SSS-Class Zombie Overlord: My Undead Legion Evolves Infinitely!

Owen, Derek, Liam, and Adrian were still struggling helplessly in the tunnel that connected the third floor and the fourth floor of the Blood Ant nest.

The narrow passage was becoming increasingly filled with the corpses of ants as the battle continued without any signs of slowing down.

Owen’s dense hair gauntlets had nearly been destroyed, as several patches of skin could be seen peeking through the thick layer of hair.

He was constantly being attacked and hacked by the zombie Blood Ants that continued throwing themselves towards him without the slightest concern for their own lives.

Every time Owen swung his arms, several ants were smashed against the walls, their bodies breaking apart from the force of his attacks.

However, before he could even breathe properly, another wave would immediately rush forward and climb over the corpses of their fallen comrades.

"Damn it!" Owen gritted his teeth as he punched another Blood Ant away, his entire arm trembling from exhaustion.

"Derek, left side!"

"I know!"

Derek immediately moved forward, using his remaining right arm to block several sharp mandibles that came towards his face, while his body slammed against the wall from the force of the impact.

His condition was even more miserable than Owen’s. His left arm had been completely cut off and eaten by the zombie Blood Ants during the struggle.

The entire front of his body had been filled with small and large injuries, with several cuts remaining wide open as blood continuously trickled out of his body.

If it were any normal human, they would’ve died several times over from just blood loss; however, Derek was a genuine D-rank awakener.

His body’s natural regenerative abilities were many times stronger than those of an ordinary human.

Even so, there was a limit to how much his body could recover from—the missing arm wasn’t growing back.

The blood he had already lost wasn’t returning quickly enough. And every new wound only pushed his body closer to its limit.

"Get off me!" Derek roared as several ants climbed onto his body, biting into his shoulders and chest before he violently slammed himself against the tunnel wall, crushing them beneath his body.

At the same time, Liam stood behind Owen and Derek, his expression becoming increasingly pale as several ice spikes formed around his body.

"Go!"

The moment he waved his hand, dozens of ice spikes shot forward, piercing through the incoming ants and freezing several of them against the tunnel walls.

CRACK!

The frozen bodies shattered apart, but before Liam could even feel relieved, more ants immediately appeared from behind them.

His breathing inevitably became heavier as his Nox was already running low from his constant, complicated attacks.

Awakeners, whether through their own awareness or not, used a certain amount of Nox to activate their abilities.

To some, this consumption was low and bearable; however, this varied greatly depending on their talents, skills, and class.

The same variable applied to how much Nox one could store within their bodies, as well as how quickly they could replenish it.

Once it was consumed, an awakener wouldn’t be able to manifest their skills and would be rendered defenseless.

Of course, Nox could replenish itself automatically with time.

Except this group didn’t have any of it to spare.

Liam had already fired countless ice spikes several times, using different shapes and angles to maximize their effectiveness within the narrow tunnel, yet the number of ants only seemed to be increasing.

’How many of them are there?’ His fingers trembled slightly. ’Why are there still so many?’

Another wave rushed forward; Liam immediately raised his hand again, but this time, only a few tiny pieces of ice appeared before falling apart in front of him.

His pupils shrank in an instant as his thoughts escaped his mouth. "...Fuck."

He had reached his limit; the danger was imminent, and it was only a matter of time before their defense line—Owen and Derek—fell.

Adrian, who had been sitting at the very back, could instinctively feel the danger rising around him.

His Nox had long since been exhausted, and his body was injured.

Although he had been recuperating for a while, his condition hadn’t changed much, and the wounds on his body remained painful enough to remind him that he wasn’t anywhere near being capable of fighting properly.

He stared at Owen and Derek as they desperately blocked the incoming ants, while Liam struggled to produce even a single ice spike behind them.

’They’re already at their limit...’ Adrian gritted his teeth as his anxiety seemed to be swallowing his mind alive.

Just like anyone else, Adrian didn’t wish to die. Having reached the seat of the Radiant Star, he had spent nearly a decade living as a king within Valeria City.

During this time, he had enjoyed the respect, comfort, and status that came with being recognized as one of the city’s strongest awakeners.

For nearly ten years, he had become accustomed to people looking at him with admiration. And precisely because of this, the thought of dying in a filthy tunnel while being devoured by monsters was something that his mind simply refused to accept.

Such a giant force of monsters, neither he nor any other Radiant Star member had even the slightest idea of handling.

