notice in an undeath-or-death struggle.

The commanding presence and voice of the Engine snapped everyone to their senses.

“We won!” Said a lone vampire, who was soon joined by his siblings in arms.

Victory cries resounded throughout the cave, and they became almost deafening when the Dawn King opened the Stonewall Fortress’ gates.

“That was amazing, Magus Verhen.” Erslan said. “I’ve lived many centuries, but I’ve never seen something as powerful as your Omega Prime. It must be the rumored weapon you used to defeat the World Tree in their own Fringe.”

“Correct.” After a few sweeps of the Watchtower confirmed nothing and no one was waiting in ambush, Lith came out of the Engine, which reverted to its original size and color. “Everyone knows about it, so there was no point hiding it from Meln.”

“Especially considering it has many limitations and I doubt you can use it away from a mana geyser.” The Dawn King said.

“Sadly, you are right.” Lith lied through his teeth. “I couldn’t have done half of what you’ve seen today without a careful, long preparation. Charging the Omega Prime takes a long time and many resources, let alone arranging its transportation.”

“It’s a monumental effort, but it’s worth it.” Erslan nodded, falling line, hook, and sinker for the lie. “We are lucky we knew where Meln was going to strike. I bet Menadion set a Warping Array here during your last visit, when she fixed the Fortress with Creation Magic.”

“And you would win the bet.” Lith’s policy was never to interrupt a non-friend when they were making a mistake.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Supreme Magus Verhen, but can we keep this?” A Dread Knight presented her spear that was still brimming with the power of Ruin.

“Yes and no.” Lith replied, confusing everyone. “Yes, you can keep it, but it won’t last. Blade Spells are still spells, and I’ve stopped fueling mine.”

“Oh.” The Dread Knight had just the time for a couple of practice swings when the reddish-black aura started to fade.

“Thank the gods our Golems are depowered but intact.” Erslan ignored her and continued. “Once our Forgemasters find a way to counter Frost Soul, I’ll need to inconvenience Magus Menadion to upgrade them with Creation Magic.

“The Undead Courts don’t have the time and resources to craft more.”

“It will be my pleasure.” Ripha couldn’t wait to reap the fruits of someone else’s hard labor while she worked on her own projects. Two birds with one stone.

“Casualties?” Lith asked while dispelling the Yurial Guard and sending the Engine away through a fake portal.

“A few, but much less than we anticipated for our tactical retreat, let alone total victory.” The Dawn King kept smiling, not to spoil the high morale. “What about Meln’s side?”

“One survivor.” Solus replied. “The cursed object managed to escape. Everyone else is dead.”

***

“Casualties?” Orpal asked while coughing out a small pool of blood.

Ruin had destroyed his clone, who carried both Night’s prism and enough of his blood to make the Chosen no different from his master. Turning into a Divine Beast had amplified the Dead King’s power and the effects of the backlash he suffered every time a clone died.

Orpal’s body was mostly crystalline to make up for what had been burned by the Blade Spell. If not for Night’s immortality, he would be dead.

“It’s easier to count the survivors.” Jorl snorted. “A whopping total of forty-seven Upyrs out of 1,200 came back with their lives.”

“Forty-seven?” Orpal coughed out a piece of lung in disbelief.

“Including Uragar. Yes.” Jorl counted them twice for good measure. “He was the bravest of them all and came out last.”

Solus had overestimated the loyalty of Orpal’s thralls. Most of them had joined him to obtain the might and bloodline abilities of a Divine Beast, not to die in his name. Some had run away the moment the Engine had appeared.

More after the first Annihilation had been unleashed, and every time Lith and Solus unveiled another bit of their strength.

Truth be told, the number of defectors would have been in the hundreds if not for the battle unfolding too quickly and most of the Upyrs being too deep in the enemy lines to turn their backs safely.

“It’s not the crushing victory I had planned to announce our return to Mogar, but it’s not a bad result.” Half of Orpal’s face shapeshifted into Night’s, allowing her to speak. “We have lost, but we have also gained a lot.”

“You planned this?” Orpal scowled. “Don’t you mean we?”

“You?” The Horseman’s laugh was silvery, but also cruel and cold. “You just bled to create our army. Jorl had the idea to recruit plant folk, Fae, and cursed objects. I came up with the battle plan and he directed the Upyrs as the fight unfolded.

“You and your clone merely acted as a communication amulet.”

“I also empowered *my* Upyrs whenever it tilted the scales in our favor.” He replied.

“Indeed, but with the Life Maelstrom *I* possess.” Night countered. “You-”

“Enough of your idiotic bickering!” Erion cut her short. “I’ll never understand why you two work together if you hate each other so much. What have we gained, exactly? Most of our forces are dead!”

“*Our* forces.” Orpal and Night spoke in unison. “You played no role in the recruitment and have no control over them. You are nothing but a worm on the leash. Overstep your boundaries again and you’ll pay for it dearly.”

The Davross spear Thorn appeared in a burst of emerald flames right below the Jormungandr’s neck.

“As for your questions, we don’t go along much, but our objectives align. Any living legacy can tell you there’s a huge difference between reluctant cooperation and subtle coercion.

“The former will always triumph, because it has two people working together in spite of their differences. The latter, instead, is just dignified slavery. There is no trust or loyalty involved, and the subdued party has nothing to gain.

“I need Orpal, and Orpal needs me. It may seem a flimsy bond to you, but try asking Uragar how things would have played out today if his host wasn’t reduced to an empty husk.”

The Jormungandr turned to look at the Book of Knowledge. He had taken out plenty of nutrients to feed the lump of flesh that was his regenerating host. A book was supposed to have no eyes, but Erion felt a glare so vicious on him that he held his tongue.

“Most of our forces are dead, indeed, but they were just rabble.” Orpal and Night continued.