Chapter 408: I Lost

The two rulers slowly wiped the blood from their foreheads before exchanging a smile filled with nothing but pure excitement.

Vikram blinked. "...What?"

"I said..." The Golden Wolf Queen smiled faintly. "I lost."

The entire Valley of the Moon fell into stunned silence.

The Eastern Alliance couldn’t believe what they had just heard. The western generals were equally shocked.

"My Queen!" one of them shouted instinctively, only to fall silent when she raised a hand.

Vikram frowned. "You’ve only used one move. You can still fight."

She slowly shook her head. "I gave you my word. If you blocked that attack... I would admit defeat." She glanced at the mountain that had been cleanly divided in two, then looked back at him. "You defended against Space Slash. So... I lost."

Vikram remained silent for a long moment before asking, "You really accept it? You know what losing the Rite of the Moon means."

The Golden Wolf Queen nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I know. My kingdom... my territory... my clan... my pack... everything I possess now belongs to you."

Vikram slowly walked toward her until only a single step separated them. Her radiant golden fur shimmered beneath the moonlight like molten gold, majestic, elegant, and carrying an innate aura of royalty.

He couldn’t help but raise his hand and gently brush the soft fur on her shoulder.

"So... what about you?"

Her ears twitched slightly. A faint blush appeared beneath her golden fur.

Without resistance, she slowly knelt on one knee before him. She respectfully took his hand with both of hers and lowered her head, pressing a gentle kiss against the back of it, an ancient gesture of absolute loyalty. In that moment, she pledged herself to him for all eternity, body and soul.

Then she raised her head, meeting his gaze without shame or reluctance.

"My name... is Aurelia. From this day forward... I, Aurelia, also belong to you, my King."

The entire valley fell deathly silent. Not a single werewolf questioned her declaration. According to the oldest laws of the Southern Argenti Forest, the victor of the Rite inherited everything the defeated king possessed, including the defeated monarch herself.

Vikram looked down at the beautiful woman kneeling before him and smiled softly.

"You will be my queen," he said, his voice carrying across the valley. "Never kneel before anyone again."

With those words, he gently lifted her into his arms. In a powerful leap, he vanished from the center of the valley. A few more bounds carried them away from the stunned crowd and into a secluded tent prepared for the victor.

Inside, he laid her down carefully on the soft bed, his eyes never leaving her radiant figure. A low, hungry growl rumbled in his chest.

"Now," he said, voice thick with desire, "I’m going to see how well my queen fights in bed."

Aurelia’s cheeks burned beneath her golden fur, but she met his gaze steadily. A shy yet willing smile touched her lips.

"I will cooperate with everything, my King."

"Good," Vikram said, guiding her gently. She blushed deeply but didn’t hesitate, lowering her head to take him into her mouth with surprising eagerness.

What followed was a heated, passionate union. Their bodies moved together in a fierce yet tender rhythm, silver and gold entwined. Aurelia gave herself completely, her soft gasps and quiet moans filling the tent as Vikram claimed her.

When he finally entered her fully, a sharp cry escaped her lips. A thin trail of golden blood stained the sheets, proof that the proud Golden Wolf Queen had given him her first time, her virginity offered willingly to the victor of the Rite.

Vikram was gentler than his battle fury suggested, though the passion between them burned hot and fast. They moved together again and again until both reached their peak in a shattering climax that left them breathless.

Afterward, they lay tangled in each other’s arms, breathing heavily. Aurelia rested her head against his chest, her golden tail curling around his leg as the afterglow settled over them like warm moonlight.

Vikram brushed a strand of golden hair from her face, his crimson eyes soft.

"You’re mine now, Aurelia."

She smiled, pressing a kiss to his collarbone.

"Yes, I am your, my King," she whispered. "For as long as the moon shines."

Outside the tent, the Valley of the Moon remained hushed. The two greatest rulers of the Southern Argenti Forest had become one, sealing the fate of their packs.

---

After spending a long time with his new wives and completing the traditional rites that marked the union of the two kingdoms, Vikram finally set aside all personal matters.

The celebrations across the Southern Argenti Forest gradually came to an end.

Now, only one thing remained on his mind.

The System’s mission.

One required the complete disappearance of zombies from the Southern Argenti Forest, something that still had not registered as complete. The other involved meeting the Wolf Queen, which he had already fulfilled.

"The zombies..."

He looked toward the map spread across the table.

