Carter stared at the Summoning Menu, heart pounding with anticipation.
The time for holding back was over, he hadn't used up the majority of his funds summoning the Medjay forces mostly because as good as they were, they were weak...
He had seen firsthand what the undead hordes could do, and the return he got for each Medjay wasn't enough for him to break even.
The Howlers, the Stalkers, the Devourers—they weren't just mindless beasts.
The undead they were evolving.
Capable of Coordinating.
Of Hunting.
Even glimpses of Leading.
The Medjay had served well, but they had been limited—bound by the constraints of Bronze Age technology.
The undead were getting stronger overall, and we needed to reclaim the city and eliminate the external risks, before new internal ones appeared to sabatoge them.
So for now?
Now, Carter needed an army, a proper army.
Not just warriors.
Legions.
~
Carter cracked his knuckles and began issuing purchase orders through the system interface.
The air shimmered in the private summoning chamber he had built in the basement level of the condominium complex—a hidden place where he could summon new forces away from the eyes of civilians.
Glowing golden symbols materialized on the concrete floors, forming complex, interwoven patterns of ancient Latin inscriptions.
Then, one by one—
They appeared.
~
🔺 500 Legionaries—the backbone of the new force.
Their iron armour gleamed in the underground lighting, polished scuta (shields) raised high with full detailed painting, gladii strapped to their belts, pila (throwing javelins) neatly stacked at their feet like a quiver of arrows.
The sheer discipline and silent, stoic confidence in their ranks was enough to make Carter's breath hitch.
🔺 200 Hastati—the younger, lighter-armored frontliners, acting as the first wave in any battle, testing the enemy's strength before the full might of the Legion engaged.
🔺 300 Sagittarii—elite Roman archers, each one trained to rain death from afar, their composite bows crafted for precision and power over long distances, with far greater penetrating power than the previous Egyptian bows.
🔺 200 Velites—the skirmishers and scouts, fast, agile, and built for urban warfare.
They wielded javelins and short swords, able to harass enemy lines and maneuver swiftly through ruined city streets.
🔺 150 Equites—Rome's swift cavalry, their horses adorned with plated barding, riders armed with spears and short blades, ready to run down stragglers and flank the undead hordes.
🔺 50 Praetorians—Carter's personal elite guard.
Clad in blackened iron armor, their towering scutum shields engraved with the Imperial Eagle of Rome, and their gladii sharper than any blade Carter had wielded before.
They would be his last line of defense—the sword and shield of the Imperator.
Total Cost: 1,450,000 Dollars
💰 New Balance: 2,677,000 Dollars.
~
But as any general in history has learned the army was only as strong as the infrastructure supporting it.
Carter continued summoning, ensuring the Legions would not just fight, but build, sustain, and expand.
🏛 100 Legionary Engineers—experts in fortification, siege construction, and urban defense.
They would work tirelessly to strengthen the walls, lay stone roads, and convert the safe zone into a true Roman fort all the while expanding the safe zones very own borders.
🏛 30 Medicus—field surgeons trained in Roman medical techniques, able to clean wounds, stitch flesh, and prevent infections that would otherwise doom their wounded, perhaps even being able to prevent the undead infection from spreading among the living as well based off the system description.
🏛 5 Praefectus Castrorum—strategic overseers, ensuring food supplies were efficiently stored, rations were properly distributed, and logistical needs were met before battle.
🏛 20 Supply Wagons & Oxen Teams—capable of transporting food, medical supplies, weapons, and reinforcements when reclaiming new sections of the city.
Total Cost: 825,000 Dollars
💰 New Balance: 1,852,000 Dollars.
~
Before Carter could introduce the Legion to the survivors, another matter had to be settled.
The Medjay, those who remained from the Egyptian era of his system, had seen their time come to an end.
They had served with unmatched loyalty, but they too understood the need for progression.
Seto, his former captain, knelt before Carter, flanked by Solomon and the remaining seventy-five Medjay warriors, save for those presently serving on nightwatch.
"We do not wish for rest, Pharaoh,"
Seto said, his voice calm but filled with unwavering resolve.
"We will not sit idly in your ranks while stronger warriors take our place. We will do as those who came before us did. Send us on the most dangerous missions. Let us die with honour. Let our story end as warriors, not ghosts of the past."
Carter clenched his jaw, his chest tightening.
These men had fought for him.
They had bled for him.
Now, they were asking for the right to die for him.
For a moment, he wanted to refuse.
He wanted to tell them they could still serve.
But…
That wasn't what they wanted.
Finally, Carter nodded.
"The city is vast,"
he said.
"There are warehouses, survivors, and unknown threats lurking beyond the safe zone. If this is what you desire, then take your weapons and carve a path. Clear the ruins. Recover lost supplies. Erase the undead wherever they stand."
Seto and the Medjay warriors slammed their fists to their chests, bowing deeply.
"Then we fight, Pharaoh. Until the last breath leaves our bodies."
And with that…
They departed, those on nightwatch not even needing to have it explained to them as their positions were overtaken by newly arrived Roman forces.
Their mission?
To purge the old world's ruins and make way for the Imperial Legions to reclaim the entire area.
~
When dawn broke over the city ruins, casting the first daylight onto the safe zone.
The survivors rose from their beds, stepping out into the streets—only to be greeted by a sight none of them expected.
Towering Legionaries stood at attention, their iron shields reflecting the golden morning light, their red cloaks fluttering in the cold breeze.
Hundreds of Sagittarii lined the rooftops, watchtowers, and walls their bows held firm, watching over the city like guardian sentinels.
The Praetorians, Carter's personal guard, marched in formation, their blackened armour striking fear into those who had dared question the rule of the Pharoh the night before.
Sam, Marcus, Rachael, and the other community leaders stood frozen, staring in shock at the impossible display of power.
Even the opposition leader from the previous night, the man with glasses, gaped in disbelief.
This wasn't a militia.
This wasn't a ragtag group of survivors scraping by in a broken world.
This was a military force, and the question on everyone's mind was where did it come from.
A Roman Legion reborn in the apocalypse.
And at the center of it all—
Carter had ascended and now stood atop the central watchtower, his Praetorians flanking him, clad in the blackened armor of his personal guard while the rest stood vigile below the tower on the ground.
His voice rang out over the stunned crowd that had assembled in the complex grounds.
"Last night, you wanted democracy, the power to choose for yourselves how you will live your lives."
He gestured to the Legionaries—the most organized, disciplined force of warriors the survivors had ever seen since this apocalypse started.
"The Pharoh has heard your opinions and in recognition of that decided to put some of your worries to rest, This is what kept Rome standing for a thousand years. This is the Pharoh's, no Ceasars gift to us, a more modern force with which to fight against the relentless undead, and retake our homes, our cities, our nation."
His eyes swept over the gathered survivors.
"You don't have to follow him. You don't have to stay here. But make no mistake…"
His Praetorians slammed their shields against their greaves in perfect unison, the sound echoing like a war drum.
"An Empire will rise again. And he will reclaim this world—one bloody step at a time, and gods help whoever chooses to stand in his way."