CHAPTER 1660: "RECRUITING" THE ZOMBIE MOTHER QUEEN

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A massive, lake-sized puddle of vomit was left behind, steaming and foul, its acidic stench rising into the air like a curse. As the sludge receded, it revealed billions of bones, remnants of the monster’s endless consumption. Some had been devoured in ancient battles; others were offerings from the Zombie Lords, sacrifices made to appease their grotesque deity.

"Hey, that’s disgusting. Don’t waste perfectly good bones."

Maria’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and irreverent. Her eyes gleamed with power as she raised her hand. The bones trembled, then surged upward, drawn into a vortex of necromantic energy. A moment later, they coalesced into a towering Bone Titan, over five hundred meters tall, its form both majestic and terrifying.

The titan roared to life, its fists crashing down upon the Mother Zombie. The impact reverberated across the battlefield

BAAAM!

The monster groaned but barely budged. The Bone Titan continued its relentless assault, hammering blow after blow while Maria riddled it with holes. She began concentrating on her powers even further. Each strike was a declaration of dominance, a challenge to the ancient horror that had ruled this world for too long.

"You’re so damn huge and regenerate like crazy! You’re the perfect dummy for me to test all my skills!"

Maria clasped her hands tightly. Darkness and void gathered into an eternal shadow, swallowing everything around her for a moment.

"{Starless Apotheosis}!"

TRUUUM!

A massive black hole erupted, consuming everything. It began devouring the Mother Zombie from the inside out—flesh, bones, and organs were swallowed until the effect subsided, leaving a massive dent on its left side.

"GRYYAAAAAAGGH!"

The creature screamed. Crimson beams fired from its eyes—even from within its own body—while virus-like monsters swarmed Maria from every direction. It was trying to kill her by any means necessary.

But—

"{Starless Apotheosis}!"

Maria unleashed it again.

BOOOMMM!!!

Darkness engulfed everything once more. Space and time distorted, fragmented, and shattered. An even larger wound appeared, and the creature’s regeneration struggled to keep up with the damage Maria was inflicting.

Still, it refused to die.

"You’re really a big one, huh? Fine, here’s more!"

Maria’s Mana regenerated at a staggering pace, bolstered by her Skills and Titles. Despite its immense cost—200,000,000 Mana—Starless Apotheosis could be cast again after only a brief pause.

She was learning to better aim and manipulate its explosive power.

As she continued casting Starless Apotheosis, Maria gathered enough Void Tears and Nightmare Essence to conjure her Dominion—a pseudo formation-type spell that trapped the monster beneath an ocean of black void liquid.

"{Abyssal Dreamwave Dominion: Black Void Ocean Formation}!"

SPLAAASH!

"GRAAAAAAHHH?!"

The creature shrieked in rage and disbelief, suddenly drowning in the consuming void. It thrashed upward, gathering energy in its jaws before unleashing a colossal beam.

TRUUUM!

The beam pierced the black void, shattered it, and soared into space—striking the moon and shattering it into pieces.

BOOOMMM!!!

"...?!"

"..."

"..."

Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine stood speechless, eyes wide with shock. The moon of this world had been obliterated—just like that.

Minutes later, moon shard meteors began raining down, but the battle between Maria and the creature raged on.

"Come on, stay down! Right there!"

Maria thickened the black void liquid, making it as heavy as possible. The creature struggled, tearing its own body apart in a desperate attempt to escape.

"Yeah, right there!"

Maria grinned, manifesting a hundred Selene’s Palms fused with Void Tears—giant cosmic hands of black void pressed the creature downward.

The Bone Titan submerged itself and transformed into massive black metal bone chains, anchoring the creature at the deepest point.

"GRAAAAAGGHHH... GRAAAAAGH... GRIEEERRGH... GREEEH..."

The creature thrashed for nearly an hour before finally losing consciousness. Its movements ceased. It stopped breathing—and stopped living.

"Haaa... god damn it. That was really annoying."

It hadn’t been a life-or-death battle, but it had demanded immense effort to subdue the damned thing.

Nonetheless—

It was time to reap the rewards.

"Arise!"

The gigantic Mother Zombie slowly opened her eyes. Her wounds had healed, and her body emerged from the black pool of void liquid, overflowing with newfound power.

She had been revived—despite believing she had died.

Somewhere in her primitive mind, she recognized the entity before her as one capable of both ending her life and granting it anew.

A divine being.

"You’re working for me now. I want you to produce the best Undead possible with the materials I provide. This world will become the cradle of my army—an army strong enough to challenge the upper floors."

After witnessing the power of the Troyan army, Maria had grown cautious. The forces of Olympus, Thebes, Vedas, and Umbralheim could be equally formidable.

She had only faced a fraction of their strength. If they could conquer entire worlds, she would need overwhelming manpower.

She would raise her ultimate Undead Army.

"GRAAAHH..."

The Queen lowered her head in acknowledgment. She seemed to understand Maria now that she had become her Undead.

Maria smiled with satisfaction. She quickly seized control of the remaining Undead—mostly powerful Mutants and Pseudo Lords—after converting the Queen and Mother of all Zombies into her Familiar.

"Good, good girl... See? Be nice, and your dear master will reward you with delicious food, souls, and pats."

Maria patted the gigantic aberration. It let out a series of cute noises, now seemingly simple-minded—almost like a pet.

"Fufu, it’s amusing how they change once they become mine."

As Maria laughed, a tremendous surge of power coursed through her body and soul. She smiled, glancing at the System Notifications.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have successfully tamed every Undead, Zombie Lord, and the Zombie Mother Queen of Necroterra!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[...]

[Your Level has increased from 325 to 351/500!]

[All of your Stats have increased!]

[You earned 26,000,000 System Points!]

[Now that you command an entire planet’s worth of subjects, the power gained from these connections has been transferred directly to you.]

[Additionally, as your Soul-Bound Undead Familiar, part of the powers of the [Zombie Mother Queen (L++ Rank)] have been shared with you.]

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