CHAPTER 753: COULD IT BE... THE BOSS IS HERE?

The ground shook even harder as a tidal wave of vines surged from deep within the forest, crashing toward them like a living tsunami.

This was Sprout—Ethan’s first fusion-type plant-based Zombie King, and by far the most powerful in combat.

Kaelen’s flames, once blazing with intensity, were instantly smothered. The elemental energy shattered, breaking apart into chaotic streams that scattered into the air.

Kaelen’s eyes went wide with disbelief, like he’d just seen a ghost.

"Another Absolute Domain?!"

Zombie Kings capable of awakening an Absolute Domain were one in a million. And now they’d run into two in a single day?

The psychic woman was just as stunned.

"What the hell is going on? And this one... this Domain is fully formed. It’s way stronger than the last!"

Kaelen’s heart sank. "Maybe... maybe none of this is coincidence. Maybe it was all meant to happen..." His voice was heavy, weighed down by the grim reality.

They were staring death in the face.

He couldn’t help but regret stepping into this forest. But it was too late for second thoughts. There was no turning back now.

Only one option remained—fight to the death.

Flames erupted around him again, hotter than before, as he poured everything he had into burning back the oncoming vines.

Beside him, the psychic woman spread her mental energy, forming shimmering barriers to shield herself.

The speed-type Awakener moved like a blur, lightsaber flashing as he shredded the encroaching plants. His blade carved through the vines and branches, but they just kept coming—growing back faster than he could cut them down.

It was endless.

Sprout and Gorewood’s Absolute Domains overlapped, intertwining into a suffocating jungle of green. The sheer force of it was overwhelming, like the forest itself was trying to bury them alive.

The speed-type Awakener—Connor—was the first to falter. His stamina was draining fast, and a single misstep cost him dearly.

His grip on the lightsaber faltered. A thick vine lashed out, wrapping around his wrist.

That moment of hesitation was all it took.

More vines struck, coiling around his waist, ankles, even his throat. They yanked him off the ground like a ragdoll.

"AAAHHH—!"

Connor screamed, thrashing wildly, but it was no use.

"Connor!" Kaelen shouted, eyes locked on his teammate, helpless to intervene.

Shlkk.

Several vine-tipped tendrils shot forward like spears, punching straight through Connor’s chest. They pulsed as they drained him, sucking the life from his body.

His limbs twitched. His skin shriveled. Within seconds, he was nothing but a husk.

Sprout’s power had reached SS-rank. Its Absolute Domain was a force of nature—unstoppable, merciless.

"Uhh... uhhuhuhuh..." The psychic woman broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Her mind was unraveling, crushed by the hopelessness of it all.

Necroterra was a nightmare made real.

"Captain... I can’t... I can’t hold on anymore..." Her voice trembled. Her S-rank psychic energy had been completely drained.

The barrier around her shattered like glass, dissolving into faint motes of light.

Without her mental shield, a branch whipped out from behind and impaled her clean through the back. Her feet lifted off the ground as she was hoisted into the air.

Gorewood had skewered her like meat on a spit, hanging her limp body from a branch.

Now only Kaelen remained.

His flames flickered weakly, struggling to survive under the crushing weight of two Absolute Domains.

The top student of Pinnacle Academy—reduced to a dying ember.

"So this is it..." he whispered, eyes dimming.

From above, vines and branches descended like monstrous claws, reaching for him, dragging him into the abyss.

"Goodbye..."

And then he was gone—his body swallowed by the forest, consumed by the endless green.

The battle was over.

The chaos faded. The forest fell silent once more, as if nothing had ever happened.

"It’s over already?" Shrimpy craned his neck, peering through the trees.

Big Ears crossed his arms with a smug huff. "Hmph! Don’t blame Big Ears for being ruthless. If you’re gonna blame someone... blame yourselves for chasing the wrong target."

Just then, a loud crack echoed from a thick tree trunk nearby. A humanoid shape bulged from the bark—then stepped out of it like peeling off a second skin.

Not far off, Sprout emerged from the underbrush, his leafy form rustling as he moved.

Two plant-type Zombie Kings, now standing side by side.

"Humans really went all-in just to scout us out," Sprout said, lifting a hand. A vine slithered in from the distance, coiled around several crystal cores, and gently dropped them into his palm.

Along with them came a familiar weapon—a lightsaber.

Big Ears immediately turned on the charm. "Sprout, Gorewood, we made a hell of a team, huh?"

Sprout shot him a sideways glance. "You’re the one who lured them here?"

"Of course! You didn’t think I was actually running away, did you?" Big Ears chuckled awkwardly, trying to play it cool.

"Oh? Then where’s Bulldozer?" Sprout asked, his tone sharpening. He remembered that when they’d left the zombie nest, Bulldozer had been with them.

Big Ears’ eyes widened. He froze for a second—then smacked his forehead.

"Crap! Bulldozer!"

...

Meanwhile, things weren’t looking great for Bulldozer.

His six biomechanical tendrils whipped through the air, smashing incoming ice spikes and fireballs, but the human Awakeners kept their distance, hammering him with ranged attacks and giving him no chance to close in.

"Hmph! So what if he’s an SS-rank Zombie King? We’ll wear him down eventually."

"That tech on his body—it’s gotta be from the Hawke family. He’s probably connected to that white-shirted Zombie King."

"Then let’s take him out. Call it payback."

The memory of that white-shirted Zombie King tearing through the Skywall and throwing the Inner City into chaos still burned in their minds.

Their rage only fueled their attacks, making them more aggressive, more reckless.

They’d already lost one SS-rank speed-type Awakener in the fight, but they still had two more heavy hitters—more than enough to keep Bulldozer pinned.

"RAAAHHH!"

Bulldozer roared, his massive frame barreling toward an ice-type Awakener like a runaway tank.

"Frostwall!"

"Torrent Barrier!"

The humans shouted, throwing up layered defenses.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Bulldozer smashed through them all, brute force tearing down the barriers like paper. But by the time he broke through, the target had already vanished—slipped away to another position.

His fury boiled over.

This kind of fight—hit-and-run, constant harassment—was the worst possible matchup for a strength-type Zombie King like him.

"Cowards! Stand and fight!"

Just as the words left his mouth, a massive fireball came hurtling toward him. He crossed his arms and brought his tendrils up to shield himself.

WHAM!

The fireball exploded on impact. Bulldozer’s thick hide and alloy chestplate absorbed most of the blast, but black scorch marks now marred his arms and armor.

"How much longer can you hold out?" sneered a middle-aged man, eyes gleaming with malice as he conjured another fireball in his palm.

CAW—CAW—CAW!

Suddenly, a sharp, eerie cry pierced the sky.

Several black crows swooped overhead, their shrieks slicing through the battlefield like a death knell.

"Huh?"

The Awakeners paused, brows furrowing in confusion.

Mutant beasts?

That didn’t make sense. Necroterra wasn’t exactly a haven for wildlife. If these crows were here, they weren’t wild.

Bulldozer’s eyes lit up with a savage gleam. He understood the message in their cries.

Reinforcements had arrived.

"Could it be... the boss is here?" His heart pounded with excitement. He whipped his head around, scanning the horizon.

And then he saw her.

Atop a barren hill, a lone figure stood against the wind. Her hair whipped around her face, and her bloodstained mechanical arm glinted in the fading light—scratched, dented, and still dripping from her last kill.

It was Laura.

Fresh from slaughter.

...