Chapter 713: This is really bad…

After Ethan introduced human technology into his zombie nest, everything changed—top to bottom, inside and out.

The zombies were practically buzzing with anticipation, itching for a fight.

And across Southvale, the tension was reaching a boiling point. Millions of zombies were sweeping across the land, surging straight toward Umbradrake’s stronghold.

By now, the area around his nest was already swarming with the undead.

Gravestone, the Overlord of Southvale, had arrived long ago.

But Umbradrake? He hadn’t shown his face once. He was holed up inside, clearly stalling for time.

Not that Gravestone minded. In fact, it played right into his hands—gave him time for his own Zombie Horde to arrive.

“I’m waiting for my horde,” Gravestone muttered, eyes gleaming. “And Umbradrake? He’s just waiting to die.”

“Boss Gravestone, when are we making our move?” one of the nearby Zombie Kings asked, his voice low and eager.

“Today,” Gravestone growled, his eyes flashing with menace. He’d done the math. The timing was perfect.

“Hell yeah!”

The other Zombie Kings responded in unison, their voices full of bloodlust.

They immediately began mobilizing their forces, summoning their undead legions. Between them, they commanded over two million zombies.

Gravestone was already strategizing in his head. He’d use their hordes as cannon fodder—launch a first wave to wear Umbradrake down.

Then, once his own elite horde arrived, he’d swoop in and finish the job.

Take Umbradrake out without breaking a sweat.

It was the perfect setup.

“Damn, I’m a genius,” Gravestone thought smugly.

Soon, the undead began to converge, forming a massive tide of rotting flesh and gnashing teeth. A sea of zombies stretched as far as the eye could see, flooding the hills and valleys.

Among them were elite zombies—fast, agile, deadly. Some sprinted on two legs, others galloped on all fours, all of them charging straight toward Umbradrake’s nest.

From a distance, it looked like the land itself was moving.

The leading Zombie Kings marched at the front, radiating a savage, violent aura.

“Today’s the day Umbradrake dies!”

“Hmph! He brought this on himself.”

“Let’s see if he’s still got that cocky attitude now!”

“…”

Meanwhile, Umbradrake and his crew were standing atop a massive boulder inside the nest, surveying the scene from a high vantage point.

In the distance, the horizon was choked with dust and smoke—like an army of a thousand charging beasts. Through the haze, the silhouettes of monstrous zombies loomed.

“Shit… we’re so screwed,” Umbradrake muttered, his brow furrowed deep.

It was clear this wasn’t a bluff. They were coming for real this time. No more stalling. No more waiting.

“Boss… you think that Voidborn Undying from Solaris Citadel is actually gonna show up?” Howler asked, his voice uncertain. “He’s not just stringing us along, right?”

“I… I mean, I hope not,” Umbradrake replied, but even he didn’t sound convinced.

He glanced toward the direction of Solaris Citadel.

Nothing.

No movement. No sign of help.

Another one of his lieutenants spoke up. “Even if that Voidborn Undying does show up… can he really take on Gravestone?”

“Uh… well…” Umbradrake hesitated. He didn’t have an answer.

Both of them were Voidborn Undying. Who was stronger? No one really knew.

And honestly, why would the Solaris Citadel’s Zombie King risk his neck for Umbradrake anyway? If he bailed now… Umbradrake would be left holding the bag.

“Whatever. We’ll hold out as long as we can. After that… it’s in fate’s hands.”

“Got it.”

Howler and the others nodded, then rushed off to relay the battle orders to the rest of the nest.

The entire stronghold erupted into chaos. Zombies roared and shrieked, their bloodlust rising as they prepared for war.

Umbradrake wasn’t exactly short on numbers either—he had over a million zombies under his command.

It had been a long time since Southvale had seen a battle of this scale.

Moments later, Gravestone and his Zombie Kings arrived just outside Draconis Citadel, their endless horde behind them.

