NOVPUBThe Holy Land Lua was an ancient city, possibly the first human settlement ever built, with its origins shrouded in the mists of time.
Every record referred to it as “the origin” or “descended from antiquity,” and even the oldest gods could not trace its true beginnings. In essence, Lua had been draining humanity of its sustenance for countless eons. Before the Immortal Order was established, and long before the Outer Boundary encroached, the city was a barren wasteland. It was worshiped merely out of historical inertia, having long stood as a relic of humanity’s deep past.
As a city, fortress, or agricultural hub, Lua held no strategic or practical value. Its sole purpose was to serve as a place of divine worship.
Yet this impoverished land had been engulfed in warfare for over a thousand years.
Three centuries ago, when the Immortal Order took control, the city was transformed into an unparalleled spectacle—a grotesque anomaly unlike anything seen in the world.
“Even after seeing it countless times, it’s still grotesque,” thought Isaac, his gaze fixed on Lua from a distance, a swirl of emotions in his chest.
Lua was encased within a colossal dome—a sight that seemed ripped straight from the realm of science fiction.
But the Immortal Order had made it a reality.
With the artist Pallor, experts gathered from across the globe (notably from the World’s Forge), and the tireless labor of undead workers unflinching in the face of death-defying construction, the dome was erected. Its surface was covered in jagged walls and spires, and the empty spaces were inscribed with gilded prayers, written in gold and silver donated by the wealthy who sought to curry favor with the Order. Together, these ornate relics and artifacts formed intricate, sacred patterns.
A powerful miracle surrounded Lua, a barrier so potent that even the boldest of angels would hesitate to approach.
Isaac, now leading a monstrous horde, was advancing toward Lua. Adjusting his mask, he blended into the throng of creatures from the Outer Boundary, closing the distance at a swift pace.
The first to spot the advancing horde were the Death Knight patrols circling Lua. They sent out sharp psychic waves, akin to shrill screams, which were quickly followed by the blaring alarms of the angels circling the dome.
“But it’s too late.”
The Death Knights unsheathed their swords. They were undoubtedly elite warriors, but even the greatest swordsmen could not withstand the sheer mass of the advancing army.
Like a tidal wave crashing ashore, the monstrous horde trampled over the Death Knights before they could even swing their blades.
[“Oooooohhhh!”]
The beasts of the Outer Boundary roared, and a lukewarm wind surged from behind. It wasn’t merely an impression—clouds churned violently in the sky as the weather changed. More creatures were flooding in from the horizon, following the horde.
“…This is far worse than I anticipated,” Isaac thought grimly.
Not all the creatures were under Isaac’s control. In fact, only a fraction were his thralls. Yet as his thralls advanced, tens, even hundreds of times their number followed in their wake.
The meaning was clear.
[“The Outer Boundary has fallen! The Outer Boundary has fallen!”]
Guards stationed atop Lua’s spires screamed in panic.
The main force of the Dawn Army was split between the capital, Ushak, and the west, where the Lord of the Graveyard was stationed. Lua, far from the frontlines and devoid of a permanent population, had only about 500 soldiers left as its defense. While this was more than enough to fend off the occasional Outer Boundary creature, it was utterly insufficient against the vast army now bearing down upon them.
[“Inform the Lord of the Graveyard—or rather, the Immortal Emperor! The Outer Boundary has collapsed! Summon all followers from nearby cities to converge here!”]
The undead, overwhelmed by the unexpected disaster, kept their thoughts open, assuming the beasts could not comprehend them. Isaac, however, gleaned their panicked deliberations with ease.
From every corner of Lua, death angels soared into the sky like carrier pigeons, desperate to call for aid. However, they were intercepted midair by Night Stalkers, winged monstrosities that crushed them into pulp.
The undead garrison was horrified.
The creatures of the Outer Boundary were chaotic, aimless beings, prone to wandering near cities by chance. Far from their origin, they would weaken and eventually be hunted down. But this—this was different. This was an organized army, executing a coordinated assault.
