I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl - Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Chapter 275 – A Morning That Shouldn’t Exist in the Underworld
The underworld had grown strangely quiet. The once-pulsing red sky had dimmed into a deep violet, like a wound beginning to close. The scorched ground around them no longer burned hot; it had cooled into a soft, almost soothing chill, as if the land itself had fallen asleep after surviving a great calamity.

At the center of what was once the Palace of Emotion lay three silent figures. Black chains formed a circle around them, glowing faintly serving as a protective dome that kept the chaotic mana of the aftermath at bay. And in the middle of that circle… Sylvia slowly opened her eyes.

Her first sight was not the sky, nor the ground, nor the charred face of Dantalion but something soft and large pressing against her face, blinding her completely.

“…What… is this…” she rasped, voice hoarse.

She tried to move, but all she could see was a soft gray-white fabric that filled her entire vision.

When she turned her head slightly to the side, realization struck that she was lying on someone’s lap. And the thing covering her face…

Sylvia fell silent. Her eyebrow twitched slightly.

‘Judging by the size…’ she thought dryly, ‘it has to be Alicia.’

And indeed Alicia sat against a wall of black crystal, eyes closed in peaceful slumber. One hand still held her staff loosely, the other rested gently atop Sylvia’s hair. Her posture had tilted slightly to the side, and because of that angle, her generous assets had ended up resting right on Sylvia’s face.

“…”

“…”

Sylvia exhaled or tried to, since she technically didn’t breathe.

‘Good thing I’m a zombie,’ she thought flatly. ‘Otherwise, I’d have died twice from suffocation.’

She blinked once, twice, trying to ignore the very tangible weight and warmth pressing against her.

“Uhmm…” Alicia murmured softly in her sleep, her lap shifting just slightly.

Her long silver hair slipped down, brushing against Sylvia’s cold cheek.

Sylvia glanced left, then right, searching for a way to get up without waking her. Her gaze froze when she spotted another figure nearby Stacia.

The gray-haired girl sat cross-legged, hugging her knees with a book open on her lap, though she clearly hadn’t read it in hours.

Her face was hidden beneath her bangs, but Sylvia could easily read her expression somewhere between fatigue, annoyance… and envy.

Stacia’s eyes flicked toward the scene before her or more specifically, toward Alicia’s chest pressed against Sylvia’s face.

Her eyebrow twitched, and her gaze dropped briefly to her own chest.

Flat. Completely flat.

Stacia bit her lower lip, her pale cheeks faintly tinged with color amid the gray light of the underworld.

“…Unfair,” she muttered under her breath. “How can something that big even exist…”

She looked again just a little longer this time. Then quickly turned away, cheeks deepening in color.

“…Oh gods, Stacia, focus. She’s your sister, not your rival… so why does it feel like…”

“Nggh…” Sylvia shifted slightly, rolling to the side to free herself from the “deadly pressure.”

The motion caused Alicia to stir, mumbling softly:

“Eh… huh?”

Alicia blinked groggily, glancing down in confusion.

“…Sylvia?”

At that exact moment, her chest moved again pressing even more firmly onto Sylvia’s face.

“…”

“…”

Both of them froze.

Then realization hit Alicia like a lightning strike. Her entire face turned crimson faster than Nether Flame.

“Ah! A-Ah gods sorry! I didn’t realize!” she stammered, sitting up straight in panic.

Sylvia finally lifted her head, taking a deep though unnecessary breath.

“Well,” she said dryly, “that was… a new experience.”

Alicia covered her face with both hands, still bright red. “You didn’t have to say it like that!” Sylvia only smiled faintly and patted her lap. “At least… it was comfortable.”

“SYLVIA!”

A light laugh escaped Sylvia’s lips, a soft, rare sound in the underworld. But beside them, Stacia exhaled sharply.

“‘Comfortable,’ she says…” she muttered, her voice laced with equal parts irritation and jealousy.

Sylvia turned. “Hm? What’s wrong, Stacia?” The girl met her gaze coolly, eyes glinting. “Nothing.”

Sylvia raised an eyebrow, then glanced first at Stacia’s chest, then Alicia’s, then back to Stacia. It lasted barely two seconds. Long enough.

BAM!

Stacia slammed her book shut. “Stop looking at me like that!”

Sylvia covered her mouth to hide a chuckle. “Sorry, sorry… reflex.”

“Reflex?” Stacia scoffed. “Do you think everyone’s born with… emergency pillow equipment?”

Alicia, still flustered, snapped her head toward her. “Stacia! Don’t start!”

