Is he threatening me?

Bloodveil narrowed his eyes, suspicion flickering in his mind. Ethan's tone just now… it wasn't exactly friendly. And truth be told, his current position wasn't great. He'd come out of the battle empty-handed, and now even his standing among the other Voidborn Undying felt shaky.

Luckily, the Two-Headed Zombie King was nearby—someone at least on his level. Bloodveil quickly tried to pull him into his corner.

"I was this close to dying back there," he said, gesturing dramatically. "If it weren't for Two-Headed, I'd be zombie chow. We've all been through hell, so… shouldn't we get a cut of the spoils? Right, Two-Headed?"

"I don't want anything," the Two-Headed Zombie King replied flatly, both heads shaking in perfect sync.

"..."

Bloodveil was speechless. Seriously? The guy didn't want anything? And from the sound of it… he wasn't backing him up either.

Realizing his little alliance pitch had flopped, Bloodveil quickly changed tactics. "You're right, of course. Defending Necroterra from human invasion is our duty. I mean, we're allies, right? Same side and all."

Ethan gave a small nod, clearly amused. "Not bad. At least you've got some self-awareness."

He had to admit—Bloodveil wasn't dumb. He knew how to read the room and adjust his tone. Smooth operator, if nothing else.

But Ethan was more intrigued by the Two-Headed Zombie King's attitude. He'd fought hard in the battle, but didn't ask for a reward? That didn't line up with the usual Zombie King behavior.

"You came here for something else, didn't you?" Ethan asked directly.

"To be honest… I got kicked out of Frostmere," the Two-Headed Zombie King said without hesitation.

His real name was Wraithshade.

He'd been laying low in the Frostmere region, quietly building power. Only recently had he broken through to become one of the Voidborn Undying. Naturally, that put him on a collision course with the region's ruler—the Overlord of Frostmere.

But Wraithshade's forces were still too weak. He lost. Badly. His horde was scattered, and he barely escaped with his life.

While fleeing, he'd picked up Bloodveil's signal and, with nowhere else to go, decided to follow it here.

"The Overlord of Frostmere warned me—if I ever set foot in Frostmere again, he'd wipe me out."

"Overlord of Frostmere, huh…" Ethan murmured. "What's his name?"

"Abyssion. He's a psychic-type Zombie King. Not that strong, honestly. But he's a bootlicker for the Heartland Zombie Kings. With their backing, I couldn't beat him," Wraithshade explained.

"Oh, a Heartland bootlicker… so, basically like Bloodveil," Ethan muttered.

"...Huh?" Bloodveil blinked, caught off guard. That stung. When did I become a bootlicker?

But thinking back… yeah, he had been pretty damn deferential to the Heartland Kings. Maybe a little too much.

Wraithshade continued, "So I don't want anything right now. What I do want… is your help. I want to use human tech—those weapons—to go back to Frostmere and take Abyssion out."

"And if the timing's right… maybe we can team up and march straight into Heartland."

"..."

Every ambitious Zombie King dreamed of conquering Heartland—the central, most powerful region of Necroterra.

Bloodveil was surprised. Wraithshade's goals lined up perfectly with his own. That was the whole reason he'd joined Ethan's so-called "Backstabbing Alliance" in the first place.

And sure enough, Ethan nodded. "Alright. I'll think about it."

"Great! That's all I ask," Wraithshade said eagerly. Truth be told, he hadn't planned on asking Ethan for help at all—until he saw him fight the humans. After that, the idea took root.

A Zombie King this powerful? He could absolutely crush Abyssion.

And Wraithshade was sure of one thing—Ethan wouldn't stay confined to Southvale. He was destined to push into Heartland.

Ethan's assessment of Wraithshade?

Smart. Strategic. Those two heads weren't just for show. He knew how to hide his strength and strike when the time was right. All in all… definitely more capable than Bloodveil.

With that, the conversation wrapped up.

Even though Ethan agreed to help with Frostmere, it wouldn't be right away. He still had crystal cores to absorb, and the wrecked Dreadnought-class Starcruiser needed salvaging. There were post-battle logistics to handle.

Bloodveil took the hint and said his goodbyes, heading back toward Eastreach.

Ethan, ever the generous one, didn't send him off empty-handed—though what he gave was basically junk.

Torn clothes, busted weapons, a few scraps of gear. The only decent item was a high-end flight module—just in case Ethan needed to call him in the future and wanted him to show up on time.

"Thanks a bunch!" Bloodveil called out cheerfully, still putting on his best polite face. Truth be told, this was exactly what he'd been aiming for from the start—just a decent flight module. He hadn't expected the humans to roll in with a damn Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, but hey, things worked out.

So in his mind, this counted as a win. Expectations met.

He climbed aboard the sleek craft, its blue thrusters flaring to life. With a sharp whoosh, it shot into the sky like a streak of lightning, vanishing into the horizon.

Wraithshade, meanwhile, stayed behind in Southvale for the time being. He'd wait until Ethan wrapped up the post-battle cleanup before deciding whether to head back to Frostmere for revenge.

The aftermath of the battle dragged on for several days. The battlefield was massive, and there were weapons and tech scattered everywhere that needed to be collected and sorted.

Big Ears and the rest of the "Overlord Squad"—a ragtag group of four quirky zombies—were absolutely loving this part. They were in their element, bossing around the cleanup crews.

"Pick that one up and send it to the lab," Big Ears barked, pointing at a half-buried lightsaber.

"Got it, Big Ears!"

The zombie grunts scrambled to obey, diligently hauling gear and debris.

Once they were out of sight, Big Ears glanced around, eyes scanning the rubble. He spotted a severed human finger wedged between two rocks. After a quick check to make sure no one was watching, he bent down, snatched it up, and popped it into his mouth.

Crunch.

Crispy. Like a baby carrot. No way he was letting that go to waste.

Just then, a slender figure approached from the distance—Laura, graceful and cold as ever, making her way back toward the zombie nest.

Big Ears quickly wiped his mouth, straightened up, and plastered on his most flattering smile. He rushed over to greet her.

"Hehehe, Queen Laura! Congrats, congrats! You're officially one of the Voidborn Undying now! I always knew you were my idol!"

"Oh."

Laura didn't even slow down. She gave a flat, disinterested response and walked right past him without a second glance.

"…So cool it's cold," Big Ears muttered under his breath, watching her disappear into the distance.

Not far ahead, a pile of rubble shook with heavy thuds. Bulldozer, the hulking brute of the Overlord Squad, was hard at work hauling massive debris—crashed aircraft, broken parts from the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, even busted Guard Mechs. With a little repair, some of this stuff could still be useful.

Bulldozer was going all out, even using his biomechanical tendrils to lift the heavier pieces.

Big Ears came running over, practically bouncing with excitement. "Bulldozer! Bulldozer! Did you hear? Queen Laura evolved into a Voidborn Undying!"

"Yeah, I know," Bulldozer rumbled, his voice deep and slow. "I even gave her some crystal cores, remember?"

Big Ears leaned in, eyes wide. "So when's it your turn, huh? You're my number one idol, you know!"

"Me?" Bulldozer scratched his massive head, his brow furrowing. "I dunno… I don't really feel anything yet…"

...

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