I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

Chapter 501 - 498 – The Wrath of the Queen and the Winged Lion

The massive explosion that occurred at the center of the tornado still left an echo that shook the entire dimensional space. The vibration traveled deep into the bones, as if the entire reality of this rift was protesting against the power they had just destroyed. The pitch-black light from Sylvia’s abyss, the emerald green from Sylvana’s nature magic, the holy white from Sol and Qilin, and the faint gray from Stacia’s seal blended together in a beautiful yet deadly chaos. A thick fog of energy swirled in the air like a living nebula, leaving behind small flashes of lightning that struck occasionally. The giant tornado that had previously dominated the entire area began to waver violently. Its rotation slowed down drastically, and the sharp wind fragments, which felt like invisible knife blades, began to disappear one by one, shattering into particles of light that faded into the darkness. The heavy rain inside the rift also began to subside, leaving behind puddles of murky mud mixed with monster blood and shards of dimensional energy. A pungent smell of ozone mingled with the scent of wet earth and the piercing, rancid smell of blood.Sylvia stood at the front line, her breath still ragged even though her undead body did not require as much oxygen as a normal human. Her body was drenched in a mixture of rain, mud, and cold sweat. Her black combat attire clung tightly to her pale skin, revealing a physique tense from battle. Her long black hair was disheveled, sticking to her face and neck, partially obscuring her red eyes which still glowed faintly. The dual shield of Nether Branches and Sylvana’s nature magic still stood firmly in front of the team, despite being riddled with cracks and holes from the relentless onslaught of sharp winds. Pitch-black branches and emerald green roots intertwined; several of them were broken, emitting thin wisps of depleted energy smoke.

The other team members also looked exhausted but resilient. Elara lowered her bow slowly, her shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths. Lira and Sylvana supported each other’s bodies, their elf hands still trembling from the intense use of mana. Alicia stood with her magic staff, its light beginning to dim, her face pale from exhaustion. Stacia held her grimoire tightly, the pages of the book wet and slightly torn at the edges.

The tornado finally vanished completely with a long, fading roar of wind, like the dying scream of an ancient creature. However, the brief silence brought no peace. Behind the disappearing vortex, a new figure emerged from the remaining energy fog.

The creature was a humanoid with a lion’s head, sporting dark golden fur that gleamed fiercely under the dim light of the dimension. Its fur was wet with rain and blood, yet it still looked majestic and terrifying. Its body stood tall and powerfully muscular, like an ancient war statue carved by the god of battle himself, every muscle perfectly defined, brimming with primordial strength. Spread out behind its back were multiple wings pitch black mixed with shiny gold, totaling eight pairs. The wings vibrated with the residual storm energy, creating small, sharp gusts of wind whenever they moved. Its eyes glowed a reddish-gold, filled with a burning primordial wrath like an unquenchable hellfire. Its long claws, curved and sharp as ancient swords, stood ready to tear apart anything that blocked its path.

Before Sylvia could cast an appraisal or utter a single word, the figure had already moved. Its movements were so swift that they left overlapping, blurry afterimages in the air. In the blink of an eye, it appeared right in front of Sylvia. The distance that was previously dozens of meters was closed in just a fraction of a second.

BOOM!

The massive, lion-furred fist slammed into Sylvia’s chest with an unimaginable, devastating force. The impact produced a visible shockwave that spread like ripples in water. Sylvia was sent flying like a ragdoll tossed by a typhoon. Her body hurtled backward furiously, crashing heavily against the dimensional wall. The sound of the impact echoed like a direct lightning strike to the ears. The wall cracked, and shards of dimensional energy flew around like shattered glass. Sylvia fell into the deep mud, gasping for breath despite being undead. Her chest felt as if it were being squeezed by a giant, red-hot iron hand. A sensation of pain, which she rarely ever felt, coursed through all her nerves. A thin stream of black blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, dripping into the mud and evaporating into tiny wisps of black smoke.

"SYLVIA!!" Alicia and Stacia screamed almost simultaneously. Their faces were pale with fear; Alicia’s eyes welled with tears for a moment before she bit her lip and refocused.

Everyone was so shocked that they froze for a moment. Elara immediately drew her bow, while Lira and Sylvana prepared to summon nature magic again despite their nearly depleted mana. But there was no time to worry or think twice. The lion-winged creature was already on the move again, leaping toward the still-sprawled Sylvia at a terrifying speed. Its claws were raised high, ready to end the Zombie Queen’s life in a single slash.

