Tatsumi helped them one by one despite the fact that he also suffered from the effects of entering the Undead Secret Realm for the first time. Long Wu also assisted, but Hecate could only watch by.

It was not like he did not want to help but he knew that one had to get used to the change in environment as soon as possible. Furthermore, the undead element was rampant in this place so too much would not be good for anyone, even with the protective suit.

“Can you stand up?” Long Wu asked the group. He was the only one unaffected by the change. Long Wu felt that this place was like home, where he could act without reservation.

He also understood that the nearby undead element was gathering around him in quite a high concentration, so he needed to exercise caution in handling the output of his power.

“I am fine. Took some time, but the dizziness is mostly gone. How about you, Mister?” Tatsumi asked Yamaguchi instead since he was affected the most.

“Hahaha, I just embarrassed myself. Let me catch my breath and I think I am good to go.”

Yamaguchi was supporting his upper body by leaning on his knees. Ame was helping him since she realized that her father was excited to be able to participate in something like this.

“Father, are you sure you want to continue? The road is long and it will probably be a while for us to reach our destination.” Ame couldn't help but ask to confirm.

Yamaguchi patted Ame’s hand and said, “It’s fine. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Undead Secret Realm. I kept hearing it in both news and history lessons, but had not been able to come personally.”

Ame was still worried but hearing what Yamaguchi had said made her nod her head and let him stand on his own two feet.

Tatsumi felt that the effect of moving to the Undead Secret Realm varied from each person. But one thing was for sure that they would get some resistance and get used to it.

Seeing that the group was able to recover, Hecates then gestured to them to move forward since the new people were going to come through the vortex.

“Sorry about not helping you earlier. Even now, I have to keep a certain distance but this is for everyone’s safety, so please forgive me. The next to enter is probably the logistics so please make way and move.” Hecates said as he led the group forward.

The group did not mind since they saw the seriousness on Hecates’ face and it was probably something that could occur if a certain situation was met.

After taking dozens of steps, Hecates stopped and looked at the vortex which was still spinning. Then a flash of light occurred and there were people who brought two crystal-like objects.

The crystals were quite huge as they needed to be carried by at least three people who pushed them with a wheelbarrow.

Tatsumi’s eyes narrowed as he perceived two different energy sources from the crystals. He felt familiar with the jade-colored crystal but he did not know the exact energy source of the black crystal.

But he had a guess since the undead element, which was manifested as the black mist, surged toward the black crystal.

‘Malicium!’ Tatsumi was now sure about the black crystal’s attribute. Back to the jade-colored crystal, he saw that it had a transparent covering. Tatsumi was almost unable to see it if not for the change in perception of the crystal.

As for why he had this perception, even Tatsumi did not know the reason. But he thought since this was beneficial to him, he would use it to the fullest extent.

This perception appeared as early as when he gave blood for the test. Since then, Tatsumi could perceive the new transcendent energy source.

‘I guess this is because of my perfectly compatible with that particular energy source.’ Tatsumi thought while looking at the group that pushed the wheelbarrow forward.

“Let’s continue to the necropolis. This way.” Hecates shouted so that the group heard his voice.

The congregation finally appeared full in the Undead Secret Realm and moved toward the necropolis.

Necropolis was the place where most, if not all, the undead gathered. According to some of the earlier explorers, the Necropolis was located at the center of the Undead Secret Realm.

Tatsumi obviously knew this kind of information but he did not speak up about it since the others were probably aware of it too.

As the congregation moved in the direction of the Necropolis, some of the people who arrived there came for the first time.

Tatsumi kept looking around. He compared his own experience with the experience of the memories he assimilated and found that there was some things that could only be personally felt.

For example, he felt the undead element fluctuate slightly around him, but was stopped by the protective suit. He did not know the cause of it, but it was related to his affinity with the other transcendent energy source.

He also saw some people in a different color theme protective suit who brought weapons here. Tatsumi knew that weaponry was still effective inside the Undead Secret Realm, and the people wearing different-colored protective suits were actually the guards for the congregation.

‘I guess the issue has not been solved even after decades.’ Tatsumi knew that the guards came just in case something unexpected happened inside the Undead Secret Realm.

‘Look at that!’ Tatsumi saw a small mound. He knew that it was a burial mound where there was a corpse underneath it but at this moment the undead element gathered above the mound, then seeped into the mound.

Soon after that, there was a skeletal limb came out from the mound, it moved stiffly, slowly but surely. Then it supported the rest of its body to rise and shook of the soil that covered it.

