Published at 5th of May 2026 7:33 am

Chapter 1717 Enemy of Death

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Thousands of undead surged across the ground toward the northern walls of Amberfall.

They moved without order, but not without purpose. Temporarily lording over them, Osbert had given them only one objective: scale the wall and destroy everything beyond.

Some ran with incredible speed, others dragged them forward, broken limbs snapping and reforming as they advanced. Armor clattered, bones scraped, and empty jaws hung open as they closed the distance.

The towering walls loomed ahead, but they did not slow.

Marlow, who had already taken up his position on the battlement, had a grim look on his face as he watched the undead army approach. The undead horde consisted of around five thousand monsters, yet their advance looked far more daunting and intimidating than the naval fleet from earlier.

Something about these monsters' aura, the way they moved, and the way they looked, caused a chill to crawl down anyone who saw them. In the eyes of these undead creatures, only hunger and murder remained, and nothing else. Moreover, another army remained stationed in the rear, this one consisting entirely of orcs. Their strength ranged from the Mana Foundation Rank, all the way to the Mana Vortex Rank. Thankfully, there were no Mana Core-level orcs. But the army's sheer numbers was enough to scare any Amberfall Magus.

The orcs were ten thousand strong, and currently, they silently waited in the distance. Some sat on their mounts - wild magical beasts of the forests - while others remained standing on the ground, their grips tightened around their weapons.

In their eyes, there was clarity and purpose. Unlike the undead creatures, who solely relied on instinctual hunger and a hatred for anything that breathed. Both armies posed different sets of difficulties for the defenders.

The orcs were strong, and the undead... well, they were undead.

"Damnation!" Kasper cursed loudly, his teeth clenched in fury. "The orcs just had to choose this day!"

Orc raids weren't uncommon in these lands. There were several orc settlements in the Ignisra, and they constantly raided towns and villages to pillage supplies and resources. They never attacked cities, for they were smart enough to know when to draw a line.

Moreover, orcs always attacked in small groups. This did not hinder their mobility. In a land ruled by men, it was difficult for their kind to thrive openly. Resources were always scarce. So they always plundered small human settlements, then quickly retreated to their homes.

Their population was scarce - compared to the four major species - and their homes held geographical advantages for them. That's why King Maximilian, or any other king before him, for that matter, was unable to completely eradicate their species from the land.

The existence of orcs was just barely tolerated by others.

But now, seeing an army of ten thousand orcs gather right outside their walls, the Amberfall Magi wished they had slaughtered every last one of these green monsters in the past.

"Someone has managed to unify them!" A Magus said incredulously.

More importantly, them choosing to attack on this day clearly meant they were working with the Cult of Bones.

Walking gracefully at the edge of the stone railings, Valerian's topaz eyes narrowed as he gazed into the distance. He overlooked the black tide of rot and undeath rapidly approaching the wall, his gaze landing on the orc army instead. His vertical pupils constricted when he saw two figures that stood out starkly amid the green army. One of them was broad and tall, donned in black armor. and a helm. The other, although a feeble and short figure, was draped in a dark robe and sat on a giant wild boar.

Valerian hummed thoughtfully. Even from afar, the young dragon could feel the stench of death on those two was vastly denser than the rest of the undead horde. And the fact that those two stood amidst an army of powerful orcs spoke a different story.

One of them is the summoner, he thought.

And the other... is it like those knights Brother spoke about? Seems like it. It would appear that the summoner has come into a partnership with the orcs. Worse yet, he's enslaved them all.

Either way...

Valerian's topaz eyes narrowed. They can all die.

When the undead horde had appeared within range, Marlow's order thundered across the battlement. "Fire!"

A wave of arrows was fired from their bows. Some were regular arrows, while others were enchanted with different elemental magic.

Valerian raised his head and witnessed the scene of a thousand arrows coming down from the skies. It looked as if a thousand birds had taken flight. Some were flaming, while others radiated white chill. Some swirled with sharp wind, while others were dipped in poison.

One by one, the arrows found their mark, cutting through the front ranks. Some of the undead monsters dropped. In the next heartbeat, the undead behind them stepped over their corpses and continued surging ahead.

A moment later, the fallen monsters twitched, then forced themselves up again, joining the advance without pause. Another volley of arrows was fired from the walls.

Once again, undead creatures fell. And once again, they rose back up and continued their march. The ground shook under their numbers. What was dead could not die again. And under the cloak of undeath, these monsters arrived.

They reached the base of the walls in waves, piling against the stone, clawing, climbing over one another, driven by a single will. And more and more kept

coming.

But a closer look would reveal a thin membrane of invisible mana stretched just beyond the wall. It shimmered faintly when it caught the light of the setting sun. This was a silent layer of defence. It was part of the city's barrier.

And clawing and biting alone would never be enough to break through it.

Under Marlow's command, Magi took their positions at the edge of the battlement. One after another, fire spewed from their hands and fell down in a blazing cascade at the monster gathering at the base of the wall.

Fire was the enemy of death. And that was exactly the weapon Amberfall had chosen against the undead. House Fireborne were practitioners of fire magic, and that was what they excelled at.

But even then, the undead were not so easily put down.

Share