Chapter 414: Evolution King’s Plan

The deeper the Evolution King walked, the quieter the underground city became. No cocoons lined the walls. No wandering zombies guarded the passage. Only absolute silence remained.

Eventually he arrived at the heart of the underground city. Floating at its center was an enormous sphere of pulsating flesh. It measured hundreds of meters in diameter. Its crimson surface continuously expanded and contracted like the beating heart of an ancient titan.

Thousands upon thousands of black veins stretched outward from its body, burrowing into every wall, every pillar, every tunnel, every corner of the underground city.

With each heartbeat, the entire city pulsed alongside it.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The sound echoed endlessly through the darkness.

The Evolution King slowly approached the gigantic sphere. Despite its monstrous appearance, his expression remained calm, almost respectful. He gently placed one hand upon its warm surface.

The heartbeat immediately accelerated. The countless black veins trembled violently. A faint smile appeared upon his face.

"I have gathered enough data. The commanders fulfilled their purpose. They forced the werewolves to reveal everything. My evolution can now begin."

The moment those words fell, the gigantic sphere violently convulsed.

BOOM!!

A terrifying heartbeat exploded throughout the underground city. Every wall shook. Every tunnel trembled. The crimson light instantly became several times brighter. Every cocoon hanging throughout the city began pulsing in perfect unison.

One heartbeat. Then another. Then another.

Every intelligent zombie within the underground city abruptly froze. Their expressions changed simultaneously. Without hesitation, thousands of zombies immediately knelt. None dared raise their heads. None dared utter a single sound. Even the strongest among them bowed in absolute submission.

Meanwhile, streams of crimson energy poured endlessly from the Evolution King’s hands into the colossal sphere. The heartbeat grew louder. The veins writhed like living serpents. Something inside the sphere... moved.

Then a single crimson eye slowly opened within the endless darkness.

---

One evening, the doors of the royal hall burst open.

"My King!" A scout rushed inside and dropped to one knee. "We’ve found it!"

Vikram immediately rose from his throne. "What have you found?"

The scout took a deep breath. "My King... we’ve discovered where the zombies have been disappearing." He pointed toward the map hanging on the wall. "The entrance lies beneath the Blood Marsh—the very place where the zombie army first appeared."

A murmur spread throughout the hall.

The scout continued, "After we blasted and dug through the ground, we discovered a staircase leading deep underground. But none of us were able to enter. An invisible barrier surrounds the entrance. Every werewolf who attempted to approach it was immediately repelled."

The atmosphere grew heavy.

"However..." The scout hesitated. "I witnessed something strange. During Your Majesty’s previous inspection of the Blood Marsh, when you encountered the Evolution King, a trace of your aura remained behind. When that lingering aura came into contact with the barrier... it reacted. For a brief moment... the barrier opened."

The royal hall became deathly quiet.

The scout quickly added, "I cannot say for certain why it happened. But among everyone present... only Your Majesty’s aura received a response."

Vikram narrowed his eyes. "So... either the barrier recognizes me... or someone inside wants me to enter."

No one spoke. The possibility sent a chill through the entire hall.

Without wasting another moment, Vikram summoned the kingdom’s highest leaders. Within the hour, his wives, the Mist King, the Sand King, and the other important commanders gathered inside the royal hall. A detailed map of the Southern Argenti Kingdom lay spread across the large table.

Vikram placed a finger upon the Blood Marsh. "We’ve located the enemy’s nest. The entrance lies beneath the marsh. It is protected by a barrier that rejects every werewolf. Only my aura has managed to trigger a reaction. I intend to investigate it personally."

Silence filled the room.

The Mist King spoke first. "It could be a trap."

The Sand King nodded. "If the barrier truly rejects everyone else, forcing our way through may be impossible."

One of the generals frowned. "But why would it react only to Your Majesty?"

No one had an answer. The question lingered in the air.

Finally, Aurelia stepped forward. "I refuse."

Everyone turned toward her.

"I won’t allow you to walk alone into an enemy’s nest. If they truly want you to enter... then they’ve already prepared for your arrival." She met Vikram’s eyes without hesitation. "You are the King. If anything happens to you... the Eastern Alliance falls."

The Mist King slowly nodded. "For once... I agree with the Queen."

The Sand King crossed his arms. "We still don’t understand the barrier. Let’s reach the entrance first. If it truly allows only you to enter... then we’ll decide our next move there."

Several leaders voiced their agreement.

After a long silence, Vikram let out a quiet sigh. "...Very well. We move together. But once we reach the barrier... we’ll act according to the situation."

No one objected. The decision had been made.

Tomorrow, the rulers of the Eastern Alliance would descend beneath the Blood Marsh... into the hidden nest of the zombie race.

---

Meanwhile, deep beneath the Blood Marsh...

An intelligent zombie hurried through the tunnels and knelt outside the forbidden chamber.

"My Lord. The Werewolf King has found the entrance. Their strongest warriors are already gathering. Shall we intercept them?"

Silence. Then the Evolution King stepped out, a faint smile on his face.

"There is no need. By the time he arrives... the evolution will already be complete."

The intelligent zombie looked up. "My Lord, if we do nothing they will reach us."

