Pestilence: Rise Of The Pure Undead-Chapter 1244: Approach

The undeads had begun showing themselves outside of the barriers. Griar was able to see them from up close… They definitely did not feel the same as the undeads from the Spearhead caste. They were more akin to Vostes, the undead, missing the top half of his head, Griar had encountered a long time ago, by now.

Some of them had personalities peering through small gestures and the like, however… It was clear that they were abnormal. It was rather painful to admit, but the utterly depraved monsters of the Spearhead definitely felt much more 'alive' and 'human' than the ones he was currently seeing.

Back during the days of the Emerald Realm, when Toby had still been alive, he had used his system ability to analyse things to document certain of the castes the Vanguard possessed. Griar quickly recognised the Rank and File of the Vanguard… They were numerous and came in various sizes, shapes, and choices of weaponry.

They were supposed to be akin to the grunts. The equivalent of the disposable soldiers sent on the frontline… But although they certainly did not feel too strong, Griar knew better than to underestimate them. They weren't like the undeads he had fought inside the realm infested with Black Moss. They were completely cold and calculating at all times, their minds never focused on anything other than their tasks and duties.

Getting stuck amidst a group of them could very easily end in a tragedy…

While Griar wondered how he could fight a group of them effectively, someone walked up next to him.

"Damn, their armour is so freakishly stylish… And you're telling me these guys are the common soldiers of the Vanguard? These undeads have a sense of style"

It was Louizon. Her way of dealing with things tended to be the same for nearly every problem, so she was more focused on the attire of the undeads–Which might seem a bit ridiculous, but even Griar had to admit that indeed… They were impressively well-dressed. They inspired strength and authority, whilst remaining very much visually appealing.

Some might be tempted to believe that the undeads had a developed sense of fashion, but it was far more likely that the armour of the Rank and File had been made in this manner specifically to look somewhat appealing to livings in a sense. These undead soldiers were definitely the most common of the Vanguard. Thus, conquered livings would see them most often compared to the rest.

As such, making them look 'cool' might very well be a conscious decision precisely for when they are occupying conquered territory…

Regardless, the Rank and File of the Vanguard had suddenly appeared en masse outside of the barriers. For now, they didn't seem to be doing anything beyond just standing there and letting their presence be known–They weren't the only ones, either.

Sometimes, black knights would be a part of it all, or as they were more often known: 'Loimoisian Knights' and 'Knights Of Loimos'. These could basically be considered to be the rank above Rank and File, as it seemed that these knights were often in charge of a group of soldiers.

That was without mentioning the fact that they could also wield a wide array of weaponry, their caste not really having specialisation in this regard…

Nonetheless, apart from these two groups, some other undeads would appear sometimes, but would only make short and distant appearances–To Griar, this felt like just one big threat. The undeads were making a demonstration of power by showing their numbers and letting the livings see how even the Rank and File seemed like they would be able to absolutely tear apart the average living army.

They were trying to make people worry and nervous, but when it came to Griar, his attention had been brought elsewhere due to recent circumstances occurring in both the realm of memories he accessed in his sleep and things he had been noticing when awake as well…

For some reason, his recent learning experiences inside the realm of memories had all been related to a certain man who had died in the Emerald Realm. Griar had gotten to experience several memories from this man's perspective.

At first, he had not really understood what this was about. The man in question was a user of something Griar had no access to, so he was deeply uncertain what he was supposed to learn… But, seeking to understand, he had gotten his hands on the notes he was currently holding, the notes detailing several castes of the Vanguard.

Indeed, Griar had been experiencing memories of Toby, one of the three 'unwanted presences' alongside William and Ilona. He had never really understood why they were called as such, but that was besides the point.

Griar had been seeing blank system panels open up in his vision, an abnormal occurrence considering that he wasn't someone with the ability to view the system. Like most people, he could only feel the flow of experience.

After a while of being unsure what this meant, he realised that the panels seemed only to open when he would even mildly focus on something, or question himself on something directly within his sight–He guessed that, somehow, the appraisal function of Toby's special system was trying to make its way over to him.

He just didn't know what he needed to do exactly to fully 'awaken' it, which was why he had gotten his hands on the notes, hoping that it might be able to help him… So far, it had not seemed to be of much assistance. The panels were still completely blank.

Perhaps, it was only a matter of using this newfound ability on enough different things and people until it became able to decipher what it was used upon…

"Griar, you've been looking around pretty intensely for a while now. Are you looking for something? Or are you also impressed by how fashionable the undeads are? That one over here in particular, that's one hell of a look"

Louizon was talking about an Apocalypse Knight who wielded a scythe with his left hand and was garbed in a putrescent-green cloak. An Apocalypse Knight clearly skilled in the wielded of Pestilence.

"Mmh…"

Griar was about to respond, but just then, an undead unlike any other they had seen so far appeared, walking directly toward the barrier. It was an undead dressed completely in black. His garments were wide and ample, allowing for full freedom of movement.

His skeletal hands and skull were the only parts of his body visible, and they, too, were black like charcoal.

He didn't seem to be carrying any weapon, but the way he walked made it seem like he would be ready to start swinging something if necessary.

The dark skeleton had too long, sleek horns protruding from his forehead. They weren't rounded in their shape. Instead made up of what were made of what seemed like two straight pieces, making the horns very angular as they pointed upward.

The skeleton walked up close to the barrier, tilted his head as he got a close look at Griar and Louizon. His lower jaw clacked against the upper.

"Progeny of the Heir of Gold… I hope you are tougher than you look. I am here to exterminate you"

This was all the corpse had to say. He was only here to gauge his prey… Thus, he turned around to leave, the two livings glanced at one another, unsure how to respond to the sudden threat.

'Heir of Gold' clearly referred to their father, and apparently, them being his 'progeny' was enough to paint a target on their back–At least for this particular undead whose caste was far from being obvious.

Griar focused on the skeleton's back, and the panel that appeared–Blank at first–Began to fill in.

The information seemed to appear directly inside Griar's mind as he read through it.

He learned that this undead was called 'Traquik', and that he was apparently a member of a group who called themselves the 'Sons Of Loimos'. It did not appear to be a group that was an actual caste of the Vanguard. Instead, they seemed more akin to a naturally formed group built upon their admiration for Loimos.

If what Griar was reading was accurate, then Traquik had come to this realm with the purpose of purging the survivors of Tamaris and Emerald Realm–He was intent on finishing what Loimos had started.

The panel did not tell everything, but apparently, this undead was very dangerous.

The skeleton suddenly turned around, and Griar immediately understood that his analysis had not gone unnoticed in the least.

'Crap…'

Traquik clacked his jaw once more, but still walked away, soon disappearing from view entirely.

If Griar were to ever step outside the barrier in the future, he would have to be very careful of this undead and of any other self-proclaimed Son Of Loimos. They did not seem to be a very amicable sort.

"Well, that was a disrespectful way of saying hello… Did you see how symmetrical this guy's skull was, though? It's like he was made by hand"

"Louizon… I mostly paid attention to the fact that he said he was going to kill us"

"Why would you focus on this? Literally all undeads want to slaughter everyone in this realm"

"It was a bit more… Personalised"

"Mmh…"

They went away from the barrier's edge for the time being.