I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl - Chapter 252

Chapter 252: Chapter 249 – Preparations Amid the Fog
The spring fog still clung to the courtyard of the black castle when the magical bell tolled in the eastern tower. The chime was not loud, but it reverberated deep into the island’s bedrock, a sign that a critical decision had just been made. From her dim study, Sylvia stood calmly, her chains circling slowly in the air like serpents listening to an inaudible tune.

She had just declared her decision to divide their strength. The core army would be stationed in the island’s center, Rank 4 zombies would guard the vital points, emergency teleportation routes would be constructed, and a containment spell would be prepared. This was not merely a war plan. It was a wager: to force the Church and the Underworld to grind against one another, while keeping her own forces from being torn apart from two sides.

Sylvia gazed at them Celes, Aurellia, Alicia, and Stacia still gathered around the table. The blue torches lit their faces, highlighting tension, yet also the resolve that was slowly hardening.

“Then,” Sylvia spoke, her tone flat but clear, “from today onward, all forces move according to the plan. There is no more room for mistakes. Every step must be ensured, every gap sealed.”

Celes nodded sharply. “I’ll prepare the vampires and beastkin. They’re best suited as the core vanguard. Their speed allows them to move in both directions at once.” Her gaze was sharp, like the edge of a freshly honed blade.

Aurellia closed her heavy tome, then said, “I’ll need several days to establish the emergency teleportation routes. Not permanent, but stable enough for large numbers of troops. I’ll use high-grade mana stones as anchors.”

“Do it,” Sylvia replied curtly.

Stacia lifted her gaze from her grimoire, her eyes calm as a black pond. “The containment spell requires a power core. With only me, its scale will be limited. But if you, Sylvia, channel part of your Death Aura into the weave… we could hold the Underworld creatures back for at least an hour.”

Sylvia studied her, then gave a small nod. “I’ll give you the energy. One hour is long enough to annihilate them or drive them back.”

Alicia, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. Her voice was gentle, yet laced with concern. “I’ll focus on reinforcing the healers and supporting necromancers. If war truly breaks out, not all our soldiers can endure on their own strength. They’ll need an additional shield.”

Sylvia turned, staring at Alicia longer than the others. Her crimson eyes glowed faintly. “Do what you deem necessary. But don’t push too far into the front lines. I don’t want to lose you.”

Alicia hesitated, then smiled faintly. “I understand.”

…..

That same day, word spread across the island. From the vampire strongholds hidden in misty valleys, to the ogre villages in the snowy mountains; from the ruined shadowed cities of the dark men, to the dark elf encampments deep in the forests all received their Queen’s summons.

The spring fog thickened as armies moved.

In the island’s center, a wide stone field was cleared. Black chains planted long ago by Sylvia coiled around it, forming an invisible barrier. There, the core army assembled.

Celes stood before the ranks of vampires. They wore gleaming dark armor, their pale faces turned toward Sylvia with a mixture of fear and reverence. Beside them, the beastkin of darkness gathered some with hulking, furred bodies, others with predator eyes glowing yellow in the fog.

“Do not disappoint the Queen,” Celes’s voice thundered. “From this day forward, you are the sword that will strike wherever she commands. Swift, sharp, and without fear.”

A low roar rumbled back, more beastlike growl than human shout.

Not far off, Aurellia led the mages. Mana stones were set in circular formations, runes flaring across the ground. She moved her hands, and golden-red sparks leapt from stone to stone, igniting the teleportation network.

“I need three full days,” she told Sylvia, her breath heavy. “If undisturbed, this path will carry thousands at once. But if the Church discovers the anchors… they can disrupt it.”

Sylvia’s gaze sharpened. “If that happens, I’ll deal with it myself.”

At another part of the field, Stacia sat cross-legged within a black magic circle. Her grimoire lay open on her lap, its pages fluttering though no wind blew. From the circle, black roots crept outward, sinking into the ground.

“This will be the base of my containment spell,” she explained coolly without looking up. “If the Underworld Gate opens, I’ll only need to channel energy. And you, Sylvia, will bind it with your chains. Together, we can seal the space as if locking a coffin.”

Sylvia approached, her chains slithering down into the soil, merging with the black roots. Their contact made the air vibrate, the spring fog suddenly thickening. Death’s aura smothered the field, making even the soldiers watching shudder in dread.