From its appearance, Tatsumi knew that it was the remains of a four-legged beast. It probably walked on all four since its four legs were of equal length and width. There was no trace of flesh left on the figure, making its bones obvious to see.

From the sockets of the place supposed to be its eyes, a small flame flickered into existence.

Tatsumi was not the only one who had seen the spectacle, as Ame and the rest of the group also noticed it. Even the others who were near took notice. This happened in some of the areas outside the road they walked but it was numerous enough.

“Oh, that is the result when Element Tide happens. This is a localized Element Tide, so please beware of the place suspected to house any undead!” one of the older people in the group, who noticed the spectacle, reminded their less experienced colleague.

“Come on, move.” Hecates urged the group to move quickly and the group complied. Tatsumi saw a similar scene along the way to the Necropolis.

Even though the road was paved nicely and clean as well as huge enough to even accommodate a truck if it had been there, Tatsumi knew that staying on the road was the safest choice.

It was because the road was the joint project between the human and the Undead Race and whoever was on the road was not to be attacked. Not even the undead were exempt from this law.

This law was established to make sure that the security of humans there could be increased, if not guaranteed.

Along the way, the congregation also met with several undead who were intelligent and moving on the road. The congregation did not disturb them and the undead also did not disturb the congregation.

Ame’s eyes shone with curiosity as she did not expect such a spectacle to occur. To her, it was the first time she had seen such a thing. But when she looked at Tatsumi, she found him to be indifferent to the scene as if he had seen it personally, and it was the norm here.

‘Actually, I wonder what makes him so special…is it just because he is a Star Child?’ Ame often wondered and from the moment she knew it, she had been observing him for quite some time.

After an hour of walking, the congregation finally arrived in front of a large building which was prominent enough compared to the surroundings.

“Necropolis…” Tatsumi finally laid his eyes on the famous place in the Undead Secret Realm. It had an outer wall with gates being the only place where entry and exit could be done.

Climbing up was not advised because the top of the wall attracted a swirl of the undead element. The kind that could tear through the protective suit. Other than that, there were flying undead residing there, so sneaking through the top of the wall was useless.

An exclamation could be heard from the congregation. The transcendent who accompanied the group kept their vigilance before they perceived several undead approaching.

Around the undead who approached, a high concentration of undead element had formed and it manifested as a thick black mist swirling around. Their undead fire illuminated the middle of the black mist, creating a gruesome image.

Hecates stayed in front of the group as he was responsible for protecting them and the representatives from the congregation came to meet with the newcomer undead.

“We have come as per the agreement.”

Then one of the undead stepped forward. The undead was just bones but covered with a black armor that looked like reflected light. Its undead fire flared as he declared his intent.

“Indeed, you are. Is this all?”

The representative nodded his head. The undead knew that the representative of the congregation of humans in front of them was a formidable transcendent so they checked their attitude.

The undead leader gained some attention because he could communicate with the representative. Even Tatsumi became alert upon hearing what had been happening.

‘As expected. The leader level of the undead is definitely someone with intelligence. Did he notice our group?’ he thought.

Long Wu, on the other hand, was just looking at the representative and the undead leader without even a shred of wariness in his face. He was calm throughout the entire way.

The undead leader noticed Long Wu and could not help but think about the power that he felt when he sensed the undead element around Long Wu.

‘It is faint but it is there. The undead element this human has is purer than the rest of the transcendent present.’ Because of this, the undead leader knew that the group around this particular person was important.

One thing was for sure: his mission was to provide the incoming event with all he had. Furthermore, his god had said about the incoming of someone important that they had to protect that person at all costs.

Then the undead leader and the representative walked together in the direction of the Necropolis. The congregation followed behind.

When all of them arrived near the gate, the undead leader once again stepped forward.

“Open the gate!” the undead leader declared. His word spread around and could be heard in all directions, both in the human congregation and the Necropolis.

Then the congregation saw for themselves that the large gate that had been closed previously now opened slightly. With each movement of the gate, the ground trembled.

The congregation could glimpse the inside of the Necropolis. They could see that the inside was almost no different from the city that they had seen outside.

There were paved roads and clear structures that were placed orderly on the side. The planning for the city was definitely influenced by the combination of the human and the dwarf settlements.

Several undead with undead fire were roaming around the road in greater quantity than outside the Necropolis. But Tatsumi knew that the buildings inside were the resting place of the undead. Unlike outside, where a burial mound was the only suitable place for the undead, the Necropolis was built to be the ideal home for the undead.

“Refreshing.” Long Wu stretched his limbs as his body absorbed the undead element swirling around in the Necropolis.

