I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

A few days later, the sea wind mixed with the scent of salt and thin residual miasma swept across the waters beyond Nocture’s territorial borders. The sun shone fiercely, reflecting silver light from the rolling waves. In the middle of that dark-blue expanse, a masterpiece of magical industry was preparing to prove its worth.

The fleet trial phase had finally begun.

Three cruiser ships made of Black Star Steel cut through the waves with elegant yet intimidating grace. Compared to the other giant ships still in the completion stage at the shipyard docks, these three vessels were the smallest units. Their length was "only" 150 meters, actually equivalent to a heavy-class destroyer from Earth’s pre-apocalypse civilization.

The primary purpose of this maiden voyage was not only to test the durability of the engines and ship structures, but also to conduct mapping of the shallow seas up to the mid-depth waters, ensuring safe routes before the colossal-scale main fleet was truly deployed.

Aboard one of the ships positioned in the center, which served as the temporary command vessel, Sylvia sat casually. The Queen of Death did not choose to remain inside the air-conditioned bridge or sit in the soft captain’s chair. Instead, she sat right on top of the command room roof, letting her legs dangle downward. Her black cloak fluttered in the strong sea wind, while her pair of heterochromia eyes calmly scanned the horizon.

"Let’s see how far this new toy can be pushed beyond its limits," Sylvia murmured to herself, a thin smile radiating enthusiasm carved on her lips.

Through the soul connection linked directly to her entire forces, Sylvia sent a telepathic command. "Increase reactor output. Let’s try how long and how stably this ship can hold if we use full propulsion power."

Inside the helm room, the ship’s crew did not move slowly at all. They were not ordinary worker skeletons, but ranks of advanced zombie veterans from Nocture’s original forces who had evolved and possessed high-level consciousness as well as capable tactical intelligence. The zombie captain, wearing a dense black naval officer’s uniform with glowing red eyes behind his eye sockets, immediately nodded in obedience upon receiving his creator’s order.

Without hesitation, the pale, sharp-nailed hand of the engine-control zombie pulled the accelerator lever forward, maximizing the energy injection from the mana crystal reactor directly into the magical propulsion system at the ship’s stern.

VROOOM!

A low, extremely powerful vibration traveled through the steel hull. The sound was not like the roar of a diesel engine, but a pure magical energy resonance hum. The seawater at the stern immediately exploded into thick white foam.

The ship’s speed accelerated sharply. From a leisurely cruising speed of 20 knots, the black iron hull began slicing through the waves more aggressively.

Twenty-five knots. Thirty knots.

The wind above the command room transformed into a small storm roaring in Sylvia’s ears, yet she did not even blink. For a 150-meter ship made of super-heavy steel, reaching 30 knots already defied many mortal hydrodynamic laws. Yet this engine was powered by the compressed cores of high-level monsters.

Forty knots.

The seawater at the bow was split so violently that it created walls of water several meters high on both sides of the ship.

And finally, the lever was pulled to its absolute maximum. Fifty knots.

More than 90 kilometers per hour across the water. The three cruiser ships now shot forward like giant black iron arrows, tearing through the ocean. Despite the absurd speed, the hulls made of Black Star Steel did not creak or show any signs of cracking. The ships were stable, solid, and advanced without mercy.

Seeing this perfect structural stability, Sylvia nodded in satisfaction. "Good work. Now, spreading formation. Expand the distance to the maximum detection limit of your magical sonar."

Receiving the order, the command ship occupied by Sylvia continued maintaining a straight line forward. Meanwhile, the two escort ships on the left and right sides began turning their helms. The ships smoothly changed direction by 10 kilometers to each side, expanding their mapping net, before finally realigning their bows forward again. The 10-kilometer distance between ships ensured that not a single anomaly or deadly coral reef would escape the scanners’ range.

The noise from the engines and the massive movement of water naturally invited problems. The post-apocalypse ocean was not a friendly place. The mana waves radiated by the three ships attracted the attention of local predators.

From beneath the sea surface, dark shadows measuring more than ten meters shot upward. Several sea monsters resembling three-headed sharks, stone-scaled sea serpents, and armored mutant squids attempted to intercept the ships’ advance. To them, these vessels were either a threat or perhaps new prey that had entered their territory.

Yet what followed was a one-sided slaughter that did not even require a single magic spell from the crew.

BAM! CRACK! SPLASH!