Alicia reacted the fastest. "Shield! Maximum Output!" Her magic staff glowed blindingly bright, creating a wall of holy light that shielded Sylvia just in the nick of time. The creature’s claws struck the barrier forcefully, creating a wave of energy that shook the entire area. The barrier cracked like glass on the verge of shattering, but it managed to withstand the first assault. The vibration forced Alicia back two steps, a thin trickle of blood flowing from her nose due to the mana strain.

Sylvia rose slowly from the mud. Her body trembled not out of fear, but because of a boiling anger that had begun to simmer. Her eyes glowed a dark red, filled with primordial fury. It had been a very, very long time since anyone had been able to throw her around like this. The pain in her chest instead awakened something dark and ancient inside her. The elf and human camouflage she had maintained all this time began to vanish completely. Her skin paled into the deathly white corpse color characteristic of the undead, and faint black veins surfaced beneath her skin. Her eyes glowed an even deeper red, like a boiling ocean of fresh blood. The nails on both her hands elongated into sharp, pitch-black claws, vibrating with uncontrollable abyss energy.

"Enough playing around," she hissed in a cold voice full of darkness, echoing like thousands of whispering hellish spirits. Her voice no longer sounded like the usual Sylvia, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.

The Chains of Abyss no longer emerged one by one as they usually did. Dozens, even hundreds of pitch-black chains materialized all at once from the shadows of the ground and the surrounding darkness, like angry and starving serpents of hell. They shot forward with devastating speed, striking the lion-winged creature from all directions. The sound of clanking chains and tearing flesh resounded clearly amidst the rumble of the remaining storm, followed by the creature’s roars of agony.

Alicia and Stacia swallowed hard almost at the same time. Their faces grew even paler upon witnessing Sylvia’s true transformation.

"Everyone, fall back!" Alicia shouted in a firm voice despite her trembling body. "Sylvia is furious. This is too dangerous for all of us! Those chains might attack indiscriminately when she’s in this mode!"

Stacia nodded quickly, her hand already gripping her grimoire so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Yes, retreat as far back as possible! Let her finish this. We will only be a burden if we get too close."

Elara, Lira, and Sylvana were shocked by the sudden change. They, who had always seen Sylvia as a calm and strategic leader, were now witnessing the true form of the Zombie Queen. A mixture of awe and fear reflected in their eyes, but they immediately retreated to the back as ordered. They stood behind Alicia’s newly reinforced barrier, their eyes wide with a combination of admiration and anxiety.

Sylvia stepped forward with steady paces. Her pale skin glowed faintly amidst the darkness of the dimension, as if she herself were the source of that darkness. Her eyes were dark red like a boundless ocean of blood, and dozens of abyss chains swirled around her like a storm of darkness itself. She no longer cared about her camouflaged identity as an elf. Her true power as an undead and a primordial undead queen was now fully unleashed. A terrifying aura spread, making the surrounding air feel colder and heavier.

The lion-winged creature roared loudly, its voice shaking the dimensional walls. Its wings vibrated fiercely, creating new sharp winds that swirled around its body. It leaped toward Sylvia with incredible speed, its claws ready to tear and its wings slashing like swords of wind.

But Sylvia was ready. The abyss chains shot out like bloodthirsty living whips, striking the creature’s body from all sides. Each hit left deep wounds that oozed smoking, purplish-black blood. The creature roared in anger, its wings slashing back with the force of a storm, snapping a few chains. However, Sylvia’s chains were too numerous and too fast. Several chains wrapped around its legs, dragging it down into the sticky, heavy dimensional mud. Other chains coiled around its wings, suppressing the storm energy within them until it dimmed.

"Who exactly are you?!" Elara shouted from behind, her voice filled with awe and wonder.

Sylvia did not answer. She simply advanced with steady steps, her elongated claws poised for the final blow. The abyss chains continued to strike relentlessly, creating explosions of darkness on the lion-winged creature’s body. Each explosion splattered shards of golden fur and black blood. The creature tried to fight back with all its might, its fists striking the chains and its wings slashing, but as time went on, it was increasingly pushed into a corner.

This battle had just entered its true phase. The wrath of the Zombie Queen had been fully awakened. The air around Sylvia turned into a living ocean of darkness, the chains dancing like ancient serpents protecting their queen. The mysterious creature before her the Winged Lion, which might be a guardian or a corrupted entity from another dimension was about to feel the full might of a Primordial Undead.