I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl-Chapter 406 - 403 – Fragile Peace

The next morning, the city of Nocturne awoke under the dim light of the morning sun, filtered through the thin black mist that always enveloped the area. The sky remained its usual grayish-purple hue, but the air felt fresher compared to the hellish night before. The rumbling sound of wooden cart wheels on stone streets, the cries of small vendors selling black bread and smoked meat, and the footsteps of citizens beginning their daily activities sounded like ordinary routine. No one knew that the riverbank outside the city walls had turned into a sea of craters and ancient blood the previous night. Or perhaps they knew, but chose not to speak of it because in Nocturne, life was about surviving, not asking questions.

The city’s defense was entirely in the hands of Sylvia’s zombie troops, led by Zark. Hundreds of intelligent zombies stood guard along the tall, pitch-black walls, in the watchtowers, and at the main gate. They were not mindless zombies that only growled and shuffled along. Zark had trained them well. Each zombie possessed logical thinking, sharp memory, and absolute loyalty to the Queen of Death. They spoke in hoarse but clear voices, wore lightweight armor in dark grayish-black, and carried meticulously maintained weapons.

Zark himself stood at the top of the main tower, his tall and muscular body covered in a long black robe. His pale yellow eyes narrowed as he gazed toward the dark forest in the distance. "All positions secure," he said in a low voice into the crystal communicator in his hand. "Report from the southern gate?"

"No suspicious movement, Commander Zark," replied a female zombie in a flat but vigilant tone. "Just a few ordinary merchant groups. We’ve checked them twice."

"Good. Stay alert. The Queen and the leaders are still... resting. This is the perfect time for enemies to try something. Do not let your guard down for even a moment."

Zark knew the situation well. Last night had completely drained Nocturne’s core strength. Sylvia, Stacia, and Alicia were still completely unconscious in the castle’s main healing chamber. Their bodies lay on soft beds, breathing slowly and steadily, but their auras remained very weak after the forced fusion and the battle against the Elder Dragon.

Sofia was undergoing intensive healing in her own room. Her broken golden wings were being regenerated, and her face was pale even though she still gave a weak smile whenever someone visited. Celes and Aurellia were also still lying in the same healing room; their wounds would take longer to recover. Velthya had returned to her humanoid lycanthrope form a tall body covered in silver-gray fur with wolf ears and tail but she was still covered in bandages and internal injuries. She walked with a limp through the castle corridors, occasionally growling softly from the pain in her cracked ribs.

Noir, Sylvia’s beloved zombie dragon, was in a special underground chamber. Its thirty-meter giant body was now curled within a circle of evolution runes. The rank 7 dragon heart it had swallowed the previous night was still beating inside its stomach. The evolution process was painful and slow. Occasionally, low roars echoed from underground, making the castle servants shiver in fear.

All of Nocturne’s top tiers were currently unable to fight. This situation should have been a golden opportunity for old enemies, envious minor gods, monster hunter groups from human kingdoms, or even dark factions wanting to seize Nocturne.

But Nocturne remained safe.

Zark smiled faintly, his sharp teeth glinting. "They’re afraid," he muttered to himself. "They saw last night’s battle. They know something bigger than the Elder Dragon got involved. And they know our Queen is still alive."

Below the city walls, a group of zombie guards was patrolling. They walked with steady steps, their yellow eyes scanning every shadow in the edge forest. One of them, a zombie who had once been a human soldier named Kael, stopped for a moment and sniffed the air.

"There’s a strange smell," he said quietly. "Humans... but not ordinary merchants. Probably scouts."

His companion, a female zombie with long, messy hair, nodded. "I’ve smelled it since earlier. They’re watching from a distance. But they don’t dare come closer. I count seven of them. All carrying stealth equipment."

Kael smiled cynically. "Let them be. If they get closer than a hundred meters, we strike. Commander Zark’s orders are clear: do not let any enemy inside. But don’t attack first if they’re only scouting. Let them scare themselves."

At the main gate, the atmosphere was livelier. Merchants from outside the city were being thoroughly inspected. A large-bodied zombie guard lifted a merchant’s cart and sniffed it. "No poison. No surveillance artifacts. You may enter."

A plump human merchant smiled nervously. "Thank you, Mr. Zombie. Business in Nocturne is always safe, right?"

The zombie nodded flatly. "As long as you don’t bring ill intentions. If you do, you’ll become part of our army."

The merchant laughed awkwardly and hurried inside.

Inside the castle, the atmosphere was much calmer but tense. The main healing chamber was illuminated by faint purple light from slowly glowing death runes. Sylvia lay in the center, her long black hair spread across the stone pillow. Her face was pale, but her lips occasionally moved as if she were dreaming of the battle. Beside her, Stacia and Alicia lay in the same position, their breathing synchronized.