The Evolution King walked deeper without turning. "We’ve relied on numbers for long enough. Our enemies have learned how to destroy armies. It is time to abandon quantity... and pursue true evolution."

The intelligent zombie’s eyes widened. "Every zombie?"

"Every one of them."

---

At the heart of the underground city, the gigantic flesh sphere was gone. In its place stood an enormous Crimson Flesh Tree.

Its trunk was living muscle twisted into a towering form. The bark rippled as though breathing. Roots writhed beneath the ground like serpents. Thousands of black veins stretched from the tree into every tunnel. At the end of every branch hung a pulsating flesh cocoon.

Suspended within the largest cocoon at the center of the tree, a gigantic heart-shaped core beat steadily.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The Evolution King placed one hand upon the tree. The heartbeat accelerated.

"The time has come... to become one."

BOOM!!

Crimson light erupted. Every vein in the underground city ignited at once.

Across the tunnels every zombie froze, ordinary, elite, intelligent. Not one resisted. Not one looked back. As if answering the call of their creator, they began walking in absolute silence.

Thousands. Tens of thousands. An endless tide of the undead moved toward the Crimson Flesh Tree without a single sound.

One by one they reached the roots.

The moment a zombie touched a root, living flesh gently wrapped around its body, almost affectionately.

Crimson flesh rapidly spread across it. Within moments a cocoon sealed the zombie inside. Another followed. Soon hundreds. Then thousands.

Across the underground city the Crimson Flesh Tree bloomed with countless new cocoons like grotesque crimson fruit.

Minutes passed. The endless sea of zombies gradually disappeared. Until finally, not a single zombie remained anywhere within the underground city.

Only one figure still stood before the tree.

The Evolution King.

He quietly watched as every cocoon pulsed in perfect harmony with the giant heart at the tree’s center.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The heart beat once. Every cocoon trembled.

Another heartbeat. Every cocoon suddenly collapsed inward, not bursting, not breaking, but compressing as though everything inside was being absorbed into the tree itself.

The countless veins glowed brighter than ever before. The gigantic heart-shaped core rapidly expanded. Something within it... moved.

The Evolution King slowly closed his eyes. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"The age of the zombie horde has come to an end. When next we meet, Werewolf King... you will witness the birth of a race unlike anything this world has ever seen."

The underground city fell silent once more.

Only the heartbeat echoed through the endless darkness.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

---

At dawn, Vikram led the Eastern Alliance into the Blood Marsh once again.

The scouts who had accompanied him immediately frowned. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The swamp that had once been overflowing with countless zombies had become eerily silent. Not a single zombie wandered through the marsh. Not a single roar echoed across the wetlands. Even the insects had vanished. No birds flew overhead. The murky water remained perfectly still. The entire Blood Marsh felt like a land abandoned by life itself.

One scout couldn’t hide his disbelief. "...This isn’t possible. Yesterday this place was surrounded by thousands of zombies. Now... they’ve all disappeared."

Vikram slowly surveyed the marsh. His expression remained calm, but every instinct in his body warned him of danger.

"They’re gone..." He tightened his grip on his spear. "Everyone, remain alert. This silence is far more dangerous than an army."

The others nodded. No one relaxed.

---

For hours, they ventured deeper into the Blood Marsh. The farther they advanced, the stranger everything became. Broken bones littered the ground. Collapsed nests lay abandoned. Ruined buildings stood half-submerged in the swamp. Yet every corpse had vanished. It was as though every zombie had disappeared overnight.

Finally, the group came to a halt. Before them stretched an enormous sinkhole concealed beneath dense marsh vegetation. It spanned hundreds of meters across. Along its inner wall, a spiral staircase descended into endless darkness.

The scout immediately recognized it. "My King... this is the place. It is the entrance we discovered. Every scouting team that attempted to enter was repelled by an invisible barrier."

Vikram nodded. "Let’s see if the barrier still recognizes my aura."

One scout cautiously stepped forward. The instant he reached the entrance—

BOOM!

An invisible force threw him backward. He rolled several times before coming to a stop.

"I’m fine... but I couldn’t even take one step."

Kara stepped forward. "I’ll try."

She activated her strength and walked toward the entrance.

BOOM!

The invisible force erupted once more, throwing even Kara backward. She clicked her tongue.

"It’s impossible."

Aurelia narrowed her eyes. "If brute force won’t work..." She slowly raised her hand. Golden spatial energy gathered around her fingertips. "I’ll cut it apart."

Just as she prepared to unleash Space Slash, Vikram gently raised a hand.

"Wait. I’ll try first."

Without hesitation, he walked toward the entrance.

This time, nothing happened.

No resistance.

No invisible force.

He calmly placed one foot upon the staircase. Then another. The barrier had accepted him.

He turned toward everyone. "It seems the scouts were right."

The others exchanged uneasy glances. Aurelia stepped forward instinctively.

"I’m coming with you."

Vikram shook his head. "The barrier has already made its choice. If you force your way through... it may trigger something we don’t understand." He looked at everyone. "Wait here. If I don’t return—"

"You will," Aurelia said firmly.

Vikram looked at her for a brief moment before smiling faintly.

The Mist King nodded silently. The Sand King folded his arms. "We’ll be waiting."

Vikram gave a small nod before disappearing into the darkness below.