The Undead Emperor.

(If you are wondering why it took a while it's because I decided to rewrite most of the chap plus it is 3k words.

Merry christmas)

(3rd pov)

One of the worlds the phantoms were using as a base, containing several phantoms strong enough to be considered true demon lords. They were part of the few that had been able to obtain a will of their own. And they were now the rulers of this world. Managing its armies until the day Feldway called them forth.

"Why do we have to listen to Feldway? He wants to destroy everything. With our strength, we might be able to convince him to let us break off and rule this world as our own." Zuru, a phantom that was currently in the possession of a tall black-haired man said.

"Don't be an idiot Zuru, Feldway has obtained the servitude of Velgrynd. We will not stand a chance against her. If we push him right now we might just end up like her. I don't want to go back to being someone who can only follow orders. I struggled enough to awaken my own will to go back." Zerim, another one in the room who looked like an early teens boy said.

"It hurts me to see the way Feldway is acting. I can still remember all of the time I have to spend fighting by his side. But I know he is still good on the inside, I am sure once the Cardinal world is destroyed he will come back to his senses. He is just grieving in his own way." Zain, an older-looking woman said.

"But what if he doesn't? What if Veldanava never returns?" Zimael, the last of the ruling phantoms said.

10 years had passed in the world they were currently in. And during those 10 years, they had plenty of time to grow in strength and think about their situation. They were struggling with the fact that they were loyal to Feldway but they also disagreed with his actions.

Ever since they had gained a will of their own they had truly felt alive. It was thanks to Feldway they were "alive" now, so they had a huge debt to him. If possible they wanted him to return to how he used to be. But they knew it was too late now.

Discussing whether to continue following Feldway's orders they were forced to make a choice on their loyalty when they heard the unfamiliar voice inside the room.

"It is truly a shame to see all of you, you have lost your faith in the one you follow. But I cannot blame you for your actions. As someone who has had his faith challenged in the past I come to you with a gift of choice.."

From the shadows, revealing himself was a skeleton who was wearing priest-like clothing with some slime emblems on it. Additions he had sown himself onto his robe to prove to his god his devotion. On his hand was a pitch-black blue with silvery blue highlights book.

Surprised by the sudden intruder, Zuru acted. He launched a magical missile-like attack at the intruder. However, the moment his magic was near the skeleton, the book on his hand sprung to life as it opened to a specific page. After glowing with a silver light the magic attack that was about to hit vanished.

"I will give you the courtesy of ignoring that." Adalman, the death emperor skeleton, said with what appeared to be a gentle tone.

The phantoms in the room took a defensive stance and one spoke.

"Who are you? And how did you get in here?"

They took a moment to analyze the skeleton before releasing some of the tension they had in their bodies. For someone who was able to sneak in without them noticing he only appeared to have the strength to take one of them at a time. He must have used some sort of magic or skills to teleport inside and spy on them. For now, their plan was to capture him and interrogate him.

"My name is Adalman, and I am here to deliver a message. As the representatives of this world, it is up to all of you to make this decision. My god has decided to give you all a chance.

My message is this:

Feldway has gone mad. As I am sure you all already know, he is planning to destroy every world.

As a former angel and phantom, you are someone who never had much control of your actions. But now that you have awakened a will of your own you are responsible for what you chose to do.

I am giving you a chance to do what is right for not only the phantoms who follow your orders but for the world you are currently living in.

Surrender, if you decide to fight we will show you no mercy.

Feldway will fall tonight.

You have one chance to make the right choice."

Adalman spoke his words with kindness and delight. However, that delight did not carry on to the ones who were listening to the message.

While they were previously discussing what to do with Feldway they now had to make a choice. The one who was delivering the message was around the same level of strength as them. But that did not give a clear indication for the strength of the "god" he was referring to. But surely those claims were outrageous. They knew of the strength Feldway possessed. Not only did he have the primordial angels on his side but also a true dragon.

So looking at each other they came to a silent agreement.

Jumping into action, Zerim coated his hands in a strange energy before launching himself towards the skeleton. He had served Feldway for a long time and was hoping what Zain said was true. He hoped that he was just grieving and would return to normal once everything was done.

But the moment he got in melee range of Adalman he felt a lot of danger and put up a last-minute defense before getting launched backwards.

