The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The Undead Army

The western territory had already descended into chaos.

What had once been a quiet stretch of farmland and small villages was now covered in smoke, broken wagons, scattered weapons, and the remains of the kingdom’s defensive forces.

The undead army continued advancing across the field.

Hundreds of undead soldiers moved without hesitation, their bodies covered in old armor and their weapons still clutched tightly in their hands. Some had once been soldiers of the kingdom. Others were creatures that had been buried for centuries, their bones and rotten bodies now moving under the influence of the same dark power.

At the front of the battlefield, the kingdom’s knights were desperately holding their formation.

"Hold the line!"

The voice of the knight captain rang across the battlefield.

"Do not let them reach the villages!"

The knights tightened their formation.

Several mages stood behind them, continuously firing spells toward the advancing undead.

"Fire!"

A series of flames erupted across the battlefield.

BOOM!

The front ranks of the undead were swallowed by the explosion, their bodies thrown apart.

But moments later, some of them began crawling back to their feet.

One of the younger knights stared in disbelief.

"They’re getting back up!"

The captain immediately shouted.

"Don’t lose focus! Destroy the bodies completely!"

"Yes, Captain!"

The knights charged forward.

Steel collided with bone.

CLANG!

A knight’s sword cut through an undead soldier’s arm.

Another knight immediately followed, crushing its skull with his shield.

"Next!"

Three undead soldiers rushed toward them.

The knights raised their weapons.

"Formation!"

The front row lowered their shields.

The undead crashed into them.

BOOM!

Several knights were forced backward.

"Push them back!"

The formation slowly advanced.

For a moment, it seemed as though the knights were gaining control.

Then the ground beneath them began to tremble.

The captain’s expression changed.

"What was that?"

A deep roar echoed from somewhere beyond the battlefield.

The knights froze.

Several undead suddenly stopped moving.

Then the ground behind them cracked.

CRACK.

Something enormous emerged from beneath the earth.

The captain immediately raised his sword.

"Everyone, stay alert!"

The soldiers looked toward the distant darkness.

But nothing appeared.

Only the undead continued moving.

The captain frowned.

"Don’t let yourselves be distracted. Whatever happened, we deal with it after the undead are contained."

"Yes, Captain!"

The battle continued.

The knights fought desperately while the mages exhausted themselves trying to slow the endless advance.

Behind the battlefield, several figures watched from a distant hill.

They were dressed entirely in black.

None of them moved.

One of them was a young woman with long dark-violet hair.

Her eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.

Beside her stood another woman with short dark-red hair, calmly observing the movements of the knights.

Five more figures stood farther behind them.

Their faces were partially concealed beneath their hoods.

Zyra finally spoke.

"Should we step in?"

Andrea shook her head.

"No."

Her gaze remained on the battlefield.

"Lady Aurora ordered us not to interfere unless the situation becomes necessary."

Zyra looked toward the knights.

"They’re struggling."

Andrea’s expression remained calm.

"But they’re still holding their formation."

Andrea remained silent for a moment.

"What about the others?"

She looked toward the surrounding hills.

Zyra nodded.

"They’re already in position."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

Zyra pointed toward several distant locations.

"Lady Bianca is watching the northern route. Lady Aoda and Lady Valentine are positioned closer to the eastern side, while the four Reapers have surrounded the battlefield from the remaining directions."

Andrea looked toward the distant shadows.

"So we’re ready."

"We’ve been ready since before the knights arrived."

Andrea looked back toward the battlefield.

"Lady Aurora simply wants us to observe for now."

Zyra nodded.

"Understood."

Another explosion shook the battlefield.

BOOM!

The knights were forced backward.

The captain immediately shouted.

"Second formation!"

The soldiers moved.

"Archers!"

A group of archers stepped forward.

"Loose!"

Dozens of arrows flew through the air.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

Several undead fell.

The mages immediately followed.

"Fire!"

A massive wave of magic swept across the battlefield.

The undead army was swallowed by the attack.

For a brief moment, the field became silent.

The knights looked ahead.

Smoke covered the battlefield.

One soldier lowered his sword.

"Did we...?"

The captain raised his hand.

"Don’t relax."

The smoke slowly cleared.

The undead were still moving.

The captain’s expression hardened.

"Prepare yourselves."

