The third figure sported dragonfly wings and features so perfectly symmetrical that determining his gender proved challenging. His eyes flickered with enigmatic thoughts as he observed THE MOTHER's disappearance.
"If you possess any information, now would be the appropriate time to share it!" the angel's tone reclaimed its authority, though the individuals he addressed were far from yielding.
"What are you trying to imply, and why does this concern you so greatly? Understand that if Vlad were reborn, he would instantly ascend to paragon status. He would have arrived before us," the fairy's melodious voice resonated within the hall.
Even the mention of Vlad sent shivers down their spines. This man, cursed to kill living beings with a mere touch, had only one exception—the most powerful being of all, THE MOTHER.
"A touch, that's all it took for him to conquer THE MOTHER. We need her focused vanquishing the undead beings," the angel asserted, surging forward with extraordinary speed to confront the fairy.
They stood inches apart, locked in a tense standoff.
"I fail to comprehend what's wrong with her developing emotions, regardless of the object of her affections. She has existed for an unknown span of time, and what you seek is for her to give even more! Mind you, THE MOTHER cannot be subdued; she is no ordinary woman," the fairy countered.
"It is her duty, and I have no patience for idle talk of emotions from a fairy!" the angel snapped, his eyes ablaze with a golden luster.
"Very well, then. Attempt to force her if you dare," the fairy scoffed and gracefully twirled his coat embroidered with flowers of various colors. He stepped aside and made his way toward the exit.
"No one can compel her; her very existence accomplishes that," the angel declared before vanishing in a resounding boom.
The speed of angels remained unparalleled.
"What will they do when they discover he has already awakened but remains as feeble as my little finger?" the younger dwarf whispered to the older.
"Hump, your little finger possesses more strength than he does. I only hope he reaches his castle swiftly before causing another nationwide crisis," the older one remarked, his beady eyes flashing as he affectionately stroked his thick braided beard.
"He owes us for that," the younger dwarf grumbled, resentful that Vlad had perished before settling his debts.
With a loud clap, they both departed from the palace, and the door sealed shut with a resounding boom.
In a matter of minutes, Cristian had ascended from level 0 to level 5. However, his rapid leveling brought him no joy, as he could only watch the black gas oozing from his body bring death to the land.
This time, he wasn't fleeing from zombies; instead, he ran due to his strange ability. "I would have been content with no affinity," he grumbled inwardly. Each step he took caused decay.
He couldn't control this ability, despite his efforts. He had even hoped to find a switch-off option in his status screen, but to his dismay, there was none.
Trees continued to wither and fall, making his path increasingly treacherous. He had to leap over enormous trees, each requiring the arms of six men to encircle.
*Thwack!*
A sharp sound pierced his eardrums as a massive tree toppled, its size making it the king of all the trees in the forest. He glanced ahead, only to find his path blocked by countless fallen trees. Although his decay aura had diminished to a minimum, it still spread through his feet.
His initial outburst had reached far, and notifications had informed him of the deaths of level one zombies, which barely yielded any rewards due to his higher level. Although his experience points increased, it felt like a mere trickle from a tap.
Before the impending crisis, Cristian raised both hands and conjured a black ball that rumbled. The mist-like structure made it challenging to control. However, he had received instructions from his ability, and these instructions were imprinted in his mind.
His arms trembled as he poured more mana into the ball, making it expand. The gas-like structure crackled and expanded. But he had to keep going, even as the tree hurtled towards him.
Boom!
He lost control, and the ball shot forward, striking the massive tree. To his amazement, the once-mighty tree decayed rapidly, turning to dust by the time it reached his head. His entire body became coated with dust, but it was a small price to pay to avoid being crushed.
Visible breath escaped his lips as he panted, relieved but quickly startled by a moan.
Cristian turned his head and spotted a female zombie, her arms outstretched and her gait awkward. But something didn't add up; she shouldn't have been able to reach him, as he had left the horde behind.
He sprang into action, kicking her head with his bare foot. The impact spun the zombie's head, flinging it into the distance. Cristian disregarded the zombie, whose fragile skull would have been crushed, and focused on the strange occurrence.
"How did she get here when I left the horde behind, or..." His eyes widened as he realized the truth. He wasn't wrong.
Another horde approached from the south, their numbers even greater than the horde he had previously outrun. Cristian glanced back to the north, the direction he had come from, and then back to the south. "Is this place an infested zombie forest?" he mused.
Little did he know that these grotesque undead creatures were someone's "children."
"Alright, it's quite evident that the system is biased here. I mean, I have no clothes, but zombies get to keep theirs," he complained and grabbed a branch, ready to fend off any zombies in his path. Since he had discovered his immunity to their bites, caution was unnecessary.
However, reality struck him hard as the branch crumbled to dust. A stone or iron would have been more appropriate, but he had neither.
"Punching it is, then," he shrugged. With no fear of their venom, Cristian saw nothing to dread about the zombies. Bam! He kicked the first one, the force sending it flying back into the horde, colliding with others in the process.
With extra points added to his agility, it amounted to an impressive total of 64. He was now much faster, and combined with his monstrous strength, Cristian became a walking juggernaut. His blows carried tremendous impact, and wherever he struck, decay would follow.
The moans and growls of the countless zombies assailed his eardrums, but the gleam in his eyes conveyed a lack of sanity. Cristian reveled in this newfound power, the sensation of possessing such might felt like ascending to the heavens.
Even though he received bites and claw marks, they were inconsequential compared to the damage he inflicted relentlessly. From above, a solitary man could be seen amidst an army of zombies, all converging on him without regard for the fact that a bite or even a scratch from his body could erase their existence.
In this moment, the undead met their nemesis—a man they couldn't corrupt. Cristian became the scourge of all undead creatures, as their limitless stamina and resistance to some physical attacks meant nothing in the face of his power.
Even his punches were accompanied by clouds of decay. The yellow leaves on the ground rustled as the battle raged on. Trees shattered, skulls crumbled, black blood flowed, and shouts filled the air, tinged with excitement and a hint of madness.
Cristian seized a zombie and wielded it like a weapon, smashing it into the others surrounding him. He twirled around, and the zombie's relentless strikes continued. After a while, the zombie's legs decayed and crumbled, but it had already dispatched fifteen others in its final act.
The tactic yielded excellent results, so Cristian decided to employ it again. However, a loud growl halted his movement as a massive zombie appeared behind him, seizing his right arm.
Before Cristian could react, his back slammed against a tree trunk. "Ahh!" he yelped, fearing his spine would snap.
"Lucky," he mused, struggling to stand. The ground trembled as the enormous zombie, standing at a towering 7 feet, wrapped its thick hands around his throat and hoisted him off the ground.
"Foolish!" Cristian spat, clutching the zombie's massive pale arms. His fingers dug in as he channeled mana into them, allowing black mist to seep into the zombie's limbs.
The creature roared, and Cristian smiled. As the zombie released him and backed away, its thick arms withered rapidly.
"Now grant me a level!" Cristian bellowed and lunged forward.