"Chieftain, what's wrong?" Kragg rushed over, panic in his voice as he caught the staggering leader.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain was gasping for breath, cold sweat pouring down his scaly forehead. It took him a long moment to recover, the searing pain in his chest slowly ebbing away.

But the terror in his heart? That wasn't going anywhere.

That overwhelming pressure just now… there was only one name that came to mind.

The Voidborn Undying.

"I… I'm fine," the Chieftain muttered, not daring to make a scene. But the way he looked at Ethan had completely changed—from casual indifference to deep, almost fearful respect.

"This gentleman… I didn't expect someone like you to visit our humble territory. I must apologize for the lack of a proper welcome. Please, allow me to offer you our finest meat as a token of respect—and an apology."

"Chieftain, what are you—" Kragg blinked in confusion, completely lost.

What the hell just happened?

"You what? Shut up and come with me!" the Chieftain hissed, yanking Kragg by the arm and dragging him behind a thick tree nearby.

Once out of sight, he lowered his voice and snapped, "That man… where the hell did you find him?!"

"Just outside the village! I was ambushing some humans, and he showed up outta nowhere. Killed a bunch of our guys. I figured I'd bring him back so you could deal with him."

The Chieftain sucked in a sharp breath, grinding his back teeth so hard it sounded like they might crack. He looked like he wanted to punch Kragg right then and there.

"You idiot… You brought the Voidborn Undying into our village?!"

"He's that dangerous?" Kragg's eyes widened in disbelief.

"He's not someone we can afford to offend," the Chieftain growled. "You better keep your mouth shut and your head down. If you piss him off, we're all dead."

Kragg swallowed hard, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

The Chieftain didn't waste another second. He rushed over to a nearby tree where strips of dried meat were hanging, quickly selecting the juiciest, most tender-looking piece.

Then, plastering a smile on his face, he hurried back to Ethan, head slightly bowed, both hands respectfully offering the meat.

"Honored sir, please… have some meat!"

Ethan glanced down at it, unmoving. Just from the smell, he could tell—it was human flesh.

The Chieftain stayed frozen in that position, not daring to move a muscle. Sweat dripped steadily from his chin, his nerves stretched to the breaking point.

Then Ethan spoke.

"I don't eat human meat."

"Ah—uh…" The Chieftain's smile faltered, a sinking feeling hitting him like a stone in the gut.

Ethan's voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it. "That psychic pressure you released earlier… were you trying to attack me?"

"No! Absolutely not! I wouldn't dare! That was just a misunderstanding, I swear!" the Chieftain stammered, waving his hands frantically.

But before he could say more, a sudden uproar erupted from the forest. Shouts and war cries echoed through the trees as dozens of Lizardfolk warriors burst from the underbrush, eyes gleaming with bloodlust, weapons drawn. They quickly surrounded the area in a tight circle.

Leading them was the same Lizardfolk Guard Captain from earlier.

"Chieftain! We're here!"

The Chieftain's jaw clenched so hard it looked like his teeth might shatter. His heart sank even further.

Idiots. Absolute idiots. They're going to get us all killed.

Ethan's gaze swept over the warriors. "So… this is an ambush?"

"Uh—no! No, not at all!" the Chieftain said quickly, forcing a laugh. "This is… uh… our tribe's welcome ceremony! Yes, that's it! A traditional dance to honor our guests!"

He spun around and barked at the warriors, "Well?! What are you waiting for?! Start dancing!"

The Lizardfolk soldiers froze, completely baffled.

Dance?

Weren't we here to fight?

They exchanged confused glances, but none of them dared disobey the Chieftain. So, awkwardly, they began to sway their bodies, tails twitching, limbs jerking in stiff, uncoordinated movements.

Ethan watched the bizarre scene unfold, one brow raised.

Honestly? It was kind of hilarious.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain let out a silent breath of relief when Ethan didn't strike him down on the spot. But deep inside, his mind was racing—how the hell was he supposed to get rid of this walking apocalypse?

"L-Lord, it's been many years since a Zombie King from Necroterra last came through here, so… if our hospitality's lacking in any way, please don't take offense."

"Oh?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So other Zombie Kings have been here before?"

The Chieftain nodded quickly. "Yes, but… that was decades ago."

"Tell me everything," Ethan said, his interest piqued. This could be important—some of the runes the Zombie Kings in Heartland use might've originated from that time.

The Chieftain's eyes glazed over slightly as he dug into old memories, brushing dust off a story long buried.

Back then, he'd just been a low-ranking guard, nowhere near important enough to witness anything firsthand. What he knew came from the previous Lizard King, passed down like legend.

It was said that around forty years ago, a Zombie King from Necroterra invaded Xenorift. He carved a bloody path through the land, leaving mountains of corpses in his wake. No race could stand against him.

That Zombie King fought for an entire month, pushing from the outer edges of Xenorift all the way to its heart. Then, he entered a forbidden zone—an ancient, sealed-off region no one dared approach.

And just like that… he vanished.

No word. No trace. Everyone assumed he'd died in there.

The matter was quietly dropped.

But then, three months later, he walked out of that forbidden zone—alive, and far more powerful than before.

The entire continent panicked. Every race was on edge, fearing what he'd do next.

But to everyone's surprise, the Zombie King didn't continue his conquest. Instead, he turned around and returned to Necroterra.

Still, the other Chieftains weren't convinced. They sent scouts to track him.

What they discovered shocked them.

The Zombie King had bulldozed his way from Westmarch straight into Heartland, crushing everything in his path. And there, he claimed a throne of his own.

That Zombie King… was the Deathless Sovereign—Endless.

"..."

The Chieftain told the story with dramatic flair, his voice rising and falling like a bard around a campfire. His eyes were wide with awe, his tone reverent.

Ethan had heard the name Endless before—this was the second time, in fact. Both human civilization and Xenorift had their own versions of the legend.

And the common thread? Power. Unstoppable, terrifying power.

Ethan had once dug through the archives aboard a Dreadnought-class Starcruiser. There were scattered records about Heartland, and among them, one name stood out. Of the Five Warlords of the Heartland, Endless was said to be the strongest.

Since his rise, he'd never lost a battle. He crushed everything in his path and eventually stood at the pinnacle of Necroterra.

He'd waged war against human civilization, triggering a massive zombie outbreak. He'd even set foot in Xenorift, throwing the entire region into chaos.

What a show-off, Ethan thought, lips twitching in a faint smirk.

The irony? It was that very outbreak caused by Endless that provoked humanity's brutal retaliation.

Harren had launched a full-scale war, leading three Dreadnought-class Starcruisers into Heartland. But in the end… he lost.

History had a funny way of repeating itself.

Now Ethan understood why Harren, in his final moments, had said Ethan reminded him of Endless. It wasn't just the overwhelming power—it was the trail of destruction left in his wake.

Interesting… Ethan mused, though a question gnawed at the back of his mind.

Now that he was in Xenorift, he'd seen firsthand how rich the land was. The ecosystem was intact, the resources abundant.

So why hadn't the Zombie Kings of Heartland come here to establish their own undead strongholds?

Ethan considered a few possibilities.

One: Heartland was simply more fertile, more valuable.

Two: Xenorift had powerful defenders—ones even the Zombie Kings couldn't overcome.

Three: There was something in Heartland itself… something special. Something that made the Five Warlords choose to stay and guard it.

So when Endless entered the Xenobeasts' forbidden zone… what exactly did he see?

…

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