CHAPTER 1657: THE INVADER FROM THE STARS

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"The Zombie Lords aren’t even that strong... Well, maybe they’re good for EXP. The Lords and that Flesh Pit are the only ones that can resist my control," Maria said. "So it’s better if we kill them and raise them as my Undead."

"That’s the plan, then," Lucifer nodded. "How many Lords are there?"

"I detected four at first, but now I’m sensing around twelve," Maria replied. "There are also several thousand zombies under their command, so I can’t tame them yet. They must be confused right now—I’m attacking them using the zombies and mutants I’ve already subdued."

"Alright, let’s go. I’m getting excited," Partner said with a nod.

"We’ll be back in a couple of hours," Maria added, just before she and her three lovers were swallowed by her shadows and vanished into thin air, leaving behind a flicker of black.

"Wow..." Jenifer whispered, watching the scene unfold in silence, contemplating its implications.

...

Maria, Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner suddenly appeared high above the planet’s surface. The clouds drifted just above them, and Emeraldine reached out, brushing her fingers against the mist with a smile of wonder.

"There’s nothing up here," Lucifer said, scanning the horizon. "I guess they’re not aliens. I haven’t seen any spaceships either..." He peered down at the planet’s surface with his golden eyes.

"Maybe, maybe not," Maria replied. "The virus’s origin seems non-magical—maybe something like the Hive from Zodiacron Prime, but different in how it spreads. Or perhaps it was created by humans. Wouldn’t that make it different from the usual Calamities? System, I thought Calamities were sent by the Tower?"

[Some can be created by the Gods of the World, like what Odin made inside Yggdrasil.]

[Others may have different origins and still be classified as Calamities by the Administrators and the Tower.]

[However, I believe this world hasn’t experienced a Calamity in the way we understand them, or it would have already been consumed.]

[The Tower assumed this world belonged to the zombies, hence the name change. Moreover, no external Calamity has arrived yet... The Tower’s assimilation only began around four years ago—still too recent.]

"Interesting," Maria said, relaying the System’s explanation to her companions.

"That makes more sense," Lucifer nodded. "So, are we doing this or not? How are we approaching it? Teleporting to their location?"

"Teleporting? No need. I’ll bring the Lords to me. We’ll visit the Flesh Pit afterward," Maria said. "Alright, let’s begin."

TRUUUM!

Maria instantly transformed into her truest form. Her presence weighed down upon space and time, plunging everything into complete darkness.

Within this void, Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner beheld Maria’s true form—immense, awe-inspiring, and terrifying. Her aura distorted reality itself.

White stars shimmered in the blackness. Her red eye wept black blood, and an ocean of liquid void began to pool below.

Maria raised her hands. The tears flew into her palms, spinning and warping space, shaking the very fabric of existence.

"Come to me, those who dare oppose me!"

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Blinding flashes of white light and black void erupted in succession. Twelve entities appeared, most of them disoriented, forcibly dragged into a Dominion beyond their control.

They came in varied forms. Some were humanoid with unusual features: a green-skinned Lord oozing acidic poison, a pitch-black Lord wielding bone weapons with a helmet-like head, and a red-skinned Lord with latex-like flesh, wings, a tail, and a featureless face.

Others were monstrous: a giant cockroach-like Lord with multiple eyes and crab-like claws; a massive centipede with the upper body of a multi-armed woman; and a colossal blue-shelled crab covered in red eyes, from which sprouted numerous human-like torsos.

Two were especially bizarre, defying classification as either humanoid or beast.

The first resembled a faintly human-shaped entity made entirely of translucent white crystals. Its body floated silently, capable of disassembling into fragments at will.

The second was a writhing mass of black shadows, from which pitch-black tentacles emerged. A single, large purple eye stared out from the darkness.

"Huh! So these are the Lords?" Partner asked. "Some of them don’t even look like the zombies we saw. How are they Lords?"

"I’m not sure. Maybe mutations changed their appearance, or maybe they weren’t human to begin with," Maria said, gazing down. "If I can take control of them, I’ll understand the power behind this Zombie Virus—or Parasite—much better."

She looked down at the Lords. Their eyes, if they had any, glared up at her with confusion, rage, and disbelief. They had likely never imagined anything like this could happen.

Born as apex predators in this apocalyptic world, they had hunted freely, commanded vast zombie hordes, and devoured whatever they pleased.

Then, out of nowhere, someone arrived, stole 99% of their forces, and summoned them into a gauntlet for supremacy.

In truth, Maria was the Calamity that had descended upon the zombie world of Necroterra—not the other way around.

"Welcome, Zombie Lords of Necroterra," Maria declared. "I am Shub-Eryndra, the Abyssal Mourner of the Starless Deep—a conqueror from the stars. I have come to claim your world. I’ve already taken 99% of your army. Every zombie belongs to me. Only you remain. Now, do any of you speak, or are you too primitive and mindless to hold a conversation?"

Her voice twisted as she spoke, becoming grotesque and unbearable to hear. The Lords recoiled, overwhelmed by her monstrous presence and reality-warping aura.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Many of the Lords lacked speech or any form of communication beyond body movements or eye gestures. Perhaps they were intelligent, but had never developed language—controlling zombies with their minds made vocal communication obsolete.

Yet, there were exceptions.

"Invader from the stars... Are you... strong?"

The pitch-black Lord spoke. His armored body shifted slowly as he stared at Maria with glowing red eyes beneath his skull-shaped helmet, gripping his bone weapons tightly.

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

"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."

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