"Uuugh!! You've done it, f*cker!!"
Zoey screamed as her power wore off, her armor shattering, transforming back into her original clothes.
This happened when Albert used Spell Zero and activated the function Absolute Ego Raiser, which allowed him to use the spell. It enabled him to overcome the fear that once paralyzed him.
[Spell Zero > Negates any kind of effects or abnormalities deemed by the holder as a nuisance or a barrier to a certain action.]
Albert slowly stood, smiling in victory.
"You must be surprised, but... I am more surprised by what you have shared with me. Regrettably, your way of telling your story is so boring that even if you became a writer, I would drop the book after the first sentence."
He mocked her.
The room, once filled with darkness, slowly returned to normal.
But Zoey didn't give up. She shouted in rage:
"Aaaahhh!! I am the Queen who rules billions of Zombies!!"
As she declared this in anger, the room darkened again, transforming into infinite space.
Albert could no longer feel the floor beneath him.
"Is this her true power?"
He thought in shock, staring at her as she rampaged, stomping her feet.
With her anger, she unconsciously summoned thousands of zombies toward him.
Albert's eyes widened, and he quickly fired a black giant orb of energy using Spell One.
"What are these humans? Are they what she calls zombies?"
He wondered to himself.
After launching the spell toward the approaching swarm, Zoey attacked with unbelievable speed, so fast her body blurred from his sight.
She punched Albert with full force, a punch so powerful that anyone struck would be paralyzed.
He blocked it with both arms, but the force sent him flying, breaking his bones. His body regenerated on its own, though he still felt the paralysis taking hold, forcing him to use Spell Zero to negate it.
She noticed his regeneration.
"Woah, you're more powerful than I thought, pretty magician!!"
She shouted.
"I used my Body Hit Paralyzation on him, but it seems ineffective. What a hassle..."
She thought, both impressed and confused.
Her punch was capable of destroying a small mountain.
Meanwhile, Albert's body was still being pushed back by the force.
In his hands, a black sword materialized through the function Item Manifester.
There were no walls to land on or ground to step upon, he kept getting pushed endlessly.
Zoey chased him.
"Come here, you jerk!!"
She shouted.
"How can I defeat her? If I were still a normal human, that single punch would have killed me long ago. Thankfully, I can regenerate."
He thought, watching her close in.
He readied his sword to slash at her.
"Come at me...! And prove you are really worthy of being called a king!!"
He taunted.
At the same time, Lina, who was outside the door, wondered why Albert had taken almost ten minutes just to ask their new king to disguise herself as a man to avoid public questions.
She sighed, tired from standing.
Inside, the battlefield raged on.
Albert managed to land deadly slashes, but Zoey's body healed within milliseconds as long as her limbs were intact.
Both inflicted incredible damage on each other, yet Albert had regeneration while she had healing.
Two different aspects of immortality clashed regeneration to grow new flesh versus healing to repair it.
Albert used Spell One multiple times, reducing flesh and bone to dust particles.
But she kept dodging with her speed.
"Tell me?! Are you really a magician?"
She asked. From the start, hatred drove her to fight him, but the longer their battle went, the more curious she became.
Albert didn't answer. He had no idea what she meant.
"Magician?"
He thought to himself, puzzled by the term.
Unlike Zoey, who dodged his devouring attacks, Albert took her blows head-on.
"Is he a zombie like me?"
She wondered, unsure if she could win.
Albert grew tired not physically, but mentally.
He had many souls within him, yet he hadn't created a new spell to end her instantly. He had set a rule for himself: only create a spell when fully rested, so that it would carry more meaning, since each spell was forged from a life he had taken, a life precious to someone.
"I have no choice but to use this one,"
He decided.
"Rider Spell!!"
[Rider Spell > A spell that summons a fictional character into reality. This character is the Death Knight from the book May the Hell Close, which the holder read in his library.
Condition > Only one can be summoned.
Special Trait > Possesses all abilities and capabilities according to its origin.]
A cart appeared out of nowhere, and its rider stepped down.
The Death Knight, clad in purple armor with a giant sword strapped to its back, had emerged from the book.
Zoey froze as she sensed the danger.
She gasped deeply.
"Is that... death? I-I don't want to die!!"
She panicked, her fingers trembling.
In fear, she summoned over a million zombies, big and small, to attack the Death Knight.
