Chapter 744: It got away

After the Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters was killed, the Xenobeast army collapsed almost instantly. They abandoned the fight in a panic, scattering into the shadows in a desperate bid to escape.

That’s when the bloodthirsty zombies began their hunt.

Leading the charge was Bloodveil, tearing through the battlefield in pursuit of the Lord of the Carrion Reavers.

After all, that beast carried the last SSS-grade crystal core.

Bloodveil’s mutated blood surged from his arm, twisting into a crimson chain that lashed out and wrapped tightly around the Lord’s thigh.

“Trying to run? Not that easy!”

“ROAR!” The Lord of the Carrion Reavers let out a guttural howl of pain. It didn’t even hesitate—it just wanted to get the hell out of there.

With a savage swipe of its massive claws, it turned on its own leg.

CRACK—SPLURCH!

With a sickening crunch of bone and the wet rip of torn flesh, the beast snapped its own leg clean off, choosing to maim itself rather than be caught.

Freed from the blood chain, it dropped to its remaining three limbs and bolted, tearing across the ground in a frenzied sprint. In seconds, it had already put hundreds of feet between itself and Bloodveil, leaving behind a trail of thick, foul-smelling blood.

Bloodveil hadn’t expected the brute to be so ruthless. He stared after the fleeing monster, then took off again without missing a beat.

The Lord of the Carrion Reavers was fast, but it was badly wounded.

It glanced back mid-run—and saw Bloodveil gaining on it, blood energy flaring around him like a storm. Another blood chain was already forming in his hand, ready to strike.

Panic surged through the beast. Then, just ahead, it spotted a jagged fissure in the earth—pitch black, like a bottomless pit.

No time to think.

It leapt.

The blood chain snapped through the air—too late. It missed by inches.

“Damn it!” Bloodveil cursed, watching the beast vanish into the abyss.

He didn’t hesitate. He jumped in after it.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

But Bloodveil’s enhanced vision cut through the black. He scanned the depths—but the Lord of the Carrion Reavers was nowhere in sight.

“Where the hell did it go…?”

THUD!

Bloodveil landed hard, bones crunching beneath his boots. The bottom of the chasm was littered with skeletons—some monstrous, some human. Even bits of plastic and debris were scattered around, remnants of a long-dead human civilization.

He searched the area, but the beast was gone.

The Lord’s body secreted a fluid that could mess with a zombie’s sense of smell—even a Zombie King like Bloodveil couldn’t track it easily.

Still, Bloodveil wasn’t giving up. He started moving deeper into the crevice.

But the moment he stepped away, a pair of glowing red eyes flickered open above him, embedded in the rock wall.

A massive shape clung there, perfectly still—like part of the stone itself.

The Lord of the Carrion Reavers was hiding in plain sight, completely silent.

As Bloodveil moved farther away, the beast allowed itself a flicker of smug satisfaction.

“Stupid zombies. Think they can find me?”

It began climbing in the opposite direction, trying to put as much distance between itself and Bloodveil as possible. The farther it got, the safer it would be.

After clinging to the wall for a few more minutes and sensing no movement behind it, the Lord finally relaxed. Confident it had shaken its pursuer, it dropped silently to the ground.

Not far off, it spotted a massive cave mouth split open in the rock.

Quietly, it slipped inside.

Its hulking body curled up tight in the shadows, hiding in silence.

Now, above the chasm, the surface was crawling with zombies. If they spotted him, it’d be a death sentence.

The Lord of the Carrion Reavers lay low, his pores constantly secreting that special fluid—once a deadly tool for ambushing zombies, now reduced to a desperate cloak for hiding.

Still, he was confident.

They’ll never find me down here. I’ll wait it out, and once they scatter, I’ll slip away…

In the pitch-black cave, his glowing red eyes flickered with calculation, already plotting his next move.

But then—out of nowhere—a voice cut through the silence.

“Well, well… the mighty Lord of the Carrion Reavers, curled up in a corner like a scared little rat. Kinda pathetic, don’t you think?”

“Who’s there?!”

The beast jolted, eyes snapping wide. Its diamond-shaped pupils shrank in alarm.

Standing at the mouth of the cave, where there had been nothing just moments ago, was a figure—tall, calm, and terrifyingly familiar. A handsome man in a crisp white shirt. The one creature the Lord feared most.

“You… Why are you here? How did you find me?!”

“I followed you, obviously,” Ethan said casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“…” The Lord of the Carrion Reavers fell silent, stunned. All that careful planning, all that stealth—undone just like that?

Ethan didn’t waste time. He stepped forward, and with each stride, the oppressive force of the Domain of the Dead expanded around him.

The stone walls groaned and cracked, spiderweb fractures spreading under the pressure.

The Lord of the Carrion Reavers, already gravely wounded and missing a leg, had no strength left to fight. The ferocity in his eyes faded, replaced by raw, primal fear.

Ethan summoned his katana with a flick of his hand. In one clean motion, he slashed downward—splitting the beast’s grotesque, protruding maw in two.

A glowing crystal core shot out from the corpse as the massive body collapsed with a dull thud.

Without a word, Ethan raised his hand. Both the core and the corpse vanished into his spatial storage ring, leaving no trace behind.

Like nothing had ever happened, he turned and walked out of the crevice.

But just as he stepped into the open, a flash of red light flared in the distance. A powerful aura surged toward him—Bloodveil had sensed something and was rushing over.

The moment he spotted Ethan, his eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re here for the Lord of the Carrion Reavers too?”

“Yeah,” Ethan replied without hesitation.

Bloodveil’s gaze darted past him, scanning the cracked stone walls behind. There were faint signs of a struggle.

“So… did you find it?”

“Yeah. It was hiding in the crevice.”

“You killed it?!” Bloodveil’s expression tightened, anxiety creeping into his voice.

Ethan didn’t answer right away. He paused, then slowly shook his head. “No. It got away.”

“…” Bloodveil blinked, clearly thrown off. Suspicion flickered in his eyes.

Was that true?

He glanced at the ground—no corpse, no blood, no sign of a kill.

But before he could press further, Ethan locked eyes with him and said, almost casually, “Didn’t expect you to awaken Absolute Domain. You’ve been hiding that well. I bet the crystal core in your head… is pretty damn valuable too.”

“You—what are you trying to say?” Bloodveil’s voice sharpened, and he instinctively stepped back, putting distance between them.

He hadn’t forgotten how Ethan had crushed the Overmind Queen with a single punch. If it came to a fight, he probably wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I’m warning you,” Bloodveil growled. “My entire Zombie Horde is nearby. If we all attack together, you won’t be able to kill us all.”

“Ohhh?” Ethan’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Relax. I’m just messing with you. We’re allies, remember?”

“R-Right… that’s more like it.” Bloodveil let out a breath, tension easing slightly.

“Anyway, now that the fight’s over, I’m heading out. If any humans show up in Southvale, I’ll let you know. You’ll get your hands on more crystal cores—and some high-tech weapons too. That should give you an edge when you’re fighting other zombie nests.”

“Mmm… not bad.” Bloodveil’s eyes lit up at the mention of tech. He assumed Ethan was talking about regular humans from the Hunt Trials—he had no idea Ethan meant a full-blown Dreadnought-class Starcruiser…

“Alright then. It’s a deal.”

“One word, one promise.”

…

Here’s a redemption code for everyone: