Chapter 23: My Fury Can Burn the Sky – Section 10

The gentle Maria still smiled enchantingly. This woman in her thirties had maintained her skin in excellent condition due to her privileged lifestyle. She knew full well that her comfortable life depended entirely on the Marquis, so she paid close attention to taking care of herself. Despite her age, her appearance was no less than that of a young woman in her twenties, even possessing an air of elegance.

Yet today, she seemed somewhat different.

In the Marquis’s eyes, this beautiful lady remained as graceful and charming as ever. But under the light in the room, he could clearly see dark green patches on her bare neck…

Was that… livor mortis!?
How was that possible!?

The Marquis shuddered violently, his pupils contracting sharply.
“Maria… have you been at home the whole time?”
“Yes, dear. Is something wrong?” The elegant lady had just approached the Marquis when she heard his question and froze, a look of shock and suspicion in her eyes.

To be honest, although nobles appeared glamorous on the surface, their private lives were often dissolute—no one was an exception. So despite her elegant demeanor and beauty, Maria also had her own ways of living. Though the Marquis of Vincent treated her well, he was old and frail, unable to satisfy her needs. Maria had long secretly developed an affair with the captain of her guards. Just as the Marquis had left, she had been passionately involved with that guard. The strong young man had satisfied her at least five times, and the effects still lingered.

The Marquis’s sudden question was like a thunderbolt to Maria.
Had he discovered it!?

The lady guessed anxiously, but showed no outward signs, continuing to smile gracefully. She stepped forward to take off his coat when the Marquis suddenly shouted,
“Wait! Don’t come over!”
“What’s wrong?” Maria’s face paled in fear, her hand freezing mid-air. Her heart was in turmoil, as if she had indeed been caught in the act.

But what she didn’t know was that the Marquis was even more terrified than she was. As she took a few steps closer, he became certain that those dark green patches were not just shadows from the light, but indeed something resembling livor mortis.

Fear, like a demon, crept into the Marquis’s heart, altering his tone—making it seem almost monstrous under the light.
“Are you sure you haven’t been out!?”

“No, there isn’t…” Maria’s expression changed drastically, but she stubbornly refused to admit it. In fact, she indeed hadn’t gone out; her rendezvous with the guard captain also took place within the manor. Yet she knew full well that if she revealed anything, it would mean death for her.
The marquis gasped in shock and staggered back a few steps, his body trembling violently. At that moment, he finally sensed that things weren’t as simple as he had thought. Those marks didn’t seem to be some kind of virus either. After all, no matter how powerful a virus, it couldn’t spread here in such a short time without any medium—let alone infect a lady who had stayed at home the whole time!!
Then what was it!? What on earth had the Blood Wolf faction brought here!?
The marquis’s mind was in turmoil, but he quickly regained his composure on the surface. Years of political scheming had taught him that anxiety solved nothing. He needed to come up with a reasonable solution quickly—or else today would be the end of Marquis Vincent.
But he had no idea that those who were acting this time were no ordinary people; they were the most terrifying undead from Death Star. If even the undead, who didn’t hesitate to kill those with black hair, were involved, how could he possibly have a chance to turn things around? Wasn’t that showing too much underestimation of his own race?
In fact, among the five permanent races on Death Star, although the undead had always kept a low profile, their true power was so immense it was suffocating. And among these five races, only they didn’t need any protection from other races. They joined Death Star merely for fun.
While others played with money, they played with lives.
“Marquis?” A gentle voice sounded in his ear. Marquis Vincent jolted, suddenly realizing where he was. He raised his head, about to speak, but froze abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
In just a short while, the person before him had changed again. The few greenish-blue marks on her neck had gradually spread to her cheeks, turning this once beautiful and noble lady into something akin to a ghost. The greenish-blue marks on her pale skin reflected a metallic sheen under the light, sending chills down the marquis’s spine. The area where the marks had been on her neck was now visibly rotting, with blood and greenish fluid flowing down her cleavage, soiling her elegant dress. A thick, foul smell began to fill the air.

