I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: Chapter 251 – The First Step Beneath the Fractured Sky
The spring fog had begun to thin, yet the air remained heavy and cold.

Above the island of Nocture, the sky hung pale gray, like a sheet of frozen metal refusing to break. Below it, seas of mist drifted between the dead trees, veiling the wide plain where thousands of undead soldiers prepared for war.

The sounds of chains, heavy footsteps, and grinding steel filled the air. There were no war cries, no deafening horns, only the sound of a world holding its breath.

On a black hill at the island’s heart, Sylvia stood tall. Her black gown swayed gently, her long hair danced in the chill wind that carried the scent of iron and damp soil. Behind her, rows of bluish-purple magical torches burned in a line, marking the route of her advancing forces. The black chains around her spun slowly, vibrating as if alive, sending waves of command across the entire battlefield.

“Divide into two main formations,”

Her voice was calm but resonant, echoing through every soldier’s mind via soul resonance.

“Western formations head toward the Church’s camp.

Southern formation secures the Gate of the Underworld.”

No further orders were needed.

The vast army below began to move like a black tide splitting the fog. The ground trembled under their march. Black banners bearing the silver-chain insignia fluttered among them.

Celes marched at the front of the western formation. Her long black cloak billowed, her spatial blade gleaming faintly like fractured light through shadow. Beside her walked Aurellia, head held high, her crimson hair burning under the pale glow of magic, an open spellbook floating before her.

Together they led a vanguard of vampires, ogres, and elite zombies. Each synchronized step of their army echoed like the deep drumbeat of death heralding an oncoming storm.

Meanwhile, to the south, Alicia stood among ranks of zombie mages and dark-elf archers. Her staff glowed pale blue, gentle yet commanding.

Beside her hovered Stacia, grimoire pages whirling around her like orbiting moons. Her voice was calm but firm as she coordinated the defensive wards and communication lines between units.

In the rearguard, Sylvia sat upon a jagged boulder rising from the valley floor.

Maps and shimmering projections floated in the air before her.

Her crimson eyes reflected the vast battlefield two fronts, two threats, two ticking disasters.

She had chosen not to stand at the front not out of fear, but because from here, she could see everything.

The black chains drifting in the air served as her eyes and ears. Some extended deep into the earth, linking her to every division. She could feel the pulse of thousands of undead souls under her command steady, cold, and unwavering.

But beneath that stillness, she knew everything could change in a heartbeat.

…..

At the western front, Celes raised her hand.

“Stop.”

The army behind her halted as one. The fog ahead shimmered faintly, reflecting a silver-white light not born from the sun.

“They’re here,” murmured Aurellia, flipping to new pages in her spellbook. “The Church’s formation is a holy barrier type, five-layer defense.”

Celes scoffed. “Five or ten layers none can hold back death.”

She lifted her sword forward. The air around her quivered, and in an instant, the space ahead cracked like glass. From that fracture surged a wave of dense black energy not to attack, but to signal.

The first mark of engagement.

Back at the rear command point, Sylvia felt the pulse through her chains. Her pupils flared faintly.

“…They’ve made contact.”

Her gaze shifted to the glowing map hovering before her. Black and white markers began moving, closing in on each other.

Then Aurellia’s voice reached her mind through the communication link.

“We’re face-to-face, My Queen. Their light is strong; they’ve called in high priests to reinforce their barrier.”

“Maintain distance,” Sylvia replied evenly. “Let them think you’re waiting for orders. Then strike from the air.”

“Understood.”

The chains around Sylvia spun faster. The air pressure shifted; the flow of magic thickened. In the distance, faint flashes of white and violet began to collide in the first clash of the campaign.

…..

At the southern front, Alicia gazed at the Gate of the Underworld, now visible through the thinning mist.

It resembled a massive wound torn in the air, pulsing with a dark red glow that beat like a sluggish, monstrous heart. The ground nearby cracked and steamed, exhaling the heat of something ancient awakening.

“The energy’s growing unstable,” Alicia murmured. “If left unchecked, the seal could break at any moment.”

Stacia nodded slowly, her eyes scanning the rotating runic circles surrounding the gate.

