Chapter 739: You’ll be free soon

At the critical moment, Ragnar didn’t retreat—instead, he surged forward, gritting his teeth and throwing his head straight into the massive skull of the Lord of the Carrion Reavers.

BANG!

A thunderous crack echoed through the air as a shockwave of raw force exploded outward.

It was a brutal trade—Ragnar took the hit head-on, splitting his forehead open and spilling blood, but thanks to his monstrous physique, it wasn’t fatal.

The Lord of the Carrion Reavers reeled from the blow, letting out a guttural roar as its hulking body staggered backward.

Ragnar didn’t waste a second. Seizing the brief opening, he thrashed with everything he had, muscles straining, blood boiling.

A crimson aura burst from his body—pure, unfiltered bloodlust. The mark of a true Zombie King.

“RAAAHHH!”

With a deafening roar that shook the night sky, the tentacles wrapped around him finally loosened.

After all, his power was on par with the Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters. A single tendril wasn’t enough to hold him for long.

With a surge of force, Ragnar shattered the remaining restraints and broke free.

He leapt back, putting distance between himself and his enemies.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto Vulturea. He’d originally wanted her to track down Bloodveil—but now, she’d been taken over by the Overmind Queen.

Blood and grime streaked down Ragnar’s chest and face, making him look even more savage. But his wounds were already starting to heal, his body knitting itself back together with unnatural speed.

“You’re not getting out of this alive,” Vulturea said with a cruel smirk. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation. An SSS-grade crystal core was right in front of her—so close she could taste it.

Once Ragnar was down, the tide would turn in her favor. After that, it’d just be a matter of time before she hunted down the other Zombie Kings and finally broke into Eastreach.

Ragnar clenched his jaw, fangs bared. He was badly hurt, and that last clash had drained him more than he’d expected.

Now he was surrounded—facing the Overmind Queen, the Lord of the Carrion Reavers, and a swarm of monsters closing in from all sides.

There was no way out.

But just then, a figure began to materialize atop a massive boulder in the distance.

“Well, looks like everyone’s here…”

“Hm?” Every powerhouse on the battlefield turned toward the voice—both the Overmind Queen and the Lord of the Carrion Reavers narrowed their eyes.

The silhouette of Umbradrake came into view.

Ragnar’s expression shifted instantly. The despair vanished from his face, replaced by a flicker of hope. “Umbradrake! You couldn’t have picked a better time—get over here and help me!”

“Hang in there a little longer,” said Ethan, disguised as Umbradrake, his voice calm and steady. “You’ll be free soon.”

But the Overmind Queen just sneered, her face twisted with disdain. “Oh, it’s you. I thought it might be someone dangerous. You really came here to die?”

“I came to take your crystal cores,” Ethan replied, his voice low and cold.

The Overmind Queen’s eyes narrowed, irritation flashing across her face. One or two—didn’t matter. She’d kill them both.

Without another word, she struck. Her arm morphed into a massive tentacle, lashing out toward Ethan with terrifying speed.

The thing was colossal—towering like a mountain, crashing down from the night sky like a divine hammer. The sheer force behind it could split the world in two.

Ethan stood motionless atop the boulder, making no move to dodge.

BOOOOM!

The entire rock exploded beneath the impact. The ground split open, a deep chasm tearing through the earth. Dust and debris filled the air, swallowing Ethan’s figure whole.

“Wait—he’s dead? Just like that?”

Ragnar stared, dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe it. Not even a single dodge? He remembered Umbradrake being a beast when it came to snatching crystal cores—this didn’t make sense.

The Overmind Queen relaxed, lifting her chin slightly, a smug smile playing on her lips.

“Just as I thought… nothing but a fool.”

But just as the Overmind Queen was basking in her triumph, a sharp, primal instinct screamed danger.

A violent surge of energy erupted behind her. She spun around—only to see a steel-hard fist, crackling with destructive force, already inches from her face.

Every pore on her body flared with pain, like needles stabbing into her skin.

In a split-second reaction, two more tentacles burst from her back, crossing in front of her to block the blow.

BOOOOM!

The impact was devastating.

The Overmind Queen was launched like a ragdoll, her body smashing through several hills before finally skidding to a stop in a cloud of shattered rock and dust.

The ground trembled violently. Boulders tumbled and cracked as the shockwave rippled outward.

Both of her tentacles had been snapped clean off by Ethan’s punch, spraying foul, reeking blood into the air.

She staggered to her feet from the rubble, looking utterly wrecked—her once-imposing form now battered and bloodied.

But more than that, she was shaken.

“What the hell… how is he this strong?”

It hit her then—the figure she’d crushed earlier had only been an illusion, a decoy conjured by Ethan.

Now, he stood revealed in his true form. Against an SSS-level opponent, there was no room for distractions like disguises.

The Overmind Queen looked up—and froze.

The image of Umbradrake was gone. In his place stood a Zombie King with pale, flawless skin, piercing, narrow eyes, and a crisp white shirt that shimmered with an eerie glow under the blood-red moonlight.

“What…?”

She blinked, stunned. She’d parasitized countless humans before, and by their standards, this guy was absurdly attractive—almost unnaturally so.

What was going on?

That earlier version of him… had just been a projection?

Ragnar, meanwhile, was staring wide-eyed, completely dumbfounded.

But what caught his attention most wasn’t Ethan’s face—it was the white shirt.

That pristine white shirt…

No way…

A realization slammed into him like a tidal wave.

“You… you’re that alien Zombie King!”

Ethan turned his gaze toward him, calm and cold. “Yeah. I heard you’ve all been looking for me.”

Ragnar stumbled back, his usual ferocity replaced by something he’d never felt before—fear.

His boss had made it clear: finding the alien Zombie King was the top priority. Nothing else mattered.

And now he realized… this guy had been right next to him the whole time?

Ragnar’s mind reeled. He remembered—it was Ethan who’d told Vulturea to follow him. That’s what led to this whole mess.

He’d known everything from the start. He never intended to let Ragnar live.

“This… this was all your plan, wasn’t it?”

Ethan didn’t even try to deny it. “Bingo.”

Ragnar’s pupils dilated. His mind was spinning. This guy wasn’t just strong—he was terrifyingly calculating. Every move had been planned to perfection.

“I’m a Zombie King from Heartland! If you kill me, you’re dead too!” Ragnar shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

Ethan kept walking toward him, step by step. “Why is it that everyone starts talking nonsense right before they die?”

His tone was casual, but the killing intent radiating off him was suffocating.

“I told you, didn’t I? Just hold on a little longer… and you’ll be free soon.”

Ragnar’s heart sank. That line again. He’d heard it before—and now it sounded like a death sentence.

He could feel Ethan’s power climbing higher and higher, the pressure around him thickening like a storm about to break.

Then Ethan vanished.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Ragnar, fist already swinging toward his skull.

Ragnar barely had time to react. He threw up his arms in a desperate block.

CRACK!

His already-injured arm snapped under the force. The blow sent him flying backward like a broken doll.

But before he could even hit the ground, an overwhelming force surged in behind him—like a tidal wave crashing down.

It caught him mid-air, freezing him in place.

The Domain of the Dead had fully awakened.

Its power surged to the limit. Even the scattered stones on the ground began to rise, sucked upward by the sheer force, only to disintegrate mid-air.

Ethan walked forward, step by step, his body radiating pure destruction.

…