"This guy..." Endless narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze forward. Since the moment heâd evolved consciousness, this was hands down the most troublesome opponent heâd ever faced.
Ethanâs mental strength had grown immensely. The illusions he conjured werenât just for show anymoreâthey packed a punch.
What unfolded was a chaotic scene straight out of a nightmare: multiple versions of Ethan surged forward, charging at the three Deathless Sovereigns like a swarm of demons unleashed.
But while the illusions looked fierce, their attacks were relatively weak. It didnât take long for the three Sovereigns to tear through them, scattering the mirages into drifting stardust.
"We canât let him get away! After him!" Nightwraith roared, seething with fury. His mental energy exploded outward as he shot forward in pursuit.
Endless and Lilith followed instantly, right on his heels.
The entire region was now a battlefield of clashing psychic forces and Absolute Domain energy. The sky thundered with the sound of power colliding, and destruction reigned across the land.
Ethan fought as he retreated, countering every move with calm precision. He wasnât panickingâhe was waiting. Waiting for the right moment to strike back and turn the tide.
Gorthas was dead now, but his zombie nest still echoed with the furious howls of the undead, like a chorus of gods and demons screaming in rage.
On the surface, it looked like Endless and the other Deathless Sovereigns had the upper hand, chasing Ethan down relentlessly.
"That bastard... he killed our boss!"
"Deathless Sovereign Endless will avenge him, no doubt!"
"Damn right! Just like every other battleâwe never lose!"
"Letâs go too!"
"Raaaarghâ!"
"..."
Countless zombies howled in unison, surging forward behind Endless, hellbent on revenge.
The chaos in Heartland had begun. A horde of millions thundered across the land, flooding over hills and valleys, all charging westward.
But this was only the opening act.
At the border between Heartland and Westmarch, two powerful factions stood locked in a tense standoff: Meteorfall, the Overlord of Westmarch, and Hydrissa, one of Gorthasâs fiercest lieutenants.
Meteorfall hadnât received confirmation that Ethanâs assassination mission had succeeded, so he couldnât make a move just yet.
Hydrissa, on the other hand, was under strict orders from Gorthas not to leave Heartland. She wasnât about to risk stepping out and getting ambushed before her boss could back her up.
So for now, the two sides only clashed in minor skirmishesâno full-scale war. But the tension was thick, and both leaders were itching for a fight, venting their frustration through loud, petty insults.
"Come on then! Step inside if youâve got the guts!" Hydrissa bellowed, her voice echoing across the battlefield.
"Oh yeah? Why donât you come out here instead!" Meteorfall shouted back from a safe distance.
Hydrissa scoffed. "Ha! Iâm not that stupid. For all I know, youâve got fifty Voidborn Undying hiding behind those rocks, just waiting to rip me apart the second I step out. My boss wouldnât even have time to save me!"
"Wow, real genius over here," Meteorfall sneered. "Waiting for your boss to save you? Hate to break it to you, but heâs probably a corpse by now."
"Bullshit!" Hydrissa snapped, refusing to believe it.
Meteorfall wasnât just throwing shadeâhe had faith in Ethan. With Ethanâs power, sneaking into Heartland and assassinating Deathless Sovereign Gorthas? That guy was toast. Not even Jesus couldâve saved him.
Hydrissa kept up the trash talk. "Sounds like you got hit in the head by one of your own meteors. My boss is alive and well in the zombie nest. You think calling him dead is gonna mess with my head? Try harder, crater-face."
"Crater-face?" That one hit a nerve. Meteorfall had ignored most of the insults, but this one lit a fire under him.
"Look at you with your six arms! Youâre weirder than I am! If Iâm ugly, then youâre a damn Six-Arms!"
"Youâre the freak here, crater-head!"
"Limb factory!"
"Walking disaster!"
"Super freak!"
"..."
The two of them went at it like squabbling kids, hurling insults back and forth.
Youâd expect a battle between Zombie Kings to be all blood and brutalityâbut sometimes, it was just plain ridiculous.
