Soon, the bombardment had done its job.

The Earth Zombies were forced out of the ground, disoriented and exposed. Fire and lightning had torn through their ranks, and the Spirit Pulse Obelisk continued to pulse beneath the soil, disrupting any attempt to retreat underground.

But now, they were adapting.

Several Bloodmarked Earth Zombies had begun charging the barricade directly… Even if they were already out of the ground, their limbs were still hardened stone and their bodies were covered in thick, mineral armor.

Shane was sure that these Earth Zombies were capable of destroying their walls even if they only relied on their punching force.

Still, they weren't tunneling anymore. They were rushing now and because of that, they were easier target for everyone.

Shane stored Sylph's Whisper back into his inventory.

It had done enough.

Now, it was time for close combat.

He reached for his primary weapon.

[ Eon Edge (Mythic) ]

The blade synced instantly with his Bio Armor like it was truly part of it.

Shane activated Armament Expert and Titan's Roar in sequence, boosting his physical output and drawing aggro from the nearest enemies.

Of course, his armor responded.

The Genesis Armor's core started pouring more energy, activating its dynamic dampeners...

'Not enough…'

Shane muttered as he also triggered Resilience Protocol again, reinforcing his defense, and Adrenaline Surge to push his reaction speed beyond normal limits.

Thud…

As soon as he dropped near the Zombies, several Zombies immediately pounced on him.

The nearest one seemed excited as if Shane was a free meal.

However, Shane sidestepped without even the need to use skills, then countered with Horizontal Slash.

Of course, this slash wasn't just a normal one but a Skill.

Because of that, the Zombie was easily split in half!

The Eon Edge tore through the creature's mineral plating, cleaving it in half with a burst of plasma.

After that, the Zombies had already adjusted and he was surrounded.

Still, Shane activated Armored Dash, slamming into the Zombies with full force.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He thrashed several Zombies at once and the impact shattered the Zombies' legs and bodies, and before they could recover, Shane followed up with Double Thrust, piercing their cores or brains, ensuring they would not be able to recover at all.

"Bring it on!"

Shane shouted as the ground shook again.

More were coming and of course, Shane didn't retreat. They were all providing him loot after all.

He moved forward as he taunted the Zombies…

Using Vortex Spin, he cleared a cluster of enemies that had surrounded a Warden Unit who had started coming out of the gates.

The spinning slash he used created a shockwave, knocking back five Zombies and giving the unit time to reposition.

Kain shouted from the rear. "Southwest flank! They're breaching!"

Shane turned and activated Quick Draw, launching a short-range energy wave from the Eon Edge!

It struck the advancing group, staggering them long enough for the grenade launcher team to finish the job.

He kept moving.

Dust Kick to blind a charging Zombi, though it wasn't effective..

Sturdy Stance to absorb a direct hit or anything he couldn't dodge...

Phantom Recall to reposition behind a target and eliminate it with a clean strike.

"I already used up 800 Spirit Points in just a few minutes of battle." Shane thought. If it was a few months before, he would be at verge of being drained already. However, with more than 40,000 Spirit Points in his reserves, he basically had nothing to worry about.

Furthermore, the Bio Armor adapted to every movement, absorbing impact, redirecting kinetic force, and amplifying his strikes.

Shane was no longer just defending the gate… At this point, he was the gate that they must pass through!

The Super Soldiers was soon able to move forward and joined him, forming a wedge formation and pushing forward.

The Warden Units reinforced the flanks, and the Flame Towers continued to sweep the battlefield with flames…

Shane then activated his Blood Oath. Aside from using this to sign contracts and other stuff, it's level 10 was actually pretty decent since he could link his Spirit with the frontline squad, boosting their regeneration and damage resistance for the next 60 seconds.

"Push forward!" he shouted. "Don't let them regroup!"

And just like that, Shane and the group protected the southern grounds.

***

In the meantime, while Shane and the frontline squad held the southern gate, the Floating Fortress remained cloaked above the Eclipse Domain.

It hovered silently, and stealthily, away from the battle below. Inside, the atmosphere was different. It was calm, secure, and almost detached from the chaos on the ground.

Two hundred people had been selected to board the fortress during the Red Night Event.

Almost all of them weren't fighters.

They were sponsors, researchers, strategists, and high-value civilians.

Some were individuals, others were part of groups. All of them had paid a premium to be protected by Shane's forces.

Inside the observation deck, a massive curved screen displayed the battlefield below in real time. Multiple camera feeds stitched together the southern gate's defense, the northern terrain disruption, and the other battlefields.

The screen zoomed in on Shane's location…

He was in full Bio Armor, cleaving through Earth Zombies with the Eon Edge, his movements were almost mechanical as it was too precise.

Explosions flared behind him, and the Spirit Pulse Obelisk pulsed again, disrupting another wave of subterranean movement.

"Whoa~"

"This Red Night is nasty… We're lucky we're not down there."

"Shit… If our shelter also faces this kind of Zombie Horde, we'll be in trouble. I hope they're still alright."

"I think Shane's shelter is just too special. The others shouldn't be this brutal."

"But… Look at Shane… He's not just fighting… he's dominating. So cool."

As the others commented on this, a group of six sat near the front row of the viewing deck.

Eva, the leader, leaned forward with her arms crossed.

Her group was from the Grace Crafting Clan, and they were one of the first Survivors to enter this Fortress.

A few minutes after seeing Shane's battle, she couldn't help but feel the tightening in her chest.

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