The 50-knot speed combined with the mass of Black Star Steel created unstoppable kinetic momentum. When the monsters tried to ram themselves or bite the hulls, they were instantly crushed. Jaws capable of chewing coral shattered into pieces upon contacting the steel. Their massive bodies were reduced to pulp of blood and flesh the moment the ships’ bows slammed into them at full speed.

Blackish-red and green blood scattered, coloring the wave trails behind the fleet, yet the Nocture ships advanced without the slightest hindrance, as if they had merely collided with a swarm of mosquitoes.

Several days passed during that trial voyage. The ocean they traversed gradually began to change color. From the dark blue that reflected sunlight, it slowly became dense black that absorbed light. They had entered the deep-sea waters, where miasma gathered more thickly and water pressure became far more extreme.

During the several days the engines were forced to operate under extreme conditions and high speeds, the fleet’s internal systems remained in perfect condition. Reports from the engine rooms showed results that would make Stacia, who was certainly monitoring from the castle, jump for joy.

The consumption of mana crystal fuel was extremely, extremely minimal. The compressed crystal from a Rank 5 monster core that served as the ship’s reactor heart had only decreased in energy by about two percent. With efficiency like this, a single crystal chunk could be used for months of nonstop sailing without the need to replace it or return to port for refueling. The energy logistics problem that had once been a nightmare for Earth’s warships had now been completely solved.

Yet these extremely deep waters held different dangers. If in the mid-depth waters the appearing monsters were limited to Rank 2 to Rank 4, here the size and mana fluctuations of the monsters increased drastically.

The ship’s magical radar suddenly buzzed loudly. Ahead of them, about three kilometers away, the sea surface began to boil. A giant water vortex formed, and from its center, a colossal sea monster slowly emerged. It was a type of Crab-Leviathan, a terrifying mutation combining a giant crustacean with a sea centipede, possessing dozens of venomous pincers and a shell as thick as anti-nuclear concrete. Its size nearly matched the length of the cruiser ship itself. Its mana fluctuations indicated that this creature stood at the Pseudo-Rank 6 threshold.

The giant monster released an ultrasonic roar that shook the air, raising its massive pincers in preparation to clamp the iron ships that dared cross its domain.

Seeing this heavy-caliber obstacle, Sylvia’s eyes narrowed slightly. This was not something that could be resolved merely by ramming.

"This is the perfect moment," Sylvia ordered the zombie captain below her. "Trial of the main Mana Cannon. Release the energy limiters."

On the forward deck, the giant barrel of the Mana Cannon engraved with Fairy and Dwarf runes began to rotate slowly. The magical runes along its length glowed brightly, changing from dim blue to dazzling white. Pure energy was drawn directly from the reactor, compressed inside the cannon’s firing chamber, creating a high-pitched humming sound that was deafening.

It took only three seconds to charge to maximum combat power. The cannon muzzle locked precisely onto the center of the giant monster’s armored chest.

WUSSSHHHH!! BOOOOOOM!!!

It was not a physical projectile that emerged, but a pillar of absolute laser energy ten meters in diameter. The shot tore through the air, burning the oxygen around it until it created a sonic boom left behind in its wake. The blue-white light struck the Leviathan’s body with lethal precision.

There was no resistance. The shell that was supposedly as thick as anti-nuclear concrete evaporated within milliseconds. The mana cannon beam pierced through the monster’s chest, destroyed its life core, continued shooting forward to split the ocean behind the monster, and finally exploded in the distance, creating a shockwave that flung seawater upward until it formed a temporary crater in the sea.

The remains of the giant sea monster’s body burned to char, collapsed into the water vortex, and sank to the ocean floor without even managing to release a death roar. One shot, and the Pseudo-Rank 6 threat was erased from existence. The destructive power of this cannon was truly insane a form of blasphemy against the balance of nature yet extremely satisfying in the eyes of a conquering race.

Seeing the hot steam still rising from the cannon barrel, Sylvia stood up from her sitting position on the command room roof and stretched both arms to loosen muscles that never actually ached.

"Perfect physical durability, perfect fuel efficiency, and excessively extraordinary destructive power," Sylvia said while patting imaginary dust from her cloak. "The trial is complete. Let’s return to the docks."

The order was immediately spread. The three cruiser ships simultaneously reduced their speed, maneuvered into a turnaround, and began sailing back toward Nocture’s safe waters.

The return journey took a considerable amount of time. The sun began to tilt toward the western horizon, transforming the sky’s color into a captivating gradient of orange and purple. On the wide, clean deck, Sylvia began to feel struck by boredom. Watching empty waves for hours was not a primary hobby of a Demigod.

