As Ethan's words fell, a sudden burst of light erupted behind him—hundreds of streaks of energy shot into the sky, then came crashing down onto the battlefield like meteors.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

The ground shook violently. Shards of stone exploded outward as the earth cracked beneath the impact.

One after another, massive metallic beasts landed behind Ethan. Their silver-alloy armor gleamed coldly under the blood-red sky, reflecting a deadly sheen. Each one was the size of a small building, radiating a brutal, industrial menace.

Mounted on their shoulders and arms were rows of pitch-black cannons, their crystal cores pulsing with ominous light—each one humming with the promise of annihilation.

All five hundred Guard Mechs had arrived.

These mechanical monsters were notorious energy hogs—true "Core-Eaters." In a normal fight, Ethan wouldn't even consider deploying them. Too costly. Too excessive.

But with Nyssara and Abyssion here—two walking SSS-class crystal cores—he could afford to splurge.

This trade? Totally worth it.

Across the field, the expressions on the opposing Zombie Kings twisted into disbelief.

What the hell are those things?!

Even Nyssara froze, her face a mask of shock. "Wait… are those… Guard Mechs?!"

Coming from Heartland, she'd seen her share of horrors—but this? This was next-level. She recognized them instantly: top-tier weapons developed by human civilization, designed specifically to wipe out zombies.

But why the hell were they under the command of a Zombie King in a white shirt?

Before they could wrap their heads around it, the Guard Mechs roared to life.

"Open fire."

The crystal cores on their arms flared, and in the next instant, a storm of energy blasts rained down like a goddamn apocalypse.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Blazing energy detonated across the zombie horde, tearing through the ranks like a chainsaw through wet paper. The ground quaked, the air screamed, and shockwaves rippled outward in every direction.

Zombies were shredded on impact—limbs flying, blood spraying, torsos vaporized. In a single volley, a 150-foot radius was reduced to a smoldering crater of silence.

Abyssion's eyes bulged. "What the hell—?!"

Nyssara's face was grim. "What did you expect? These are humanity's deadliest anti-zombie weapons. If they weren't this brutal, they wouldn't be worth the name."

"Damn it!" Abyssion snarled, his fangs grinding together. Watching his precious horde get obliterated was like watching his own flesh get torn apart. He couldn't just stand there.

He raised his hand, channeling his will. A surge of psychic energy burst from him, racing toward the Guard Mechs in an attempt to seize control or at least disrupt them.

But the moment his mind touched them—

WHOOOM—

A crushing wave of death energy slammed into him.

Ethan's Domain of the Dead had expanded—stronger, darker, more suffocating than ever before. The air itself seemed to warp under its pressure.

Abyssion's psychic force didn't even make a dent. It was like throwing a pebble into a hurricane. His mind was instantly overwhelmed, shredded like tissue paper.

"AAARGHHH—!" Abyssion screamed, clutching his head as if it were about to split open. It felt like a steel rod had been jammed into his skull and stirred like soup.

And then—another strike.

A shadowy tendril of psychic energy slipped in through the cracks, piercing straight into his mind.

His body froze. His eyes went glassy.

Wraithshade had struck.

The two-headed Zombie King had been waiting for this exact moment, and he didn't waste it. While Abyssion was reeling from Ethan's Domain, Wraithshade slipped in and hit him with a psychic sneak attack, drilling straight into his brain.

"Heh heh heh… Feels good to have backup, doesn't it?" Wraithshade sneered, his voice echoing with twisted satisfaction. "Now you know what it's like to be the one getting ganged up on."

He hadn't forgotten the last time they fought—how Nyssara had stalked him from the shadows, harassing him nonstop, nearly getting him killed.

But now?

Now the tables had turned.

Abyssion's mind was in chaos. The invasive psychic force had sunk deep into his brain, and his body was no longer fully under his control. He gritted his teeth, fighting through the searing pain, trying desperately to focus and push back.

But his eyes kept flickering—one moment glazed over, the next sharp with clarity—like he was teetering on the edge of total collapse.

