Chapter 761: I can’t beat them

Thirty years ago, during humanity’s last invasion, Bloodveil was just an ordinary Zombie King. Back then, the Overlord of Eastreach had rushed to the Heartland to join the battle—only to be obliterated beneath the guns of a Dreadnought-class Starcruiser.

In the chaos that followed, Eastreach descended into anarchy. Zombie Kings fought tooth and nail for dominance. One by one, Bloodveil hunted them down, crushed them, and rose to the top—eventually claiming the title of Overlord of Eastreach for himself.

So when it came to the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, he’d only heard whispers—legends, really. A myth from a war long past.

He never imagined he’d see one with his own eyes.

Bloodveil froze in place, his entire body going rigid.

That massive beast in the sky was closing in fast. The metal plating at its front split open with a hiss, revealing a colossal cannon barrel.

Dark and hollow, it looked like the eye of an abyss.

Then, a blinding white light began to glow from within. Thousands of crystal cores surrounding the weapon lit up, channeling energy into it.

The air itself seemed to tremble as raw, destructive power gathered.

Even from this distance, Bloodveil could feel the sheer annihilation radiating from it. And the cannon’s aim? Dead center on his Zombie Horde.

“Scatter! Now!”

Bloodveil roared, his voice booming across the battlefield as he sent out the command.

Panic erupted. The horde broke ranks, scrambling in every direction. But it was already too late.

The Starbreaker Cannon had finished charging.

A blinding sphere of energy erupted from the barrel, expanding rapidly like a newborn sun crashing down from the heavens.

BOOOOOOM!

In an instant, the world lost all color—everything drowned in a blinding white flash.

A towering mushroom cloud surged into the sky.

Mountains and stone within thousands of feet were vaporized on the spot. The shockwave tore through the land like a tidal wave of death.

The ground quaked violently. Cracks split the earth in every direction. It was no longer a battle—it was a cataclysm.

Bloodveil’s horde was swallowed whole by the blast. Those closest to the center were vaporized instantly. The ones who tried to run were caught in the shockwave and shredded.

Only the elite—S-class Zombie Kings or speed-type undead—managed to escape the blast radius in time.

That single shot from the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser wiped out hundreds of thousands of zombies.

Bloodveil’s carefully assembled army? Reduced to a handful of survivors.

Watching it unfold, his heart felt like it was bleeding.

But there was no time to mourn. Bloodveil wrapped himself in his Bloodtide Domain, shielding his body, and retreated at full speed, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the blast zone.

As the explosion finally began to fade, the smoke slowly cleared.

Where the cannon had struck, there was no battlefield anymore—just a massive crater. No, not a crater. A basin.

The ground had melted into molten sand and stone, flowing like lava through deep, cracked ravines, hissing with rising white steam.

Bloodveil stared at the devastation, stunned to his core.

The Dreadnought-class Starcruiser’s power… it wasn’t just real—it was worse than the legends.

One shot had flipped the entire battle on its head.

Umbradrake and the Two-Headed Zombie King were just as shaken. They’d barely managed to flee far enough to avoid the blast themselves.

Bloodveil turned to glare at them, his fangs clenched tight, fury boiling in his chest.

This battle had cost him more than anyone else.

“Umbradrake,” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “You told me there were humans. And it turns out it’s a fucking Dreadnought-class Starcruiser?!”

“Uh?” Umbradrake blinked, confused. He didn’t see the problem. “Yeah? I mean… aren’t there humans on that Dreadnought-class Starcruiser?”

“…” Bloodveil was speechless. He wanted to scream, but what could he even say? Technically, the bastard wasn’t wrong—but damn if it didn’t feel like he’d been set up.

And this wasn’t just about losing troops anymore.

After thirty years, humanity had brought out the Dreadnoughts again. Who knew how many powerful warriors were aboard that thing?

They’d had decades to grow stronger.

This wasn’t just another skirmish between humans and zombies.