The knights tightened their grips.

The undead army began advancing again.

Zyra watched silently from the hill.

"They really won’t stop."

Andrea nodded.

"They don’t feel exhaustion, fear, or pain."

She paused.

"That’s why the kingdom’s forces are at a disadvantage."

Zyra looked toward her.

"How long do you think they can continue?"

"Not much longer."

Andrea’s answer was immediate.

"Their formation is already weakening."

Another knight fell.

Then another.

The captain immediately moved forward.

"Protect the wounded!"

A group of knights rushed toward their fallen comrades.

"Don’t let them surround us!"

The captain raised his sword.

"Everyone, hold the line!"

His voice echoed across the battlefield.

The knights responded.

"For the kingdom!"

"For the kingdom!"

They charged again.

Back inside the royal palace, the atmosphere around the D’Averon table remained peaceful for the moment.

Ares had barely returned to his seat when his mother looked toward him again.

"Still, I didn’t expect you to be acquainted with Lady Aurora."

Ares glanced at her.

His mother smiled.

"How did the two of you become friends?"

Ares paused for a moment.

"Well..."

He glanced toward Aurora, who was still speaking with several nobles nearby.

"It’s a long story."

His father raised an eyebrow.

"A long story?"

"Yes."

Ares took another sip of his drink.

"I’ll explain it properly another time."

His mother studied him for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Very well. I’ll remember that."

His sister smiled.

"I am curious as well. Lady Aurora seems quite different from what I expected."

His older brother nodded.

"She carries herself with considerable confidence for someone her age."

Their father glanced toward Aurora.

"Her position would explain that. Managing an organization as influential as Starlight requires a certain level of composure."

Ares listened quietly.

Then the doors at the far end of the hall suddenly opened.

The music continued for only a few more seconds before the musicians noticed the disturbance and gradually stopped playing.

A knight entered the hall.

Unlike the guests surrounding him, he was covered in battlefield dust. His armor was scratched, one side of his cloak was torn, and his breathing was noticeably heavier than it should have been.

The conversations throughout the hall began fading one after another.

The knight hurried toward the royal platform and dropped to one knee.

"Your Majesty."

The king’s expression immediately became serious.

"Report."

The knight lowered his head.

"I bring an urgent report from the western territory."

The king’s eyes narrowed.

"Proceed."

The knight took a breath.

"An undead army has emerged across the western plains."

A murmur immediately spread through the hall.

"An undead army?"

"How many?"

The knight hesitated.

"Your Majesty..."

His expression became grim.

"Our first estimate was several hundred."

He paused.

"We were wrong."

The hall became quieter.

"How many?"

"At least several thousand."

The words caused the atmosphere to change instantly.

Several nobles exchanged uneasy looks.

A few younger nobles visibly paled.

The king remained still.

"Several thousand undead?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The knight continued.

"They appeared across multiple locations almost simultaneously. The western knights engaged them shortly after their emergence, but the army is far larger than anything the region’s forces were prepared to handle."

A military official immediately stood.

"How many knights are currently engaged?"

"Nearly every available force in the western territory has been mobilized."

"And they’re still holding?"

"For the moment."

The knight’s voice became heavier.

"But they are being overwhelmed."

Another murmur spread through the hall.

The king’s expression hardened.

"Are the undead ordinary?"

"No, Your Majesty."

The knight shook his head.

"Some appear to be former soldiers, but others are creatures that should have remained buried for centuries. Their strength varies considerably, and several of the larger undead have demonstrated abilities beyond what our knights have encountered in ordinary undead outbreaks."

A nobleman swallowed.

"Then what caused this?"

"We don’t know."

The knight hesitated.

"But our mages detected an enormous concentration of dark mana shortly before the army appeared."

The hall fell silent.

One of the older nobles slowly stood.

"An enormous concentration?"

"Yes."

"How enormous?"

The knight looked toward him.

"Large enough that the mages who detected it initially believed they were witnessing the awakening of a high-ranking undead entity."

Several people immediately began whispering.

"High-ranking undead..."

"Could it be a lich?"

"That’s impossible."

"Unless..."

The whispers became louder.

The king raised his hand.

"Silence."

The hall quieted again.

The king looked toward the knight.

"What is the condition of the western forces?"

The knight lowered his head.

