CHAPTER 132: CH 132 CONQUEST - 5

Klaus sat back on his throne of bones and crystals. His silver eyes studied Lyssandra, who still knelt before him with her head lowered. Her body trembled a little, but she stood firm as she waited for his next words.

"You now carry the name I gave you," Klaus said slowly, his voice calm and steady.

"Lyssandra. With this name, your old life is gone. You are free, but your freedom also carries responsibility."

Lyssandra nodded quickly. "Yes, my lord."

"I will tell you my vision," Klaus continued. His gaze turned cold, and the hall seemed to grow heavier.

"I am building a force that will not be like armies of men. I do not need banners, or drums, or endless numbers of soldiers who die without meaning. I want a force that is invisible but unstoppable. That force will be called the Zero Division."

Lyssandra raised her head slightly, curiosity flashing in her golden eyes.

"Zero means nothing," Klaus explained.

"It means that to the outside world, you do not exist.

But in truth, you will strike where our enemies don’t even dream about. You will fight from the shadows.

You will end my enemies before they even know that you were there. You will be my unseen hand, my blade that cuts through kingdoms and empires without warning. Do you understand?"

Her lips parted. She swallowed before answering.

"Yes, my lord. I... I will serve as your blade."

"Good," Klaus said. "And because you are the first, you will lead those who come after you. As their senior, you will have to lead by setting up the example. That is why your strength must rise quickly."

Klaus raised his hand, and two scrolls appeared in the air, glowing with faint light. They drifted down and hovered in front of Lyssandra.

"These are not ordinary skills," Klaus said.

"The first one is an illusion cultivation skill. With it, you will be able to trick your enemies, confuse them, and hide yourself even in plain sight. It will give you a major grasp over the concept of illusions.

You must know that your bloodline has a natural affinity for illusion, so it is the most optimum path for you.

The second is a mana cultivation technique that will raise your realm quickly. Both of them are transcendent-level, which is above the mortal realm.

I am giving these to you with high hopes; I want you to work hard."

Lyssandra’s eyes widened in shock. Her hands shook as she took the scrolls carefully. She had never even heard of transcendent-level skills being given to a single person, let alone to a former slave like her.

"M-My lord," she whispered, "these are too valuable. I _..."

"Silence," Klaus said sharply. His silver eyes glinted. "I decide what is valuable and what is not. You need these to walk the path I have set for you. Use them well instead of whining about small stuff."

Lyssandra clutched the scrolls tightly against her chest. "I understand. I will not waste them."

Klaus rose from his throne. His steps echoed across the black marble floor. He gestured for her to follow him, and she obeyed immediately.

He led her through the massive hall until they reached a tall doorway made of obsidian. The runes on the surface pulsed faintly with purple light. When Klaus touched the door, it opened slowly, revealing another chamber inside.

The room was round, with smooth black stone walls. A faint humming sound filled the air.

At the center stood a large platform carved with glowing patterns. The energy in the room was thick and heavy, almost vibrating against the skin.

"This is a cultivation chamber," Klaus said. "Inside this room, your cultivation speed will increase by two times. That means you can reach higher levels faster than in the outside world."

He had drawn this chamber from the draw as well; one could say that he had spent his DP quite exorbitantly.

Lyssandra stepped inside, her heart racing. She could already feel the strange energy pressing on her body.

Klaus turned toward her. "Your physique has already been boosted by death energy. That means your foundation is strong.

You will be able to start cultivating immediately without fear of collapse. Use the cultivation techniques I gave you. Start here, and train until you can stand as a true warrior."

"Yes, my lord," she said quickly.

Klaus waved his hand again, and a small glass bottle appeared. It was filled with pills of different colors, each glowing faintly. He handed the bottle to her.

"These are cultivation pills," he explained. "Some will strengthen your body, some will increase your mana, and some will repair your spirit when it weakens. Take them as you need them. They will help you grow faster."

Lyssandra took the bottle with both hands, bowing her head. "I will treasure them."

