I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl - Chapter 309

Chapter 309: Chapter 305 – Steps Toward the Gods’ Sky
Silence filled the ritual chamber of the 68th floor. A sea of glowing violet and white runes streamed across the floor like rivers of light, swirling around the massive circle at the room’s center.

Amidst that brilliance, Sylvia stood still.

Her gaze wasn’t sharp the way it usually was. Calm, deep, and… slightly uncertain.

Sofia held her hand gently.

“What’s wrong?”

Sylvia didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes drifted to the center of the ritual formation, where holy energy mixed with underworld essence began to gather into a spiral.

“…At first, I wanted to return to the middle world,” she finally said.

“Before attacking the gods. I wanted to see Celes and Aurellia… to make sure they’re safe.”

Alicia hovered to her side, blinking in confusion.

“Huh? Why not go together? Wasn’t that the plan?”

Stacia folded her arms, her face serious.

“Unless… you’re worried they aren’t suited for fighting gods?”

Sylvia nodded.

A soft ripple of death aura flowed around her, almost like it was mirroring her anxiety.

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since we came here.

Celes is strong, yes. Aurellia is strong too. But…”

She looked at each person in the room.

Sofia an archangel almost on equal footing with a goddess of light.

Alicia a pure-soul dimensional entity who could slip through boundaries.

Stacia the wielder of time and space.

Lumielle and Ithara two goddesses.

And the tiny Death Treant clinging to her neck.

They weren’t just strong.

They were already above the gods of this world.

Sofia squeezed Sylvia’s hand.

“You’re afraid they’re not ready?”

“…Yes.”

Sylvia closed her eyes.

“Celes… Aurellia… they’ve grown so much. They built Nocture while I was gone. They protected everyone. They’ve become incredible…”

She exhaled slowly.

“…but fighting gods who’ve lived tens of thousands of years… they’re not ready for that.”

Alicia nodded.

“True. Dealing with gods isn’t just raw power. It’s about… the pressure.”

Stacia added,

“And the mentality. They’ve never faced beings who can suppress existence with a glance.”

The tiny Treant let out a soft sound.

Plop…

(Celes must not get hurt…)

Sylvia stroked its head gently.

“I think so too.”

Sofia smiled softly and cupped Sylvia’s cheek.

“So… you’ve decided to go straight to the upper world?”

Sylvia opened her eyes clear, resolved.

“…Yes.”

Ithara chuckled softly, summoning strange black flowers between her fingers.

“A bold choice. And the correct one.”

Lumielle nodded, her holy aura glowing faintly.

“The middle world is safe for now. The World Avatar’s barrier is growing stronger. Time flows slower there.”

Alicia raised her hand.

“How slow?”

Lumielle smiled.

“If six months passed here… perhaps only a week passed there.”

Stacia whistled.

“That’s convenient.”

With that, Sylvia’s last hesitation vanished.

“Then… let’s go now.”

…..

Lumielle and Ithara stepped into the center of the circle. Each raised a hand, holy and dark energy shining from their palms like twin stars of different colors.

The runes immediately ignited.

A low rumble echoed from deep within the chamber as if space itself was opening its eyes.

Sofia stood on Sylvia’s left. Alicia and Stacia on her right. The tiny Treant clung to Sylvia’s neck, trembling from excitement and nerves.

Belial and Seere stood a distance away; they wouldn’t take part in this ritual.

Seere bit her lip, clearly wanting to go but unable to. The disappointment on her face was hard to hide.

Belial placed a hand on her shoulder.

“This isn’t our place, Seere. Their tasks are different.”

Seere bowed her head.

“I know… but still…”

Belial smiled gently, a sight extremely rare for him.

“We have our own roles. If this ritual succeeds and the gods fall… the underworld will finally stabilize. And when that happens…”

He ruffled her hair.

“We’ll be free.”

Seere lifted her head, eyes glossy but filled with resolve.

“…Alright.”

Ithara raised her hand high.

“With the authority of the Star Goddess…”

Lumielle followed with elegant grace.

“With the authority of the Goddess of Light…”

Their auras intertwined, not clashing, not devouring each other.

Pure white blended with deep black into a spiral of energy that began tearing a rift in the air.

A thin crack appeared.

“…..”

A sound like a cosmic sigh echoed.

The tiny Treant clung to Sylvia even tighter.

Alicia swallowed.

“That’s… not a normal portal.”

Stacia lifted her head, her pupils stretching like moving clock hands.

“…Time isn’t flowing straight here.”

Sofia gripped Sylvia’s hand tighter.

“Syl… don’t let go.”

“I won’t.”

As the light grew brighter, the rift expanded no longer a crack.

But a Gate.

A gate to the realm of the gods.

A gate to the endgame of the World Avatar’s plan.

Lumielle smiled softly at Sylvia.

“Go. The realm of the gods awaits you.”

Ithara grinned.

“And trust me… they are absolutely not ready for you.”

Sofia took Sylvia’s hand. Alicia hovered with determination. Stacia stood tall.The Treant raised both branches proudly.

Belial and Seere watched from afar…

Belial nodding solemnly, Seere clutching her own fingers.

“…Be safe.”

Sylvia stepped forward, her eyes reflecting the gold-violet light of the portal.

“Alright. Let’s end this.”

They stepped into the gate together.

The portal swallowed them whole.

There was no jolt.

