A small Oni village.

A few minutes after Ram and Rem had been taken away, a man dressed in a dark purple robe—his face painted like a clown—landed amidst the ruins of the village.

He looked around carefully, sensing the surroundings in an attempt to locate his target—the twin Oni sisters.

But within the village, aside from shattered walls and rubble, there was nothing but piles of Witch Cult corpses.

"Did I arrive too late? No, that shouldn't be possible..."

Roswaal frowned in confusion.

Even if he wanted to find a survivor to question, it was futile—the Witch Cultists had been completely annihilated. It was obvious they had encountered a terrifyingly powerful enemy.

The Oni clan couldn't have done this… then who could it be?!

Roswaal's brows furrowed deeper.

He had always acted according to the prophecies recorded in the Gospel and firmly believed that by following its words, he would one day achieve his goal.

According to the Gospel's instructions, he should have met the Oni twins in this very village.

Ram and Rem were crucial pieces in his long-term plan.

Years later, a person with the power to correct the world's errors would be summoned into this world. That person would form deep ties with Ram, Rem, and Emilia.

If everything proceeded as planned—first finding Ram and Rem, then arranging for them to meet Emilia, and gradually strengthening their bonds—his grand design would unfold step by step.

But now, the plan had gone awry right from the start.

Ram and Rem were gone.

"Could it have been those undead legions?…"

He hurriedly flipped through the Gospel again, but to his shock, the prophecies and words began to blur, as if distorted by some unknown interference.

"???"

"Why…?!"

Roswaal couldn't comprehend it.

For the Gospel's foresight to fail, either the opposing power was beyond reason—or the worldline itself had been disrupted.

"Disrupted future?"

He pondered for a long moment. The Gospel could even predict the arrival of those summoned by the Witch. There was no reason it should be disturbed—unless…

"Power from beyond the world?!"

A chilling realization struck him.

Shua—

He cast another spell and looked toward the distance, observing the undead army.

The formation was strict and disciplined—utterly different from the ragtag zombies or skeletons summoned by ordinary necromancers—and even included many magical beasts he didn't recognize.

They were marching in organized ranks toward the royal capital.

"Are they going to attack the Kingdom of Lugnica?"

Roswaal frowned.

Without understanding who or what commanded them, he had no intention of provoking this undead army.

However, as the Margrave of the Lugnica border and a royal court magician, he was obliged to report this anomaly to the kingdom's ruling council—the Sage Council—and to the other noble families.

Shua—

After a moment of thought, he immediately teleported back to his mansion.

"I'm heading out. Also—Beatrice, do you have any books on necromancy? I just saw something rather peculiar..."

...

"Lady Albedo, it seems there was a bug spying on us earlier."

"Shall I take care of it?"

Within the undead army, Narberal turned her head with a click of her tongue.

"It's irrelevant. Our objective is to annihilate the Witch Cult and completely conquer the kingdom."

"Once they are pacified, we can sweep away those nuisances later."

Albedo rode at the head of the army, gaze fixed straight ahead.

Behind her stretched an endless legion of undead soldiers.

The Great Tomb Squad possessed far greater strength than any of the other units.

Unlike the Demon Slayer Corps or Night Raid, who relied on stealth, they intended to display their might openly.

Through an all-out war, they would make the natives of this world kneel beneath the banner of the Starsea Empire.

Whether others admitted it or not, Albedo was certain—the Commander's eyes were upon them now.

Compared to covert operations, Setsuna far preferred overwhelming domination.

The undead army marched down the road from the borders of the Lugnica Kingdom toward the capital.

Along the way, every village and town they passed fled in terror at the sight.

The mere sight of the Death Knights and skeleton soldiers forming the vanguard made the local residents panic and flee with whatever belongings they could carry.

In this magical world, everyone knew that encountering an undead legion was never a good sign—get killed, and you might even end up reanimated as their slave labor.

Occasionally, small squads of adventurers—swordsmen and mages—hid quietly in the shadows.

Normally, when facing a lone undead creature or necromancer, they could rush in righteously, claiming to be purging evil.

But a hundred-thousand-strong undead army? With dozens of unknown high-class demons among them?

Even seeking death didn't look like this.

Within half a day, on the army's path through the Karsten Duchy, in a modestly sized city, a drowsy guard atop the wall was suddenly startled awake by a cold gust of wind.

