Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 137 Persuasion

Kate led his squad, lurking in the shadows of the ridge, intently observing the unequal duel in the valley below.

The Pale King's casual strike, as easily as crushing an ant, instantly annihilated one of the leaders of the Lich Alliance—the Stormweaver.

That terrifying, incomprehensible power made even the deepest recesses of Kate's soul, the heart of reincarnation, tremble.

[Analysis of the Seed of Origin: Target (Avatar of the Pale Lord) Attack Pattern - Rule-Based Annihilation -]

Energy concentration: Extremely high (estimated peak at the third to fourth ring level)

Attribute: Extreme Decay/Withering —

Threat Level: Devastating —

Recommendation: Absolutely avoid direct confrontation.

A cold stream of analysis flashed through Kate's mind, further confirming that chilling intuition.

Even if a monarch-level being is just an avatar, its power far exceeds his current understanding.

The death of the storm weaver was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The plague cloud, no longer protected by the storm barrier, surged into the Lich Alliance's positions like a burst dam.

Swarms of undead turned into pus amidst mournful wails, and the defensive line crumbled instantly.

Seeing this, the oil manipulators on the flank were terrified and, disregarding everything else, screamed, "Surrender! We surrender! Pale Emperor, spare our lives! We are willing to submit!"

It even disarmed its mechanical tentacles, knelt on the ground, and its massive body trembled violently with fear.

The leading lich lord looked at the battle lines that collapsed instantly and his allies who knelt and begged for mercy. He then looked at the indifferent, godlike avatar in the air, which seemed ready to strike again at any moment. His huge metal body trembled violently. In the end, all his anger and resentment turned into powerless despair.

The giant hammer in its hand fell to the ground with a thud, and its huge body slowly knelt down, lowering its head, which had never bowed to anyone before.

"—Rust Alliance—Submit—Obey the will of His Majesty the Pale—"

With the leader surrendering, the remaining lich undead also gave up resistance, kneeling on the ground like harvested wheat, trembling, their soul fire filled with fear.

What could have been a fierce battle was averted in an instant thanks to the monarch's two interventions.

The Wither Legion ceased its attack, and the Plague Priests dispersed their clouds, beginning to take prisoners and territories like cold machines.

The Pale Lord, in his avatar, glanced indifferently at the kneeling liches, his icy voice once again resounding amidst the soulfire of all the undead: "It should have been done long ago. All alchemy data, resource veins, and construct factories are to be handed over immediately. All rulers are to be marked with the Withering Mark and incorporated into the Legion's logistics. Those who resist, annihilate them."

After saying that, its figure slowly faded away, eventually disappearing as if it had merged into the air, as if it had never existed.

It left behind only endless majesty and fear, deeply imprinted in the souls of every surviving spirit and in the hearts of the observers on the distant mountain ridge.

"The power of a monarch—is truly astounding—"

The blood sacrificer muttered to himself, his voice filled with undisguised awe and fear.

Even the few emotionless, terrifying knights slightly contracted their soul flames.

Kate remained silent, but her heart was in turmoil.

Witnessing firsthand the terrifying power of the monarch's incarnation gave him a more direct and profound understanding of the horror of high-ranking undead.

This is not just a difference in individual strength, but an absolute suppression at the level of rules.

"It seems the zombie horde awakening ritual is more terrifying than we imagined. We must act quickly—"

Kate felt a growing sense of urgency.

At the same time, he shouted in his mind: "Skullcrushing Gang, enter the battlefield immediately, assist in maintaining order, count prisoners, and prevent any remaining members from resisting or escaping! Execute immediately!"

He was the first to ride his undead war beast down the ridge and head towards the devastated battlefield in the valley.

Blood priests and terrifying knights followed closely behind.

Upon entering the battlefield, one is immediately struck by the pungent stench of decay, burning, and the overwhelming smell of death.

The ground was a mess, littered with molten and twisted metal debris, broken bones, and pus that had not yet dried.

The soldiers of the Wither Legion were methodically marking the surrendered liches with gray "Wither Marks," which writhed like living things and emitted controlling fluctuations.

Some lich who resisted or were slower to act were mercilessly killed on the spot.

Kate's beam of light swept across the battlefield and quickly locked onto her target—the lich lord who had just been forced to surrender.

It was being closely watched by several Wither Guardians. Its massive metal body knelt slumped on the ground, the soul fire in its eye sockets dim and lifeless, filled with despair and resentment.