Upon entering, Long Wu had been trying to absorb the undead element. Tatsumi felt like Long Wu was like a sea creature returning to the sea water, unrestrained.

Tatsumi could feel the stare that came from the other undead who were around them. On the road or near the buildings, the undead were staring at the congregation.

The congregation walked further inside the Necropolis. It was filled with the thick black mist, but the undead leader dispersed the black mist in front, causing the sight to extend to dozens of meters in front.

“It is indeed fascinating.” Mikazuki Yamaguchi felt like his horizon had broadened by visiting this place. He felt that even the undead could create their own civilization with unique characteristics.

His eyes flashed as he looked around, seeing many kinds of undead, as well as the style of the buildings, made him consider that possibility.

The congregation moved from the gate to the center of the Necropolis and it took them some time. The other undead even made way for them because the undead leader personally instructed them to give way, and the other undead complied.

The loud footsteps in the place like Necropolis were like an explosion in the city, loud enough that every single person in the congregation could hear it despite wearing a protective suit.

Adding that they had to carry something on their rear, they had to experience the gruesome air with their own body.

As the congregation moved closer to the center of the Necropolis, they realized that soon there was a large clearing with a massive amount of black liquid filling it.

“We’ve arrived at the Undead Pool. Look at this.” The undead leader extended his bony hand. He was standing at the edge of the black lake but soon after he said that, an eerie undead fire appeared one after another from the pool.

‘Undead Pool, huh.’ Tatsumi held his breath as he took in the entire scene with his own eyes. He could see that the undead fire was surrounding the undead leader; they were flying around his skull.

The undead leader's appearance was a being who stood with two hind legs but it did not mean that it belonged to a human. In fact, his skull was a bit elongated, making him quite scary to look at.

But his voice was calm, collected and seemed to be soft…

Tatsumi felt a goosebump when he heard the voice but he quickly calmed himself. Instead, he took a look up and saw that the sky was the darkest directly above the pool.

The congregation then paved the way for the wheelbarrows to be moved to the front. The representative then picked the black crystal himself while the jade crystal was still carried in the wheelbarrow.

“This is the Malicium and the Etherium. Let us not waste any time and start it already.”

 

-

 

Seeing that the preparation was complete, Dian summoned Leif and Ghylea to the Planet Master’s space directly.

“It is done. Time for us to go there.” Dian declared and he looked at the two.

“Then I’ll naturally follow.” Leif nodded and said.

“Hmm.” Ghylea nodded and only hummed softly.

 

-

 

Tatsumi then saw that the sky above the pool suddenly distorted like a strange spiral. Then it distorted so much that there were flashing colors around the distortion. This caught the attention of anyone in the Undead Pool.

“What do you mean, Uncle?” Tatsumi uttered in surprise.

‘He is coming, boy.’

As Kudungga commented, the sky above them stopped getting distorted and what appeared before their eyes were three figures.

One of them was a mass of cloud gathered to form a humanoid figure. Another was a lump of rock that formed a humanoid form while the other was a massive figure with a grey cloak covering the body, which was made from the undead element itself.

Tatsumi could feel in his heart that there were traces of him that wanted to revere the cloudy figure but he held the urge.

‘What they are saying is true. The Father God, Death Sovereign and Artisan God have manifested in the Undead Secret Realm!’ Tatsumi exclaimed in his mind.

“According to history, social knowledge as well as the consciousness in the Afterlife, the three are the gods of the three different races. The Father God is connected to humans, Death Sovereign is connected to the undead and the Artisan God is connected to the dwarves. The relationship between the latter two is subordinate to the former, but…” Tatsumi said in a trance.

Ame, who was closer to him, could hear what he had said. She was surprised to hear that Tatsumi could connect to the consciousness in the Afterlife and gain knowledge about the relationship between the three gods.

It was something that she did not even know, despite the fact that she had learned and gained more information from her family’s influence.

‘Of course, there is something that Miss Charlene did not tell me. To think that this is one of them.’ Ame thought to herself.

She was surprised but she quickly gained her composure and looked at the manifestation of the three gods in the sky.

“Good job for those who participate in this operation.” A loud voice filled with power reverberated throughout the Undead Pool. Even the black water slightly caused waves following the voice.

Then the manifestation of the three gods moved to a certain place at the edge of the Undead Pool, forming a triangular formation. The congregation discovered that the Malicium and Etherium they had carried so far were floating to the center of the pool.

All of the people stood silent. They saw the magnificent figures and could not help but revere them. Their eyes were filled with respect.