Chapter 452: New trick

After slotting the final Radiant Crystal into the stone slab’s socket, Ethan found himself still holding one extra. That meant there had to be more fragments of the slab out there—he’d have to go hunting for the rest.

Still, he wasn’t too worried about getting scammed. Nightbane had clearly been manipulated by someone else, while his own slab felt… natural, like it hadn’t been tampered with. Maybe, just maybe, once he pieced the whole thing together, he’d unlock some kind of unexpected jackpot.

The battlefield was now quiet. The horde of zombies, having devoured their fill of Neurocores, began to retreat in waves, heading back to the Los Angeles corpse nest. The massive army moved like a tide, and after this brutal slaughter, their numbers had swelled—especially among the elite ranks.

Once they finished evolving, Ethan estimated there’d be at least fifty thousand elite zombies. And the total number of combat-ready undead? Pushing a hundred thousand—and still growing.

This was the most powerful corpse nest in all of America.

…

After the battle, Ethan finally made it home. The fight had drained him—he’d burned through more than half his energy reserves.

First thing he did was hit the shower, scrubbing off the grime and blood. Then he changed into clean clothes, poured himself a drink, and pulled out the SS-grade crystal core that had dropped from Nightbane’s corpse.

It was a psychic-type core—clear as glass, glowing faintly with shifting colors, like a dream trapped in crystal.

“Nightbane had awakened the Absolute Domain… Wonder what’ll happen if I absorb this,” Ethan muttered, curiosity burning in his chest.

Without hesitation, he popped the crystal core into his mouth and swallowed.

The taste was unbelievably sweet and rich—far better than any core he’d consumed before. A warm, silky energy flowed through his limbs and bones, nourishing every inch of his body. It felt… amazing.

He leaned back into the plush sofa, eyes slowly closing as the energy settled in.

Inside his mind, a surge of powerful psychic force began to bloom, growing stronger by the second. His body was changing—quietly, but profoundly.

…

The extraordinary night passed slowly, and by the time the sun rose again, casting golden light over the ruined city, a new day had begun.

Outside the window, a few crows cawed as they darted past.

Ethan was still on the couch, unmoving—like a statue carved from stone.

Just then, the front door creaked open.

A girl stepped inside, dressed in a cleaning uniform—rubber gloves, hairnet, mop in one hand, bucket in the other. She looked every bit the professional.

It was Nina—Ethan’s part-time housekeeper.

For the past few months, she’d been working diligently, never slacking off, always punctual and thorough.

What no one expected, though, was that she’d gained a bit of weight. Her once-slim figure had softened, her cheeks now round with a hint of baby fat. She’d gone from a slender beauty to a slightly chubby cutie.

Every morning, like clockwork, Nina came by to mop the floors.

As she stepped closer, her bright eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Huh? Boss slept on the couch all night?”

“Did he fall asleep?”

“But… zombies don’t need to sleep, right?”

Her mind raced with questions, but she didn’t dare ask them aloud. She just got to work, quietly mopping the floor like always.

But then—Ethan’s eyes snapped open.

His gaze was sharp, glowing with intensity. A powerful aura suddenly burst from his body, rippling through the air like heatwaves.

Nina froze, her breath catching in her throat. She turned to look—and what she saw made her heart skip a beat.

A massive psychic force was swirling around Ethan, distorting the air itself. The energy gathered in front of him, condensing, taking shape.

Slowly, it began to form a humanoid figure.

The figure grew clearer, more defined—until it looked exactly like Ethan himself. Every detail was perfect, like a mirror image brought to life.

In front of Nina’s eyes, there were now two Ethans—identical down to the last detail. The sight was so surreal, it sent a chill down her spine.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the fake Ethan began to shift. His body and face morphed, transforming into someone else entirely.

The scene before Nina turned dreamlike, almost hallucinatory.

The figure kept changing—into humans Ethan had killed, into the Zombie Kings who had once served under him, and eventually… into objects. Big, small, bizarre, grotesque. The transformations were endless, and each more uncanny than the last.

“What the hell…”

Nina was completely stunned.

What she was seeing went far beyond anything she could comprehend.

A few minutes passed before the powerful psychic energy suddenly reversed course, like a whale sucking in water, and surged back into Ethan’s body.

At the same time, the light in his eyes faded, his aura retracted, and he returned to his usual calm, composed self.

Ethan slowly turned his head toward Nina.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? N-Nothing!” Nina stammered, shaking her head quickly. But after spending so much time around him, she wasn’t as terrified of Ethan as she used to be.

“Boss… did you just evolve again?”

“Mm. Picked up a little new trick,” Ethan said with a grin, his smile warm and easy.

“Uh-huh…” Nina blinked, a little dazed. A little?

What she’d just witnessed had been downright terrifying. The air had felt heavy, like it was pressing down on her chest. She could barely breathe.

But one thing was clear—Ethan had gotten even stronger.

She never imagined she’d be the one to witness the evolution of the strongest Zombie King firsthand. This kind of moment… probably no other human would ever see it.

And yet, a flicker of worry crept into her mind.

I’ve seen too much… Is he gonna kill me to keep me quiet?

…

After absorbing Nightbane’s crystal core, Ethan’s psychic power had skyrocketed—and with it came a brand-new ability:

Illusions.

By channeling his mental energy, he could create visual projections—decoys, distractions, mirages to confuse and mislead enemies. The illusions were so vivid, so convincing, it was nearly impossible to tell what was real.

It was similar to Nightbane’s ability, Phantom Domain.

The key difference? Ethan’s illusions weren’t solid. They couldn’t deal damage. Not yet, anyway.

His psychic strength was impressive, but not quite at the level needed to make illusions tangible. He wasn’t a specialist in that field… not yet.

Maybe after devouring more psychic-type crystal cores, he’d get there.

So for now, to Ethan, it really was just a “little” new trick.

As for his overall power level—he still hadn’t reached SSS-tier. So far, he’d only absorbed two SS-grade crystal cores.

One from the Stone Scorpion King in the desert.

The other from Nightbane.

But the stronger he got, the more energy it took to break through to the next level. The requirements didn’t just increase—they multiplied. Two SS-grade cores weren’t nearly enough to push him to SSS.

He needed more prey.

More hunts.

Just then, a chorus of low, guttural growls echoed from the street outside.

The corpse nest, usually quiet and still, was starting to buzz with activity. The sound of rock music and zombie howls filled the air—clear signals that the undead were getting hyped.

Ethan walked over to the window and looked out.

Massive hordes of zombies were gathering, flooding the streets. The adrenaline from defeating Nightbane hadn’t worn off yet. If anything, it was still building—and it looked like the party was just getting started.

The crowd was thick, packed shoulder to shoulder. Some elite zombies had already climbed onto rooftops, claiming the high ground.

In the center of it all stood a three-story building, like a giant stage.

And there she was—Elegy, cradling her guitar, stepping into the spotlight.

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

“What now? Another undead rave?”

…