Chapter 576: New skin

Mia and her team had come to deliver the katana to Ethan—and to check out the situation along the northern border. After all, whatever was going down here could easily shake up the entire balance of power in the U.S.

But the moment they stepped off the aircraft, they were greeted by a peaceful, almost idyllic little town. Quiet streets, snow-dusted rooftops, the kind of place that looked like it belonged in a postcard.

Which made no sense at all.

Wherever Ethan showed up, chaos usually followed. This kind of calm? It didn’t fit.

Mia frowned, puzzled.

But then her eyes narrowed. She felt it—a monstrous presence, distant but closing in fast. Her gaze snapped toward the town’s entrance.

The snow-covered ground was bulging, like something was tunneling just beneath the surface, heading straight for them.

“What the hell is that?” someone muttered.

Everyone turned to look, curiosity quickly turning to unease.

The snow mound stopped a few yards away. A low, guttural growl rumbled from beneath, followed by the sound of something slithering and scraping.

Then—boom. Snow exploded into the air.

A massive lizard burst from the ground, easily seven feet long. Its skin was thick and armored like plated steel, its yellow eyes gleaming with malice. Rows of jagged teeth jutted from its mouth like a set of knives, and a suffocating aura of bloodlust radiated from its body.

“What the hell kind of monster is that?” Chris breathed, stunned.

The creature wasn’t just any monster—it was the Shadowscale Zombie King, sent by the Pied King himself. Its mission? Flank the battlefield and slaughter any humans it found.

To the Zombie King, it was a dream assignment. The scent of fresh blood and flesh made it tremble with anticipation.

“Humans… so many humans…” Shadowscale hissed, its voice thick with hunger.

Then, it opened its jaws wide—unnaturally wide, a full ninety degrees—and what happened next made everyone’s stomach turn.

A zombie, slick with mucus and disturbingly flexible like a giant worm, slithered out of the lizard’s mouth.

Its eyes locked onto Mia and her team, lighting up with manic excitement.

“Ughhh…” Mia squinted, visibly disgusted.

Seriously, what the hell was up with the monsters these days? They just kept getting weirder.

Shadowscale scanned the group, its bloodlust intensifying. Just like the boss said—this place was crawling with humans.

“Fresh meat… I’m coming for you!” it roared, its slimy body lunging straight at Mia and the others.

“Monsters up north really are something else,” Mia muttered. Honestly, she’d been starting to feel weird about how quiet things were. No monsters? No chaos? It just didn’t feel right. But now, seeing this Zombie King show up?

Finally. Things were back to normal.

She reached behind her and gripped the hilt of her brand-new Stellar Fang katana. With a sharp metallic ring, she drew the blade.

Embedded in the hilt was an S-class lightning crystal core, pulsing with raw energy. Blue arcs of electricity danced along the blade, crackling through the air with a high-pitched sizzle.

“Slash.”

In a flash, she moved—her body a blur of motion, lightning trailing behind her. The blade cut through the air and into the zombie’s neck like it was slicing through a watermelon.

A heartbeat later, its head flew off.

The Shadowscale Zombie King—dead.

The giant lizard didn’t last much longer. Chris, Brandon, and the others swarmed it, blades flashing. Within seconds, it was hacked to pieces and set ablaze, reduced to ash.

Aside from the scorched patch of earth, it was like nothing had ever happened.

The townspeople who’d gathered nearby just stared, stunned into silence.

“What the hell was that?”

“No idea…”

“Looked like some kind of monster got into town, and those people took it out.”

“They were amazing!”

“Yeah… seriously.”

“…”

Right after the fight, Mia started asking the townspeople if they’d seen Ethan. Sure enough, a few of them mentioned that a stranger had shown up a few days ago—seemed like he’d been in contact with someone named Awan.

That was all Mia needed to hear.

She and her team headed straight for Awan’s house.

Given Awan’s warm and welcoming nature, she didn’t hesitate to invite them in, offering tea and a place to sit like they were old friends.

…

Not long after, a tall figure came sprinting toward the town from the snowy hills outside—fast, frantic, and clearly in a panic. He didn’t even bother knocking. He just burst straight into Awan’s yard.

“Awan! Awan!” Logan shouted, breathless and wild-eyed.

But before he could say more, the girl he’d been so desperate to see stepped into view.

“Logan? What’s wrong?” Awan asked, surprised.

“Uh…”

Logan’s crimson eyes, partially hidden behind the cloth wrapped around his face, scanned her from head to toe. She looked completely fine. Not a scratch on her.

“You’re okay?” he asked, still catching his breath.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Awan tilted her head, clearly confused.

“You didn’t run into any monsters just now?” Logan pressed.

“Monsters? What monsters?” she asked, even more puzzled. “I haven’t seen anything.”

Logan fell silent, his mind racing. That didn’t make sense. He’d seen it in the Pied King’s memories—his forces had been sent to ambush the town. So why was everything so… normal?

Still, seeing Awan safe and sound let him finally breathe again.

“Good… that’s good. As long as you’re okay,” he muttered, visibly relaxing.

“Oh, by the way,” Awan added casually, “some people showed up earlier. Said they’re friends of Ethan’s. They’re here looking for him.”

Logan blinked. Ethan… has friends?

That was news to him.

Led by Awan, Logan stepped inside the house—and came face-to-face with Mia and her crew.

“Humans?” he said aloud, completely thrown off.

He stared at them, stunned. Ethan had human friends? He looked them over one by one, his confusion only deepening. Could it be… that guy had developed some kind of emotional attachment?

Meanwhile, Mia and the others were sizing Logan up too—and their expressions said it all.

“Wait a second…”

“That guy’s not human.”

“Did you feel that aura? He’s definitely a Zombie King.”

“And he just barged in here, yelling Awan’s name like he was worried about her.”

“Don’t tell me… he’s into her?”

“Oh my god. Seriously?”

“I’ve been saying it—zombies up north are just built different.”

“…”

Back on the battlefield in the basin, Ethan had already wrapped things up. The fight was over, and it had been a solid win. He’d collected a good haul of crystal cores, and his underlings had feasted on both crystal cores and Neurocores, boosting their strength across the board.

The horde was buzzing with energy—bloodlust sated, spirits high. As usual, they retreated into the forest to throw a party.

Because what else do you do after a massacre in the snowfields?

You rave.

Ethan, though, decided to head back to town alone. He wanted to check on things, make sure everything was still under control.

He strolled down the narrow village path, eyes scanning the quiet streets.

“Looks peaceful enough. Doesn’t seem like anything went down,” he muttered.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something unusual.

The small square where kids usually played soccer now had a sleek, high-tech aircraft parked right in the middle of it. A crowd of curious adults and kids had gathered around, pointing and whispering.

Not far from the square was Awan’s house.

The front gate was wide open, and leaning against the doorframe was a familiar silhouette—arms crossed, posture casual.

Ethan felt her gaze before he even looked up.

He turned his head.

Their eyes met.

Mia’s sharp, bright eyes locked onto him, scanning him from head to toe. He was still wearing his signature white shirt, but now he’d thrown on a stylish white fur coat over it.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“New skin, huh?”

…