CHAPTER 1658: THE ZOMBIE LORDS

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Her gaze swept across the gathered Lords. Maria’s presence pressed down on them like gravity itself, warping the air and distorting the light. Her red eye, still bleeding black tears, narrowed at their sight.

"You can speak? Yes, I’m strong," Maria replied. "But you won’t be fighting me. You will fight my champions," she said. "If you survive, you may earn the right to speak with me again."

"...Champions?"

A second Lord spoke. This one was red, with wings, a tail, and a featureless face. Its voice resembled that of a woman, twisted and strangely alien.

"If you can defeat any of them, just one, you will be spared."

Maria decided to play along, offering them a false sense of hope. She intended to force her way through regardless.

However...

"Kill you... instead..."

The shadow entity spoke, its glowing purple eye glaring at Maria with bloodthirsty intent.

At that response, Maria smiled, her sorrowful expression twisting into one of madness. Her eyes opened slightly, revealing pitch-black voids.

"I’m eager to see any of you try."

The rest of the Lords quickly understood the situation. They wouldn’t escape unless they killed her—or defeated one of her subordinates.

Their Auras surged, flooding the surroundings with dark energy as all twelve Zombie Lords ascended into the skies.

"KRIEEEEEHHH!"

The first to arrive were the largest: insect-like Lords, including one resembling a centipede and another shaped like a massive crab.

Lucifer greeted them with blazing claws, halting both charges effortlessly.

CRAAASH!

An explosion of energy erupted. The two Lords possessed vast reserves of Mana and Psychic Power. They had developed psychic abilities before, but after the Tower’s arrival and assimilation of the System, they gained Mana, Stats, and new Skills.

"SHIEEEEHH!"

They roared in unison, unleashing claw attacks charged with energy, attempting to tear through Lucifer’s scales and hands. The centipede conjured beams of black and red lasers from her many eyes.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Lucifer remained unscathed. He quickly assessed their strength and found it lacking.

"Well, that was disappointing."

His claws tore into their bodies without hesitation, splitting both Lords in half. Their innards splattered as they groaned in agony, falling into the sea of black void.

SPLASH!

"Fight! Fight the strongest! Show me what you can do! I want to fight!"

The black knight-like Zombie Lord roared, overflowing with red and black energy. He clashed against Partner, who intercepted his bone weapon attacks with her sharp twin spears.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

The Zombie Lord was not only strong but incredibly fast. His attacks came from every angle, generating shockwaves as they collided with Partner’s spears.

Yet the Vampire—once Maria’s skeleton—remained unfazed. Several red skeletal arms sprouted from her back, punching and blocking the Lord’s relentless strikes.

CRASH!

His bone weapons shattered. As he tried to forge new ones from his own bones, Partner struck with both spears, piercing his chest and head. She released a surge of energy, triggering two small explosions inside him.

BOOOM!

The monster died instantly, falling into the black void below. Maria watched from above, smiling with satisfaction.

"Kill you... instead! Kill you instead! Tyrant of the stars! Your powers... mine!"

The strangest of the Zombie Lords ascended, approaching Maria. Her third crimson eye and two pitch-black eyes—forever weeping black tears—gazed down at him as if he were a pathetic insect.

He had once terrorized tens of thousands of humans and devoured millions of Zombies to grow stronger. He had crystallized a Psychic Core in his brain and evolved into his grotesque form.

And yet, as he neared her...

"Begone."

Emeraldine’s voice rang out. Her magic bow fired dozens of spiritual arrows, piercing the monster’s body. Its eye widened as it twisted violently, deflecting half the arrows before they exploded.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Though damaged, it recovered quickly and glared at Emeraldine like a rival obstructing his path to the true apex.

"KILL."

His purple eye glowed, unleashing a massive psychic beam of purple and black energy that tore through the void toward her.

Emeraldine remained calm. Her spirits merged their powers into a single arrow—massive, wooden, and radiant with multicolored light. She fired it like a missile, unleashing a beam of equal force.

BOOOMMM!!!

The attacks collided and exploded, generating a shockwave. Amidst the chaos, the Zombie Lord reached Emeraldine, his tentacles lashing out.

But she was ready. Dozens of arrows burst from her Aura, not just her bow, rotating around her to shield against the assault.

The Zombie Lord was bombarded with consecutive strikes. Emeraldine appeared behind him, firing a concentrated arrow infused with the power of Yggdrasil and nine elemental Realms.

BOOOM!

Another explosion engulfed him. Emeraldine reappeared below, summoning wood magic enhanced by her spirits. It pierced the monster with powerful strikes.

The creature twisted, morphing into hundreds of black spikes that destroyed the wood—only for the fragments to glow and explode in succession.

Emeraldine rose above him again, unleashing a barrage of piercing arrows. She charged a larger one and struck his eye directly.

The arrow exploded into wooden branches and roots, tearing him apart from within.

As he groaned in agony, Emeraldine summoned her Spirits once more, gathering their power into a single point. She unleashed a spiritual attack: six giant arrows, each representing an element, fired a prismatic beam that struck the monster and sent it crashing into the black void.

SPLASH!

Maria nodded, pleased with everyone’s growth. The monsters began to falter, slowly realizing the true power they faced.

But it was too late to beg for mercy. Their arrogance had sealed their fate.

The battle became a massacre.

Lucifer’s claws tore through them. His blazing scythe burned and slashed, while his breath obliterated their defenses.

Partner’s twin spears pierced and thrust with precision, bypassing most defenses and inflicting severe damage. Her blood and shadow magic toyed with her prey.

Emeraldine combined magic, archery, and spiritual power with unmatched agility, soaring through the skies and overwhelming every foe.

Eventually—

SPLASH!

The last Zombie Lord was defeated.

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