Chapter 64: Quick revenge

The cold, light-devouring fog crept down the narrow corridor, wrapping around the feet of the three terrified women. The temperature dropped so low that their labored breaths turned into thick clouds of white frost.

Vespera stood at the front, her cracked chest plate oozing fresh blood onto the stone floor. She raised her broken short sword with trembling hands, her knuckles white as she stared at the figure floating before them.

"Stay behind me!" Vespera’s raspy voice echoed through the freezing tunnel.

Ophelia shrank back, her eyes wide with unadulterated horror as she stared at the massive, pitch-black wings spanning across the width of the cavern. "It... it survived? How is that monster still alive?!"

Summer did not answer. Her glowing red eyes swept over them, cold and void of any emotion. She flapped her black wings once.

Whoosh!

In a fraction of a second, her small form vanished from their sight, leaving behind only a fading trail of liquid shadow.

"Where did—"

Before Vespera could even finish her sentence, a horrific pressure descended upon her shoulders. Summer materialized directly in front of her, her small hand reaching out faster than a strike of lightning.

Her fingers, coated in dark corruption energy, slammed straight into Vespera’s wounded chest, sinking deep into her open flesh.

Crack!

"Gah!" Vespera gasped, blood pouring from her mouth as her broken chestplate shattered into fine powder.

Summer did not waste a single moment. She grabbed Vespera by the collar of her tunic and slammed her heavily into the jagged stone floor.

The impact shattered the guard captain’s ribs, sending a spray of crimson across the dark mist.

"You shielded them," Summer said softly, stepping onto Vespera’s remaining good arm.

Snap!

A sickening bone-breaking sound echoed in the silent tunnel. Vespera let out a blood-curdling scream, her body contorting in agony as her arm was bent at an impossible angle.

"Stop! Get off her!" Ophelia shrieked hysterically, backing away until her spine hit the damp cave wall. She reached into her scorched robes with her undamaged hand, desperately pulling out a glowing blue crest medallion.

"Do you know who I am?! I am Ophelia of the Seven Palaces! My father is the Palace Master of Sixth Peak! If you touch a single hair on my head, my faction will hunt you to the ends of the earth! They will grind your core to dust!"

Summer slowly turned her head toward Ophelia. She tilted her chin slightly, her small, pale face indifferent to the screaming girl.

"Seven Palaces?" Summer repeated, her voice eerily calm. "Is that supposed to bring Three back?"

"What?!" Ophelia stammered, her hands trembling so violently that the medallion nearly slipped from her grasp. "What the fuck are you talking about?!"

Then she recalled the zombie detonating itself. It was because of that stupid zombie Vespera was injured, or there wouldn’t have been a problem handling this zombie.

"It was just a stupid zombie! If you leave me alone, I can gift you—"

Summer’s red eyes flared with a terrifying red light.

Fwhoosh!

Summer vanished again. Ophelia didn’t even have time to scream before a small, ice-cold hand wrapped firmly around her throat, slamming her violently against the stone wall.

Her legs dangled helplessly in the air as the grip tightened, choking the breath right out of her lungs.

"Three was not a stupid zombie," Summer whispered directly into Ophelia’s ear. "Three was mine."

Summer raised her free hand. Black corruption energy condensed over her fingertips, forming razor-sharp claws made of liquid shadow.

Splat!

Without a shred of mercy, Summer plunged her claws straight into Ophelia’s right shoulder, tearing through skin, muscle, and bone in a single fluid motion.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Ophelia screamed until her voice broke, tears and blood pouring down her face as her right arm was completely ripped from its socket. Crimson sprayed across the cavern walls, painting the damp stone in hot, fresh blood.

"You liked to watch your guards torment others, didn’t you?" Summer asked, her tone flat as if she were discussing the weather.

She slammed Ophelia down onto the ground right beside the gasping Vespera. Summer brought her black wings forward, wrapping the sharp edges of the feathers around Ophelia’s remaining leg.

Slice!

The light-devouring feathers acted like microscopic blades, flaying the flesh off Ophelia’s leg inch by inch. Ophelia’s screams turned into wet, gurgling sobs as she thrashed helplessly in the pool of her own blood.