And right in the middle of their shouting match, a massive surge of energy suddenly rippled across the sky in the distance. The heavens roared, clouds twisted and scattered, and a storm of power came crashing in like a tidal wave.
The entire zombie horde froze, a chill crawling up their spines. It felt like a natural disaster was about to crash down on them.
Within seconds, the energy waves grew strongerâcloser. Meteorfall and Hydrissa both sensed it clearly now: the unmistakable presence of Deathless Sovereigns. And not just one.
"Oh, shit..." Both Zombie Kings felt their hearts drop.
What the hell was going on?
Meteorfallâs brow furrowed sharply. A creeping doubt gnawed at himâhad Ethan failed?
Why hadnât he sent the signal to charge?
Maybe heâd been discovered mid-mission, caught by Gorthas or another Deathless Sovereign. The plan to assassinate a Deathless Sovereign in the heart of their own territoryâsomething that had never been done beforeâmaybe even Ethan couldnât pull it off.
Could this be the fallout of a failed mission?
Meteorfall clenched his jaw. Maybe the plan had changed. Heâd have to play it by ear.
Hydrissa, meanwhile, was just as confused.
Sheâd just come from that direction. And now, this insane energy surge was erupting from the same place?
Judging by the aura, this was definitely a clash between Deathless Sovereigns.
"Did some lunatic actually sneak into our territory? Are they suicidal...?"
As she tried to make sense of it, the pressure intensified. First came a chaotic blast of energy, like a hurricane-level windstorm roaring in from the distance.
Zombies all around were nearly ripped apart by the force. Hair whipped wildly, claws flew up to shield their eyes.
Then the ground began to quake. Deep cracks split the earth, spreading like veins across the battlefield. It felt like the whole land was about to collapse.
The zombie horde staggered, struggling to stay upright.
Moments later, the tremors worsened. The cracks widened into a massive canyon, tearing straight through the ranks.
"Move! Get out of the way!" Hydrissaâs eyes flared wide as she shouted.
Her underlings scrambled to the sides, but a few werenât fast enough. They tumbled into the chasm, swallowed whole by the earth.
The shockwaves from Ethanâs battleâany one of themâwere like apocalyptic events to ordinary zombies.
Then, from the sky, a white figure glided forward, cutting through the air like a blade. In a blink, Ethan appeared before Meteorfall and the others.
"Ethan, youâ" Meteorfall started, but stopped himself. He didnât even know what to ask first.
Ethan didnât waste time. "No time to explain. Get ready to fight."
"What? Waitâdid you fail to kill Gorthas?"
"No. I got him." Ethanâs voice was calm, emotionless. No pride, no regret.
Meteorfall blinked. That didnât add up. According to the plan, once Gorthas was dead, they were supposed to charge immediately. "Then why are you here? Why didnât you send the signal?"
"Because I killed Gorthas too early. The others havenât arrived yet. And Iâve got Deathless Sovereigns on my tail. If you charge now, youâll get shredded."
"Iâll get shredded?" Meteorfallâs eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing. "Iâd like to see which Deathless Sovereign thinks they can stop me."
"Three of them," Ethan said flatly.
"...What?"
Meteorfallâs pupils shrank. That fighting spirit heâd just summoned? Gone in an instant.
Something was seriously wrong.
Three Deathless Sovereigns... and theyâd chased Ethan all the way here?
And then, as if summoned by his thoughts, the air thickened with pressure. The aura of Deathless Sovereigns rolled in like a tidal wave. One by one, their figures emerged.
The first was Endless, stepping out of the void like a nightmare made flesh. His presence warped the air around him, and the ground beneath his feet corroded under the weight of time itself.
The very atmosphere trembled, pressing down like a mountain.
Then came Lilith and Nightwraith. Their appearances were eerie, unnatural. They didnât walkâthey simply appeared, as if reality itself bent to let them through. Their power wasnât as overwhelming as Endlessâs, but their sudden arrival sent a chill through every undead present.
The three of them stood there, towering over the battlefield like demonic statues. Just their presence alone was enough to make lesser zombies drop to their knees, overcome with the urge to worship.
...