On the battlefield below, every creature—regardless of race or origin—froze for a split second. A primal instinct kicked in, a gut-deep sense of dread. Even the most savage beasts could feel it: something catastrophic was coming.

Aria looked up at the massive object in the sky, her face filled with awe and disbelief. She knew exactly what it was.

The Dreadnought-class Starcruiser—humanity's deadliest weapon.

Back when the war against Necroterra was raging, Aria had begged to join the assault aboard one of those ships. But her mother had flat-out refused, doing everything in her power to keep her off it. In the end, she'd been grounded—literally.

And now, years later, that same terrifying war machine had returned, looming above her like a god descending from the heavens.

As she stood there, lost in the moment, the chains binding her suddenly tightened. A massive hand grabbed her and hoisted her clean off the ground.

Ricky slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Time to bounce!"

"…" Aria's face went blank, a vein twitching on her forehead. But honestly? She was too tired to fight it. She just let him carry her off like luggage.

Meanwhile, Bloodveil's eyes narrowed, his savage gaze locking onto the glowing cannon above. That overwhelming aura of destruction—it was unmistakable.

He didn't even think. Instinct took over.

"RUN, YOU IDIOTS!"

His zombie underlings didn't need to be told twice. They immediately broke off from the fight, bolting in every direction. Some were so desperate to escape they tore themselves free from Xenobeast entanglements, even if it meant losing limbs. One-legged zombies hopped frantically through the underbrush, flailing in panic.

Back on the ridge, the mutant beast overlords were growing increasingly uneasy. They didn't know what that thing in the sky was, but the sheer pressure it radiated was enough to make their skin crawl.

Then, all at once, a signal hit their minds—directly from the Mountain God.

"RETREAT! NOW!"

"Uh—oh! Right!"

Snapped out of their daze, the overlords roared in unison, calling their forces to fall back.

But their cries were instantly drowned out by a deafening roar.

The Starbreaker Cannon had finished charging.

A blinding sphere of energy erupted from the barrel, launching forward with such force that the entire Dreadnought-class Starcruiser shuddered from the recoil.

BOOOOOOM!

The energy blast streaked across the sky like a newborn sun, slamming into the densest part of the mutant beast horde.

In that instant, the world went white.

The ground buckled and cracked, a thunderous quake ripping through the land. A shockwave of fire and force exploded outward, vaporizing everything in its path—trees, beasts, even the air itself.

At the epicenter, a towering mushroom cloud rose into the sky, black and red and glowing with death.

"RAAAAAHHH—!"

Countless Xenobeasts screamed in agony, trying to flee, but the shockwave caught them mid-run, swallowing them whole. Their bodies disintegrated into ash before they could even hit the ground.

Xenorift had just been hit by a man-made apocalypse.

"…"

Far off in the distance, the mutant beast overlords stood frozen, their savage eyes wide with horror. The arrogance, the bloodlust, the bravado—it was all gone.

"What… what the hell was that?"

"Was that… the Voidborn Undying's weapon?"

"That power… it's unreal…"

"Our horde… we've lost too many…"

"What do we do now?"

"…"

For the first time, they were speechless.

The Dreadnought-class Starcruiser had fired a single shot—and it had shattered their confidence.

The overlords, once so sure of their dominance, now felt something they hadn't in a long time.

Fear.

"Everyone, don't panic! That kind of weapon takes a long time to recharge. They've already played their trump card. As long as we hold the mutant beast horde together, we can still win this!"

The voice echoed in their minds again—another mental transmission from the Mountain God.

"Really…?"

The mutant beast overlords exchanged uneasy glances, doubt creeping into their hearts.

But before they could dwell on it, the ground began to tremble—harder this time. From deep within the jungle, a thunderous rumble rolled out like a drumbeat of doom.

"I'll fight alongside you," came a voice—deep, ancient, and filled with authority.

"Huh?" The overlords turned, startled.

