Chapter 23: Danger (2)
Everyone was focused, doing their best to protect the kingdom. The air was thick with magic, steel, and desperation. Spells blazed across the battlefield, steel clashed against rotting flesh, and commands echoed among the ranks.
The green zombies, once numbering in the thousands, were nearly depleted. But just as we thought we were gaining ground, they suddenly surged again—manipulated by some unseen force. That's when I realized it: almost all of our burst attacks and area spells had been spent on the weakest of them. We had wasted too much firepower.
Blue and yellow zombies broke through the thinning front lines, tearing into the defenses with terrifying efficiency. Their speed and strength overwhelmed the already-exhausted soldiers.
I gritted my teeth and focused, manipulating 200 swords around me. Each sword gleamed with my energy, slicing through groups of five or more zombies with surgical precision. Still, they kept coming.
Elizabeth, radiant and fierce, moved like a thunder goddess across the battlefield. Lightning danced around her with each step. She prioritized the yellow zombies, cutting through them with divine wrath, while Sophia rushed from one injured soldier to another, pouring her healing magic into their wounds. Her hands glowed with soft light as she gave everything she had to keep them alive.
The mages around us targeted the blue zombies, unleashing storms of fire, ice, and wind, but it wasn't enough. The tide was overwhelming.
And then there was Lucy.
She stood at the rear, her hands glowing with a complex, swirling array of spell circles. She was preparing something powerful—something that was taking a very long time to cast. Her brow was furrowed, sweat trickled down her face, and the very air around her shimmered with intense heat.
High above us, Evelyn clashed against the towering Undead Knight. Each of their blows shook the skies. The knight was unlike any creature we had seen—armored in obsidian black, eyes glowing crimson. But Evelyn, a veteran 7-Star, stood her ground. Her movements were swift, elegant, and decisive. She was the wall that refused to fall.
Time crawled forward, and our lines grew increasingly difficult to maintain. I could only contend with the normal 4-Star zombies, doing what I could to hold the center. I focused on supporting where the green zombies still surged. Elsewhere, Leon remained a rock at the frontlines, one of our pillars, leading by example as he fought with grim determination.
Finally, Lucy opened her eyes. A tiny flame hovered in her palm, flickering weakly. She looked pale, her breathing shallow. But then—the flame turned blue. A heartbeat later, it shimmered into a deep violet.