I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

Sofia staggered. Time seemed to slow. She saw blood spraying through the air, painting the gray sky tainted with smoke and dust. Her reflexes weren’t fast enough to process whether it was her own blood. She only knew something was very wrong.

But... there was no pain.

She looked down, staring at her own body while holding her breath. No wounds. No scratches. Only trembling fingertips and a wildly pounding heart.

"Not... me?" she whispered, barely audible.

The fallen body before her answered the question. A figure in military uniform, face hidden behind a black mask, blood soaking his body. A curved knife still clenched tightly in a right hand that no longer moved.

Sofia’s eyes widened. "That’s..."

Before she could react further, three figures emerged from the shadows. They appeared out of nowhere no sound, no warning. Like living shadows, their bodies cloaked in thick black mist, their eyes glowing with a dim red light. They were not human. Not ordinary zombies either.

They were Shadow Zombies.

And they stood before her in a protective formation, like unseen royal guards.

Sofia stepped back, breath caught in her throat. She recognized this aura. "You... were sent by her..."

One of the shadowy figures nodded slowly, as if understanding her thoughts.

Suddenly, a whirlwind of emotions surged within Sofia. Relief... mixed with guilt. In the midst of despair and bloodshed, Sylvia the creature the world called a threat, a monster had sent protection for her.

Tears welled at the corners of her eyes. But they didn’t fall.

An explosion from the north shook the base once more. The tremors reached her bones. Screams, gunfire, and the roar of battle left no room for weakness. Not today. Not now.

"Rina! What’s the status of our troops?" Sofia shouted as she grabbed her spear that had been knocked away.

Rina emerged from behind the ruins of a building. Her hair was a mess, part of her face blackened with soot. "We’ve lost outposts two and three! They’re using gas grenades now! We don’t have enough masks!"

Sofia gritted her teeth. She looked around the civilians who were still holding on had begun to lose hope. Some were even crying in the middle of the gunfire.

She had to act. She had to decide.

She stepped forward, the shadows still silently surrounding her. She didn’t know how many there were. Three... maybe five... maybe more. They appeared and vanished like mist. But their presence gave her new confidence. A faint glimmer of hope amid the ashes.

"I’ll open a path to the medical room, there’s intel Viktor is there," Sofia said aloud. "We need a temporary shelter. Rina, bring the wounded there. Protect them."

"But you...."

"I’ll be fine."

Rina hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. But don’t be reckless, Sofia..."

Sofia gave a faint smile. Then she moved.

Her steps were quick, efficient. Her spear danced, not to kill, but to disable. Whenever an enemy dropped their weapon, she chose not to pierce their heart, but to strike their head or abdomen enough to incapacitate, not end a life.

But that was becoming a luxury.

The rebels now fought like assassins. No mercy, no negotiation. They targeted children, the wounded, even healers. Grenades were thrown without aim, fire engulfed shelters, and bullets no longer respected moral boundaries.

Sofia knew... she couldn’t save everyone.

"Why are you doing this..." she whispered, staring at an old man shot in the chest while trying to shield his wife.

She healed him. But the wife was already gone. There was nothing she could do but hold the old man’s hand as he cried silently.

Suddenly, one of the shadows behind her moved swiftly. In a flash, it appeared beside Sofia and spread its arms like a shield. Two bullets struck its arm, not penetrating, but enough to make the mist around it ripple violently.

Sofia flinched and turned. The shooter a rebel in civilian clothes began retreating, trying to flee, but was immediately pounced on by two other shadows from the left and right.

The man was pulled into the darkness.

And never came out again.

Sofia gritted her teeth. "Enough. Focus on protecting the civilians, not revenge..."

The shadows didn’t reply. But they obeyed. They returned to their defensive positions, guarding Sofia’s retreat.

When Sofia reached the medical room, she found Viktor bloody, weak, but still conscious. He and two support mages were tending to wounds of several children and women hiding there.

"Sofia... you’re still alive," Viktor said with a faint smile.

Sofia approached him and knelt. "Don’t speak too much. I’ll...."

"No," Viktor cut her off. "You... need to get out of here..."

"What do you mean?"

Viktor forced himself to sit. "They didn’t just sneak in to attack the base. They have a target... You."

Sofia froze.

Viktor continued with effort, "They want to capture you alive... because of your connection to Sylvia, the Queen of Zombies. So they can control her... or eliminate her."

Suddenly, something gripped Sofia’s chest. Fear? Anger? She wasn’t sure. But one thing was certain: her own uneasy feelings the dread that had haunted her all day hadn’t been unfounded.

A strange movement outside made everyone go silent. Stillness.

The shadows moved to shield her.

Sofia turned around.

A large silhouette, wearing heavy armor with a military symbol on its chest, stepped out from the collapsed wall.

Its red eyes stared directly at Sofia.

Not a zombie. Not an ordinary human either. But something in between.

Sofia tightened her grip on her spear. "Who are you..."

The creature responded in a deep, distorted voice.

"Instrument of judgment."

Then, it stepped forward. A step that made the earth tremble.

And the shadows beside Sofia prepared to fight.

The battle exploded like two shadows colliding with speeds beyond human comprehension.

Flashes of light appeared and vanished as quickly as a held breath. The attacking shadow and the two Shadows moved like lightning too fast for normal eyes to follow, leaving only the echoing sounds of impact:

Ting!! Klank!! Skrittss!!

Metal clashed with metal. Claws scraped against swords. The ground split beneath the force of deadly resistance.

Sofia could only stand frozen, her body trembling from the sheer pressure of a battle she couldn’t even visually follow. The energy from their clash warped the air around her, as if it were fracturing.

And in the chaos... a single opening appeared.

The Shadows were too focused. Too locked in against an opponent who matched them in speed. And Sofia the one they were supposed to protect was left exposed, unguarded, just a breath away from danger. frёewebnoѵēl.com

From the collapsed rubble behind them, something moved.

CRAAK...

Viktor.

His body rose with a stiff, unnatural motion, but his eyes no longer held clarity. A faint red glow shimmered from his once gentle irises. There was no hesitation. No expression.

In one silent movement, his hand swung...

STAAAB!!

A knife its origin unknown pierced Sofia’s abdomen from behind. Fresh blood burst forth, soaking the floor and Viktor’s shoes.

The Shadows widened their eyes. But they had no time to react.

The enemy they were fighting... vanished. As did Viktor. Both disappeared in an instant, as if swallowed into the shadows.

Sofia collapsed to her knees. Her body trembled. Her eyes widened. Blood continued to flow, staining ground long deprived of peace.

"Sylvia...." And her eyes began to close.