Sofia sat in a chair in the corner of the room, her still-broken golden wings wrapped in thick bandages. She watched the three sisters with eyes full of worry. "Will they... take much longer?" she asked softly to the undead servant who was changing the energy compress.

"At least another three days, Miss Sofia," the servant replied respectfully. "Yesterday’s fusion put too much strain on their souls. But the Queen’s aura is slowly starting to recover."

Velthya entered the room with slow steps. Her lycanthrope form made her look wilder, with erect wolf ears and a gently swaying tail. Many bandages wrapped her chest and left arm. "Still unconscious?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

Sofia shook her head. "Not yet. But they’re stable. How about you? Your wounds..."

Velthya growled softly as she sat on the floor near the wall. "Still hurt. But I can walk. If there’s a sudden attack, I can still fight... a little."

Celes and Aurellia had also woken up, though they were still lying in their respective beds. Celes held her cracked crystal sword, gently stroking it. "My Spatial Severance is still weak. It’ll take time to repair this sword too."

Aurellia smiled weakly, a small flame still flickering at her fingertip. "My fire can still burn... but only enough to grill bread, not Inferno Abyss."

They all laughed softly, a tired but warm laugh.

Outside the castle, Zark continued to lead with an iron hand. He held a short meeting with the zombie captains in the inner courtyard. "Strengthen patrols in the southern forest. There are reports of suspicious movement from a group of hired hunters. They might think this is an opportunity because the Queen is weakened. Show them that Nocturne is never weak."

The captains nodded in unison. "Understood, Commander!"

One captain added, "Some minor Greek gods were seen scouting from afar last night. But after the rift closed, they immediately fled. It seems they’re afraid of that ’claw owner’."

Zark nodded slowly. "Good. Let that fear spread. The more who are afraid, the fewer who will dare to attack."

Afternoon turned to evening. The city of Nocturne continued as usual. Undead children played in the small streets, merchants sold potions, food, and weapons, while zombie troops patrolled nonstop. Underground, Noir’s roars grew stronger, a sign that its evolution was entering a critical stage. Its body was slowly enlarging, and its undead scales gleamed with a new, darker color.

Night began to fall again. The black mist grew thicker around the city walls. Zark remained standing on the tower, his eyes never tiring as they scanned the horizon. Several suspicious shadows could be seen in the distance scouts coming and going like ghosts. But none dared to approach.

In the healing chamber, Sylvia stirred slightly for the first time. Her fingers moved faintly. Stacia and Alicia showed the same signs. The aura of death around them began to rise slowly, like a bonfire starting to reignite after heavy rain.

Sofia smiled tiredly at the sight. "They’ll wake up soon..."

Velthya nodded, her wolf ears twitching. "And when that happens, anyone who dares attack Nocturne will regret it."

At the highest watchtower, Zark still stood firm even as the night grew deeper. The cold wind blew, carrying the scent of damp forest and faint dried blood. In the distance, several small torch lights moved slowly among the dark trees scouts still trying to find a gap. Zark growled lowly, his voice hoarse but full of authority.

"Report their positions every five minutes. If anyone gets within eighty meters of the wall, fire a warning shot. If they keep advancing... kill them without mercy."

"Understood, Commander!" the zombies replied in unison through the communication crystals.

Zark looked toward the dark castle in the middle of the city. A faint purple light still glowed weakly from the main healing chamber. "Queen... rest well. Nocturne will stand firm until you wake up."

Inside the castle, Sofia finally fell asleep in her chair, her head leaning against the wall with slow breaths. Velthya sat cross-legged on the floor, her yellow eyes half-closed but her ears remaining alert, ready to catch even the smallest sound. Celes and Aurellia had already fallen asleep earlier, their bodies still covered in bandages.

Only the undead servants stayed awake, changing the rune compresses and monitoring the three sisters’ aura pulses. Suddenly, Sylvia’s fingers moved again this time more clearly. Her lips trembled slightly, as if murmuring something in her dream.

"Elder... Dragon..." she whispered very softly, almost inaudible.

Stacia and Alicia showed the same reaction. The dark aura around them began to rise slowly, like black mist gradually thickening. The runes on the stone altar pulsed brighter, responding to the recovering power.

The undead servant smiled faintly and whispered respectfully, "Rest easy, Queen. Your troops are guarding Nocturne well tonight."

Outside the walls, one of the human scouts watching from afar peered through a magic spyglass. He saw rows of zombies standing firm on the walls, their yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. His body trembled.

"They’re... still too vigilant," he muttered to his companion. "Even though their leaders are weakened... Nocturne isn’t shaking at all." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

His companion swallowed hard. "Let’s retreat. We’ll try again tomorrow night. I don’t want to die for nothing."

The two scouts slowly disappeared into the dark forest.