"Lady Nyssara… I—I can't hold on much longer! He's about to take full control—help me, now!"

"Hang in there," Nyssara growled, her fangs clenched tight. Her body blurred, sliding sideways like a shadow melting into the environment. In the blink of an eye, she vanished—blending seamlessly into the battlefield.

From a distance, Laura caught the movement. Her lips curled into a knowing smirk. A second later, she too flickered and disappeared.

Nyssara's target was obvious: Wraithshade.

He was the weak link—physically fragile, and if she could get close, it'd be over in one strike.

She moved like a ghost, silent and invisible, her confidence sky-high. With her elite stealth skills, she was certain no one could detect her.

But Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly, tracking the subtle shift in the air.

Seriously? They brought someone this dumb to the fight?

Nyssara's stealth was impressive—visually, she was completely undetectable. But Ethan didn't need to see her.

With a thought, he expanded his Domain of the Dead—an overwhelming, omnidirectional field of death energy that blanketed the entire battlefield.

His domain had grown even more terrifying than before. Every twitch, every breath, every heartbeat within its radius was his to command.

Nyssara was instantly caught in it. Her body froze mid-step, her stealth shattered.

What the hell…? she thought, panic flashing in her eyes. This domain… it's like I'm trapped in glue!

She struggled to move, but it was like trying to swim through molasses. Her limbs felt heavy, her movements sluggish.

And then—Laura appeared.

Right in front of her.

Her face was inches away, and her alloy claws were already mid-swing, aiming straight for Nyssara's skull.

Nyssara reacted fast—her hands shot up, catching Laura's wrists just in time. The longest claw stopped just short of her nose, trembling with tension.

Too close! Nyssara's heart pounded. That had been a hair's breadth from death.

But Laura wasn't done.

Her clawed hand opened, revealing a dark, circular cannon embedded in her palm. The crystal core inside flared to life, charging in an instant.

BOOM!

A blinding white blast erupted from her palm, the explosion lighting up the battlefield like a flashbang.

Nyssara was hurled backward, her body spinning through the air in a wide arc before crashing hard into the ground.

She groaned, smoke rising from her scorched skin. Her body, though built like a beast thanks to her fusion-type physiology, wasn't invincible. The blast wasn't enough to kill her—but it sure as hell hurt.

Laura's palm cannon packed the punch of an S-rank fighter's full-force strike.

Nyssara's skin was charred, her armor cracked, but her regeneration kicked in immediately. Flesh knit itself back together, bones realigned, and she slowly pushed herself to her feet.

Her face was darker than ever, her yellow eyes burning with frustration.

She glanced at Laura, then at Ethan standing calmly behind her. With this kind of lineup, taking them down was going to be damn near impossible.

In terms of raw power, Nyssara was slightly stronger than Laura—but Laura's mechanical arms gave her unpredictable versatility. The two were evenly matched.

Not far away, Abyssion was still locked in a mental struggle with Wraithshade. He was losing ground fast, his face twisted in agony.

When he saw Nyssara get blasted across the field, panic surged through him.

This was it. Life or death.

"Lady Nyssara! What do we do now?!"

"Don't panic," she said, her eyes narrowing as a new idea formed. "Maybe… we don't have to beat them."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Abyssion asked, confused and desperate.

Nyssara's gaze swept across the battlefield. In the distance, the endless tide of zombies was still charging forward—but most of them were being held back by the Guard Mechs.

The towering machines were no longer firing their crystal-core blasters. Instead, they'd switched to wielding massive lightsabers, slicing through the undead in brutal, sweeping arcs.

"They're conserving energy…" Nyssara muttered, eyes narrowing. "They must be running low."

She turned back to Abyssion. "Once those Guard Mechs run out of juice, your horde will break through. They'll take the pressure off us—and then we'll have a real shot at turning this around."

"So all you have to do right now…" she said, voice low and sharp, "is survive."

Abyssion's face twisted. "Survive? That's your plan?! You think I can just… not die?!"

...

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