2195 – The Truth of the Undead
"According to the quick examination conducted by the Six Greats on the body, they said she is physically dead, but there is a kind of force trapping the Soul Domain and preventing it from collapsing. They say it's a power from the Ashification Law itself." Shadow Sword explained, "The Six requested to keep the body with them for further examination, and even pledged to protect it, but they are not yet followers of the Empire and have not taken an oath binding them to anything. So, according to the laws we follow, we were forced to retrieve it and bring it here."
"…." Serafina's eyes were now covered with exhaustion and denial rather than anger, and although she shot a glance at Shadow Sword, who had mentioned the word 'body' twice, she said nothing… This was not the time for stubbornness and correcting terms.
Her mistress's fate was literally in their hands now.
"Interesting…" Caesar stepped forward until his thighs touched the crystal coffin and began examining her more closely, "Very interesting…"
What is the Undead? Quite simply, it is a dead being that moves.
But how?
What makes a person alive are two things: the presence of Life Force and the integrity of the Soul Domain. If these two are sound and healthy, then this person is alive and subject to the 100,000-year law. That is, when a person reaches this age, the heavenly laws will turn against him and he will inevitably be killed, unless he is a Planet Soul Refiner.
Planet Soul Refining means he has entered the game of wars, fronts, establishing powers, or belonging to one... mere escape is no longer an option.
But what if the Life Force runs dry or the Soul Domain shatters? Then this being falls outside the classification of a living creature. The heavenly laws begin to completely ignore it and treat it as they would treat stones!
And here was the loophole...
The Undead are beings who have lost one of the two keys to life, whether intentionally or by accident, while clinging to the other.
The vast majority of them are the Undead who existed during the death of Mortix and the transformation of the galaxy. Their Soul Domains dried up, and their primal souls fled, while their life artery was sealed, preserving what was within it.
This type is closer to death than life, for everything that made a person unique is lost with the original soul, and nothing remains except the few things deeply engraved in their own withered Soul Domain, such as the law inscriptions they studied or some extremely powerful memories… but they have lost the ability to think properly.
The Life Artery is still the reason for half the life they possess, as it emits a Life Force in an extremely minute amount—roughly one in a million compared to before. This allows them to move and grants them non-rigid bodies, but the amount is also too small to sustain them, so they all decay. However, each one of them needs millions of years for decay to appear, for the same reason.
These beings make up the majority of the population in the Necrofortress Galaxy, and they are its main army. As for the second type, they can easily control them; they do not argue, nor are they seized by fear—they simply do as they are commanded.
That type reaches the stage of total death after every atom of Life Energy in their bodies runs out, but this takes an extremely long period—an unknown period.
The second type… remind Helen of it now.
They are the people who voluntarily choose to transform into Undead to escape the 100,000-year lifespan, or to punish themselves for a heinous act they committed during their lives, or for many other reasons...
They perform a secret Forbidden Ritual on the Life Artery, severing it and redirecting everything inside it toward the bones, while a small portion is used to seal their Soul Domain.
By the end of the ritual, the new Undead's bones become solid, alive, and strong, capable of enduring millions of years without cracking or collapsing, but the rest of their body begins to rapidly rot and fall apart.
As for their Soul Domain, it holds steady for a time as it is, then it too begins to slowly decay, gradually losing itself until they forget their own identity over time, becoming a moving skeleton.
But it is a powerful moving skeleton... these are the leaders and generals of the Fortress of Death.
It is said that this type of person uses a specific training method to gain strength and extend the period during which they retain their memories, but no one knows what it is, and no one wants to know as long as they stay away.
"...Her Life Artery has completely dried up, perhaps due to the Curse that Damir cast on her years ago." Caesar muttered, and of course, he had an idea of what was happening there. "She made a mistake when she went to kill the one known as the Son of the Curse as soon as she ascended to the power of a Monarch."
"...." Serafina's lips trembled, and a tear fell.
That was her mistress... She knew she would do something insane when the Marshal wounded her pride that day. It was a miracle she managed to restrain herself until she became a Monarch.
Thinking about it... Serafina cast an angry glance at Caesar. He was the reason for all of this!!
"..?" Caesar noticed the look, turned to his side, and furrowed his brows. "If you want to blame someone, blame your foolish mistress and your inability to advise her. What does it have to do with me? Do you think I killed her because I was giving her money?!"
"...." Serafina looked down again and said nothing.
"Anyway." Caesar waved his hand. "A dried-up Life Artery and a protected Soul Domain—now she has all the prerequisites to become an immortal of the second type."
"What are your orders, Your Highness?" Lily asked in an angelic voice.
"..." Caesar continued staring at the crystal coffin for a few moments. "Bring me an array that continuously pumps life energy, like the ones we use in treatment. A small array will suffice—it will be enough to keep her body fresh and prevent decay."
"Thank you, Marshal!" Serafina felt as if she had heard a heavenly pardon.
"No need." Caesar shook his head. "Since my father ordered her rescue, he surely has a purpose for her. I won't allow her to decay while in my possession—that's all."
Caesar did not elaborate further nor wait for Serafina's reply. He turned around and prepared to leave.
Helen's condition was far from ordinary—in fact, it could be said to be entirely unprecedented in the Realm of Life and Death... Perhaps studying her condition a little would help him break through the barrier that had stood before him for so long.
Then, he suddenly stopped and furrowed his brow for a moment.
He snapped his fingers. "...Bring me the Silent One. I want to examine something."