“But… Do you feel that?”

Alicia closed her eyes to focus then nodded.

“Yes. There’s another aura… faint, but blue.

Someone’s holding it back from within.”

“The Hero,” whispered Stacia.

Alicia’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re certain?”

“No mistaking it. Only he could maintain a resonance that is calm in this chaos.”

They exchanged a glance. Then Stacia exhaled softly.

“Very well. If he’s truly inside, we must hold the creatures here no matter what. His effort must not be wasted.”

“Agreed.”

Alicia raised her staff high.

A surge of blue light pierced the fog, marking their position for the rest of the army.

“Form the shield circle!” she shouted. “Zombie mages maintain the outer ring with flame spells; Dark elves cover the flanks!

Don’t let a single creature escape!”

The roar of magic shook the ground. Small cracks split open beneath their feet as the defensive circle took form.

From afar, Sylvia saw it all through the eyes of her chains, the soft blue radiance from Alicia’s staff, the glowing protective barrier encircling the gate, and beyond it all, a faint heartbeat-like pulse from within.

She whispered under her breath, “Oh, Hero… have you finally broken free of the gods’ chains?”

…..

The air thickened with the scent of ozone and brimstone. The sound of clashing magic roared like a storm dragged to earth.

Sylvia rose to her feet. The chains around her rattled violently, reacting to the immense energy building across both fronts two rivers of power about to collide.

Celes and Aurellia pressed forward. Celes’s spatial blade sliced through the holy barriers, creating openings for Aurellia’s firebursts to detonate among the Church’s ranks. White and violet flares erupted, their clash visible even from miles away.

On the southern field, Alicia and Stacia held their ground. Winged black beasts crawled from the gate, but were instantly consumed by Alicia

Stacia layered binding wards upon binding wards, forcing the underworld’s pressure back down before it could engulf the surface.

Sylvia watched everything unfold.

Her crimson eyes trembled slightly not from fear, but from the strain of control.

“Celes… Aurellia… Alicia… Stacia…” she whispered their names.

“Don’t make me lose anyone.”

The black chains behind her tensed, forming a massive winglike array. She stepped forward and raised her hand high.

“Reserve units prepare in the center!”

“Anyone who breaks through the front lines destroys them before they set foot on this land!”

From above, the sky darkened as her airborne forces emerged from the clouds of undead dragons, shadow wyverns, and ghoulish flyers shrieking death-cries across the misty air. They circled in spirals, casting vast, writhing shadows over both battlefields.

Violet light from Sylvia’s magic illuminated the sky.

The fog thickened.

The earth trembled.

The air itself pulsed with the clash of two vast powers.

And in the midst of it all, Sylvia stood unflinching, her eyes locked on the horizon.

“This war,” she whispered, “is the beginning of the end of the gods’ game.”

The chains behind her shuddered violently, unleashing a surge of dark violet light that split the clouds above.

The sky changed color in an instant.

A surge of deep violet light tore through the mist, followed by an explosion of white magic from the Church’s army. Waves of heat and frost clashed in the air, creating a sound like thunder trapped behind the clouds. The earth quaked violently, the air pulsed, and the scent of scorched metal filled every breath.

Celes leapt forward, her sword slicing through the air and leaving thin fractures across space itself. Each swing shattered layers of holy shields, scattering shards of white light like broken glass. Aurellia followed closely behind, unleashing a grand spell Infernal Bloom that erupted in crimson petals across the enemy formation, burning the holy knights to glittering ash.

On the southern front, Alicia swung her staff, conjuring a massive blue wall that deflected the surging energy from the Underworld Gate. Stacia knelt beside her, palms pressed to the ground, as her binding spells layered upon one another, spinning like colossal wheels. The roars of the underworld beasts echoed from beyond the rift, yet every step they took was halted at the boundary of the Nether Flame, the violet fire circling the area like a divine seal.

From her position in the rear, Sylvia raised her right hand. Thousands of black chains burst from the ground across the battlefield hooking, coiling, and dragging both holy and demonic creatures alike into the endless dark. White and red lights collided violently, but the chains held firm, sealing every breach, swallowing prayers and curses alike into silence.

The first great assault had begun