This was war.

A war between two civilizations.

“Alright, Umbradrake,” Bloodveil said quickly, trying to take control of the situation. “Get your underlings together—now. This human invasion’s gonna be brutal. We’re in for one hell of a fight.”

He was already thinking ahead. Sure, the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser packed a punch, but even that monster couldn’t fire endlessly. A weapon that powerful had to burn through insane amounts of energy. No way it could keep that up for long.

They just had to outlast it.

“Oh… okay,” Umbradrake nodded, then turned and casually called out, “Howler! You’re up!”

“…??” In the back, Howler froze, his face a picture of disbelief. Are you freaking kidding me?!

If I could take down a Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, would I even be following your orders right now?!

Bloodveil’s brow twitched. He could feel his patience wearing thin. “You better stop screwing around and move your ass. We don’t have time to waste!”

Just then, another aircraft descended from the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, landing smoothly on the battlefield.

From it stepped several human elites—Howard, Serah, and the others.

“Instructor Garrick, good work,” Howard said as he approached.

“No big deal…” Garrick replied, shaking his head. He’d taken some damage from the earlier blast, but his [Earthen Bulwark] had absorbed most of the shock. Nothing serious.

Howard’s gaze shifted past him, locking onto Bloodveil in the distance.

An SSS-class Zombie King showing up this close to Southvale? That was unexpected. But it didn’t change the plan.

“Let’s take him out. Pretend he never showed up,” Howard said calmly.

“Sounds good to me,” Tharen nodded, cracking his knuckles.

Serah landed lightly beside them, eyes sharp, scanning the area. “Stay alert. That Zombie King in the white shirt hasn’t shown up yet.”

“Hmph! What’s there to be afraid of?” Tharen scoffed. “I’ve said it before—if I’d been at the Battle of Skywall, that bastard wouldn’t have made it out alive. You think one guy can take on all four of us?”

He wasn’t wrong. Alongside him were Howard, Serah, and Gareth—four of humanity’s top-tier powerhouses. The only one missing was Harren, who was still aboard the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, overseeing the operation.

Their strategy was simple and brutal: if a massive horde showed up, blast it with the Starbreaker Cannon. Any high-level Zombie Kings that survived? Hunt them down one by one.

The four of them surged forward, a wave of raw power crashing across the battlefield.

Howard ignited in flames, streaking through the sky like a meteor.

Serah’s legs bulged with muscle, her body shifting into a speed-enhanced form, leaving afterimages in her wake.

Tharen’s body radiated cold, ice forming beneath his feet as he slid forward like a missile. His whole bloodline were ice-type Awakeners—he was, after all, the older brother of LORN…

Gareth, a psychic-type Awakener, was physically weaker and better suited for long-range combat, so he brought up the rear.

“They’re coming!” Bloodveil’s eyes narrowed, locking onto the incoming threat. He could feel the pressure of four SSS-class human elites bearing down on him.

Behind him, the other Zombie Kings looked shaken.

What the hell is going on with the humans?

They’d opened with someone like Garrick, and now they were sending in four top-tier elites? That was like throwing all their trump cards on the table right from the start.

“They’re clearly prepared for this,” muttered the Two-Headed Zombie King, confused. “But why? What happened that made them go all out like this?”

“No idea,” Bloodveil said, his expression grim.

Still, he wasn’t exactly scared. He remembered the Xenobeast hunts—Umbradrake had taken down Ragnar, and even crippled the Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters with a single punch. The guy had been a beast back then.

“Hey! Umbradrake!” Bloodveil shouted. “We’ll split them—two each. That should be manageable, right?”

Umbradrake’s eyes went wide. “Nope. I can’t take them.”

“…What?” Bloodveil blinked.

“I said I can’t beat them,” Umbradrake repeated, dead serious. “Not even one.”

Bloodveil stared at him, jaw tightening.

You’ve gotta be kidding me…

…

Here’s a redemption code for everyone: