Marrow hovered about the throne, her eyes fixed on Blaze.
She could hear everyone else’s comments and compliments, but she craved the master’s approval more than anything.
Blaze, on the other hand, was looking at every aspect of her body.
She had turned mostly white, as if made from the purest marble on the planet. Dark veins pulsated over her body like all zombies. The golden markings on her body had shifted and were concentrated on her chest, waist, and thighs.
Even her hair had grown longer, resting on her shoulders as she flapped her wings.
That was the part of her body that fascinated Blaze the most.
With around a twelve-foot wingspan, it was more than enough to make her soar through the sky.
"Are they made of flesh?" Blaze asked.
"Yes, my lord!" Marrow gave a twirl, showing the wings off to everyone. "I sacrificed some of my biomass to create them."
Marrow had evolved into an angel.
Angel of death, that is.
She received a decent mutation.
Blaze’s thoughts were flooded with strategies to use her. An aerial unit would be helpful in many ways.
Recon, reinforcements, and ambush were just some tactical methods to utilize her new mutation.
Meanwhile, Marrow furled her wings and landed next to the throne.
She immediately bowed before him, expressing sorrow that it had taken so long for her to evolve.
"How do you know how long it’s been?" Blaze asked, surprised.
Blaze had a similar evolution phase as her.
However, he wasn’t aware of how long he had spent inside the cocoon. Others had to inform him about it.
"I was aware of my surroundings all the while, my lord," she replied. "I couldn’t see you, but I could sense your presence around me—"
"That’ll be enough," Blaze interrupted her, clearing his throat.
Marrow smiled and nodded.
The horde tilted their heads in confusion.
They had seen their lord spending too much time in Marrow’s room, and wondered what he was doing there.
From Marrow’s reaction, it seemed their master had done some not-so-decent things to her.
It wouldn’t be a controversial thing, considering the horde knew both of them were special, even among the undead.
"Keep your thoughts to yourselves," Blaze scolded the horde. "If you got time to gossip, then complete your fucking tasks!"
At the same time, somewhere else.
An army of four hundred Initiates, a hundred zealots, and fifty-six enforcers had assembled at one of the bases far north.
It was all thanks to Blaze that they assembled such a force.
Blaze wasn’t a priority for the cult before. Yet after their fateful encounter, cleansing him became top priority.
That’s why this time, they weren’t there for a mere scouting attempt as planned before.
Instead, they were there to establish small bases and scouting posts. Only after that, they’d proceed deeper into the blight zone.
But there was a slight issue.
They had learned that beyond the rainy veil, no light could exist. Everything was covered in pitch black darkness, no matter how fierce the sun became.
The darkness itself acted as a deterrent to human invasion.
After all, without electricity, fire was the only way to light up the space. Yet, using fire torches was impossible because of the never-ending rain.
Not to mention, the zombies were much stronger in the dark. It made things even more troublesome for them.
The situation wasn’t so bad when there was only one spire. Back then, the cultists had plenty of area to maneuver and construct bases.
The second spire had pushed them entirely outside the city. It forced them to start afresh.
After a quick joint briefing, they scattered into small groups to discuss their strategies before venturing into the dark.
"Girl, you’ll stay with me," June, the enforcer with teleportation ability, instructed. "As for you two, do what you like. Just stay close in case things go south."
Girl gave her the ’ok’ sign, while the brutes nodded.
Just then, a man in a white robe entered the hall. Everyone’s knees hit the floor in unison, their heads bowed low in reverence.
Neither the initiates nor the zealots knew who the man was. Even among the enforcers, only a handful of people knew him.
One of many who directly served the Inner Circle.
"Glory to the Blightlord," the acolyte whispered.
"Glory to the Blightlord!"
A roar erupted inside the hall, yet the acolyte paid no attention to it. Instead, he scanned the crowd and smiled.
"Oh, how I envy you," he said, shaking his head. "Chosen among all others... to enact the Lord’s will upon heretics."
No one said a word, but the feelings were mutual. They envied the acolyte who just said empty words, while they had to put their lives on the line.
Some even wanted to yell if the man wanted to switch positions with them, but bit their tongues.
"A perilous path awaits you," the acolyte continued. "Few who walk it will return to us. But fret not! When our lord claims this world, you will rise beyond death and become one with his eternal self!"
He continued, "So leave with your heads held high and hearts full of devotion. For immortality awaits your arrival! Glory to the Blightlord!"
"Glory to the Blightlord!"
"Glory to the Blightlord!"
"Glory to the Blightlord!"
People yelled as a glowing circle appeared underneath their feet.
Girl was startled as it was her first time seeing a teleportation circle.
"Relax, cutie pie," June said, pinching Girl’s cheek. "It’s just like my power. Just bigger and much better."
[Regional teleportation scroll activated.]
[Coordinates confirmed.]
[Transmission begins in 3... 2... 1...]
With a flash, the army of cultists disappeared from the hall, leaving the acolyte and his guards behind.
"...may the blight consume you," the acolyte said, joining his hands together.
His smile disappeared alongside the teleportation circle.
Despite his sharp words, the acolyte pitied them.
After all, the Inner Circle was sacrificing them to the blightlord, and they didn’t even know.