"From the book, I know the Death Knight's stare alone can send countless humans to death with just a glance,"
Albert thought, recalling the lore.
The Death Knight stood firm.
The million zombies rushed like a tidal wave.
It walked effortlessly across the groundless, wall-less dimension of darkness, even as Albert only floated.
It raised its giant sword, its eyes glowing purple.
In an instant, the zombie horde froze, then vanished as though blown away by a powerful wind.
Not only were the zombies annihilated, but Zoey herself didn't notice that her neck had already been severed. The Death Knight had struck while digging its sword into the darkness.
"How can I die like this...? I have been a Villain, a Hero... but I still want to be a King. I want to be King in a different world!!"
Her last thoughts echoed as her consciousness faded.
The room returned to normal.
Her headless body collapsed. Her head was nowhere to be found.
Albert stood in silence, staring blankly into the air.
Then suddenly, Lina opened the door.
"What have you done, Albert!!"
She shouted.
Albert turned to her with a smile.
"Ha-ha, it's just a way of communication,"
He said casually, as if it were nothing.
Lina forced herself to calm down and listen to his reasons.
She slowly closed the door, breathing deeply to exhale her worries.
"Alright, Albert, I will listen to you,"
She said in a calm voice.
"Lina, thank you for your trust... It would have been harder to explain if it wasn't you who entered first. Don't worry, she is still alive."
He assured her, having confirmed Zoey was still alive since his collected souls hadn't increased.
Lina was confused, having no idea about Zoey's powers.
Within minutes, Zoey's body stood up again, headless, as her head began to regrow.
Albert covered Lina's eyes, not because of the gore, but cautious of Zoey's mind-control ability. He shared his memories with Lina using Memory Spell.
Zoey's head fully regenerated without a scratch. She sat on the bed with a defeated expression.
"So, will you listen to me now, Miss Zoey?"
Albert asked, uncovering Lina's eyes as Zoey nodded.
She sighed, tired.
"Game!!"
She answered with a smile.
She had decided to leave behind her messy world and take on a new role.
Since there was only one chair, Albert let Lina sit, as she was tasked with guiding their new king.
Albert stood behind her, whispering Zoey's name.
"Greetings, Miss Zoey. If you will accept the rule of becoming our new King, there is a problem to settle first. The title of King is intended for a man. Therefore, Albert and I have decided to disguise you as a man until we find a solution. There is no one else worthy of this position. So... do you accept?"
Lina explained briefly.
Zoey didn't respond immediately, rationalizing their plan.
"Umm, I will... if you accept my request first,"
Zoey demanded.
Albert only listened, waiting for her acceptance so he could continue his revenge against the doctor. No one could be legally declared a criminal without a King as judge and witness.
"Pardon? Can you state your request?"
Lina asked formally.
Zoey smiled with her eyes, staring at Albert.
"I want to know why you're in such a hurry to have a king. Oh wait, that's not my request... Sorry. My request is freedom to explore this world and..."
She stopped, chuckling.
And so Lina and Zoey talked more. Zoey even asked why Lina wasn't angry at Albert for earlier.
Lina explained that Albert shared his memories with her, so she understood his reasons. This made her more invested in making Zoey the new King, given her abilities as the Zombie Queen.
Their long talk continued, ending with Zoey accepting the title of Wenthoriz's new King, in exchange for her freedom and the chance to fight stronger opponents.
Lina also explained the existence of the world's enemy, Abaddon, a group led by the Wielder of Life.
Albert left the room.
Lina trained Zoey on how to act as a King. She also revealed her Artifact's power — the ability to perfectly imitate anyone. With this, Lina assured Zoey she could enjoy her freedom while Lina covered for her.
Lina was amazed at how quickly Zoey learned, even though she kept whining about how hard it was to act like a king.
Zoey herself wondered why she no longer felt the will to use her powers to hold Lina hostage and take revenge on Albert, despite having been decapitated earlier by the armored man.
Meanwhile, Albert, in his own room, was creating more spells:
[New Spell Name: Ascending Spell]
[Type: External]
[New Spell Name: Life Spell]
[Type: External]
[New Spell Name: Buff Spell]
[Type: Internal]
[New Spell Name: World Spell]
[Type: External]
Then, a messenger burst into the King's Chamber with urgent news:
"The Abaddon!! They've breached the barrier and surrounded the entire Kingdom with countless soldiers!!
RUN!!
ESCAPE!!"