It was a full-blown siege.

“Umbradrake! Get your ass out here and face me like a real Voidborn Undying!” Gravestone’s voice was a guttural rasp, like boulders grinding against each other.

But the massive gates of the zombie nest ahead stayed shut. Not a sound. Not a flicker of movement.

The other Zombie Kings exchanged looks, sneers spreading across their rotting faces.

“Guess Umbradrake finally pissed himself.”

“Hah! Probably curled up in a corner somewhere, crying for his mommy.”

“Where’s all that tough talk now? Wasn’t he the one who said he’d wipe us out? Called himself the Voidborn Undying like it meant something…”

“Yeah, what a joke.”

The Zombie Kings were loving every second of it.

Gravestone, though, wasn’t here to talk. He was here to end this.

“Break it down. All of it. Go!”

“RAAAHHH!”

The horde roared in unison, a deafening wave of fury. Then they surged forward like a living tsunami, crashing toward the towering walls of Draconis Citadel.

The long-awaited battle had finally begun.

Elite zombies sprinted ahead, scaling the walls like spiders, their claws digging into stone. Others, the lower-tier ones, piled on top of each other, forming grotesque ladders of flesh—living siege towers made of snarling, snapping corpses.

From above, it looked like the earth itself was crawling.

Gravestone strode up to the wall himself.

He clenched his fist, his entire body radiating raw, violent energy. Then he slammed it forward.

BOOM!

The stone wall exploded like it was made of brittle clay. Chunks of rock flew in every direction, dust clouding the air.

Before the debris even settled, a flood of zombies poured through the breach, howling as they stormed into the heart of Draconis Citadel.

They were coming from every direction now, tearing into the nest like a pack of rabid wolves.

Umbradrake had no choice. He had to fight back.

“Move! Hit them hard!” he barked, sending his lieutenants to intercept the invaders.

The two zombie armies collided in a frenzy of claws and teeth.

They tackled each other to the ground, rolling in the dirt, tearing and biting with savage fury. Some latched onto throats and ripped heads clean off, vertebrae snapping like twigs.

Blood sprayed in arcs. Limbs flew. The battlefield was a hellish slaughterhouse.

But Gravestone was a monster among monsters.

As the enemy horde rushed him, he didn’t flinch. He just planted one foot into the ground.

RUMBLE!

The earth shook violently, like a quake had struck. A shockwave of raw Voidborn energy blasted outward, shattering the zombies closest to him into chunks of gore.

“Holy shit…”

“That’s the power of a Voidborn Undying?”

“Gravestone’s on another level…”

The Zombie Kings were in awe.

And terrified.

The pressure radiating off Gravestone was suffocating. It wasn’t just physical—it hit their very souls, made their instincts scream to run.

Umbradrake watched from the rear, his expression grim.

His forces were getting shredded. His lieutenants were dying by the dozens. Gravestone wasn’t just stronger—he was in a whole different league.

“If this keeps up… I’ll be the only one left standing.”

He clenched his jaw.

“I’ve gotta slow him down. Even if it’s just for a little while…”

Decision made, Umbradrake stepped forward and entered the fray.

The battlefield was a maelstrom of chaos—screams, growls, the wet crunch of bone and flesh. The fight had reached its peak.

Then suddenly, a new wave of pressure swept across the field.

It was cold. Heavy. Ancient.

Voidborn energy.

The Zombie Kings froze, their eyes snapping toward the source.

Umbradrake was walking toward them, his aura growing with every step.

The air around him shimmered with power. His presence was like a black hole—pulling everything in, suffocating, inescapable.

“Is he… is he really stepping in himself?”

“Wait… why does it feel like his energy’s stronger than Gravestone’s?”

“This is bad. This is really bad…”

The Zombie Kings instinctively backed away, unease crawling up their spines.

They had come here expecting an easy kill.

But now?

Now they weren’t so sure who the real monster was.

…