Looking up, he saw dark clouds gathering rapidly in the distance.

A vast mass of black mist rolled over the horizon, swallowing the sun, carrying with it an icy, deathly chill.

On the ground beneath it marched a massive undead army of unimaginable scale.

On land, Death Knights, magical beasts, and skeleton soldiers formed the mixed ground units.

In the air, skeletal dragons and gargoyles circled ominously.

The Re:Zero world's technology was roughly at a medieval level. Even wars between nations rarely mobilized such an enormous force.

The Great Tomb Guardians and the Pleiades rode their undead warhorses proudly at the front.

"What… is this?!"

The guards nearly wet themselves.

Crack—

The undead army halted just outside the city walls, causing the earth to tremble.

Shalltear raised her hand.

Several black, spherical wraiths flew into the air, hovering above the city. Their raspy voices echoed over the terrified defenders:

"—Hear the decree of the Supreme."

"The Supreme shall soon conquer the Kingdom of Lugnica and the entire world. All defenders—lay down your weapons and surrender."

"Comply immediately and submit. Wasting time or futile resistance will only anger the Supreme."

"!!!!"

The soldiers were utterly speechless, as were the ordinary citizens and scattered adventurers in the city.

The Supreme?! Conquer the Kingdom and the world?!

What were they even talking about?!

The kingdom hadn't seen a full-scale war in decades—no one was mentally prepared for something like this.

A flood of questions filled their minds.

"Is the Kingdom at war with the Empire?! Has the Imperial Army invaded?!"

"Or the City-State Republic?!... No, wait—they're all undead!!!"

"An undead legion?! From where?! The Witch Cult? No, that doesn't make sense either..."

The city erupted into chaotic noise.

After a long, tense moment, a man dressed like an officer finally gathered the courage to peek over the wall and shout toward the undead army.

"May I ask… who is this 'Supreme'?"

"The Supreme is the Supreme. Ants have no right to inquire about His nature."

"The Supreme is the ruler of this world. You need only surrender as commanded."

Albedo's reply was calm and dismissive.

"If you surrender peacefully, we guarantee no harm will come to those who submit to the Supreme. But if you fail to recognize your place... heh..."

"?!"

The officer swallowed hard.

Judging by the army's size, this small duchy city under the Kingdom of Lugnica had no chance of resisting such overwhelming power.

"Th-the Duke… Duke Karsten is currently in the capital on state business. We lack the authority to surrender."

"Could you grant us a little time—to report to the Duke and seek his decision?…"

As he spoke, he secretly beckoned a scout.

"Quickly, go to the capital. Warn the Duke! Tell him a massive undead army is invading Lugnica—over a hundred thousand strong!"

"..."

"Report to the Duke, hm?..."

Albedo smirked faintly.

"Very well. I shall give you time to decide."

She raised her hand—and clenched it into a fist.

"Ten."

"Ten days?" The officer brightened instantly.

"That's enough! Ten days will give us time to—"

"Nine, eight, seven…"

Under the guards' bewildered stares, Albedo emotionlessly counted down the remaining numbers.

"Three, two, one."

"Attack."

Boom!!!

From the center of the formation, a massive siege golem lumbered forward, smashing the city walls apart with a single strike.

Of course, considering they planned to besiege cities, the Great Tomb Squad had brought one along.

The Death Knights and skeleton army surged forward, while bone dragons and gargoyles swooped overhead, shredding any defenders who dared to resist.

Ten minutes later, the flag of the Starsea Empire rose atop the tallest point in the city.

Albedo checked her map and crossed the city's mark off.

Leaving behind a garrison, she continued onward.

"The Kingdom of Lugnica isn't large. We'll reach the capital soon."

"Shalltear, locate Greed's trace and eliminate him on the way."

"Pleiades, each take a division. Capture all nearby cities swiftly—we'll regroup outside the capital."

Albedo, like a true general, gave her orders.

Before setting out, she had already memorized the entire world map and the kingdom's layout.

Dividing their forces to seize lightly defended cities, then converging on the capital for a decisive battle—this was the fastest and most efficient method of conquest.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The battle maids saluted.

Led by Yuri Alpha, Narberal, and Lupusregina, each took command of a portion of the undead army and marched toward the surrounding cities.

"We shall present this entire world as a gift to the Supreme."

—

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