"Stop... please... stop..." Ophelia begged, her voice barely audible as her consciousness began to slip under the immense pain. "I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."

"I don’t need your apology," Summer said. "I need your death."

Summer placed her foot over Ophelia’s neck. With a single, sharp press, she applied her Gravity Compression skill directly onto her head.

Crunch!

Ophelia’s skull caved in instantly under the invisible pressure, her screaming coming to an abrupt, violent halt. Her body twitched once before falling completely still, her dark blood pooling around Summer’s bare feet.

Vespera, barely conscious on the ground, watched her young lady die with wide, hollow eyes. She coughed up another glob of blood, glaring up at the small zombie girl hovering above them. "Monster..." Vespera wheezed out. "You... will never escape..."

Summer didn’t even grant her a final word. She raised her hand, forming a dense blade of shadow mana, and sliced straight across Vespera’s neck.

Thud.

Vespera’s head rolled across the bloody stone, coming to a rest against the cavern wall.

The tunnel fell into a dead silence, broken only by the rapid, terrified hyperventilation of the sole survivor.

Maya was collapsed against the far wall, her hands pressed tightly over her mouth to muffle her sobbing. She was completely frozen in terror, her entire body shaking as she looked at the headless body of Vespera and the mangled corpse of Ophelia.

Summer slowly turned her body, her black wings sweeping through the air as she took slow, deliberate steps toward the trembling healer. Her pale feet left bloody footprints on the ground with every step.

Maya squeezed her eyes shut, shrinking into the corner as far as the stone wall would allow. "Please..." she whimpered, her voice choking on her tears. "I didn’t mean it... I was just the healer... I was trying to heal you... please don’t kill me..."

Summer stopped right in front of Maya. She looked down at the shivering girl, her cold red eyes analyzing every detail of her broken state.

"You healed them," Summer said softly. "You kept them alive so they could hurt Three."

Maya opened her eyes, fresh tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she looked up at the little girl. "I’m sorry... I’m so sorry..."

Summer didn’t crush her skull, nor did she sever her head. Instead, she leaned down, her small face coming close to Maya’s trembling neck.

"I won’t kill you," Summer whispered into her ear, her voice carrying an eerie, ancient resonance from her new bloodline. "You are going to take Three’s place."

Before Maya could comprehend her words, Summer opened her mouth, revealing sharp, blood-stained fangs.

Crunch!

Summer sank her teeth deep into the side of Maya’s neck, biting straight through her jugular vein.

"Gah!" Maya gasped, her eyes widening in absolute shock as a potent, icy fluid poured from Summer’s teeth straight into her bloodstream.

It was not just standard zombie corruption. It was the newly forged Chaotic Corruption bloodline.

The dark energy rushed through Maya’s veins like volatile acid, instantly burning away her light mana core. Maya’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as her body contorted violently on the floor.

Her pale skin rapidly turned an unhealthy grayish-blue, dark purple veins spreading outward from the bite mark on her neck like spiderwebs across her entire face and chest.

She convulsed for a few painful seconds before her breathing completely stopped.

Summer stepped back, wiping the trickling blood from her lips with the back of her hand. She stood silently, watching the transformation take place.

[Elite Puppeteer skill activated,] the system’s smooth female voice echoed in Summer’s mind. [Targeting fresh corpse infected with Chaotic Corruption...]

Twitch.

Maya’s fingers twitched on the bloody ground.

Slowly, unnaturally, Maya’s body pushed itself up off the stone floor. Her head snapped upward with a sharp cracking sound.

When her eyes opened, the bright, innocent color of her former self was entirely gone, replaced by a pair of lifeless, glowing crimson eyes that mirrored Summer’s own.

The dark purple veins across her face pulsated with liquid corruption. She dropped straight to her knees, bowing her head deeply onto the blood-soaked stone before Summer.

"Master..." Maya’s new, hollow voice echoed through the tunnel.

Summer looked down at her new elite puppet, feeling the absolute, unbreakable mental link forged between their cores.

The pain of losing Three was still deep in her heart, but as she looked at the kneeling healer zombie, a dark, cold satisfaction settled inside her soul.

"Stand up," Summer ordered softly.

Maya stood up instantly, her movements fluid and completely obedient, awaiting her master’s next command.