Klaus’s expression hardened. "Do not treasure them. Use them. That is their purpose. Train and get stronger. I want you to become a transcendent soon. Do not disappoint me; you will get these pills every day, so digest these daily and don’t try to save up."

Her eyes filled with determination. She clenched the bottle tightly and nodded. "I will not disappoint you, my lord. I swear it."

"Good," Klaus said. He turned his back and began walking out of the chamber.

"This realm is my personal domain. You will live here from now on. Since you are now connected to me through death energy, you can access this space. Get familiar with it since this is your home now; there will be other people here soon.

If you require sparring partners, there are about 36000 monsters present outside this place.

Lyssandra bowed deeply. "Yes, my lord!" although her mind buzzed with what she heard.

With that, Klaus stepped out of the cultivation chamber. The doors closed behind him with a deep rumble, leaving Lyssandra alone inside.

Klaus returned to the main hall of the sanctuary. With a thought, his body disappeared, and he reappeared in the mortal world. The air outside felt heavy and damp, different from his personal realm.

Necrolord was waiting for him outside his room. His scythe rested on the ground beside him, and his hollow sockets glowed faintly.

"Report," Klaus ordered.

Necrolord bowed his head. "The first candidate, the fox-kin girl, has already been accepted. She has been named Lyssandra by you, my lord. She is inside the sanctuary, beginning her training."

Klaus said. "What about the next candidates?"

Necrolord tilted his head slightly. "There are five more we have selected. Two are adventurers who were betrayed by their own kind. One is a fallen knight who has lost everything. Another is a young mage who was hunted by his master for a treasure he came across by chance.

The last one is a commoner girl similar to Lysandra, as she was also sold into slavery; the only differences that her parents had been burnt alive in front of her, so she is quite unstable and would do anything for revenge.

All of them carry pain and hatred strong enough to burn. They will fit the vision of the Zero Division."

Klaus’s lips curved into a faint smile.

"Zero Division. The meaning is important. They will not exist in the eyes of the world. They will be nothing.

But that nothing will crush everything in its path. They will be the ones who erase kingdoms before the spies even know we moved.

They will destroy before the enemy even hears of them. That is their purpose."

"Yes, my lord," Necrolord said, his hollow voice calm.

Klaus raised his hand, and a map appeared in the air. It was a large map of the continent, showing all the kingdoms and empires. His silver eyes studied it carefully.

His finger rested on a small kingdom neighboring the one they had just conquered. He tapped it slowly.

"Prepare to expand from here," Klaus ordered. "Take the next two kingdoms without a break. Do it with momentum. Move faster than the reports can travel. Outmatch the speed of the spies. By the time they hear of our attack, the kingdoms should already be in ruins."

"To make it speedy, take my legion on this attack along with the new army. Let my legion fight and collect new corpses. Use the other Riverdale men to take control of the city to prepare logistics and stuff other than fighting."

Necrolord’s sockets glowed brighter. "As you command, my lord. The forces will be mobilized immediately."

"Do not fail me," Klaus said.

"I will not," Necrolord replied.

Klaus dismissed the map with a flick of his hand. His silver eyes glowed faintly as he looked toward the horizon.

"Our enemies think they have time to prepare. They are wrong. I will make them understand that even time doesn’t stop me from doing what I want."

The wind carried his words across the land, even as his army prepared to march again.

Inside the cultivation chamber, Lyssandra sat on the glowing platform. The scrolls hovered in front of her. Her hands trembled as she unrolled the first one.

The words glowed faintly, and knowledge poured directly into her mind. She gasped as the illusion cultivation technique imprinted itself into her memory. She could already feel her senses changing, her awareness of the air and the shadows around her sharpening.

She moved to the second scroll. As she opened it, waves of mana rushed into her body. The new cultivation technique carved itself into her soul, rewriting her foundation. Her breathing quickened, but she held firm, clenching her teeth as the energy reshaped her.

Her body began to tremble as the cultivation room filled with light. The runes on the walls pulsed faster, doubling the effect of the technique.

Lyssandra closed her eyes. For the first time in her life, she was not running. She was rising.

And outside, Klaus’s plans for the Zero Division had only just begun.