Several other steel zombies, also bearing similar wounds and appearing to be its personal guards, were beside it, all marked with the same symbol.

Kate gave the Blood Priest a wink: "Go over there and take stock of the surrendered lich alchemists, see if you've missed any valuable information."

Get rid of this potentially troublesome guy.

Then, he led five terrifying knights on what appeared to be a casual "patrol" to the vicinity of the Lich Lord.

A skeletal officer from the Withering Legion was berating the Lich Lord: "Hurry up! Hand over the control runes for the core furnace, stop dawdling!"

The lich lord slowly operated a complex device on his chest, making a dull, humiliating metallic scraping sound.

Kate stepped forward and nodded to the skeletal officer: "The main controller has been obtained. I'll take care of this lich so you can collect some loot."

The skeletal officer glanced at Kate, sensing the aura emanating from his ring and the oppressive presence of the five elite terrifying knights behind him. He then looked at the seemingly resigned lich lord and waved his hand impatiently: "Don't let him escape. The legion needs to take over all the facilities as soon as possible!"

"Understood." Kate bowed slightly.

Once the skeletal officer had gone far away to urge them elsewhere, Kate had the five Dread Knights appear to be scattered, but in reality, they cleverly formed a small isolation zone, blocking most of the view.

He walked up to the Lich Lord and looked down at it.

The Lich Lord raised his head, his eerie green soul fire sweeping over Kate, filled with numb despair and a hint of barely perceptible vigilance.

It didn't recognize this mimicking spirit.

Kate didn't speak immediately. Instead, she secretly activated the Heart of Reincarnation, mixing a tiny bit of energy containing the meaning of "life absorption" and "purification" into her own overwhelming aura of death. Like a needle, she silently pierced the crack in the Lich Lord's chest caused by the pressure of the Pale Lord's avatar's will.

This energy was extremely weak and had complex properties. It was mixed in with the chaotic energy fluctuations on the battlefield and no one could detect it.

But for a lich lord who is an undead, especially one with a metal structure, this energy carrying the power of life purification piercing into the core crack is tantamount to rubbing salt into a wound, or even worse.

"Well--!"

The lich lord's massive body trembled violently, letting out a suppressed, extremely painful groan. His soul fire flickered violently, as if it were about to go out.

Its enormous metal hand suddenly clutched its chest, and it looked at Kate in utter terror.

What kind of power is this?! A chilling purification and vitality amidst the deathly stillness?!

This is definitely not an ordinary undead!

Kate remained expressionless as she transmitted a cold and direct message into its soul fire through mental fluctuations. The voice was audible only to the soul fire: "If you don't want to be completely annihilated now, with even your last bit of consciousness turning into fuel, then remain silent and cooperate with me."

The Lich Lord's soulfire was filled with horror and disbelief.

The opponent's power attribute was bizarre and terrifying, completely beyond its comprehension, and seemed capable of easily destroying its currently damaged core.

It had no doubt that the other party could do it easily.

Faced with the absolute threat of death and the agonizing stimulation of the terrifying purification just now, it could only forcefully suppress all its shock and doubts, its massive head drooping slightly in submission.

That's exactly the effect Kate wanted.

First, use overwhelming force to intimidate and break down its psychological defenses.

Then, he continued to transmit the spiritual message, his tone still cold, but with a different undertone: "Submit to the Pale Lord, bear the mark of decay, and forever lose yourselves, becoming fuel and cannon fodder for the legion's expansion—"

Is this the eternity you wanted? Is this the end result of your efforts to protect the legacy of the "Rust Alliance"?

These words were like sharp thorns, piercing deep into the most painful and resentful part of the Lich Lord's heart.

Its soul fire suddenly contracted, and its huge metal fist clenched instinctively, but then helplessly loosened.

"—There is no other choice—" It conveyed a bitter and desperate feeling.

"Not necessarily." Kate's message was like a devil's whisper. "The realm of the dead is vast and boundless, not just the Valley of Eternal Night. And the rulers are not a monolithic entity."

The Lich Lord's soulfire flickered, flashing a faint light, but quickly dimmed again: "—Escape? Impossible—The Mark of Decay has been planted—no matter where you go—"

“The mark is not indelible,” Kate interrupted. “If you have enough power, or—find the right way. And opportunity—is always reserved for those who are prepared.”