She sighed softly, then slipped her hand into her personal storage sub-dimension.

"Since we’re still in waters rich with wild nutrients... why not look for additional dinner ingredients while we’re at it?"

From inside her dimensional space, Sylvia pulled out a fishing rod. Yet this was not a fishing rod that could be found in any sporting goods store. The rod shaft gleamed with an extremely pure blue-silver color, radiating a strong yet calming magical aura.

The fishing rod was made of pure Mythril.

For the mortal races of any continent, Mythril was a legendary metal of incalculable value, often used only to forge the blades of holy heroes or the protective artifacts of kings. Using it to craft a fishing rod was an excessively wasteful act that would make Dwarves cry blood. Yet Sylvia did not care. The single largest pure Mythril vein mine currently existed only within Nocture’s territory of control. Because Nocture never exported resources outward, their Mythril stock was abundant.

The fishing line itself was woven from Rank 5 cave-spider silk that had been magically enchanted for flexibility, capable of withstanding the pull of loads weighing dozens of tons without breaking.

Sylvia attached bait consisting of fresh sea monster meat mixed with a bit of mana-stimulating powder, then with a single elegant flick of her wrist, she cast the line. The bait shot hundreds of meters behind the ship, landing on the white foam waves produced by the ship’s propellers, which now moved at a constant speed of 15 knots.

Time passed slowly. Sylvia stood at the ship’s railing, her eyes half-closed, enjoying the gentle rocking of the deck.

Suddenly, the tip of the Mythril rod bent sharply until it formed a "U" shape. The pull was so brutal and sudden that if a normal human had been holding it, they would have been flung into the sea or their arms would have broken instantly. The reel screamed loudly ZIIIIINNGGGG! releasing tens of meters of line within seconds as it was forcibly pulled by something massive underwater.

Sylvia’s eyes opened wide, her heterochromia colors flashing brightly. A predator’s smile appeared on her face.

"Got you."

Sylvia planted her shoes firmly on the steel deck and adjusted the drag on her reel to increase the pulling resistance. She quickly yet steadily began reeling in the line. The Mythril rod withstood the enormous pressure, channeling the giant fish’s pulling force directly into the Queen’s arms.

Pull and reel. Pull and reel. Sylvia was not in a hurry; she enjoyed the sensation of this physical contest, a tug-of-war dance between angler and prey. If the fish thrashed too wildly, she allowed the reel to spin a little, giving it false hope. The moment the fish’s strength weakened, she pulled without mercy.

When the distance closed only about fifty meters remaining from the ship’s stern the water surface suddenly exploded.

A giant fish leaped into the air, parting the waves with its aerodynamic body covered in metallic silver scales and glowing blue fins. It was a mutated giant tuna species, yet fortunately it had not yet reached the stage of a monster filled with dirty miasma. Based on its body size that covered half the twilight horizon behind the ship, Sylvia estimated the weight of this tuna at least reached two or three tons. Pure meat free from viruses!

The tuna slammed its body back into the water, trying to dive deep to snap the line.

Yet the game was already over.

"Where do you think you’re going to run, huh?!" Sylvia cried.

She exerted a small portion of her true strength; the muscles of her slender arms tensed. With a single hard yank backward, she used pure force sufficient to uproot a centuries-old oak tree from its roots.

The three-ton tuna flew out of the water as if it had lost its gravity. The giant creature floated through the air, passed over the ship’s railing, and finally landed with an extraordinarily loud impact on the Black Star Steel deck.

BRAAAKK!

The entire ship’s hull trembled slightly under the sudden load. The giant tuna thrashed wildly on the deck, its tail as thick as a tree trunk slamming against the steel as it tried to find a way back into the water.

Without needing additional commands, the zombie crew on the deck immediately took action. Their tactical consciousness applied not only to combat but also to logistics. A group of zombies with mana-coated butcher knives leaped onto the fish. With the agility and precision of professional butchers, they cut the gills and tail of the tuna to drain its blood, a mandatory procedure to preserve meat quality so it would not become fishy and to maintain the savory broth flavor so greatly favored by Nocture’s high officials.

After the blood was drained, several mid-level zombie mages chanted their spells. Extreme cold aura spread through the air, and within seconds the entire body of the three-ton giant tuna was wrapped in a thick layer of ice that froze it instantly, preserving the high-grade seafood’s freshness so it would be perfect when served at the dinner table with Sofia later.