I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

Chapter 506 - 503 – TWO SUPREME ENTITIES AND THE GATE OF THE UNDERWORLD

Three days passed very quickly in Aeloria. The days spent within the embrace of the giant tree kingdom felt like a brief, beautiful dream. The peace offered by the magical breeze, the singing of the Yggdrasil leaves, and the light meals harmonious with nature truly helped fully restore the mental and physical conditions of Sylvia, Alicia, and Stacia. However, like all mortal things in this world, their rest period had to end soon. They were existences destined to keep moving, and stagnation was not an option.Inevitably, they had to resume their journey immediately. However, the departure process turned out to be much more difficult than simply packing things into the Inventory System. The biggest obstacle was not from outsiders, but from their own sister, Stacia.

The dark silver-haired girl absolutely refused to leave the Grand Library of Aeloria. The ocean of ancient knowledge, spatial and time magic theories, and the history of races stored within the living leaf scrolls there had completely bound her academic soul. She was like a possessed person, refusing to sleep, refusing to eat, and only living off the absorption of pure mana in the air while continuing to read.

"Wait! Just one more Chapter! I haven’t finished copying this dimensional formula from the Genesis Era!" screamed Stacia while tightly hugging a giant ancient book whose pages were made of glowing magical bark.

Sylvia let out a long, cold sigh. Without saying much, she manifested a single strand of a non-lethal Chain of Abyss, wrapped it gently but firmly around Stacia’s waist, and pulled her out of the library like pulling a cat that refuses to be bathed.

"There is no ’one more Chapter’, Stacia. We are already behind our initial schedule. If you stay here any longer, you will take root and turn into the tree of knowledge itself," Sylvia said flatly while continuing to pull the chain.

Behind them, Alicia could only smile awkwardly while bowing in apology to some Elf librarians who were surprised to see the scene. "Please forgive my younger sisters, thank you for your hospitality all this time," Alicia said softly. With a little help from her spirit wind magic, she pushed Stacia’s body so that Sylvia’s pulling process became easier.

After the rather energy-draining drama, the three of them finally managed to exit the borders of Aeloria. Sylvia’s zombie horse carriage was waiting faithfully on the dirt path at the forest border. The undead horses snorted, their red eyes glowing dimly to welcome the arrival of their master. Stacia, who was still pouting, immediately entered the carriage compartment, muttering to herself while continuing to scribble in her personal grimoire from the remaining memories of her reading. Alicia followed inside, sitting next to Stacia to calm her down with gentle strokes on her head.

Meanwhile, Sylvia took position in the coachman’s seat. Sol jumped lightly onto her shoulder, followed by Qilin who curled up next to her feet. Sylvia gave a small flick to the reins, and the carriage began to move, cutting through the deserted dirt road.

However, behind her calmness in holding the reins, Sylvia’s mind was plagued by a rather serious tactical confusion. She projected her status screen for a moment.

[Level: 252]

The accumulation of residual energy from the dimensional storm, post-battle recovery, and some passive absorption from Aeloria’s mana-rich environment had pushed her level past 252. This was an extraordinary achievement for any creature, but for Sylvia, this number was like a reminder that her journey towards the next evolution (Level 400) was still very long and steep. The required EXP curve was now soaring at an absurdly exponential rate. Killing ordinary monsters, even in the Disaster or Calamity class, would not make a significant impact.

"Where should we go next?" muttered Sylvia to herself, a cold breath escaping her lips.

If she decided to return to Nocture her city she would indeed get absolute safety and comfort. However, returning there meant her strength would experience total stagnation. There were no equal opponents around the Nocture territory capable of giving her an EXP leap. Moreover, if she returned, her main focus would surely be diverted from personal power growth to administrative and political matters; she would be trapped as a city ruler busy taking care of logistics, defense, and civil management. Sofia, Aurellia, Celes, and Velthya were already doing an extraordinary job in guarding and developing Nocture. She didn’t need to intervene for now.

Amidst her confusion, Sylvia released her grip on the reins. She allowed the instincts of the two zombie horses to guide the carriage’s direction. The black wooden carriage moved aimlessly, cutting through the meadow that slowly began to be covered in thin mist.

Until suddenly, the temperature around the coachman’s seat dropped drastically, not because of the cold weather, but because of the manifestation of an absolute existence that transcended the laws of the mortal world. The air around Sylvia felt heavy, filled with the scent of underworld lilies and the very familiar fragrance of red pomegranates.

On the empty wooden bench right on her right, space distorted for a moment before an adult woman with a gothic and deadly divine beauty simply appeared. Her black silk dress seemed woven from the deepest shadows of the night, and her eyes radiated the absolute majesty of death.

She was their adoptive mother, the Goddess of Death, Life, and Queen of the Underworld, Persephone.

Persephone crossed her legs gracefully, resting her chin on one hand while looking at Sylvia with a smile that was incredibly gentle yet intimidating to anyone who didn’t know her.

"It seems my little princess is experiencing some confusion, hm?" greeted Persephone with a voice that flowed like a beautiful melody of death. "I’ve been watching you. Your journey on this surface is starting to experience stagnation. The creatures in this upper world are too fragile to satisfy your hunger for power."

Sylvia turned her head, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, but she quickly bowed her head slightly as a sign of respect. "Mother... you came directly to the surface?"

"Of course," answered Persephone while stroking Sylvia’s black hair affectionately. Her touch felt as cold as ice, but to Sylvia’s undead soul, it was an unparalleled warmth. "Come, I will take you to my kingdom, to the Underworld. There, in the depths of the Abyss and Tartarus, there are plenty of primordial monsters and lost ancient souls. They are very strong, ferocious, and most importantly... they are the perfect food to push your evolution."

Hearing that offer, Sylvia’s red eyes immediately lit up. It was the most logical and promising solution. Fighting in the Underworld would not only give her limitless EXP, but also strengthen her affinity for the Death element and her Abyss chains.

Sylvia just opened her mouth, preparing to give a nod of agreement.

However, before a single word came out of her pale lips, the space on Sylvia’s left, which was supposed to be empty, suddenly exploded with an incredibly dense wave of life mana. It was so dense that the wood of the horse carriage in that section suddenly grew fresh green leaf buds in seconds.

The fragrant petrichor scent of rain-drenched earth and primordial earth energy filled the air, rivaling Persephone’s scent of death. From within the golden light mixed with emerald green, an equally beautiful woman emerged. Her body radiated a very maternal aura of maturity, her curves were like the personification of nature’s fertility itself, and her eyes radiated the depth of the ocean and the sturdiness of mountains.

She was the World Avatar of Earth, an entity that is the direct embodiment of the planet’s will.

The World Avatar glared at Persephone with a sharp gaze, unaffected in the slightest by the goddess’s authority of death. Then, she turned to Sylvia with a warm smile that carried an absolute weight.

"You cannot take her away to your gloomy world, Persephone," said the World Avatar with a calm tone of voice, yet every syllable made the ground beneath their carriage tremble softly. "Because I also have a very suitable place for her on this surface world. A place where fusion world anomalies gather, which is far more challenging than just eating brainless monsters in the dark."

The atmosphere in that narrow coachman’s seat instantly turned into a conceptual battlefield.

Sylvia, who was stuck sitting right in the middle of those two supreme existences, immediately felt incredible goosebumps. All the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Even though she was a Rank 6 Primordial Undead who should be immune to mental pressure, being at the epicenter of the clash between the Underworld Authority and the Earth Planet Authority made her soul tremble violently. Cold sweat, something biologically impossible to be produced by her undead body, seemed to seep out of her pores.

On her right side, Persephone’s dark aura began to thicken. The goddess’s eyes narrowed, radiating a coldness that could freeze oceans. "How dare you interrupt my conversation with my daughter, Embodiment of Earth. She is the Heir of Death, her place is by my side, not taking care of dirty problems on your surface."

On her left side, the World Avatar was undaunted. Her golden-green light shone brighter, neutralizing Persephone’s darkness. "She was born in my world, and she is the balancer of anomalies on this planet. You cannot just kidnap my most important asset into your territory."

This internal battle without physical contact literally cracked the space around the carriage. The sky above them even began to split into two colors; pitch black on one side, and glowing emerald green on the other. The zombie horses in front had stopped walking, frozen in fear by the absolute pressure. Inside the carriage, Alicia and Stacia didn’t even dare to breathe or peek outside.

Sylvia knew, if she let this battle of pride continue, her horse carriage, or even the entire area within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, could be shattered to pieces. She had to take control of the situation with high-level diplomacy.

"A-Ahem..." Sylvia cleared her throat softly, her voice trembling slightly, but she forced herself to sound stable. The two grand entities simultaneously turned toward Sylvia, the pressure in their eyes making Sylvia almost swallow her own saliva.

"H-How about this..." Sylvia began, her brain spinning at maximum speed. "What if we make a little... compromise?"

Persephone raised an eyebrow gracefully, while the World Avatar crossed her arms under her firm chest, waiting for the continuation of Sylvia’s sentence.

"I... and my two sisters, Alicia and Stacia, will go with Mother Persephone to the Underworld to undergo training and hunt there," said Sylvia carefully.

Hearing that, Persephone immediately smirked triumphantly. She puffed out her chest wrapped in the black dress, exuding extraordinary arrogance and pride. Her mocking gaze was immediately directed at the World Avatar, as if saying wordlessly: ’See? My child prefers her mother over you.’

The World Avatar looked very annoyed. Her eyebrows twitched, and green lightning flashed softly in the air around her.

"But! Wait a minute!" Sylvia hastily interrupted before the World Avatar exploded. "In exchange... Sofia, Aurellia, Celes, and Velthya who are currently in Nocture can go with the World Avatar. They must be very bored just guarding the city every day without any challenges. Their power levels also need to be honed. You can take them to the challenging place you mentioned. Their quality is beyond doubt."

Total silence enveloped the coachman’s seat.

Sylvia breathed heavily in a conceptual sense. She was super nervous. She was well aware that throwing responsibility to her four friends in Nocture without their consent was a slightly cruel action, but she had no other choice to prevent a war between gods on top of her carriage.

Persephone was still smiling proudly, not objecting to the arrangement at all as long as her favorite daughter came with her. She continued to give a condescending look toward the World Avatar, enjoying this absolute victory.

The World Avatar was silent for a moment. She looked at Sylvia, then glanced at Persephone who still had a smug face. She let out a long sigh that produced a gust of fresh wind. Even though she was annoyed that she didn’t get Sylvia, she knew that the four girls in Nocture were also a terrifying and invaluable combat force.

"Alright," said the World Avatar finally, her tone sounding a bit reluctant but realistic. "That’s a deal I can accept. I will go to Nocture now and pick them up. Make sure you don’t die in the darkness over there, Sylvia."

"Of course not. She is with me," interrupted Persephone with an arrogant tone of finality.

The World Avatar only clicked her tongue softly. Without saying anything more, her body faded into a glow of green light particles and golden pollen, then completely disappeared from the coachman’s seat, teleporting through dimensions directly to the city of Nocture.

As soon as the pressure from the World Avatar disappeared, Sylvia could finally let out a sigh of relief until her shoulders dropped.

"A very smart decision, my child," praised Persephone while chuckling softly. She stood up from her seat, floating one span above the ground. With a single graceful swing of her hand, the space in front of the zombie horse carriage’s path was instantly torn open.

The sound of dimensional tearing was deafening. A giant portal formed a gate made of obsidian bones and frozen blue fire. From within the portal, the faint roars of suffering, the howls of ancient monsters, and gusts of wind carrying the pure scent of death could be heard. That was the Gate of the Underworld.

"Come, enter. Let’s see how far the limits of your potential can be pushed within my territory," said Persephone with a welcoming smile.

Sylvia held her reins tightly, a cold smile full of anticipation now returning to grace her face. Her nervousness had been replaced by a hunger for battle. She gently whipped the backs of her two zombie horses.

Without the slightest hesitation, the black wooden horse carriage sped up, cutting through the mist, and entered crossing the portal towards the depths of the Underworld.