Of course, there was an exception to this list—Jake Mercer.

Unlike them, he had actually fought and survived against countless monsters.

Adrian had never admitted it openly; he had always known that Jake was different from the rest of them.

"If he was here..." Adrian clicked his tongue with spite.

Long before he could realize it, Adrian had already started getting angry at Jake for dying.

It was hypocritical.

Someone who had once been celebrating his death was now repeatedly feeling his emptiness.

If Jake were still alive, perhaps they wouldn’t have been trapped here.

If Jake were still alive, perhaps these monsters wouldn’t have been able to push them this far.

If Jake were still alive, perhaps he could’ve simply destroyed this entire nest with his lightning.

But Jake was dead—that fact was becoming more painful the longer Adrian remained alive.

It was bitter. Very bitter, indeed.

However, nothing could be done now. And Adrian understood that what mattered the most now was the decision he made.

Would he stay and help the so-called comrades in this utterly pointless battle?

Or should he cherish his own life and run away, leaving his comrades at the doorstep of death?

As someone righteous, it only made sense for him to choose the first.

After all, ten years wasn’t a small amount of time. In fact, it covered a very major part of a human life, and these people had fought together for years, shared food together, celebrated victories together, and even laughed together when they were still considered some of the brightest hopes of Valeria City.

Yet humans were selfish creatures.

No matter how righteous someone claimed to be, when death finally stood directly in front of them, morality often became nothing more than a distant concept.

Adrian looked at his trembling hands, then he slowly rolled his fingers into a fist and clenched the dirt beneath him.

He could stay and help them and probably even die alongside them.

But what would that accomplish?

Nothing.

The so-called radiant stars were already losing.

Even if he joined them, his exhausted body and empty Nox wouldn’t suddenly turn the situation around.

At best, he would simply become another corpse for the ants to devour. Even at worst, his death would achieve absolutely nothing.

’No.’ His eyes gradually hardened as he made up his mind and stood up. ’I don’t want to die here.’

The movement immediately caught the attention of the others. "Adrian?"

Liam looked backwards, his pale face immediately showing a hint of relief. "You’re up?"

Owen smashed an ant against the ground before shouting towards him. "Good timing! Get your ass over here!"

Derek immediately turned his head as well, and despite his miserable condition, a small grin appeared on his blood-covered face.

"Finally, we’re getting some help." Liam immediately raised his voice.

"Adrian, we can’t hold them for much longer, so get over here and use whatever strength you have left!"

"Yeah!" Owen shouted, kicking an ant away. "Even if you can’t fight properly, just help me keep them away from Derek!"

Derek laughed bitterly. "I’d appreciate that."

For a moment, Adrian simply stared at them with a sense of pity.

Three people were looking at him with expectation and believed that he would stand beside them.

However, His expression didn’t change whatsoever.

"I’m sorry." He said blandly.

Upon hearing his words, Owen’s smile immediately disappeared. "What?"

Adrian turned his back towards them as Liam’s eyes widened in shock.

"Adrian..." Derek stared at him in disbelief.

"Where are you going?"

Adrian didn’t answer their voices; instead, he simply began walking towards the tunnel leading back to the upper floors.

"Adrian!" Owen shouted furiously, several veins bulging out of his forehead.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

The middle-aged man attempted to move after him, but another wave of ants immediately rushed forward, forcing him to turn around and block their attacks.

"Get your ass back here!" His voice echoed throughout the tunnel loudly. "You can’t just fucking leave!"

Adrian’s expression remained completely void of remorse or anger.

To him, such a decision only came naturally and wasn’t particularly hurtful.

In fact, he was more hurt that he wasn’t able to gather enough contributions during this expedition than he was about the lives of his comrades.

’I’ve already done enough. I’ve fought and suffered. I’ve lost enough blood, and there’s no reason for me to die here.’ The further he walked, the quieter the sounds behind him became.

He quickly ran back up into the tunnel, immediately disappearing from everyone’s eyes.

The silence that followed lasted for barely a second before Owen’s furious roar exploded throughout the tunnel.

"FUCK!"

His fist slammed down against an incoming Blood Ant, crushing its head into the ground.

"You fucking coward!" Derek’s expression became ugly as he stared towards the direction Adrian had disappeared.

"That bastard..." Liam’s face had completely lost its remaining color.

He looked at the empty tunnel before turning towards the countless monsters still rushing towards them.