It took roughly an hour for Alex to reach the outskirts of the [Level 3 Demon City].
As expected, the city was massive, though it wasn’t quite on the same scale as [Angel City] or [Dragon City], it was still large enough to serve its purpose.
With stone towers reinforced by black iron and a crimson mist rising faintly above its battlements, the city carried the intimidating aura typical of anything demon-related.
Countless spiked flags bearing ancient runes fluttered above the walls, and thick, enchanted gates loomed at the front like the jaws of a beast waiting to devour intruders.
Unlike the Angels or Dragons, demons didn’t gather in just one place.
Their sheer numbers and volatile personalities made that too dangerous.
Instead, their race had spread across Universal Descent with multiple cities and bases, most of them acting like military fortresses.
The [Demon Empire] itself was likely where the higher-class demons, the nobles or commanders, resided.
But places like this city were likely built purely for war.
That’s what Alex assumed, and given the layout and dense population of soldiers, he knew he was right.
Still, none of that mattered.
His gaze was fixed, calm but cold.
He was here for one reason, and one reason only, to evolve his [Undead Lord] talent.
Fwish!
The wind howled as Alex descended from the sky, his wings folding in midair.
Thud!
The impact of his landing sent a shockwave rippling through the nearby dirt, cracking the earth and leaving a shallow crater beneath his feet.
But he emerged unscathed.
His Endurance stat was too high to be bothered by something as simple as gravity, and his wings had softened the fall enough to prevent any real damage.
Without hesitation, he began walking toward the main gate.
Much like [Angel City], the demon city had a perimeter surrounded by walls, all of which were lined with armed guards.
Hundreds of demons stood atop the battlements, some resting their hands lazily on their weapons, while others kept a sharp eye on the skies.
But Alex wasn’t here to talk.
This time, he didn’t want a diplomatic entrance.
He wasn’t here to ask or reason.
He was here to kill.
“Hey! Someone’s out there!” one of the demons barked, pointing toward Alex’s approaching figure.
“Doesn’t matter,” another growled, stepping forward and drawing a long crimson blade, “Orders are to kill anything unfamiliar. Wipe them out.”
“Tch… the tension’s been high ever since Dragon City was destroyed. And the angels are moving too.”
The words were laced with anxiety, though they tried to mask it under duty.
News spread fast, especially when it involved the strongest races being shaken up.
But Alex didn’t flinch.
His gaze remained firm as he raised a hand.
Shadows began to swirl around his palm, the ground itself trembling in response.
“Arise.”
A surge of dark energy exploded from his hand, sinking into the ground below.
And dozens of skeletal warriors began to rise.
Eventually, one hundred undead warriors stood in perfect formation, their empty eyes glowing faintly, most of them hollow, but one socket in each skull burned with an eerie green light.
Cracked armor clung to their skeletal forms, and each carried a rusted blade still soaked with old blood.
Despite their aged appearance, their auras radiated unnatural strength.
Alex extended a single hand toward the city.
“You know what to do,” he said calmly, “Kill everything.”
The skeletons nodded in perfect unison, then launched themselves forward.
Clack-clack-clack!
The sounds of bony feet slamming into the stone echoed as the undead charged.
“It’s an attack!”
“Everyone get ready!”
“There’s only a few of them, we can prove ourselves here!”
Demon soldiers scrambled to form defensive lines, convinced that they could push back the attack.
They’d seen undead before, mindless, weak things used as fodder.
But they hadn’t seen Alex’s undead.
They didn’t know about the effect that kicked in the moment they engaged.
Ding!
[Demon Hater Effect is active: Damage and Defense of your undead are doubled against demon-type enemies.]
Alex crossed his arms, remaining still as the undead smashed into the frontlines.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Your undead have slain a “Demon Soldier” and gained 150,000,000 experience points!]
[Your undead have slain a “Demon Soldier”…]
[Your undead…]
The messages continued without pause.
It wasn’t a battle. It was a slaughter.
The demons, despite being level 1000 to 1200 on average, couldn’t match the ferocity or speed of Alex’s elite undead warriors.
Every swing of their blades carved through flesh and armor alike.
The walls that had once seemed impenetrable were now bathed in blood, and the ground was littered with severed limbs.
Within five minutes, five hundred demon guards had been wiped out.
The walls that once stood strong were now covered in the remains of those who once protected them.
And the gates? Crushed open under the pressure of the relentless undead.
The city was breached.
From the moment the undead stepped through, chaos took over.
Demons screamed. Buildings caught fire. The streets turned into war zones.
Some demons charged forward, desperate to protect their territory.
Others, realizing they were completely outmatched, ran to spread word.
But it was already too late.
Even a scratch from one of the undead was fatal.
Their enhanced strength and doubled damage had turned them into perfect demon slayers.
Alex finally stepped through the gates as well, walking calmly into the burning city.
The sky above was dyed a reddish hue from the flames.
Panic filled the air, mixing with the scent of charred flesh and ash.
Buildings crumbled as the fight intensified, but Alex didn’t need to lift a finger.
The undead handled everything.
One hour passed. Sixty minutes of uninterrupted slaughter.
Any demon who tried to flee was hunted down.
The undead were faster, stronger, and more ruthless.
Not a single one of them had fallen.
Alex hadn’t needed to summon a single extra minion.
And the experience points kept pouring in, ignored by him as if they were nothing more than background noise.
Eventually, the city’s strongest emerged.
A tall, horned demon with flaming crimson tattoos stepped forward from a massive hall near the city’s center, fury burning in his eyes.
“You fools… YOU WILL ALL DIE.”
His voice boomed across the square.
It was clear he was trying to trigger a transformation, probably to unleash his full strength.
But the undead didn’t care.
They weren’t alive. They didn’t feel pride, fear, or a sense of honor.
They weren’t interested in giving their enemy time to power up.
Before the demon chief could finish his sentence, two undead warriors leapt from the rooftops, slashing in perfect synch.
Slice!
His head flew through the air, and his body crumpled to the ground.
Ding!
[Your undead have slain “Level 3 Demon City Chief” and gained 250,000,000 experience points!]
And with that, it was over.
The city was finished.
The remaining demons were slaughtered like the rest, and Alex’s undead ensured no one escaped.
Ruthless and emotionless, they cut down every remaining soldier, scout, and civilian in their path.
To some, it might seem evil, barbaric even.
But Alex didn’t care.
He remembered the destruction the demons had caused.
Their cruelty, their disregard for life, the chaos they thrived on.
To him, this wasn’t vengeance. It was justice.
The only kind that truly worked in this world.
He approached the headless corpse of the city’s former chief, knelt beside it, and pressed his palm against the chest.
“Extraction.”
A blue light pulsed from his hand, and a wave of energy surged into him.
[Your Extraction Talent has reacted to your feelings and objectives, and it has granted you what you need.]
Another unexpected reward.
Ding!
[You have obtained a Fragment of Memory: “Demon Empire Location”!]
Alex smirked.
“Nice,” he muttered to himself.
It was the second time something like this had happened.
The first was back when he had extracted a memory fragment from Dominic, one of the Guardians of Hatred.
He still didn’t know why or how it worked exactly, but he wasn’t complaining.
Still, that wasn’t the only reason he had come here.
There was something else. Something far more important.
Ding!
[A-Level Advancement Task: Defeat 50,000 monsters with your undead.] (50,000 / 50,000)
Alex stared at the notification.
And then it came.
Ding!
[Your Undead Lord talent has evolved to A-Rank!]