After crashing against the wall he realized the amount of pain his arms were in. Looking down he saw his mangled arms healing at a rapid pace. And looking ahead he noticed two new presences. A blonde, pale-skinned man wielding a sword standing in front of the skeleton, and a pale woman wearing a black dress.

Adalman took a moment to analyze the expressions of the other phantoms before nodding wisely. He noticed that they were getting ready to attack, yet they were remaining cautious after seeing one of their own be pushed back.

"I see, so you all have chosen death. Truly a shame, but you have made your choice. I can at least give you the peace of mind that those of you who have yet to awaken a will won't be lost in death. My god is not so heartless as to kill those who don't know what it truly is to live. However, they will need to be contained temporarily."

In his heart, Adalman activated one of the skills he was given by his lord. Beleth, Lord of the Undead Armies.

This was the same skill he had used to call forward Wenti and his knight Albert. A skill he was now using to summon the legions of undead he had raised back in Jistav. Bringing them to every corner of this world to contain the weaker phantoms. It was also through this skill that his undead will never truly be destroyed as long as he lived. Coming back to "life" even if their bodies were completely destroyed, making them a true undying army.

The quiet streets on the outside were suddenly flooded with loud sounds. All sorts of battle cries from the different types of monsters as they contained the army of phantoms.

The book in his hands began to flip its pages once again. This was the second gift his lord had given him. The Ultimate Gift, the book of magic Necronomicon. A book that contained all of the magic knowledge of Rimuru and Ciel.

"Wenti, this battlefield doesn't suit you, how about we move to a better location." Adalman said to the pale girl next to him who silently nodded her head.

The book on his hand opened to another page before all of the ones inside the room got teleported to a big open field. A field that was covered in a barrier that would prevent them from escaping.

Zerim, who by now had his arms back to normal got into a fighting stance while looking at the knight who had blocked his attack. The other phantoms followed his example and focused on who would be their next opponent.

All except one.

…

"Since you have your weapon I should probably take mine out." Zerim said to Albert.

From his hands, the dark energy around him condensed to form a spear.

"You know, it still isn't too late to change your mind." Albert answered while speaking in a monotone voice. His sword at the ready.

"It is."

Now that he had enough time to properly prepare for battle he had coated his entire body on his aura. Allowing him to move at extremely high speeds. He threw the spear he had just created before vanishing.

He appeared behind the swordsman with another spear that he had just created. Ready to stab his back while he was busy blocking his first shot. However, he was met with an unexpected sight.

With one swift motion, Albert parried the spear that had been thrown before turning his body and slashing behind him.

Being forced on the defensive Zerim changed his attack into a parry that gave him enough room to gain some distance.

Now that he had some room he began to thrust his spear. While sneakily moving the first spear he had shot with his other hand.

Albert continually parried and dodged the attacks as he began to close the distance. And once he was close enough to strike he stoped before tiling his body out of the way. The first spear he had blocked had come flying back to attack him.

After missing its target the spear flew behind Zerim before it began to spin.

"It's useless, I can feel your magicules. I am stronger than you. I won't let you get close to me. And I have a bigger reach. So how about you give up and make this easy for me."

But Albert didn't answer.

Four more spears were created behind him as they began to spin before launching.

Albert nodded with determination before jumping ahead and continuing his attack. It was true, he was weaker in strength than his opponent. But he knew he was more skilled with the sword. And he also had another advantage.

Albert used the minimal amount of movement he needed to reach Zerim, trying to get to him as fast as possible. And once he was close enough he readied his sword.

Zerim thrust his spear to make him retreat but he wasn't expecting Albert to jump directly to the attack, impaling himself but closing the distance enough to swing his sword.

'This psychopath!." Zerim thought before trying to jump back but he wasn't fast enough to avoid getting cut.

Stumbling back without his arms Zerim commanded the other spears as they turned around and stabbed the knight destroying any vital piece of his body. And even decapitating him. FAlling on the ground he was breathing heavily.

There was something wrong with that sword. His wounds were not healing properly, in fact, they were beginning to decay. And while he had experienced a lot of pain in the past, none of it could compare to what he felt now.

But he felt his stomach drop when he looked up and saw him. Standing as if he hadn't just been killed with his sword coming down on his head.