No dizzying pull.

No loss of gravity.

Instead…

It felt like diving into warm, liquid starlight, gentle yet immense, tracing along their bodies like ripples.

The Treant trembled.

Plop… (It’s huge…)

Alicia gasped.

“This isn’t like any dimensional space I’ve used. The existence layer is… different.”

Stacia’s eyes widened.

“…Time doesn’t move linearly here.”

Sofia held Sylvia’s hand with both of hers.

“Syl… stay with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

When the light finally faded they all stopped breathing.

They stood on an endless silver-white expanse. The ground wasn’t ground at all but marble-like energy polished to a mirror sheen, reflecting a starless sky.

Above was not blue, not black but soft gold blended with milky-white mist, like watercolors painted across the heavens.

In the distance, towers rose endlessly. Forests of white drifted like living fog. Floating cities shaped like crystal obelisks drifted gently in the air.

There was no wind.

No sound.

No scent.

This world was too clean, clean enough to feel… wrong.

Alicia stared in awe.

“Beautiful but terrifying…”

Stacia touched the marble-like ground and jerked her hand back.

“…This isn’t stone. It’s condensed energy. Thousands of years old.”

Sofia exhaled softly.

“I didn’t expect this place to stay the same…”

Sylvia glanced at her.

“You’ve been here?”

Sofia nodded.

“High-ranked angels trained near this region. But… the central city was forbidden.”

The Treant tapped the white surface.

ting.

Plop?

(Is this where they live?)

Sylvia stroked its head.

“…Yes.”

Sofia closed her eyes.

“We’re in the outer layer. Think of it as… the front yard of the gods.”

Behind them, the portal nearly closed revealed Ithara grinning.

“We can’t go any further. The gods would immediately sense us.”

Lumielle added,

“And we don’t want them to know your plan.”

Sofia frowned.

“But then what about the two of you?”

“We’ll be safe,” Lumielle assured softly.

“The danger lies with you, not us.”

The gate snapped shut.

Leaving them truly alone.

Sylvia took the first step on the shining white floor.

There was no sound, only faint ripples like touching water’s surface.

Alicia exhaled.

“So… now what?”

Stacia stared into the distance, time flowing in her pupils.

“…Six large energy signatures. Five near the center… one farther out.”

Sofia’s eyes hardened.

“That must be their main sanctum.”

Sylvia looked toward the far horizon, where golden light gathered like a small sun.

“Then that’s where we go.”

The air did not move, yet the space itself seemed to shift with every step they took. As if the realm of the gods was examining every inch of their existence judging whether they were worthy… or dangerous.

Of course, the answer was obviously the latter.

Alicia flew a little higher, trying to take in a wider view.

“This world is… too symmetrical. Nothing feels natural.”

Stacia nodded.

“Because this is not a world that grew. It’s a world that was constructed.”

Sofia gazed toward the distant center of light.

“…The gods built a kingdom to protect themselves. They fear time. They fear change.”

Sylvia walked ahead with steady steps.

The little Treant sat on her shoulder, clinging to her head like a tiny helmet.

Plop.

(They’re arrogant.)

Sylvia gave a faint smile.

“Yes. Very.”

The farther they walked, the stranger the world felt. Huge temples in the distance didn’t seem to get any closer even after they moved dozens of meters. Time felt like threads that had been twisted and pulled, refusing to flow straight.

Stacia finally stopped.

“Wait.”

Everyone turned to her.

“There’s… something manipulating distance. The closer we get to the center, the more the space curves. We’re walking in a straight line, but being pulled into a loop.”

Alicia raised her hand.

“Like a dimensional maze?”

“Yes,” Stacia replied. “A world-scale labyrinth.”

Sylvia lifted her hand.

Black chains materialized from the air, slithering like serpents.

“Want me to break it open?”

Stacia exhaled, thinking quickly.

“You can. But if you force open the gods’ spatial barrier they’ll fully notice us and might send the first guardian.”

Sofia tightened her grip on her spear, eyes sharp.

“They’ve already noticed.”

And indeed the golden sky trembled.

White clouds spread and condensed.

Then a new voice echoed.

“Foreign entities… identify yourselves.”

Alicia’s eyes widened.

“Eh? They want our ID cards?”

Sofia spread her wings, divine aura ready to shield them.

“No. This is the core temple’s security protocol. They decide whether we’re ‘allowed’ to enter.”

The Treant stood tall atop Sylvia’s head.

PLOP!

(We don’t need their permission!)

Sylvia stepped forward, staring at the sky without fear.

“I don’t need identification.”

The space around them trembled.

As if the world itself was offended by her words.

‘Unregistered entities. First warning. Return to the lower layer or…’

Sylvia slowly closed her hand.

A black chain rose and slammed into the ground…

BOOM!

The marble floor shook so hard the mountains in the distance cracked.

“I said,” Sylvia whispered, her cold voice echoing,

“We’re going in.”

The sky faded.

The voice stopped. As if the realm itself chose silence.

Alicia looked around, equal parts impressed and horrified.

“You really just talked back to the gods’ world, Syl…”

Sofia smiled proud.

Stacia brushed her hair back.

“Well. The loop stopped after that.”

And indeed the central temple that felt impossibly distant began drawing closer.

Sylvia stared at it, scarlet eyes glowing.

“Now then.

Let’s start knocking on their door.”