Eternal Thief

Chapter 1682: Evernight Dukes and Corpse Commanders (1)

Elsewhere, upon the Corpse Clan’s Central Fortress, Belfast stood atop the highest command platform, his gaze fixed upon the battlefield beyond the collapsing defensive formation.

The enormous corpse-array suspended above the fortress trembled incessantly, and every passing moment, another layer shattered, another defensive node dimmed, and another report arrived.

His ethereal expression grew uglier with each passing breath as the Evernight Council refused to stop, like an endless tide of darkness; their offensive continued without pause.

War fortresses advanced, siege formations were activated, and Rune Crafters continuously dismantled every defensive formation painstakingly erected by the Corpse Clan over the past weeks.

’Boom...’

’Boom...’

’BOOM!’

Each explosion echoed like a death knell. Even through the protective formations, Belfast could already see countless Evernight participants flooding across the battlefield behind their elite forces.

Every casualty suffered by the Evernight Council was immediately replaced by another, for they simply had too many soldiers, resources, and experts.

”...Damn them...” Belfast clenched his fists, his eyes unconsciously shifted toward the depths of the Lower Grave Strata as if he could see beyond the forbidden region, and directly to the Corpse Governor.

He had contacted him again and again, countless times, yet not once did a response return, not even panic or command...nothing. That eerie silence had become Belfast’s only source of hope.

”...Lord Governor...” His eyes flickered. ”...You must be close...you have to be! That had to be it! It had to!”

He seemed to hypnotize himself because otherwise, tf even the Corpse Governor had lost hope, then everything was over.

Belfast seemed to have inhaled corpse Qi deeply before slowly calming himself.

”No...” His eyes sharpened, ”I cannot collapse and let everything end here! If the Lord Governor is risking everything...Then I only need to buy him enough time.”

His gaze suddenly grew resolute, and the communication formation before him instantly lit up as his cold voice spread to six locations simultaneously.

”Ninth Corpse Commander.”

”Eighth Corpse Commander.”

”Seventh Corpse Commander.”

”Sixth Corpse Commander.”

”Fifth Corpse Commander.”

”Fourth Corpse Commander.”

His voice carried absolute authority.

”Deploy your Corpse Vessels immediately. Suppress every battlefield. Force the Evernight Council’s high-level experts to reveal themselves and delay them. Every moment you buy...is another moment for Lord Governor.”

After a moment of silence, six eerie yet heavy voices replied almost simultaneously.

”As commanded.”

”As commanded.”

”As commanded.”

”As commanded.”

”As commanded.”

”As commanded.”

The communication ended, and only then did Belfast slowly look toward the remaining three communication crystals, which belonged to the First Corpse Commander, Second Corpse Commander, and Third Corpse Commander.

He did not activate them, not yet, for those three, together with himself, were the final insurance just in case the Evernight Kings personally intervened; then they alone would attempt to stop them.

Even if only for a single breath, as everything was about buying time!

---

The very next moment...

”BOOOOOOOOOOM!!”

Six terrifying spiritual pressures of Half-Abyssal Kings erupted across different regions of the battlefield, and the sky darkened with endless Corpse Qi that surged like an ocean.

Although it was nowhere near the same level as the Corpse Qi ocean stopped by the Evernight Demon King, it was still enough to make the Evernight Council’s momentum plummet!

Participants who had been charging fearlessly suddenly froze.

”...W-What...”

”So many...”

”My heavens...”

Those overwhelming pressures descended like collapsing worlds above each battlefield, and gigantic figures emerged one after another: some possessed three heads, some rode terrifying corpse beasts, some stood atop mountains of skeletons, and others floated within endless seas of gray mist.

Each one radiated an aura capable of crushing Grand Abyssal Lords, for they were the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth...Corpse Commanders!

Although these were merely their Corpse Vessel Puppets, their terrifying cultivation still reached the terrifying realm of Half-Abyssal Kings.

The moment they appeared, countless Evernight cultivators directly suffered under the terrifying pressure; some participants even spat blood, and others nearly collapsed.

Yet, no one retreated from the Evernight Council as their cultivators merely tightened their grips on their weapons, and their expressions remained completely emotionless.

As if they had expected this all along and someone else would soon handle them...and they were right!

”BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!”

In response, four overwhelming pressures descended from the heavens, and unlike the Six Corpse Commanders’ corpse puppets, these pressures carried supreme nobility, ancient authority, and absolute dominance.

Even the battlefield itself seemed to acknowledge their arrival; after all, the Evernight Dukes had moved!

---

The eastern battlefront froze over, and an endless glacier manifested across the heavens. Standing above it, the Yin Duchess slowly opened her icy eyes, her gaze immediately locked onto the Seventh Corpse Commander.

Without uttering another word, the surrounding space began freezing!

---

The western battlefront exploded into intoxicating colors, flowers bloomed, and illusions covered heaven and earth.

The Enchantress Demon Duchess lazily yawned as she reclined atop a gigantic floating blossom, her beautiful eyes narrowed playfully at the Eighth and Ninth Corpse Commanders.

”My...” She smiled sweetly, ”What ugly corpses.”

---

To the south, darkness swallowed the heavens before a gigantic coffin slowly emerged. Standing before it, the Corpse Duke remained completely motionless like death itself.

His opponent, the sixth Commander.

Neither side spoke, yet the atmosphere became suffocating.

---

The northern sky suddenly split apart before a crimson throne descended from the heavens. Upon it sat the Dread Duchess with her flowing robes fluttering silently.

Behind her, an endless sea of nightmares spread across the sky, and her cold eyes rested directly upon the Fifth and Fourth Corpse Commanders.

”It’s about time, I was getting impatient anyway!” She spoke coldly.

---

Meanwhile, above the central battlefield, the Midnight Duke remained standing atop the colossal Realmbreaker Conquest Ark.

His cold eyes overlooked the entire war, the battlefronts, every deployment, every casualty...nothing escaped his perception. His role was to command, not to engage in combat, and unless absolutely necessary, he would never descend.

---

Inside the Corpse Clan’s army, the appearance of the six Corpse Commanders instantly reignited morale.

”They’ve come!”

”Our Commanders!”

”Hahaha!”

”Kill these Evernight bastards!”

The despair that had been spreading moments ago disappeared almost instantly.

Then, more powerful figures began to emerge behind the six commanders.

”Boom!”

”Boom!”

”Boom!”

One terrifying aura after another rose into the heavens: Abyssal Grand Lords, Peak Abyssal Lords, Elite Corpse Generals, Corpse Elders, Personal Corpse Guards...every one of them was a veteran who had survived countless battles beneath the Undead Boundary.

They gathered behind their respective commanders like walls of death. The Corpse Clan finally possessed enough high-level combatants to stabilize the battlefield.

Their confidence returned, and their killing intent surged as their battle cries shook the heavens. Both armies now stood fully assembled.

The true clash between the Evernight Council’s greatest elites and the Corpse Clan’s last line of defense was finally about to begin!