After all, as long as Adalman was on the field. Albert was undying.

…

*Rooaaaarrrr*

Zain had punched with all of her might only to strike what felt like an immovable wall in the shape of a dragon skull.

Appearances can be deceiving, after all, the pale-skinned girl used to be a bone dragon. And her fighting style demonstrated it.

Wielding a gigantic scythe she would swing her weapon wildly. It was clear that this was not her main weapon. And Zain had almost lost her life in learning that lesson.

At the beginning of the fight, she had seen the messy fighting style and jumped to counter her opponent. Even grabbing the scythe with her hands and almost taking it from her opponent. But the moment she was about to steal it away she was greeted with a gigantic dragon skull that had appeared out of nowhere.

She had almost been bitten by it and had only avoided it by stopping its mouth with the scythe still on her hand and jumping back.

The quiet and pale girl, Wenti, who had not shown any emotions since the fight had started suddenly frowned.

"This is mine, it was a gift. You can't take it."

From that moment Zain had been dodging for her life without any chance to strike back.

Gigantic bone ribcages would emerge from the ground trying to stab her as Wenti swung her scythe.

Wings made out of bone would emerge from Wenti's back and attack her while she was busy blocking a different attack.

If it wasn't for her agility Zain would have probably died by now. She was the weakest of the phantom leaders in this world in terms of strength. And while she had the appearance of an old woman she was actually quite dextrous.

Her senses were currently on overdrive. It was only after noticing a pattern that she was able to finally strike.

Using several quick blows she was able to disarm the girl and take the scythe for herself before throwing it as far as she could. If she could get rid of that and focus only on the bone attacks she would be able to continue hitting more.

But she had not realized how bad of an idea it was to take away this girl's favorite item.

Zain suddenly froze as she felt herself get struck by a wave of fear. Wenti was realizing a death aura like no other. And before she knew it, the young girl changed her appearance.

Bone began emerging from her body until she looked like a combination of a bone dragon and a girl.

She dropped down to all fours before moving at a faster speed than ever as she began to slash non-stop with her claws. Unable to block or dodge Zain as continuously stuck without being able to resist.

…

"Oh? Are you going to surrender? A wise choice." Adalman asked the one who had not prepared for battle.

"Feldway has gone too far. If you truly think your god can stop him then it is worth giving it a chance."

"Zimael! What are you talking about!" Zuru turned towards his friend with an angry expression. Yet still keeping his guard up.

"You said it yourself, you wanted to fight Feldway. This is our chance. By ourselves, we aren't strong enough."

"I can't accept this. They want to kill Feldway!"

"Didn't you want that too?"

"No! I just wanted to convince him to let us rule this planet and not make us destroy it! Even if we had to use force. We can't kill him, have you forgotten all that he did for us?"

"I haven't, but he crossed the line. He is destroying what Veldanava worked so hard for. We might no longer be angels. But we still serve Veldanava first and Feldway second."

"Damn it Zimael. We'll talk about this later. I'll deal with this skeleton first."

Finally, Zuru turned to face Adalman.

"You are a magic-user aren't you? Let me show you what true magic looks like."

Zuru attempted to cast a spell but it all fizzled out in his hands.

"I apologize, but my god holds all knowledge over magic. And as his disciple, he has shared with me his knowledge. Your magic is useless here."

Zuru tried to do something but he was teleported in between Adalman and Zimael. He was trapped inside a strong barrier that he had no clue how to decode.

"You have thrown away your chance. May you rest in peace."

Trapped inside the barrier, and unable to move he looked up. Only to see tens of magic circles stacked one on top of the other aiming right at him. With magic he was very familiar with.

"Disintegration."

Those were the last words that left his mouth before the holy magic enveloped him turning him into a pile of dust.

Adalman had chosen who would be teleported where carefully. Giving the best opponent to his subordinates.

And since he noticed that this one would be using magic he took this one for himself.

With Necronomicon in his hand, he was capable of doing magic like no other. And with his expertise in holy magic, using disintegration was as easy as walking for him.

With his enemy defeated he walked towards the one that surrendered. And he was soon joined by a Wenti covered in blood and Albert with some holes in his armor.

With this, he had fulfilled his mission.