Could it be… the Mountain God could move?

They looked toward the source of the sound—and what they saw left them speechless.

A mountain—an actual mountain—was rising from the earth. Massive slabs of stone shifted and twisted, forming arms and legs. Where the cliff face had once been, a colossal head emerged, complete with jagged features and glowing eyes.

It stood tall enough to pierce the clouds, a living titan of rock and earth.

The mutant beast overlords were stunned.

They had lived on this land for generations, and not once had they seen the Mountain God rise. Not even when the last Voidborn Undying invaded decades ago had this happened.

Now, with each step the Mountain God took, the entire continent seemed to quake. The sheer pressure rolling off its body was suffocating.

This was no ordinary creature.

High above, aboard the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, the Zombie Kings narrowed their eyes, watching the titan from afar. Even at this distance, their enhanced vision let them see everything in perfect detail.

"What the hell just stood up?"

"Is that… a Colossus of Stone?"

"Looks like it's packing some serious power."

"Guess this fight's far from over."

"…"

The Starbreaker Cannon had done massive damage, wiping out a huge chunk of the mutant beast horde—but it wasn't enough to end the war.

The real threats were still standing.

The cannon's destructive force relied heavily on its shockwave, but many of the stronger Xenobeasts had survived, their monstrous bodies tanking the blast. Some had even burrowed underground, avoiding the worst of the explosion.

Now, they were back.

"ROOOAAARRR—!"

The jungle echoed with fresh howls. With the Mountain God now on the field, morale surged. The mutant beast horde regrouped, their bloodlust reignited. They were ready for round two.

Bloodveil scanned the battlefield, his eyes cold. "So the Starbreaker Cannon wasn't enough to wipe them out…"

"Still did more than your guys," Ethan said offhandedly.

He hadn't expected the cannon to end everything. That was never the plan. The real battle was only just beginning.

The surviving Xenobeasts were regrouping—many of them scorched and blackened, their fur singed, their skin cracked. But they looked even more terrifying now, like demons clawed straight out of hell.

Bloodveil frowned. "Fighting these things head-on… our zombies won't have the upper hand."

"That's because your zombies suck," Ethan replied casually.

Then he gave the order.

Deploy the Guard Mechs. And send in the Saber Corps—three thousand elite undead warriors, handpicked for slaughter.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

The Dreadnought-class Starcruiser descended, its massive frame slamming into the earth like a second mountain. The ground shook beneath its weight.

"The hunt begins…" Laura whispered, her usually calm eyes now gleaming with madness.

"RAAAHHH—!"

Behind her, the zombie horde let out a deafening roar. Then, like a black tide, they poured out of the Starcruiser's belly—tens of thousands of undead flooding the battlefield, a swarm of death.

Ricky stood at the front, katana in one hand, Aria slung over his shoulder like a duffel bag. His eyes burned with excitement.

"Now this… this is the real fight!"

"Can you put me down already?" Aria groaned. "I swear I won't run."

"Nope!" Ricky shot back without hesitation.

"Ugh…" Aria gritted her teeth, fuming.

Ethan, meanwhile, kept his eyes locked on the distant mountain. That thing… it wasn't a normal lifeform. No one knew where it came from, or what it really was.

Could it be connected to the Forbidden Zone? he wondered.

He knew that to reach the Forbidden Zone and unlock the secrets of the runes and stone tablets, he'd have to get through this army first.

And that meant breaking their formation.

"Scatter them!"

At his command, the zombie horde surged forward, accelerating into a full-speed charge.

But the mutant beast horde wasn't backing down. New waves of powerful auras emerged from their ranks—several of the mutant beast overlords had entered the battlefield themselves, emboldened by the Mountain God's presence.

They were fired up, their confidence restored.

"The Mountain God is with us! Victory is ours!"

"Rip them apart!"

"ROOOAAARRR—!"

The battlefield erupted once more.

...

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