Chapter 844: Primordial Sigils

The powerful members of the Monroe family immediately followed in Claire Monroe’s footsteps the moment they heard the news.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before they spotted two figures standing on the desolate, barren land ahead.

Ricky sensed something too—his body pulsed with dark energy as he turned to glance behind him, a slight frown forming on his face.

Claire was already closing in, her presence fierce and commanding, with the rest of the Monroe elites right behind her.

“Aria!”

“Mom…” Aria turned around, her face lighting up with a mix of relief and guilt as she saw her mother’s anxious expression.

Claire’s eyes scanned her daughter quickly. Aria didn’t seem seriously hurt—just completely drained. The tension in Claire’s chest eased a little.

“I’m okay, Mom. Really. Don’t worry,” Aria said quickly, trying to reassure her.

“Good. That’s good.” Claire nodded, then her gaze shifted to Ricky. Blood streaked his face, and his injuries looked far worse than Aria’s.

That caught her off guard.

This wasn’t the scene she’d imagined at all.

Her daughter had ventured deep into the Forbidden Zone, yet came out mostly unscathed—and even managed to capture the leader of the White Robe Order?

That’s my girl, Claire thought, pride flickering in her chest. All that training hadn’t gone to waste.

“Well then, let’s kill this Ricky and get you out of here. I’ll take you back to civilization.”

“Mom—no! Don’t kill him!” Aria blurted out, panic flashing in her eyes.

“…What???”

Claire froze, her face a picture of confusion.

The air went still. Only the wind howled across the wasteland, swirling dust and tension.

Behind her, the Monroe family warriors exchanged puzzled glances.

Something’s not right…

Aria felt the shift in atmosphere. Her cheeks flushed pink as she glanced at Ricky.

“The Zombie King in the white shirt is still at the center of the Forbidden Zone. There’s a whole horde of zombies blocking the way out. If we kill Ricky now… we’ll never make it back.”

Claire didn’t respond right away. Her eye twitched slightly. That’s your excuse?

Sure, her original plan had been to negotiate with Ethan and rescue Aria. But finding her daughter so quickly had changed everything.

This was the perfect chance to get her out.

“Fine. We won’t kill Ricky—for now. But you’re coming with me. We’re leaving while we still can.”

“I…” Aria hesitated, her lips parting as if the words were hard to say. “I… don’t want to leave. Not yet.”

“What did you just say?” Claire’s eyes widened, her voice rising. That sinking feeling in her gut was getting worse.

Aria took a breath. “Ricky got hurt protecting me. He saved my life.”

“So now you’re defending him?” Claire snapped. “Even if that’s true, it doesn’t erase what he’s done in the Inner City. Do you know how many innocent people died because of him?”

“Mom… it’s not like that. You don’t know him.”

Claire stared at her daughter, speechless.

Her blood pressure spiked. Her vision blurred for a second. What the hell had gotten into her daughter?

What kind of spell had this guy cast on her?

Aria pressed on. “And that Zombie King in the white shirt—he’s heading back to Necroterra. Once he’s there, he’s going to launch an assault on Heartland. It’s going to be chaos. That’s our chance. We can strike while they’re distracted, wipe out the Heartland Zombie Kings. That’s the mission our ancestors never completed.”

“And then what?” Claire shot back. “We get wiped out by that white-shirted freak next?”

“No. He won’t kill me,” Aria said, shaking her head.

“And how the hell do you know that?”

“Because Ricky told me.”

Silence fell again. The wind whispered across the cracked earth.

Claire’s expression shifted—conflicted, stormy. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

“Mom, Ricky’s one of the White-Shirted Zombie King’s guys—he knows him really well. And if he really wanted me dead, don’t you think I’d already be six feet under?” Aria said, her tone calm but firm.

Claire’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing. So now her daughter was using Ricky’s connection to that monster as a shield? As a top-tier human warrior, Claire couldn’t help but feel a flicker of resentment.

Behind her, a young man from the Monroe family spoke up, his eyes thoughtful. “Aunt Claire, I know Aria’s idea sounds crazy, but… she’s not entirely wrong. If that White-Shirted Zombie King really does flatten Heartland, and he’s got a Dreadnought-class Starcruiser under his command, he could launch a full-scale assault on human civilization anytime he wants. Maybe it’s smarter to talk to him now—show we’re willing to negotiate—before it’s too late.”

Claire was silent for a long moment, her expression unreadable.

“…Maybe you’re right,” she finally said with a sigh. She wasn’t stupid.

Sure, she could take Aria and run now. But how long could they really hide?

Sooner or later, they’d have to face that terrifying monster.

And by then, there might not even be a chance to talk.

“Alright. Let’s go find that White-Shirted Zombie King. We’ll stick to the original plan—negotiate,” Claire said, her voice steady.

“Understood,” the Monroe warriors replied in unison.

And so, the group pressed forward, heading straight for the heart of the Forbidden Zone.

The path was littered with signs of brutal combat—shattered boulders, scorched ritual arrays, and deep gouges in the earth. Every step forward was a reminder of how dangerous this place was… and how powerful Ethan had to be.

“He actually fought his way through all this?” Claire thought, stunned.

Her understanding of Ethan’s strength shifted. He was even more formidable than she’d imagined.

As they neared the center, the air grew thick with violent energy. Explosions echoed in the distance, and chaotic winds howled like a storm tearing through the world.

The mist that had once blanketed the area was almost gone now, revealing a massive altar ahead—crumbling, collapsing in on itself.

“Holy shit…”

Everyone stared, eyes wide, jaws slack.

Atop the altar stood a lone figure, shirtless, his body chiseled and powerful. Golden sigils crawled across his skin like glowing tattoos, pulsing with energy.

Ethan.

He held a stone tablet in one hand, radiant light streaming from it like a comet’s tail. With a roar, he slammed it down onto a towering stone pillar.

The pillar shattered instantly under the force, revealing a glowing rune inside—blazing with golden light.

Ethan reached out and grabbed it with one hand, absorbing it into his body.

The golden sigils on his skin spread further, now reaching across his lower abdomen, making him look even more like some kind of divine weapon.

“Those are… Primordial Sigils?” Claire whispered, eyes locked on him.

The Seven Primordial Sigils—ancient marks said to channel the raw power of heaven and earth.

Right now, Ethan looked like a living weapon, his body etched with runes that amplified his strength to terrifying levels.

The scene was pure chaos, and no one could look away.

Ethan moved like a god of war, unstoppable. One by one, he shattered the remaining six pillars, absorbing each rune into himself.

“No…!” a voice cried out.

Far off, an old man stood at the edge of the altar, clutching his head in despair. Without the runes to sustain him, his form flickered, fading in and out like a dying flame.

“Die,” Ethan said coldly, turning his gaze on the old man. His eyes flashed gold.

The power of the Domain of the Dead surged from him, freezing the very air.

The altar exploded—shattered into countless fragments, as if sliced apart by invisible blades. The old man vanished with it, his body and soul obliterated in an instant.

He had waited here for centuries, maybe millennia… and in the end, he was swallowed by time, his lonely existence snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

Moments later, the Domain of the Dead faded. The violent energy in the air began to settle. The rubble stopped falling. The dust cleared.

Ethan stood alone, his aura now calm and contained. The golden sigils on his body faded, sinking back beneath his skin as if they’d never been there at all.

…