It was an unprecedented event, a calamity never recorded in history.
[“What’s happening?! Why are the Outer Boundary creatures—?!”]
“Good question.”
Isaac, the architect of this chaos, was just as perplexed. The horde’s growth defied explanation. The more creatures he sent northward, the more creatures emerged to follow them.
That was why he had stopped summoning reinforcements and pushed forward. Anything more would be unmanageable.
“So, my monsters acted like a crack in the dam.”
A dam holds back immense pressure with a thin wall. But the moment a crack appears, it widens until the entire structure collapses, unleashing a catastrophic flood. By forcing his creatures through the Outer Boundary, Isaac had triggered a localized collapse, much like the disaster in Miarma.
His "surprise gift" had turned into a genuine existential threat to the Immortal Order.
With a thunderous crash, part of the spires surrounding the Outer Boundary collapsed.
The Immortal Order’s spear-throwers, renowned for their precision and lethality, were ineffective against the sheer numbers of creatures. Many of the monsters lacked even a discernible head to target.
Yet even amidst the chaos, a hero emerged.
[“How dare you tread upon this sacred ground, foul beast!”]
A Death Knight appeared, slicing a towering, many-limbed humanoid creature in half with a single swing.
The display of might left Isaac momentarily impressed. The Death Knight’s sword blazed with a black, fiery aura as he tore through the horde with precision and fury. His skill and power suggested he had been a legendary warrior in life.
[“Hold the line! Once the angels arrive, these vermin will be dealt with! Do not let them breach our defenses!”]
“True. All you have to do is hold out until the Lord of the Graveyard arrives. Cry and scream all you like until then.”
Isaac reviewed the list of Swordmasters within the Immortal Order, but before he could recall a name, he had already closed the distance to the Death Knight.
Sensing an unnatural presence among the horde, the Death Knight froze and turned.
Their eyes met—Isaac’s behind his mask.
[“You—”]
Before he could finish, Kaldwin cleaved through the air, slamming into the Death Knight. The black flames of Isaac’s sword pierced through his blade and armor, crushing him entirely.
Isaac’s sword didn’t merely slice the Swordmaster apart—it obliterated him. It was less like a cut and more akin to shredding, and even that didn’t do justice to the sheer violence of it. The Swordmaster’s body, aura, and very existence were effectively erased in a single, terrifying motion.
Isaac, who had intended to draw out the fight and perhaps learn the Swordmaster’s name, was momentarily taken aback by the ease of the outcome.
“This… the results of Predation in the Outer Boundary are far more impressive than I expected.”
Though the creatures of the Outer Boundary were known for their efficient predatory traits, Isaac could feel a surge of power within himself—greater than even before he had created his avatars. And that power was not limited to Isaac alone; it extended to his thralls as well.
High above, Hectali hissed and whispered toward the various spires. Wherever she focused, the undead spear-throwers stationed there began to writhe as white termites erupted from their bodies. The termites devoured their skeletal forms without hesitation, reducing the guards to crumbling heaps and further destabilizing the spire defenses.
With the sentries collapsing one by one, the creatures of the Outer Boundary surged forward like waves. Yet, despite their relentless advance, they could not breach the city’s walls.
The Holy Land Lua, crafted with the meticulous paranoia of the artist Pallor and the Immortal Emperor’s boundless resources, boasted a defense system only the Immortal Order could achieve.
It had no gates.
The creatures clawed at the walls, shrieking and roaring, but the lower sections of the barrier were constructed from dense granite of unimaginable thickness. Moreover, the city’s defenses were not limited to its physical fortifications.
As the creatures touched the walls, Lua activated its defensive miracles.
Crackle. Sizzle.
The creatures scraping at the walls dried up almost instantly. A chilling energy radiated from the entire structure, mercilessly draining all life force within its vicinity. The beasts turned into desiccated husks, only to be crushed further under the weight of those behind them, becoming part of the grotesque mural of death on the wall.
It seemed inevitable that the horde would be annihilated.
But Isaac narrowed his eyes at the wall.
“It’s a powerful miracle, but it has its limits…”
The life-draining effect could only handle so much at once. While it might repel a considerable volume of enemies, it could be overwhelmed if pushed beyond its capacity.
Isaac focused on a section of the wall where the mass of dead and dying creatures had piled up particularly thick. He issued a command to Ulgare.
Ulgare, bearing a massive horn atop his head—likely a result of consuming something unspeakable in the Outer Boundary—was the perfect candidate for the task.
“Go.”
At Isaac’s command, Ulgare charged forward, trampling the lesser creatures in his path as he barreled toward the wall. The miracle’s draining effect began to impact him, but the thick layer of Armyes already piled up reduced its efficacy.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Ulgare rammed into the wall repeatedly. His horn and even parts of his skull began to fracture under the relentless assault.
With an ear-splitting screech, Ulgare split his broken head into four jagged segments and lunged again, undeterred. Inspired by his determination, other creatures swarmed toward the same spot, piling onto the effort. Ulgare tore through stone, Armyes, and even his kin with equal ferocity, consuming the debris as he went.
Finally—
Crash!
With a deafening roar, the wall crumbled inward.
Ulgare, exhausted, collapsed as his head breached the opening. Yet the breach was enough. The flood of creatures surged through, trampling over Ulgare’s body as they poured into Lua.
“Hectali, pull Ulgare back. And—”
Before Isaac could finish his thought, a violent gale swept through the battlefield, powerful enough to stagger even him. The sky churned, its clouds twisting into grotesque, intestine-like patterns that seemed to pulse with life. The sight was enough to unnerve even Isaac.
The breach in Lua’s wall had accelerated the invasion, drawing even more creatures from the Outer Boundary. But Isaac’s focus remained clear. There was still work to be done.
“Zihilrat.”
The Plague God, waiting silently for Isaac’s cue, moved into the breach without hesitation. While it would be problematic if Lua were entirely overrun by the creatures, Isaac was confident that such an outcome was unlikely.
Lua could not be taken by sheer numbers.
Boom.
A sound like thunder echoed from within Lua’s inner sanctum. The creatures that had entered the city spilled back out, crushed and mangled, as though the city itself was expelling them like a living organism vomiting blood. From the gaping wound in Lua’s defenses, undead of grotesque and bizarre forms began to emerge.
“They’re here. The Emperor’s Royal Guard.”
These were Lua’s true protectors—the elite undead of the Immortal Order. Driven insane by years of asceticism and bodily modification, they were the most fanatical devotees of the Immortal Emperor.
Although the Emperor valued personal freedom among his followers, these zealots were an exception. Cast into Lua, locked behind its gateless walls, they had spent centuries in darkness, sustained only by their unyielding faith.
Their roars echoed through the air.
[“Die! If you cannot serve His Imperial Majesty in life, then serve Him in death!”]
Having come this far, Isaac could already predict what would happen next.
He saw the darkness descending from the sky, forcing back the clouds of the Outer Boundary. The Immortal Emperor had arrived.
There was nothing more for Isaac to do here.
It was time to retreat.
“Hectali, take Ulgare and fall back. Our business here is done.”
As he made his way back toward the Outer Boundary, Isaac reflected on the chaos he had sown. He knew this invasion and the Outer Boundary’s encroachment were temporary phenomena.
But would the Immortal Emperor see it that way?
In a war with three divided fronts, could the Emperor truly dismiss the possibility that this was a scheme by the Lighthouse Keeper? And how would the Lighthouse Keeper respond to an attack on Lua while the Dawn Army remained unchecked?
Suspicion would fester on both sides. Tensions would rise. Divisions would grow. Isaac had driven a wedge deep into the alliance between celestial powers.
Though he was curious to see the Emperor’s expression, he decided it would be more amusing to await the arrival of the Graveyard Lord, his metaphorical tail between his legs. Neither of them would wear a pleasant expression in the end.
With a smirk, Isaac retreated into the Outer Boundary.