The entire Southern Argenti Forest had been liberated. Yet he still did not know where the remaining zombies were hidden. His suspicions pointed toward a few places, abandoned ruins and forgotten forests buried deep within the wilderness.

More importantly, reports from every pack confirmed the same thing.

No zombie stronger than the Armored Colossus had been seen. The ordinary zombies had already vanished.

Vikram frowned.

"If the ordinary zombies are nearly gone... then where is their king?"

He immediately summoned every king, queen, elder, and commander under his rule.

Within a single day, the rulers of the united Southern Argenti Forest gathered in the royal hall.

Vikram stood before the massive map.

"Beginning today, every pack will be divided into search parties. I want you to focus only on finding zombies. Find every hidden nest. Every underground tunnel. Every strange black mist."

Everyone nodded.

"As you command, My King."

---

Several peaceful weeks passed after the Southern Argenti Forest was united.

Zombie attacks had completely vanished, and no one managed to locate any hidden nests. Vikram still could not understand how to complete the System’s mission. It continued to show that the zombies had not vanished, yet after he became ruler of the Southern Argenti packs, the previous mission had simply disappeared.

He was still thinking about this when a messenger appeared.

"My King! A hunting squad from the Iron Claw Pack has been wiped out!"

Vikram immediately looked up. "What happened?"

The messenger swallowed nervously. "From the signs, they were attacked by a zombie, and not by a horde. By a single zombie."

The entire hall fell silent.

One zombie?

Vikram frowned. "An Elite Zombie?"

The messenger shook his head. "We don’t know. But according to the survivors... it kept changing during the battle. At first it looked like an ordinary zombie. Then its arms became covered in bone armor. When they surrounded it, two more arms suddenly grew from its back. After suffering heavy injuries, its wounds closed almost instantly. The survivors said... it was evolving while fighting."

The room instantly became silent. That had never happened before.

Before anyone could speak, another messenger rushed inside.

"My King! A report from the Shadow Fang Pack! The zombies there have also changed!"

"And another report from the Silver Moon Pack! Their scouts found flying zombies!"

One report after another arrived without stopping. Every message carried the same conclusion.

The zombies were changing.

Vikram slowly walked toward the massive map hanging on the wall. One by one, he marked every location where the new zombies had appeared.

After a few minutes, he narrowed his eyes. "They’re spreading outward..."

Queen Aurelia stepped beside him. "From a single point."

Vikram nodded. "Someone is creating them."

Kara folded her arms. "So there really is another intelligent zombie."

Carol’s expression turned serious. "If that’s true, we need to prepare for the worst."

Vikram looked at the center of the map, the place where every report seemed to originate.

A region no werewolf had entered for decades.

The Blood Marsh.

He turned toward the assembled kings, queens, and commanders.

"Gather the army. We’re hunting the one who’s creating them."

---

Within two days, generals from every pack gathered at the royal capital. They all are ready to enter the Blood Marsh.

A large map lay spread across the wooden table in the council hall. Each red mark represented a confirmed sighting of an evolved zombie.

Vikram studied the reports in silence.

"They’re avoiding our main armies."

Aurelia nodded. Queen Lyra did the same. "They only strike isolated patrols and small settlements."

Carol frowned. "They’re testing us."

"No," Vikram said. "They’re collecting information."

He pointed at several locations on the map. "Every evolved zombie has retreated instead of fighting to the death. They were watching us."

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.

Kara spoke calmly. "So someone is learning how we fight."

Vikram nodded. "And improving the next generation of zombies."

Just then, another scout rushed in. "My King! We found another survivor."

"Bring him in."

Moments later, a wounded werewolf entered, body wrapped in bandages. He bowed.

"We chased an evolved zombie into the Blood Marsh."

"What happened?"

The warrior’s face turned pale. "It... spoke."

Everyone froze.

"What did it say?"

He swallowed. "It looked at us and said... ’Interesting. Version Thirty-Seven has failed. Begin Version Thirty-Eight.’"

Silence filled the hall.

Even Vikram’s expression hardened.

This was no battlefield commander. This was someone deliberately creating stronger zombies, studying the results, discarding failures, and starting again.

Vikram slowly rolled up the map.

"We’re changing our strategy. No more chasing individual zombies. They’re bait. They want us distracted."

He looked at every king and queen present.

"Strengthen every border. No one enters the Blood Marsh without my permission. I’ll lead the investigation myself."

Everyone nodded.

"As you command, My King."