Strangely enough, despite such intense stench and decay, Lady Maria herself seemed completely unaware of it. She still stared at the marquis with a puzzled expression, as if waiting for his reply.
“Oh, no… this can’t be true…” Seeing this scene, the marquis felt like he was going mad. Extreme fear prevented him from thinking, and even breathing seemed like a luxury. His mouth was wide open like that of a dead fish, yet not a single breath could enter his lungs.
The room remained the same, the light still bright. Everything around was magnificent, but the marquis felt as if he were in a hellish place. Could one imagine being alone in a well-lit room, facing a monster oozing pus, with that monster still wearing a gentle smile? It was simply a dream! A nightmare!!
If it weren’t for his reason telling him that the monster across from him was his wife, he would have long run away screaming. Even so, his trembling legs betrayed him.
“What’s wrong, Marquis? What’s happening to you today? You’re acting so strangely—what are you afraid of?” Maria was very puzzled and finally couldn’t help but ask. Yet, she obeyed the count’s orders strictly and didn’t dare move an inch.
She was well aware of Count Vincent’s habits and knew that, despite being his wife, defying his orders wouldn’t make her much stronger than ordinary guards. Nobles were all emotionless beasts.
But as she spoke, she clearly saw the fear in the count’s eyes deepen. Suddenly, she felt something itchy on her face and gently touched it without drawing attention.
“Slip…” A piece of skin with hair attached fell to the ground, forming a pool of blood. Maria stared blankly at the skin that had just been on her face, her eyes widening… After a long while, a shrill scream burst from her throat.
“No!!!!”
She rushed to the mirror nearby, scrambling on all fours. Where was any trace of her former grace now? When she saw a decaying head in the mirror, she screamed even louder. Turning around, she rushed desperately toward the marquis.
“Save me… My Lord Marquis!! Save me!!!!”
Furniture and chairs along the way were overturned. It was unclear where Maria obtained such monstrous strength, but she managed to grab the count’s shoulders just as he tried to escape. By now, terrifying decay had spread throughout her body. Clumps of flesh fell off, and the once beautiful noblewoman now resembled a terrifying ghost!!

“Thud!” Clearly, the delicate hand on his shoulder rotted into bone in the blink of an eye. The count’s horror was beyond description; all his strength vanished instantly, and he collapsed to his knees. There was warmth between his legs—he had lost control…
Screams pierced their ears. The guards outside the room, thinking something terrible had happened inside, rushed in without caring about the count’s privacy. What they saw was a terrifying scene they would never forget.
A figure clad in gorgeous clothes, yet covered in flesh and blood, was climbing toward them—Lord Marquis. The marquis desperately tried to back away, kicking wildly, his face twisted in fear as he couldn’t utter a sound.
Seeing this, the guards immediately raised their guns without hesitation. But before they could fire, the bloody figure let out a shrill scream and leaped up from the ground, pouncing on the nearest guard. Rotten flesh and blood covered the guard’s head and face instantly. The thick stench in the air was nauseating.
“Thud!” The guard staggered a few steps before falling to the ground. His limbs twitched briefly before he stopped moving. Only then did everyone realize that the monster’s bodily fluids were corrosive. Once it touched the guard, the rotten flesh decomposed and penetrated deep into his body, causing it to rot as well.
Soon, two pale skeletons appeared before everyone. Entangled with each other, they made everyone’s faces turn as pale as theirs.
At that moment, the marquis seemed to finally catch his breath. He let out a piercing scream and scrambled out of the room, ignoring the servants chasing after him. He ran all the way to the outside courtyard before collapsing to his knees. His fancy clothes were torn beyond recognition, and his face twisted violently, no longer recognizable.
“No!! This can’t be real!!!”
“Lord Marquis! Lord Marquis!!” Just then, another guard rushed in from outside, also face twisted in extreme horror, shouting as he ran.
“It’s bad, Lord Marquis! A large number of unknown ships have suddenly appeared outside the capital planet!!!”