Zombie Queen transmigration into a book-Chapter 129: They are here!

Time passed, but everyone was too excited by their strange new surroundings to sleep, and the full moon ahead only heightened their fascination, causing some to stare blankly at the moon, their necks strained from the effort.

The wind carried whispers and gentle laughter as the night sky lowered the temperature, making it feel colder.

Eva and the others stayed close enough to see the crowd but kept a safe distance from it.

"Wow... this sand feels so cool," a man said as he scooped up a handful of sand. Ignoring the onlookers, he rubbed his cheeks against the cool, gritty surface.

But just as he was about to lift his head, he sensed a faint tremor in the ground and stopped mid-air, frowning. He pressed his ears closer, and the vibration became clearer.

He quickly rose to his feet, and his sudden shout alerted everyone.

"The ground is vibrating!" The crowd fell silent at his words, but that brief pause made the vibration in the ground feel more sharply.

"Everyone, gather together!" Ethan reacted instantly and ordered everyone to stay close. Once they obeyed, he encircled them with a wall of ice.

Aaron had already soared high to get a better view of his surroundings—gliding across the sky, he noticed moving shadows from the south and squinted to get a clearer view.

Seeing the large number of black scorpions with their stingers gleaming ominously under the moonlight, he got goosebumps, and all his hair stood on end.

Rubbing the goosebumps on his arm, he patted his crow to land — it let out a sharp cry and swooped down.

"How is it?" Eva asked right after Aaron landed. Aaron shuddered as he remembered the dense number of scorpions.

"We need to prepare for a tough fight tonight, or at least hold out long enough to send them back to your space so we can escape. A horde of giant scorpions is headed our way," Aaron relayed the bad news, causing Ethan and Eva’s moods to drop.

Eva blew out a frustrated breath and tied her hair up—the ground trembled, warning that the horde was closing in.

"Blaine, guard Julian with your life," Eva instructed in a grave tone as she drew her daggers from her space, then motioned for Foxy to come to her.

"Yes, Madam," Blaine vowed and carried Julian into the icy wall, which opened up to let him in.

Ethan unbuttoned his clothes and started shifting into a black cheetah; his shoulder blades moved as he dropped to all fours.

Eva watched, amazed, as Ethan shapeshifted into a black cheetah—his feline eyes shone mysteriously under the moonlight, making Eva fascinated. She couldn’t help but reach out to his body.

Ethan stiffened; a shy, doting gaze replaced the predatory grace he exuded as he allowed Eva to stroke his silk fur.

"They are here!" Aaron’s loud shout interrupted the intimate scene; their expressions changed as they turned toward the approaching horde.

Upon seeing the dense number, Eva flinched instinctively, her face twisting in disgust. ’F*ck, so ugh!’

Eva felt her body crawl as if millions of black ants were crawling over her, giving her a cold, hair-raising sensation—more intense than the red ants they had faced in the dungeon.

Ethan was the first to attack; he felt the need to eliminate them so they would no longer be in his sight.

A mist of ice swept through scorpions like a cloud of dust—anything it touched froze into ice statues. Some scorpions got unlucky and were caught in it.

Ethan waved his paws in the air, causing the frozen scorpions to break into tiny pieces.

Eva saw how easy it was to kill the scorpion—she confidently joined the fight, but the scorpion’s next move was like a rude awakening, warning her never to underestimate anything, even if it seems weak.

The scorpions made odd, creaky noises, their stingers twitching in the air. Suddenly, a wave of tiny, sharp needles shot out from the stingers and headed toward them like falling arrows.

Aaron controlled the shadows on the ground, and with Crow’s help, they formed a massive, curved shield that blocked the needles—a sharp metal clash resonated through the air.

The crowd watched with awe and lingering fear, imagining themselves being pierced like a porcupine.

This moment opened their eyes to the dangers of the outside world — they felt relieved and glad they weren’t the ones facing this day every day.

Eva, unwilling to stay behind, quickly formed an energy blade and spun rapidly through the horde the moment Aaron’s shadow disappeared.

The green blade sliced through some scorpions’ stingers and heads; their loud shrieks of pain and fury echoed sharply in the air, causing everyone’s ears to go numb.

Eva was not only killing them; she was also absorbing their energy, which made the blade thicker and more solid with each passing moment.

Once it grew heavy, Eva made it explode; a cloud of green light shot out like laser beams, obliterating the thousands of scorpions in its path.

But no matter how big the explosion was, the scorpions seemed as dense as the sand on the ground; it was as if their attack made no impact. Instead, more scorpions replaced the dead ones.

Eva wiped the sweat from her face, took a deep breath, and a glee-filled smile spread across her lips.

"It worked! It was so cool!" Eva exclaimed as she gazed excitedly at the skill she had just used—she had only thought of the move on the spur of the moment, and it worked. It was so satisfying that Eva wanted to try it again.

Ethan roared in response before rushing toward the horde with speed unseen by human eyes—Wolfy followed beside him, and both coordinated effortlessly as they tore through the monster horde.

Spiky icicles shot from Wolfy’s paws and erupted from the ground, impaling the surrounding scorpions.

As the blood spilled, Ethan realized its corrosive nature— it nearly burned into his body. He reacted just in time, freezing the blood, or he would have been injured.

He quickly dashed out from the crowd, settling for dealing with them from afar. As he emerged from the hoard, he changed into his human form and put on some clothes.

"Don’t come into contact with their blood, it’s poisonous!" Ethan’s voice echoed through the loud clash of battle.

Eva and Aaron glanced at him briefly before continuing their fight.

The scorpions relaunched their needle attack, and Aaron blocked as before, but this time he slammed the solidified shadow wall, turning them into spikes as they landed on the scorpions.

Black blood splattered on the ground; a sulfurous stench was carried by the wind, causing their eyes to water and their noses to wrinkle.

Eva covered her nose as the fight persisted into the night—vivid attacks of ice, energy blade, and shadow filled the air.

The crowd, safe in Ethan’s ice, watched until they grew numb. Gradually, the scorpion horde began to retreat at the first light of dawn.

Eva collapsed, exhausted from relentless fighting, her hands and legs trembling; even her beautiful, foxy fur looked dull and scattered. It whimpered softly under its breath and lay on the ground beside her.

Ethan and Aaron sat on the ground, not worrying if sand got on them—they were glad the scorpions only came out at night, or they would have been overwhelmed.

Eva rested briefly before leading everyone into the space. The crowd cheered softly at their familiar, safe surroundings, while Eva quickly headed to the stream for a proper bath and some sleep before checking out that floating door. She stretched her shoulders, a yawn escaping her lips as she walked through the forest.