Meanwhile, Alicia walked among the supporting necromancers. She tapped her staff gently against the earth, releasing a soft blue glow. The aura clung to the lesser zombies, fortifying their durability. The undead, normally stiff and lumbering, now stood steadier, their eyes glowing brighter.

Alicia glanced at Sylvia, offering a brief smile. “At least, they won’t fall as quickly as before.”

Sylvia only nodded, her crimson pupils reflecting the blue light from Alicia’s staff.

…..

Evening approached.

The spring sky dulled into grayish violet. Fog still hung heavy, while faint sounds carried from afar the groan of the Underworld Gate, the heartbeat of the earth, and the metallic clamor of the Church’s camps hidden beyond the forests.

Sylvia stood atop the castle’s tallest tower, gazing westward. From there, the crimson glow of the Underworld Gate was visible, pulsing like a coal fanned by wind.

Celes climbed the tower, her black cloak billowing. “The core troops are assembled. They await your final command.”

Sylvia did not turn. “Their morale?”

“Afraid… but obedient,” Celes answered plainly. “Many know they may not return. But that fear has hardened into bloodlust. They will fight.”

At last Sylvia looked at her, crimson eyes sharp. “And you?”

Celes smirked, her hand resting on her sword hilt. “Me? I’m just waiting for the chance to kill more enemies. That’s enough.”

Sylvia studied her for a moment, then turned back to the west.

“War will break,” she murmured. “Not tomorrow, not the day after but very soon. I can feel it. The Church waits for the snow to vanish. The Underworld waits for the seal to fail. Two opposite poles, with the same goal: to bring me down.”

Celes looked at her profile, noticing something there weariness, faint but masked beneath cold resolve.

“You’re not alone, Sylvia,” she said softly. “You have us.”

Sylvia closed her eyes for a moment, then gave a thin smile. “I know.”

…..

That night, the final council was held in the castle’s grand hall. Blue torches burned along every pillar, casting long shadows across the stone floor. The core army sat cross-legged at the back, while Celes, Aurellia, Alicia, and Stacia stood near Sylvia.

“Listen well,” Sylvia’s voice rang out, deep and cold. “Starting tomorrow, we move. The core army remains at the center. Emergency teleportation will be prepared. The containment spell will wait near the Underworld Gate. The Church and the Underworld may think they have trapped us. But in the end… it is they who will fall into the trap.”

Chains rattled, punctuating her words. Sylvia’s crimson pupils glowed as she stared coldly across her troops.

“And remember. I do not want us to merely endure. I want them to know… this island is no ground to plunder. It is a graveyard.”

A heavy roar answered her, rumbling through the hall. Vampires hissed, beastkin growled, zombies groaned loudly. Together the sounds merged into a thunder that seemed to shake the very walls of the castle.

Sylvia raised her hand. “Prepare yourselves. Spring has only just begun… and with it, the dawn of chaos.”

…..

Night passed.

Outside, the spring fog thickened, veiling the moon. From afar, the glow of the Underworld Gate pulsed faster and brighter. Across the sea, the Church’s ships began to light their torches, faint signals that they too were ready.

The island held its breath.

And at its heart, Sylvia once again sat in her study, her chains trembling faintly, her crimson pupils glinting cold.

“Well then,” she whispered. “Come, war. I’ve been waiting.”

She sipped the last of the tea in her black cup. The liquid was already cold, yet she drank it without hesitation, as if swallowing the last remnants of calm before the storm.

The black chains swayed softly, creaking like whispers of iron. From her study’s window, she gazed westward again. The reddish-black glow of the Underworld Gate now shone more clearly, its pulse quickening, as though answering her heartbeat.

“Not much longer,” she murmured.

Suddenly, a soft knock sounded at the door. A shadow zombie entered, its body still cloaked in black mist. It knelt deeply, its voice heavy and broken.

“Queen… the Church’s forces… They’ve begun lighting torches in their main camp. Their numbers swell. It seems… they are preparing.”

Sylvia closed her eyes briefly, then nodded. “Keep watching. Let none move without my knowing.”

The shadow zombie vanished back into the fog, leaving silence.

Sylvia leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping lightly on the stone table. A faint, cold smile curved her lips.

“Very well…” she whispered. “If war begins this spring, then let the whole world remember… the first spring of the Queen of Death.”

And outside, the spring fog thickened further, swallowing the moon entirely as if the night itself awaited Sylvia’s command to draw open the curtain of war.