"They have requested immediate reinforcements."

"How urgent?"

The knight’s expression became grim.

"Extremely urgent, Your Majesty."

He swallowed.

"Their defensive line has already been broken in several places."

A noblewoman near the center of the hall stood abruptly.

"Broken?"

"Yes."

"Then what is protecting the civilians?"

"The western knights are attempting to evacuate them, but several villages have already been abandoned."

Another knight entered the hall before the first could continue.

He was in even worse condition.

His armor was stained with blood, and one of his shoulders was wrapped in a makeshift bandage.

He immediately knelt.

"Your Majesty."

The king turned toward him.

"Another report?"

"Yes."

The knight’s voice trembled slightly.

"The situation has deteriorated further."

The hall became completely silent.

"Speak."

"The undead have begun advancing beyond the original battlefield."

A pause.

"They are moving toward the western settlements."

Several nobles stood at once.

"What?"

"How close are they?"

"How many?"

The knight looked toward the king.

"We can no longer estimate their exact number."

The room erupted into frightened whispers.

The knight continued.

"Our scouts report undead formations extending across several miles. More continue emerging from the surrounding territory."

Someone near the back of the hall whispered,

"Several miles..."

Another nobleman’s face had gone pale.

"If that’s true, then this isn’t an outbreak."

The older military official looked toward the king.

"Your Majesty."

His voice was unusually serious.

"This should be classified as a calamity."

The word seemed to drain the remaining calm from the room.

Calamity.

Everyone understood what that meant.

This was no longer an isolated incident that could be handled by a single knight order.

It was a large-scale disaster capable of threatening an entire region.

The king slowly rose from his seat.

"How many casualties?"

The knight lowered his head.

"We don’t have a confirmed number yet."

His voice became quieter.

"But the western forces have suffered heavy losses."

A nobleman slammed his hand against the table.

"Then send the royal knights immediately!"

"We already have reinforcements on the way."

"That won’t be enough!"

Another nobleman stood.

"If thousands of undead are advancing across several miles, ordinary knights won’t be able to contain them!"

Panic began spreading through the hall.

Several nobles were demanding that their territories be evacuated.

Others were asking about their families.

Some were already discussing whether they should leave the capital.

The king’s voice cut through the noise.

"Enough!"

The entire hall fell silent.

The king looked across the gathered nobles.

"Do not allow fear to dictate your actions."

His voice remained firm.

"The kingdom has faced disasters before."

But even as he spoke, the concern in his expression was impossible to hide.

He turned toward the military officials.

"Mobilize the royal knights."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Send orders to every knight order within reach of the western territory."

"Understood."

"Prepare the royal mages as well."

The officials immediately began moving.

Then the king looked toward the messenger.

"One more question."

The knight raised his head.

"You said the mages detected an enormous concentration of dark mana before the undead appeared."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do they believe something is controlling the army?"

The knight hesitated.

"We cannot confirm it."

He lowered his voice.

"But the magical fluctuations suggest that a powerful entity may be behind the incident."

That answer caused another wave of unease.

A powerful entity.

Not merely an undead army.

Something capable of raising thousands of undead at once.

Something whose presence alone had been enough to make the kingdom’s mages detect a massive disturbance.

The king’s expression became grim.

"Then we must assume that possibility until proven otherwise."

At the D’Averon table, Ares remained silent.

His father slowly placed his glass down.

"This is far more serious than I expected."

His mother looked toward the messengers.

"Thousands of undead appearing simultaneously... What could possibly cause something like that?"

His sister’s expression had lost its earlier curiosity.

"Father, will the western knights be able to stop them?"

His father didn’t answer immediately.

"We’ll have to trust the kingdom’s forces."

Another messenger hurried into the hall.

The king turned toward him.

"Report."

The knight immediately knelt.

"Your Majesty."

He took a breath.

"The western command has sent an emergency request."

"How serious?"

The knight’s expression was pale.

"They are requesting the immediate deployment of every available high-ranking force."

The room went silent again.

"Why?"

The knight lowered his head.

"The western commander believes the current forces may not survive the night."

Several nobles immediately reacted.

A few gasped.

Others began whispering in panic.

The king’s expression hardened.

"Then this is no longer a matter of containing an undead outbreak."

He looked toward the military officials.

"This is a regional calamity."

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