Out on the battlefield, Umbradrake was riding high. He might not have fully lived up to the title of
The Voidborn Undying
, but damn if he didnât look the part. His presence was overwhelmingâraw, commanding, and terrifying.
The lower-tier zombies around him were so shaken by his aura, they didnât even dare get close. A wide, empty ring formed around him, like a no-go zone carved out by sheer intimidation.
"Brothers! With meâcharge!" Umbradrake bellowed, voice booming like thunder.
He surged forward, leading a pack of elite Zombie Kings and a dense wave of the horde. Vines were torn apart underfoot, and the field of delicate pink blossoms was trampled into mush.
Even the Japanese Iron Trio and the Dune Twinsâtwo of the corpse nestâs most fearsome squadsâwere forced to fall back under the pressure.
Howler let out a breath of relief, muttering to himself,
See? Thatâs what it means to have a Voidborn Undying as your boss. Now they get it.
But just as things seemed to be turning in their favorâ
Whoosh!
A sharp gust sliced through the air. A gleaming claw-blade tore through the wind, aimed straight at Umbradrakeâs face.
Laura wasnât done. Not even close. She didnât care about his theatricsâshe was still on the hunt.
Umbradrakeâs eyes widened. He jerked his head to the side just in time. The blade skimmed past his cheek, so close it sliced off a few strands of hair.
"Too close!"
But before he could even catch his breath, that same murderous pressure came crashing down again.
He whipped his head aroundâLaura was already there. Her speed was unreal. Her claw-blade was coming in for another strike, faster than he could react.
No time to dodge.
Umbradrake clenched his clawed hand into a fist and threw it forward with all his might.
CLANGâ!
The impact rang out like a tortured scream of metal. Laura was knocked back, but she landed smoothly, one hand bracing her as she slid across the ground.
She glanced down at her right arm. The alloy claw-blade was still vibrating, humming with the aftershock of the blow. The sound was sharp, gratingâalmost painful to hear.
That alloy had been top-tier back on Earthâtough, nearly indestructible. But now, under this level of combat pressure, it was starting to show its limits.
Umbradrakeâs fist, meanwhile, had a few shallow gashesâbut his Zombie King body was already healing, the wounds sealing up in seconds.
"This oneâs no joke..."
Heâd come out slightly ahead in that exchange, but it had been way too close for comfort.
He didnât dare let his guard down.
Laura rose to her feet again, silent and focused. Umbradrake tensed, eyes locked on her, every nerve on edge, ready for that next lightning-fast strike.
But thenâ
"Let me handle this."
A calm, steady voice cut through the tension.
Ethan stepped out of thin air, like heâd just peeled himself from the shadows. His eyes flicked to Lauraâs claw-blade, noting the damage. Yeah... time to upgrade.
New world, new rules. Everything had to be rebuilt from scratch.
And there was still so much left to do.
At his words, Lauraâs aggression melted away. She lowered her head respectfully and stepped back without a word, retreating into the ranks.
Now, Ethan stood alone in front of Umbradrake.
The other Zombie Kings lit up with excitement.
"Boss is stepping in!"
"Is this it? A showdown between two Voidborn Undying?!"
"Weâve got this in the bag now!"
"Hell yeah!"
Big Ears watched from a distance, still playing the part of the calm, calculating strategist.
Seeing how things were unfolding, he gave a confident nod, like everything was going exactly according to plan.
"Itâs over," he said simply.
"For real?" Hank asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Big Ears grinned. "Oh yeah. Just watch."
"..."
On the battlefield, Ethanâs
Domain of the Dead
began to stirâan invisible tide of power rising around him, thick and suffocating. The pressure rolled out like a tsunami, blanketing the entire area in a crushing wave of dominance.
Howlerâs eyes bulged as he locked onto Ethanâs figure. "Boss! Thatâs him! The one who trashed our territory!"
"Oh? Then let me be the one to deal with him," Umbradrake said, stepping forward. His own aura flared in response, bolstered by his psychic force. For a moment, it looked like the two were evenly matchedâtwo apex predators squaring off.
He stared Ethan down and gave a warning, voice low and heavy. "You sure you want to do this? Weâve both evolved to this pointâit wasnât easy. Donât throw it all away over a reckless decision youâll regret."
"You talk too much," Ethan replied flatly.
"Youâ! Fine then!" Umbradrake snarled, baring his fangs. At this point, there was no turning back. The fight was inevitable.
With a roar, he launched himself into the air, fist cocked back, diving down like a meteor. The wind howled around him, his punch tearing through the air with enough force to make the ground tremble.
But Ethan just tilted his head, unimpressed. "Too slow..."
The power behind the strike didnât match the aura Umbradrake had been projecting. Was this just a probe? A test?
Cautious. Smart,
Ethan thought.
He didnât go all out either. A thin wisp of blood-red energy curled around his arm as he raised his fist to meet the blowâjust a taste of his Domain of the Dead.
BOOOOM!
The impact exploded like a thunderclap. A shockwave ripped through the battlefield, shattering rocks and sending debris flying in every direction.
But Umbradrake felt like heâd just punched a steel wall.
Thenâ
CRACK!
A sickening sound echoed through his body as his arm snapped under the force. Bone shattered, white fragments piercing through his skin. The next instant, he was launched backward like a ragdoll, crashing into the ground with a thunderous thud.
He bounced. Twice.
Then rolledâover and overâdigging a deep trench into the earth before finally skidding to a stop.
The battlefield went dead silent.
Zombies everywhere froze, stunned.
Especially Howler and the others.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Boss just got
launched
!"
"Heâs not even a real Voidborn Undying, sureâbut the gap shouldnât be
this
huge, right?!"
"..."
Ethan glanced down at his own fist, mildly surprised.
That was it?
This guy was way weaker than expected.
But then it clicked.
He wasnât SSS-tier. Not even close. He just
looked
the partâfaking the aura, the presence, the intimidation.
It was a bluff.
A trick.
Ethan had seen it before. In the rainforests of Central and South America, there was a butterflyâthe Owl Butterfly. When it spread its wings, it revealed patterns that looked like an owlâs face, scaring off predators.
Umbradrakeâs ability was basically the same thing.
A scare tactic.
"All bark, no bite..." Ethan muttered, disappointed. Heâd been hoping to harvest a high-grade crystal core. Guess that would have to wait.
Real
Voidborn Undying
werenât this easy to hunt.
Across the field, Umbradrake lay face-down in the dirt, stunned and shaken. That momentâwhen heâd gotten closeâheâd felt it.
That pressure.
That suffocating, soul-crushing pressure.
The kind that only came from a true apex predator.
Only from a real top-tier Zombie King.
"Boss! You okay?!" Howler and the others rushed over, panic in their voices.
They couldnât believe it. One hit. Just one hit, and their boss was wrecked.
His entire arm had been shattered.
"Boss, what the hell happened? I mean, sure, weâre faking itâbut the difference shouldnât be
this
massive, right?"
"...Because..." Umbradrake growled, his voice low and strained, "...heâs the real deal."
The others froze.
"...What?"
"Boss, what did you just say?"
"Yeah, what do you mean âreal dealâ? Real what?"
"..."
Umbradrake pushed himself up from the dirt, his broken arm slowly knitting itself back together. But the fear in his eyes only deepened.
"I mean..." he said, voice trembling, "heâs the
real
Voidborn Undying."
...