Chapter 664: Let’s see what kind of new tricks you’ve got…

As soon as the words left his mouth, elemental energy surged around the group. One by one, they unleashed their awakened abilities.

The boy in the lead radiated an intense, bone-chilling cold. The temperature around him plummeted, and delicate frost crystals drifted through the air.

In his hand, a razor-sharp icicle formed, and with a sudden flick, he hurled it forward. It sliced through the air like a bullet, deadly and precise, as if it could pierce through anything in its path.

“Raaaghhh—!”

Hank let out a guttural roar, swinging his massive right claw. With a loud crack, he shattered the ice spear mid-air, shards scattering in every direction.

But he didn’t stop there. His towering frame lunged forward like a charging bull, each step shaking the ground beneath him.

“Earth Wall!”

Another student slammed both hands to the ground. A dull yellow glow pulsed out, and with a rumble, several thick walls of earth erupted from the ground, blocking the Zombie King’s path.

But Hank was a beast. He lowered his shoulders and barreled straight into the walls.

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”

One after another, the earth walls crumbled under his brute force, sending dust and debris flying.

“Damn, this Zombie King’s a monster!” one student gasped, eyes wide.

“Don’t forget what Instructor Leia told us—fall back and spread out! Don’t let him get close!” a girl shouted.

Without hesitation, the group scattered, blinking backward and fanning out in all directions.

Hank burst through the last wall only to find himself swiping at empty air.

By the time he realized what had happened, elemental attacks were already raining down from every direction—ice spears, fireballs, you name it. There was nowhere to run.

With no other choice, Hank crossed his arms over his head to shield himself.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A barrage of colorful energy blasts exploded around him, engulfing him in a storm of light and force.

“Nice one!” one of the students cheered, eyes gleaming with excitement.

But Hank wasn’t just some pushover. He was an S-rank threat. Even after taking that beating, he only came out with a few scrapes and bruises.

Now he was pissed.

With a furious roar, he charged again.

But the students didn’t try to take him head-on. They moved with practiced coordination, covering each other’s retreats and keeping their distance.

It was their first real fight against zombies, but they were holding their own—calm, focused, and methodical.

“Not bad. They really are my star pupils,” Leia said, arms crossed as she watched from the sidelines, a proud smile tugging at her lips.

The students danced around Hank, drawing him in and then slipping away—kiting him like pros. They had him running in circles, and it was driving him nuts.

“Guess the graduation exam isn’t so bad after all.”

“Maybe this Zombie King’s just a dumb brute.”

“Nah, it’s all thanks to Instructor Leia. Without her training, this would’ve been a nightmare.”

“…”

Even in the middle of battle, they had time to chat.

Meanwhile, a few of Hank’s zombie underlings took the opportunity to charge in. They moved with a predator’s grace, vicious and fast like starving wolves.

But these elite zombies weren’t much of a threat to trained humans.

“Freeze!”

One of the boys shouted, sweeping his hand forward. Frost surged across the ground, locking one of the zombies’ feet in place.

Mid-sprint, the zombie lost balance and faceplanted hard, skidding over ten feet—right to the boy’s feet.

“If you’re here to beg, you picked the wrong guy. Now die!”

The boy grinned, summoning another ice spear in his hand. Its sharp tip gleamed as he drove it straight toward the zombie’s skull.

It was about to land the killing blow.

But then—something changed.

A strange, oppressive energy filled the air, thick and suffocating. A chill ran down everyone’s spine.

Especially the boy with the ice spear—his smug grin froze on his face. His body locked up completely, like he’d been turned to stone.

He couldn’t move a muscle.

The next moment, the boy’s terrified expression froze in place.

A ghostly figure materialized behind him—silent, effortless. With a casual motion, it reached forward and plunged its hand straight into the back of his skull.

The boy’s body went limp. His knees buckled, and he collapsed face-first into the dirt. No breath. No pulse. Just… gone.

“Turns out you were the one begging after all…”

Ethan murmured, rolling the icy-blue crystal core between his fingers, its glow pulsing faintly.

“Uh…”

The moment Ethan appeared, everyone froze.

The students stared in shock, their expressions shifting from confusion to horror.

“Damon!”

“Is he… is he dead?!”

“What the hell is that thing? Is it… another Zombie King?”

“Instructor Leia! Look! Damon’s down!”

“What the hell is going on?!”

“…”

Leia had been watching the fight closely, but now her expression darkened. The second Damon dropped, her heart skipped a beat. She uncrossed her arms and stepped forward, tension radiating from her.

Another Zombie King… and this one was different.

“Instructor, what kind of Zombie King is that? He just killed Damon—what do we do?” one student asked urgently.

They all remembered Leia’s teachings: different types of Zombie Kings required different strategies.

Leia narrowed her eyes, studying Ethan carefully.

“This one’s elusive—he must have some kind of stealth ability. Against a Zombie King like this, you need wide-area attacks. First, force him out of hiding, then strike hard and fast.”

She paused, her voice dropping slightly.

“But… that’s too much for you guys. I’ll handle this one myself.”

“Oh…” The students looked unsure, but when they heard Leia was stepping in, they quickly backed off.

Leia stepped forward, her face hard with fury.

“Lightning Field!”

With a sharp shout, crackling lightning surged around her fists. She slammed them into the ground, and a web of electric energy exploded outward, racing across the earth in all directions—zero blind spots, a full 360-degree assault aimed straight at Ethan.

But Ethan didn’t move.

He just stood there, calm, eyes scanning the ground as if bored.

The moment the lightning reached him, it fizzled out—disintegrating into harmless arcs of static that vanished into the air.

“What…?” Leia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Behind her, the students were just as confused.

“Instructor Leia’s lightning didn’t do anything…”

“Maybe it’s just to trap him—look, he’s surrounded by electricity now. He’s got nowhere to run. The next hit will finish him.”

“Oh… that makes sense!”

“…”

But Leia wasn’t so sure. Her expression had turned grim.

There was something off about this Zombie King—something deeply wrong. Even his appearance gave off an eerie, unnatural vibe.

She wasn’t taking any chances.

From her belt, she drew her weapon—a sleek, silver metal rod about twelve inches long.

Ethan tilted his head, intrigued.

“What’s that? Looks kinda long…”

Leia gripped the rod with both hands and gave it a sharp twist. Lightning surged through it, and with a crackling hum, a long, glowing blade extended from the top.

The blade shimmered with intense light, arcs of electricity dancing along its edge. The air around it warped from the sheer energy it emitted.

“A lightsaber?” Ethan raised an eyebrow.

The tech on Originis was way beyond anything Earth had. Their weapons were on a whole different level.

And this lightsaber? It looked badass—sleek, deadly, and humming with power.

Who wouldn’t want a glowing sword?

Leia stood tall, lightning crackling around her, her hair standing on end from the charge. Her energy spiked, her aura flaring brighter and brighter until it hit its peak.

“Slash!”

She vanished in a flash, moving faster than the eye could follow. Her blade came down in a brilliant arc, like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky.

To the untrained eye, it was just a blur—a flash of light and death.

But Ethan didn’t flinch.

The power of his Domain of the Dead surged around him, thick and unstoppable—like a steamroller flattening everything in its path.

“Let’s see what kind of new tricks you’ve got…”

…