CHAPTER 756: I DIDN’T MEAN YOU

In the days that followed, human harassment across the Southvale continent didn’t let up—but they’d gotten smarter about it. Now, instead of launching full-scale attacks, they’d just fly a few circles overhead before retreating. No major clashes broke out.

Still, the tension in the air was thickening.

It felt like the calm before a storm.

As time crept by, nearly three weeks passed before Ethan finally finished absorbing the three crystal cores he’d hunted down earlier.

Something about him had shifted—subtly, but unmistakably. His entire presence felt different now.

He stepped out of his room and headed into the lab.

Everything inside was running smoothly, systems humming along like clockwork.

"Boss!" PhD and Hammerhead spotted him and hurried over.

Hammerhead had adjusted well to the lab environment over the past few weeks. He’d picked up a lot and was now a competent little assistant.

Ethan gave a small nod. "How’s everything looking?"

"Nothing major so far," PhD replied. "But the Zombie King of Eastreach keeps pinging us, asking if any humans have shown up in Southvale."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. He already had a pretty good idea what that was about.

Of course—it had to be Bloodveil, their so-called ally from the Backstabbing Alliance.

It had been a while since Ethan made any moves, and clearly, Bloodveil was getting impatient.

"I’ll send him a reply."

"Got it," PhD said, leading him over to a machine that received wave signals—ones only zombies could interpret.

Ethan glanced at the screen. There were over a dozen messages waiting.

Bloodveil had started sending them on Ethan’s third day back in Southvale, clearly worried Ethan might flake on their deal.

Every message said more or less the same thing:

"Any humans in Southvale yet?"

"You’re not backing out on me, are you?"

"If you screw me over, I’ll tell the Zombie King in Heartland about you hunting Ragnar. Let’s see how well that goes for you!"

Ethan sighed. "This guy..." he muttered. For someone who was supposed to be the Overlord of Eastreach, Bloodveil sure acted like a clingy, paranoid ex.

He typed out a quick reply:

"No humans yet. If any show up, I’ll let you know."

Didn’t take long for Bloodveil to respond—like he was glued to the damn machine.

"What the hell have you been doing? Why are you only replying now? You’re stalling, aren’t you? Bet you’ve already seen humans and just don’t wanna tell me!"

Ethan rolled his eyes and shot back a half-assed response:

"Think whatever you want."

Then he turned away from the machine.

More messages popped up on the screen almost immediately, but he didn’t bother checking them.

He knew Bloodveil too well. The guy was paranoid as hell. If Ethan told him to come now, even if it was legit, Bloodveil would think it was a trap.

So the best move? Keep things vague. Let him stew.

Behind him, Hammerhead stood respectfully, eyes wide with admiration as he watched Ethan walk away.

"PhD," he whispered, "don’t you think... the boss feels different somehow?"

"Yeah," PhD murmured, a glint flashing across the lens of his monocle.

He knew exactly what had changed.

Ethan had absorbed three SSS-grade crystal cores.

He wasn’t just different.

He was stronger—much stronger.

...

Far off in Eastreach, deep within the central zombie hive—

Ever since the Xenobeast army had been driven back, the continent had settled into an uneasy peace.

Bloodveil, with nothing better to do, spent his days squatting in front of the signal receiver, surrounded by his crew of subordinate Zombie Kings.

"Why the hell hasn’t he responded again?" Bloodveil muttered, irritation flashing in his eyes.

"I think he’s doing it on purpose, boss," one of the Zombie Kings beside him offered. "He’s stalling, trying to drag this out so he doesn’t have to hold up his end of the deal."

Bloodveil fell silent, deep in thought.

They’d agreed to hunt humans together. There were supposed to be tons of high-tech weapons involved.

And now, after all this time, Ethan was claiming there were no humans?

Yeah, right. That was a blatant brush-off if he’d ever seen one.

"Boss, I heard there’ve been a bunch of human aircraft flying over Southvale lately. There was even a skirmish not long ago—they bagged a bunch of crystal cores. That Zombie King living in Southvale? He’s totally lying to you!" another trusted Zombie King chimed in from the back.

Bloodveil’s fury ignited, his aura flaring with cold, violent energy.

"Oh, so that’s how he wants to play it?" he growled. "Fine. If he won’t invite us, we’ll go ourselves!"

"Wait—what? Go there ourselves?" The other Zombie Kings looked at each other, startled.

That sounded... risky.

Showing up uninvited on another Overlord’s turf? That could get them killed on the spot. Everyone still remembered how Ethan had knocked out the Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters with a single punch. That wasn’t something you forgot.

"Boss, that’s way too dangerous. And don’t forget—he’s got dirt on you. What if he’s just waiting for a chance to kill you and cover it up?"

"Relax," Bloodveil said coolly. "I’ve already thought of that."

He knew better than to walk into Ethan’s territory alone. Their alliance was paper-thin at best—one wrong move, and it’d all go up in flames.

"We’re not going alone. We’ll bring the other Region Overlords with us. If he’s hiding something, we’ll help him share it. We’ll show up as ’allies’—and take our cut."

The room went quiet for a beat—then the Zombie Kings’ eyes lit up.

"Damn, that’s genius, boss!"

"Yeah! If we all go together, he won’t dare make a move. If he does, every Region’s zombie horde will be on his ass."

Bloodveil wasted no time. He started firing off signals to the other Region Overlords—Westmarch, Frostmere, and more. His hands moved with practiced ease.

"Let’s see you keep secrets now, Ethan."

"Let’s see how you like the spotlight."

...

Word spread fast.

Some Zombie Kings got involved out of curiosity, others because they’d been planning something all along. One way or another, the storm was gathering.

Meanwhile, a massive Dreadnought-class Starcruiser—like a mobile planet—was closing in on the edge of Necroterra, crossing the Exile Zone.

On the observation deck, a group of elite human warriors stood watching the desolate land ahead. Among them were the War Goddess Serah Vale, Gareth Voss, and others.

And standing at the front—Harren Blackwell, the man who had led the charge in the war thirty years ago.

His eyes, clouded with age, stared out at Necroterra. His heart was heavy, memories flooding back.

That battle... they’d lost.

His wife. His child. Both buried in that cursed land.

Even their Dreadnought-class cruiser had been destroyed.

But now, he was back—to finish what he started, and bury the past once and for all.

Behind him, Serah Vale’s face was pale. She pressed her lips together, clearly uneasy.

"Are we really... going to fight that Zombie King in the white shirt again?" she whispered.

"Serah, relax," Howard said gently, turning to her. "This time’s different. Back at the Battle of Skywall, we weren’t prepared. That Zombie King ambushed us out of nowhere. That’s why we lost."

"Maybe..." Serah murmured, biting her lip. But her eyes still held doubt.

Tharen, standing nearby, scoffed. "Tch. Serah, you’re way too soft. It was just one battle. You’re acting like Harren—still haunted by a loss from thirty years ago."

"Hmm?" Harren, lost in his memories, turned his head sharply.

Tharen immediately realized he’d screwed up. Harren was a legend—definitely not someone you disrespected.

"Uh—Harren, I didn’t mean you, sir. I was just trying to, you know, motivate her..."

...