""

He paused, then continued to instill the dangerous idea: "You've seen the power of the Pale Lord; it's impossible to confront him head-on."

But its attention will soon be drawn to something more important—like the ceremony.

The Lich Lord's soul fire flickered again, as if it knew some vague information about the "awakening of the horde".

"Before the ceremony is complete, while it is preoccupied with other matters—there may be a glimmer of hope. But it requires patience, it requires lying in wait, and even more so—it requires external help."

Kate finally revealed her true purpose: "I can give you a chance. A chance for a future where you can break free from control, regain your freedom, and even—avenge yourself for today's humiliation."

The Lich Lord abruptly raised his head, his soulfire fixed on Kate: "Who—who are you? Why are you helping us? What do you want?"

"Who I am is unimportant," Kate replied calmly. "All you need to know is that I am not on the same side as the Pale Lord. Helping you is also in my best interest. The enemy of my enemy may become a friend for the time being."

"As for what I want—I don't need you to give me anything right now."

All you need to do is remember what I said today, maintain your will to live, and, as far as possible, preserve the consciousness of yourself and your core subordinates after being incorporated into the legion, secretly gather forces that share your unwillingness to accept defeat.

"When the time comes—I will contact you again. At that time, it will be up to you whether you choose to seize that chance."

These words, half true and half false, were full of temptation, yet no price was demanded immediately, which greatly lowered the Lich Lord's guard.

It is currently at the lowest point of despair, and it will instinctively want to grasp any glimmer of hope, no matter how faint.

Moreover, the strange power the other party displayed and its apparent dissatisfaction with the monarch made it feel that it was not entirely untrustworthy.

"How can I trust you? And how can I ensure we won't be discovered?" the Lich Lord asked, struggling with his question.

Kate was already prepared.

He secretly took out a very ordinary communication bone talisman that he had obtained from a necromancer's apprentice, but his fingertip left an extremely subtle soul imprint inside it, made of the power of the Heart of Reincarnation.

This mark is extremely faint and usually serves no purpose, but as long as it is within a certain distance, Kate can sense its general direction through the Heart of Reincarnation, and when needed, use it as a faint coordinate to attempt short-distance, one-way, and extremely risky soul communication.

This is not a perfect solution, but it is the most discreet way Kate can think of to contact anyone.

He casually tossed the bone rune at the lich lord's feet, a mental fluctuation emanating from it: "Hide it well. Don't try to contact me unless you want to be discovered by the Legion immediately. When I feel the time is right, I might give you a signal through it. At that time, the choice is yours."

"Remember, survive, hide, and wait. This is your only hope."

Having said that, Kate said no more, as if nothing had happened, and turned to the Dread Knights, ordering, "Keep an eye on it and wait for the Legion to take it over."

He couldn't appear too concerned about the Lich Lord.

The lich lord's enormous metal hand moved silently, rolling the small bone rune into his palm and hiding it.

Its soul fire remained dim, but deep within, a faint flame of "unwillingness" and "hope" rekindled.

Kate knew the seed had been planted.

Whether it will sprout, and when it will sprout, is still unknown.

But this hidden move may play an unexpected role in the future.

He continued to lead his squad to "maintain order" on the battlefield, during which he "coincidentally" encountered several waves of stubbornly resisting Iron Zombies and small constructs who were clearly loyalists of the Lich Lord.

Kate did not hesitate to order the Dread Knights and spearmen to swiftly "annihilate" them, demonstrating her "loyalty" to the Pale King and her efficient execution.

This further reduced the suspicion of potential surveillance.

He even secretly observed the surrendered manipulator of the filthy oil, but finding only utter fear and submission in its soulfire, he abandoned any intention of contact. Not all undead are worth winning over.

The entire receiving process lasted several hours.

The alchemical data, resources, and production lines accumulated by the Corrosion Alliance over countless years were inventoried, sealed, and prepared for transport by the Wither Legion.

Large numbers of liches and their creations were marked and incorporated into the legion, thus losing their freedom.

Kate calmly observed everything, silently memorizing the details of the Wither Legion's organization, operational patterns, and logistical procedures.

This intelligence is equally valuable.

Ultimately, under the orders of the Wither Legion commander, all the warbands that had come to "support" the army withdrew from the battlefield.

Kate led his squad away from the hills, an area filled with despair and resignation.

On the way back to Skullcrushing Canyon, Kate remained silent, but her mind was rapidly summarizing what she had gained from the trip.