The Paladin in the Abyss

Kalalin immediately directed the Arcane Eye to the right upon hearing this, and in everyone's field of view, there appeared an obelisk flickering with a faint purple Spiritual Light. A huge stone platform was before the obelisk, and two 'corpse bearers' were placing the fresh corpses of Frost Giants upon it.

As the viewpoint gradually zoomed in, the purple light on the obelisk grew stronger, enveloping the bodies. An indescribable energy flowed into the corpse, and within a few breaths, the deceased Frost Giant slowly sat up from the stone platform and, in a sleepwalking state, joined the ranks of the other giant Zombies, standing motionless.

"So this is the device that transforms corpses into Undead creatures," Kalalin murmured, moving the Arcane Eye closer to the obelisk, "Let me see how it does all this..."

The obelisk was covered with numerous obscure Arcane Symbols, but the Scholar seemed to be enjoying the view and had even taken out a pen and paper, beginning to copy the patterns on the obelisk while muttering words like 'Energy Storage', 'Transformation', 'Command Marks', completely immersed in his own world.

"Ugh, so these giant Zombies weren't naturally formed, right?" Bruto couldn't help but speak up, "So who set up this device? Could it be that they're already dead, and that's why they haven't 'retracted' this Undead army?"

"Dead? In a sense, but technically still alive..."

"What does that mean?" The dwarf was thoroughly confused, "How can someone be dead and alive at the same time?"

"Creatures with an Undead body yet possess a will of their own are in such a state, like little Isha the Vampire..." Kalalin moved the view upward, focusing on a distinctive Emblem in the center of the obelisk, "and the owner of this Emblem."

Upon close inspection, everyone saw the black Emblem that looked both like a Hardhead Hammer and a Scepter, with a humanoid skull at the top.

"Is this…" Lancelot rapidly recalled the knowledge the Scholar had once shared with him, "'The Undying Overlord' Okus's Evil Emblem?"

"Exactly, I should've realized earlier," the Scholar replied with certainty, "Besides the Undying Overlord, who else would target the corpses of these giants?"

"I see," Lancelot nodded, "But this obelisk couldn't have been erected by him personally, could it?"

"It's unlikely. Abyssal Lords can sense powerful beings entering their realms, and the Prince of Wrath is famously hostile to all Tanari. It would be strange if they didn't fight upon meeting. However, the Undying Overlord has a vast Cult under his command, and this obelisk was probably set up by one of his proxies..."

"Hold on, what are you talking about?" The dwarf finally couldn't restrain himself, "Are you talking about that Okus, one of the three great powers of the Abyss?"

"Yes, that's the one. If you've forgotten, I can reintroduce you to this legendary Lord of the Abyss," the Scholar had finished copying the Runes on the front and moved the view to the side of the obelisk. "When Okus was just a mortal, he was a powerful and evil Spellcaster, and after death, like many vile souls, became the lowest of worms, crawling up from the Stygian River to the shores of the Plains of the Abyss. Over the next few thousand years, he continuously ascended the Abyssal ladder, from a worm to a Prime Demon, then to a Coward Devil, followed by an Aberrant Demon, Flomos, Kasim Demon, Seducer Demon, Soul Judge Demon, and finally became a Barlow Flame Demon."

"Wow, that sounds a lot like Bayer on the Demon side, who also rose up from the lowest Fiends," Bruto shook his head, exiting the shared vision, "But that seems irrelevant to Undead creatures. So why is his title the Undying Overlord?"

"It's due to his resurrection from death," the old Werewolf Reap picked up, "Okus was originally one of the three great powers of the Abyss, endlessly clashing with Dimogorgen and Grazzt. However, about a hundred years ago, he was slain by the Zoel Elf Goddess of Vengeance, Zia Vin Sari, his realm was seized, and his name was nearly erased from the Multiverse. Luckily, a devoted Priest resurrected him and recovered his Kingdom in the 113th layer of the Abyss, Sanatos. The current Okus is a unique Undead Demon, possessing formidable powers over the control of Undead, hence earning the title of the Undying Overlord."

"Many are fooled by Okus's physical form and ferocious combat style and overlook the fact that he is a top-tier Spellcaster," Kalalin had finished using three large parchment scrolls and temporarily exited the state of the Arcane Eye, "Look at the Magic Runes on this obelisk, so refined, so concise..."

"Looks more complex than my beard," the dwarf eyed the incomprehensible lines and patterns, "Can you understand what these are for?"

"As long as the magic is 'written' down, I can understand the general structure," the Scholar said with a proud smile, "The Runes on the face of the obelisk are the control center, which immediately activates the Array on the right side that transforms the dead spirits once it detects fresh corpses on the platform in front, while embedding a series of commands inscribed on the left side of the obelisk into the transformation subject. And the Runes on the back side supply power to all the activities, which seem to resonate with the negative energy plane..."

"Wow, you can decipher all of that from those jumbled lines?" the dwarf's eyes widened in astonishment, "If you learn them, could you cast the same Spell?"

"I can only understand it, but the difficulty of replicating it is much greater, and besides, I haven't really studied Necromancy," the Scholar shook his head, "But the most important thing is to learn from the thought process of the Undying Overlord. I've seen Runes for transforming the dead or communicating with the negative energy plane before, but none are as concise as those on this obelisk. Understanding some of these simplification methods could greatly enhance my Spellcasting abilities."

"Since transformation is through the obelisk, these giant Zombies don't have a direct creator, right?" Lancelot suddenly spoke up, "You mentioned embedding a series of commands into the newly transformed subjects, can you tell what these commands are? Is there anything like a command to confirm the identity of the master?"

"Of course, that Emblem of Okus serves this purpose. Looking at the Rune circuitry, the last step in the entire transformation ritual is to activate that Emblem, stamping the 'master's' mark in the consciousness of the newly created giant Zombie," the Scholar's face showed a hint of vigilance, "You ask this... are you planning to do something?"