“Why not? I’m just stating facts.”

Sylvia couldn’t hold back anymore. She burst out laughing.

“Pfft… Ahaha… you two…”

Stacia turned away with the classic tsundere huff, hugging her book to her chest. “I’m not jealous. I just think it’s impractical. Running in battle with those must throw off your balance.”

Alicia glared. “Are you saying I can’t fight properly because of these?”

“That’s not what I said! I’m saying gravity clearly favors you!”

Sylvia nearly fell over from laughing.

“Stop, stop…” she wheezed, still chuckling. “You two make the underworld feel like a family dinner, not a demon battlefield.”

The tension that had lingered from the battle was gone. Alicia and Stacia still exchanged playful glares, but their smiles returned. Even Stacia, who rarely smiled, had a faint, reluctant curve at her lips as she turned away.

When the laughter died down, Sylvia let out a quiet sigh and looked around.

“How long was I out?” she asked softly.

Alicia glanced up at the dim sky, sensing the flow of mana. “About… six hours. The underworld’s calm again. No other demons detected.”

“Six hours, huh…” Sylvia flexed her fingers slowly.

Still weak but her energy flow had stabilized.

She exhaled softly. “Thank you… for watching over me.”

Alicia smiled warmly. “Of course. Did you really think we’d just leave you here?” Stacia added quickly too quickly to sound genuine.”I only stayed because if you died, we’d have to clean up the mess.”

Sylvia looked at her, then smiled faintly. “Of course, Stacia.” The girl’s cheeks flushed. “Don’t say it like that with that gentle face!”

Alicia chuckled as she stood, dusting off her robes. “Alright, now that you’re awake, let’s rest a bit longer, then move on. Floor seventy awaits.”

Sylvia gazed at the sky of the underworld, now pulsing softly again, and rose steadily to her feet.

“Yes,” she said, her calm voice steady and alive again.

“Let’s continue. The underworld still holds too many secrets… and I’m not satisfied yet.”

Alicia smiled wryly. “You just woke up, and you’re already saying things like that.”

Sylvia looked ahead, violet light glinting in her eyes. “If I stop now, then all of this would be meaningless.”

Stacia was the last to stand, sighing softly. “Then don’t pass out again, Queen of Death.”

Sylvia smirked. “Alright, Logic Loli.”

“Don’t call me that!”

And beneath the gently throbbing crimson sky of the underworld, their laughter echoed pushing away, for a moment, the silence that had once ruled this place.

Alicia giggled as Stacia pouted, while Sylvia merely shook her head.

Sylvia stretched, her muscles stiff but not aching just the heaviness of someone waking from a deep sleep.

“Six hours, huh…” she murmured, glancing at her left hand, still marked with the faint residue of poison and Nether Flame. “Guess my body really needed that.”

Alicia looked up at her from where she still sat. “I never thought I’d see the day you actually ran out of energy. Usually you’re like an endless monster.” Sylvia gave her a faint smile. “Even monsters need sleep sometimes.” Stacia rolled her eyes. “That’s not funny.” But her tone carried quiet relief.

She stepped closer, her eyes glowing faintly as she checked Sylvia’s condition. “Your mana flow’s back to normal. Honestly, I don’t know how your body regenerates that fast.”

“Zombie instinct, maybe.”

Sylvia looked around the ruins, the red ash, the floor of the underworld pulsing faintly like the heartbeat of something not yet dead.

“You know,” she said softly, “this underworld… feels alive. The more we destroy it, the deeper it breathes.”

Alicia followed her gaze. “Maybe because every floor ruler is a part of the underworld’s own heart.”

Stacia nodded slightly. “Then killing them means we’re peeling it layer by layer. The question is… what happens when we reach the center?”

Sylvia was quiet for a moment, then murmured, “Maybe… we’ll find something even the gods are afraid to see.”

They fell silent.

A cold wind swept past, carrying faint specks of ash across their feet. Sylvia looked ahead again, her Death Aura swirling faintly around her not wild or violent, but calm, steady, like a deep breath after war.

She turned to her sisters with a small, serene smile.

“Let’s go. The seventieth floor awaits.”

Alicia lifted her staff. “Alright, stubborn queen.”

Stacia closed her book softly. “And I’ll make sure you don’t collapse again.”

Sylvia chuckled. “Then let’s make the underworld a little brighter today.”

Together, they stepped toward the next gate of mist leaving behind the ruins of the Palace of Emotion, now utterly silent, as if bowing in reverence to the queen who had conquered it.