12 Submission

"What are you doing?"

Lacha couldn't help but ask, as the necromancer glanced around happily. There were only corpses left, right and center.

"You'll see... System, use Death Warrior on all these corpses"

A dark haze accompanied by murmurs slowly materialized. Lacha's hair stood on end, and she felt constant goosebumps. The 33 dead bodies melted and formed dark spheres that slowly rose from the ground.

These spheres then started spinning faster and faster until they formed small portals beneath them. The scene was quite spectacular.

Derrick was watching in excitement. This would be his personal army and it wouldn't be able to betray him. A few seconds later, skeletons started climbing out of the portals. They were skinny and had bright, flickering red eyes. They were all equipped with a rusty iron sword.

Lacha was watching in terror. She never expected to see her previous comrades turn into undead beings.

"Female human, you better get used to this... You'll see things that are way more shocking than this hehehe..."

The coarse voice resounded in Lacha's mind, and she couldn't help but let out a small cry.

"Don't be too surprised. Now that you're my Master's woman, I'm able to communicate with you as well... My name's Drako"

"Where are you?! And why can you speak in my mind??"

"I'm hiding in the shadows... We'll probably meet later because it's way too cramped here and I'd destroy everything... As for why I can speak, I'm an undead creature as well, but an intelligent one mind you... I suggest you serve him well, he'll definitely be an extraordinary man in the future..."

Lacha remained silent and slightly nodded. From what she had seen, she could tell he would make waves in the world, and it would be filled with chaos and bloodshed.

Meanwhile, Derrick was ecstatic in front of his small platoon. If he could find 67 skeletons, he'd have a company and raiding bigger villages would be a cinch. He checked their stats and found out that they were a tad stronger than their past lives, but the real difference was that their vitality was twice as high now.

They would be invincible against soldiers of similar strength. Now that he was satisfied with his new skill, he hid his army in his shadow. It was finally time to conquer the rest of the village.

"It's time to do your part. I don't want to shed more blood, but I will not spare those who oppose me"

A vicious glint appeared in Derrick's eyes and Lacha understood his resolve. Opposition meant death and there would be little to no leeway.

"Yes I will! Don't bother with this stuff... Go clean yourself up"

Lacha gave Derrick a warm smile, and he agreed before leaving the room.

Now that the shock subsided, tears ran down Lacha's face.

After wiping her cheeks, she left the hut with a resolute expression. She would try to protect those dear to her to prevent something like that from ever happening again.

The hut was located on the outskirts of the village because they had been wary of Derrick from the start. She was glad they had taken precautions or there would have been more casualties.

After reaching the rest of the populace, she gathered them and started explaining the new situation. Some were shocked, some started crying and some had grave expressions.

They knew it meant they had a new chief and that he was merciless. Lacha had made it clear : dissidents would be killed without exception. They had to submit or die. She also tried to reassure them by saying he could guarantee their safety, and they would be living better lives in the future.

"If everybody died, why are you still here?"

Some villagers were suspicious of Lacha because the story she told was of a man that didn't leave any survivors behind. She blushed slightly at the query, but quickly erased the emotion for her face.

"I became his"

There was no point in hiding it because they would learn it sooner or later. However, she didn't expect that that sentence would send the crowd in an uproar.

"You slut! Everyone dies and you side with the murderer?! YOU'RE DISGUSTING!"

Insults were flying left and right and murderous gazes assaulted her. She had lost control of the situation and was preparing to flee.

"WHO DARES THREATENING MY WOMAN?! YOU'RE COURTING DEATH!!!"

The thunderous voice ripped apart the sky and the weather started changing, with dark clouds swirling in their direction. The pressure was getting stronger and stronger to the point of almost being unbearable.

A gigantic shadowy eagle-creature creature was flying above and it let out a deafening screech, injuring the ear-drums of everyone below. On top of it was a man that had a dark and murderous aura. His emerald eyes were piercing the soul of whoever looked into them. The villagers were all cowering in fear, realizing who had spoken.

Derrick had been in the middle of his bath when Drako warned him of the precarious situation. He had promised her that she would be protected, and he was a man of his word. He rushed there without delay.

"KNEEL!"

The thunderous voice sounded again and the villagers didn't wait an instant before kneeling and kowtowing on the ground, begging for their lives. They had half-believed the words of Lacha, but now that they had seen it, they were terrified to the core.

Even Lacha was surprised. It was the first time she had seen Io and the mount sent shivers through her body. She also realized that it wasn't the beast that had spoken to her earlier, which made her even more apprehensive.

"Derrick... No, husband... Please, don't hurt them... They were just angry... Please spare them"

She was pleading on their behalf and when Derrick heard her, he couldn't help but soften up a little. He guided Io to the ground and unmounted before walking towards the villagers. His aura relentlessly assaulted them, making them cower on the ground.

"Have you reflected on your mistakes? The reason why I killed them all was because they attacked me first with killing intent. That's all there is to it. It doesn't matter if you knew them or if they were your family. When someone fights, they put their lives on the line. You better accept this fact now. Does anyone have a problem with me?"

Some villagers gritted their teeth before giving up. They were powerless against such an opponent. Derrick took Lacha in his embrace and consoled her, saying he would keep his promise.

"Those who submit will live and those who don't will die. Will you all submit?"

Everyone nodded and some were secretly delighted. They had kept their lives even after insulting the woman of this terrifying man. A window suddenly appeared in Derrick's mind and it greatly startled him.

[You have conquered the village Akata! System is upgrading...]