Sid’s eyes widened at the eerie window and the words written there/

"What... Zombie Girls Revival System? What the hell does that even mean?"

And then came the voice. That female voice line in the game echoed in his skull, threading through every thought.

[This is no error, Sid Wilder.]

[The reason you froze, the reason you felt, is because your will runs deeper than the rules of this game. You have confirmed your truth. The capacity not just to kill, but to break the cycle.]

[You can revive them.]

"Revive...them? "

[This world rots because everyone follows the script. Survive. Kill. Repeat. But you... you resisted. You failed because you felt. You were never weak, Sid Wilder... you are the Meta Breaker we’ve been searching for.]

Another box appeared, blood-red like a sealed decree.

[NEW TITLE ACQUIRED: META BREAKER]

— Breaks the system’s rules

— Unlocks the impossible

— Revives the dead who were never meant to return

"Meta breaker...? That’s... me? I can really..."

His gaze lifted to the frozen bride above him, her face caught mid-motion. Her veil drifted weightless, her beauty locked in divine suspension.

He whispered through clenched teeth, a mix of awe and terror.

"I’m not here just to kill anymore... am I?"

The voice answered.

[No, Sid. You are here to end the apocalypse. Not by destroying the dead... but by reviving them.]

Sid wiped the back of his hand across his face, the tear smearing dirt on his cheek. His voice cracked but he forced it steady,

"So this is it? I’m not here to kill anymore. I’m here to... what? To fix them? Revive them? Don’t play with me."

The system’s voice echoed in his head again.

[If you wish to use the power of the Meta Breaker, you must touch the heart of a zombie girl. Only then will your title’s ability awaken fully.]

Sid clenched his fists, staring at the bride’s chest, his throat tight. "

"Touch her heart... and she comes back?"

[You can restore undead girls to life. However... only if they meet the beauty requirement.]

"...The what?"

[Higher beauty means slower decay. Once a body has rotted too far, it cannot return. Beauty preserves. When the flesh is gone, there is nothing left to revive.]

"Beauty requirement? Are you serious? That’s the logic behind all of this? Not strength, not willpower... just looks? And you’re telling me the only thing stopping me from saving someone’s life is whether they’re a ten out of ten? What kind of twisted dev thought of this—"

The cathedral shuddered.

The frozen moment fractured. Time snapped back into motion like a whip.

"W-Wait, I’m not done talking—"

The bride’s groan hit his ears again, and her mouth lunged down, her cold lips stretching for his throat. Sid lunged forward, hands shooting to her chest, ready to press against her sternum, right over her heart.

"Fine—let’s see if this damn system works!"

But before he could touch her heart, a sound ripped through the hall. From behind the collapsed pews came a heavy crunch of marble cracking under rotting feet. A shape burst into view, huge and fast. Its arms raised, fist cocked back, ready to smash through his spine.

Sid tilted his head back, catching it in his peripheral. His HUD flared bright red at the edges of his vision, combat text flashing across his sight in urgent warnings.

[Ctrl + Space Bar]

"Shit! Behind me!"

His muscles locked, and before he could think, he moved dropping low and rolling hard to the side, like hitting [Ctrl + Space Bar] in a blink. The zombie’s fist smashed into the floor where his back had been, stone cracking under the blow. A guttural roar tore through the cathedral.

"GGGGRAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Sid rolled hard to the side, his shoulder scraping against the cold stone, heart pounding like a drum in his ears. The crash of the zombie’s fist still echoed, fragments of marble rolling across the floor. He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide, breath ragged.

"What the hell was that?!" he shouted, spinning around.

His HUD blinked red, flashing new words across his vision.

[SYSTEM ALERT!]

[Zombie Boss Confirmed]

The massive figure straightened from its crouch, its ruined body towering. Its chest heaved with unnatural rhythm as it turned—not toward Sid, but toward the bride. Its guttural breaths filled the cathedral as it lumbered to her side. Then, with a low snarl, it lowered its head and sniffed, almost tenderly, like an animal checking its mate. Its massive hands settled on her waist.

The bride stilled. Her head lowered as though answering him. Their foreheads pressed together in a grotesque, frozen intimacy. Then the new name flared above them, blazing across Sid’s HUD.

[Boss Encounter: The Protective Groom]

A massive health bar stretched across the top of Sid’s vision. He froze, staring, his mouth falling open. His brain stuttered over the sight.

"Of course! If there’s a bride, then there’s gotta be a groom! And of course the bastard’s stacked with a mountain of HP."

He let out a loud laugh, more shock than humor.

"But that wasn’t in the game. The Undying Bride... she was supposed to be the final boss right? RIGHT!? The groom he never showed. Did I miss something? Did the devs hide this? Or is this just this world twisting things on me? Everything in this world is so f*cking twisted!!! And I... love it!"

He shook his head, sweat dripping down his temple. His voice hardened as he stepped forward, eyes locked on the looming groom who now growled low, protective and furious.

"I get it. You’re here for her. You’re protecting your bride. But I’m sorry, mister groom... I’ve got a bigger mission. She isn’t just yours anymore."

Sid’s hand clenched into a fist, his grin cracking through the fear. His chest rose with adrenaline, a gamer’s rush boiling in his veins.

"This is it. A real boss fight. Not pixels. Not scripts. Flesh and blood... and I’m the one with the cheat code."

He dropped low, legs coiling with energy, and then lunged forward. His shout tore from his throat as he charged.

"Your bride’s mine to save!"

The cathedral shook as the groom’s roar thundered back, a sound of pure rage—

"GGGGRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"