Anna slowly opened her eyes, her vision still hazy from the chaos, only to see Kofi, us''s driver and chief of security, fiercely shing at an oing Zombie. Relief flooded her as her eyes brightened at the sight of him. The moment she saw Kofi, she knew—us had finally arrived.


    "Kofi! Where''s us?" she asked urgently, her voice trembling. She has just escaped death after all.


    Before Kofi could respond, the temperature on the battlefield suddenly dropped, chilling the air. The Zombies that had been rushing toward the Sages'' defensive line froze in ce. Everyone, friend and foe alike, paused to look up.


    In the heart of the battlefield, an icy blue lotus spun gracefully toward the center of the horde of zombies. It radiated a cold so intense that even before it detonated, the Zombies were already freezing where they stood, their movements sluggish, limbs stiffening.


    It didn''t matter if they were the mutated purple or the more dangerous violet Zombies—they all fell under the icy grip of the lotus. The sheer terror of the flower''s power was unmistakable.


    Then, cutting through the stillness, a cold,manding voice echoed across the battlefield.


    "Explode."


    The icy lotus paused for a brief moment, almost serene in its stillness, before releasing a subtle burst. It wasn''t the earth-shaking explosion one might expect, but rather a quiet, controlled wave of freezing energy. In an instant, a chilling shockwave rippled across the battlefield, sweeping through everything within a 20km radius.


    Zombies, regardless of size or mutation, froze solid where they stood. The mindless Zombies rushing forward in their numbers were frozen in ce.


    Even the soldiers and warriors fighting felt the bite of the cold, their breath freezing in the air as their bodies shivered for a moment, though they were untouched by the full force of the st.


    As the battlefield fell into eerie silence, the sky above shimmered. A stealth helicopter jet revealed itself, phasing out of its invisible camouge. It was the Valkyrie V-9 Thunderstrike, it has the ability to blend into its surroundings, bing invincible even.


    From the jet, a young man with white hair jumped out, d in sleek ck leather armor. A longsword was sheathed across his back, and as he descended, his hair flowed behind him like a silver banner. There was something both graceful and chilling about him, his presencemanding as hended amidst the frozen battlefield.


    It was us.


    Everyone looked up in awe as us descended, hisnding timed perfectly with a thunderous explosion. It was as if he had synchronized hisnding with the shattering of the ice statues. The frozen Zombies exploded all at once, shattering into countless shards, leaving no trace of the horde that once stood there.


    The entire battlefield stood still. Whether they were Sages, Saints, or regr soldiers, everyone sucked in a cold breath. The explosion was mesmerizing and devastating, a disy of raw power that left them speechless.


    "Everyone, move back!" us''s voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the stunned silence. Almost immediately, an intense wave of heat erupted from his position, melting the ice surrounding him.


    us stood with his back to them facing the human army, a small orb of fire glowing in his palm. He was preparing to unleash the destructive fireball, but he wasn''t entirely sure how destructive it would be. So Better safe than sorry, he asked them to move back.


    No one needed to be told twice. They quickly started retreating, giving us the space he needed. He sighed softly, then dashed forward. While most of the Zombies had been wiped out by the ice lotus, more were approaching, and he wasn''t done yet.


    He could only explode the fireball within a 10km radius, so he needed to get close for maximum impact. As he raced toward the oing horde, the orb in his hand grew brighter. When he was just 1km away, he hurled it toward them with all his strength.


    Instantly, his star qi started to drain as the fireball rapidly expanded, growingrger with every passing second. Within moments, it became a massive inferno, pulsating with heat. When us felt his control slipping, he knew it was time.


    "Explode," hemanded.


    At the same moment, He started sprinting back toward the human army, pushing his speed to the limit. Behind him, the fireball stopped spinning, and a blinding sh of light consumed the area. Unlike the icy lotus, this explosion was a violent eruption of fire. mes spread everywhere, devouring everything in their path.


    us''s speed was impressive, but even as he rushed away, he could feel the searing heat nipping at his back. A wave of hot air hit him, making him want to curse his luck. The explosion was beyond devastating—every Zombie caught in the st was incinerated instantly.


    He didn''t need to look back to know the battlefield was reduced to ashes. However, he had underestimated the fireball''s force. The explosion sted him forward, sending him flying like a ragdoll through the air.


    He knew thending he expected would happen since he was far from being saved by any warrior on the battlefield. He will be eating sand after killing thousands of Zombies with his Ice and Fire Attack.


    He cursed his luck. However, just when he was about to hit the ground, a gentle hand caught him. At the same time too, a familiar smile assaulted his nose.


    "Big Sister," us said with a slight smile. It was the War Goddess, who had appeared just in time to prevent him from crashing into the ground. It would be a rather unusual way to greet the army after disying such a powerful entrance.


    "I''ve been waiting for you," the War Goddess said, setting him gently on the ground.


    "Sorry I waste," us said


    us took a moment to survey the battlefield. It was a charred wastnd; every Zombie had been reduced to ash. The destruction was even greater than he had anticipated.


    "Well," us said with a satisfied nod, "that worked out better than I expected."


    "Be ready, though. The real battle is about to start," the War Goddess warned, her voice calm yetmanding. us couldn''t help but smile slightly at her words. Just then, Anna and his friends rushed to his side.


    "You''re finally here," Anna said, stopping beside him, her breath still heavy from the battle.


    "Sorry I waste," us replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Anna blushed slightly at the gentle touch.


    "Little fe, you finally made it!" A booming voice, followed by a heavy pat on us''s shoulder, came from behind.


    "Uncle Jojo!" us greeted, delighted to see the familiar face.


    "We thought you''d chickened out and decided to hide," Uncle Xian chimed in, a teasing smile on his face.


    "Sorry to disappoint you, Uncle Xian," us quipped back, shing a grin.


    Everyone sighs looking at the momentarily calm on the battlefield. us has wiped out the Zombies and the War Goddess, the strongest existence in the Eastern Region of the Northern Union has finally made her appearance.


    "Grandmasters and above, prepare for battle," the War Goddess suddenly dered, her voice cutting through the brief hiatus.


    "The next wave will decide whether the city stands or crumbles." Her eyes scanned the gathered fighters.


    "Masters who are confident they can face Tier 6 General—and possibly King—may join. Otherwise, remain behind to handle any Zombies that slip through. Form teams, and if luck is on your side, you might even take down a Tier 7 King today."


    Although her words were meant to inspire, there was a trace ofughter in her tone. Those gathered couldn''t help but feel a pang of anxiety. A Tier 6 Zombie Captain alone was enough of a nightmare to fight—let alone a General and a King, is she perhaps hoping to kill them all?


    Just as the weight of her words settled, an explosion rocked the battlefield. From the charred remains, Tier 6 Zombie Generals began to pour out, their grotesque forms pushing through the rubble.


    us smiled happily. The two powerful attacks he had unleashed earlier had caused him to level up instantly, reaching Level 2 and drawing closer to Level 3.


    "You guys are almost at Level 5, this is good then. Let''s kill some Tier 6 Zombies and level up."us said with a smile


    Perhaps hearing it from us, his friends that were down from the War Goddess''s wicked inspiring speech lightened up a bit.


    ---


    [Author''s Note: Just to rify, Zombies, like monsters, have ranks. These include Captains, Generals, King, Emperor, Monarchs, and more. A Zombie Captain is equivalent to a Dark Monster of the same level, and the ranking progresses from there.


    Tier 5 Dark Monster = Tier 5 Zombie Captain


    Tier 6 Terror Monster = Tier 6 Zombie General]