Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires-Chapter 320: Kingdombuilding

Zaroth was but a simple human. He had sustained some damage from his fight against Henry and his guards, but it wasn't enough to hinder him significantly.

"It will be wise to search for a healer once all this is over," he muttered as he massaged the black spots over his body.

In times like these, he realized how valuable and crucial healers truly were.

Exiting from the room where he had killed the Outlaws leader, he went to the auction room, intending to help Eldros if he needed assistance. However, what greeted him was a pleasant surprise—corpses laid on the ground, lifeless.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Eldros had taken them all out. A pale smile appeared on Zaroth's face.

"See, I didn't ask for too much, did I?"

Seeing that there were no enemies to be dealt with here he began to wander the streets of the city, wanting to help in the battle, but to his surprise, there were no fights, only corpses remained.

"Is it over? So soon?" he questioned.

Even if it was, he was easily able to imagine how fierce the battle had been. He had been in the frontlines before, but even then, he didn't become witness to this grand destruction. Wherever he gazed, corpses lay on the ground—some with missing limbs, torn-off arms and legs, some had their guts spilled out in the front.

Obviously, once the slaves captured the slave traders, they showed no mercy. They didn't give them a quick death—they had a deep grudge to settle.

Of course, he didn't miss that there were a lot of soldiers dead that appeared to have been killed with a single clean strike.

"It seems that there are other skilled fighters after all," he muttered.

All in all, it was a disturbing sight, and it even proved a bit too much for Zaroth. He didn't mind the dead bodies, but the disgusting stench was another matter entirely.

Eventually, he returned to the center of the city and saw that there was a large crowd gathered, looking at a single man at the center.

It was Eldros. Zaroth almost wasn't able to recognize him—his whole body was red, not by his own blood but that of his enemies. Even his white hair now appeared crimson.

His attire was in a dire state; it was basically gone, reduced to a simple rag that barely covered his private area and nothing more.

Noticing that the Judgmental Gaze was no longer hovering above Eldros' head, he assumed that he wasn't in danger and pushed past the gathered slaves, stopping before him.

Seeing the approach of his master, Eldros turned to face him.

A heavy silence descended upon the city, broken only by the crackling of the burning buildings.

The alive slaves that had been gathered were witnessing their savior—Eldros—the one that managed to turn the tide of battle, facing a man wearing white robes and a demonic mask.

Was there going to be a fight? Was this the leader of the city that their savior now had to face? The slaves wondered.

Due to their harsh lives, they were unaware that Zaroth had a bounty on his head. Matters like this never reached them.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Zaroth parted his lips.

"So, how does it feel? To be free and to have gotten your vengeance?" he asked, his voice calm and steady.

Truthfully, he wanted to say more to Eldros—acknowledge him for successfully managing to kill so many soldiers. Zaroth hadn't counted, but the number had to be in the thousands at least!

It was a clear demonstration of Eldros power and stamina. However, the more pressing matter was whether Eldros would follow Zaroth, or if he would continue to oppose him, still not fully convinced by his plan. Going against everything one had been taught their entire life wasn't easy, after all.

Eldros didn't reply immediately instead he gazed at the sky, gripping his two swords tightly in his hands.

"...It is nice," he finally admitted as his hair danced in the wind. "I am still not convinced about you or your plan… but the fact is a fact. The reason I am free is because of you."

Without hesitation, he buried down his two swords deep in the ground and dropped to one knee.

"As such, I want to express my utmost gratitude for what you have done for me—for freeing me and giving me a chance!" Eldros shouted, his voice booming across the whole plain.

At that moment, one of the shadows cast by the fire that still burned in the city moved, and out of it, a black panther appeared. Everybody present immediately recognized the creature. It was the being that had freed them and given them the weapons—how could they forget?

Nightshade, the panther, produced a graceful growl, seemingly satisfied with her performance and appearance. She stopped just a few feet before Zaroth and lowered her head in submission to her master.

The slaves eyes widened. They didn't know the full story, but the scene before them was undeniable. The man and the beast that had freed and saved them, were bowing to the person with a ghostly appearance.

It was only right they do the same. One by one they mimicked Eldros actions, dropping to one knee and putting their fists in the ground.

"We are grateful for freeing us!" Their shout echoed across the whole city, managing to silence the burning buildings for a few moments.

'This outcome was unexpected,' Zaroth thought. He didn't think the slaves would be so grateful for freeing them, but looking at it in hindsight, he should have somewhat expected it.

After all, as a person who wanted to kill the gods, he had a pretty good grasp of how religion worked, and he had witnessed firsthand many times how people would blindly follow somebody if they had faith in them.

Slowly, a smile spread across his face as a brilliant idea struck him. With a decisive motion, he raised his odachi high into the air.

"You are grateful? For what?! The empire that had forced you into your current state is still standing! Sooner or later they will come back trying to enslave you again!" he made his voice as commanding as possible.

"You want to be truly free? Then help me! Help me bring this empire to its knees! Let's make the bastards at the top grovel at our feet, begging for mercy! Let's show them what true pain feels like!"

Zaroth wasn't really the public speaker, but seeing the sparks that began to ignite in the slaves eyes, he assumed his speech had succeeded.

"BRING THEM TO THEIR KNEES!" They began to chant in unison, making Zaroth's smile transformed into a menacing grin.

'Ah… this is it! Now I know how I will deal as much damage to the empire as possible! If I manage to organize these people well and form a large outpost, they can act independently, attacking the inner parts of the empire, causing havoc! Not to mention, if I were to play my cards right, the outpost could slowly expand, seizing more and more territory!'

Having been hit by the revelation, he couldn't help but stare at the smothered sky as he laughed in pure bliss.

"In other words... this is Kingdombuilding!"