CHAPTER 764: HE’S REALLY HERE...

Bloodveil just had his mind blown—big time.

He’d just realized that Ethan’s forces weren’t just some ragtag group of survivors. They had high-tech weapons too, and they were going toe-to-toe with the humans without losing ground.

Then it hit him—hard. Why the hell had the humans brought a Dreadnought-class Starcruiser all the way out here?

"Wait a second... Did that bastard steal weapons from the humans? No wonder they’re losing their shit!"

At the same time, Bloodveil felt a flicker of relief. Thank god he hadn’t picked a fight with Ethan. If he had, those Guard Mechs would’ve torn through his Zombie Horde like a hot knife through butter. It would’ve been a total slaughter.

The aerial battle was getting more brutal by the second. Energy cannons lit up the sky, exploding like fireworks—beautiful, but deadly.

Some of the fighting had gone close-quarters. Massive energy lightsabers sliced through shields like they were paper, sending sparks flying in every direction.

Elsewhere, heavy alloy fists collided with bone-crunching force, each impact echoing like a thunderclap.

One elite zombie pilot, controlling a Guard Mech, threw a punch at a human mech.

But the human didn’t even flinch. No dodging, no hesitation. He raised his alloy hand and caught the punch dead-on.

"Hah! Zombies are still just zombies. You wanna outmaneuver me? You’ve got a long way to go," the young pilot smirked, full of swagger. He’d been piloting mechs for over a decade—this was his playground.

He tightened his grip, the alloy fingers crushing the zombie’s fist with a sickening crunch. The metal started to warp and cave in.

He was just about to twist and rip the arm clean off when—

A shadow.

It slipped in from behind the zombie mech, moving fast and silent, crawling up the connected arms like a spider until it reached the top of the human mech.

Not a sound.

Then, through a narrow seam in the armor, the shadow slipped inside—right into the cockpit.

The young pilot was still riding high, totally focused on the fight.

But the shadow began to take shape—solidifying into something real. A pitch-black zombie head emerged from the darkness, its face twisted into a grotesque grin.

"Kehehehehe..."

The thing—Little Shadow—let out a bone-chilling laugh, its eyes gleaming with malice.

The pilot turned, and the moment he saw it, his face went pale. His heart skipped a beat.

"Gh—Ghost!?"

Shlunk!

Little Shadow’s claws punched straight through his chest. The pilot’s terrified expression froze in place as life drained from his eyes.

With the kill done, Little Shadow slipped out just as silently and moved on to the next target. One by one, he began hunting the human pilots. A silent massacre was unfolding in the skies.

Inside the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, Harren and his team watched the battle unfold. His expression darkened as he noticed something disturbing—his side was losing mechs faster than the enemy. Some were just dropping out of the sky like they’d been shut down.

"But the mechs aren’t even damaged. Why are they falling?" one of the crew asked, confused.

Harren’s face was grim. "I’m afraid... we’re dealing with a Zombie King."

"What?!"

Everyone tensed up, eyes narrowing, minds racing. But before they could process it, another wave of mechs started crashing even faster.

This time, it was Laura.

She was clinging to the back of a friendly mech, riding it as it soared into the sky.

During the chaos of battle, she’d leapt onto it unnoticed. Her mechanical arms shimmered with liquid metal, which flowed into the seams of the cockpit. In seconds, it hardened—and with a violent jerk, she ripped the hatch open like a can of tuna.

The human pilot inside was completely exposed.

Laura didn’t waste a word. One swipe—and his head went flying.

Another Guard Mech down.

"Harren! We can’t hold them back! The zombies are breaking through!" someone shouted from the control room.

"It’s fine," Harren said, though his voice lacked conviction. He wasn’t worried about the zombies getting close—what really got to him was watching his own mechs fall. After all, both sides were using Guard Mechs—his creations. It felt like watching his own children tear each other apart.

That damn thief...

Harren’s eyes scanned the battlefield. What puzzled him most was that the Zombie King—the one in the white shirt—still hadn’t shown up. He was just sending out his Guard Mechs. That didn’t sit right.

Meanwhile, the zombie-controlled Guard Mechs had fought their way through the chaos and were now closing in on the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser. Their target: the ship’s main cannon.

Laura stood atop one of the mechs, her slender figure buffeted by the fierce winds. It whipped her hair around like invisible hands trying to pull her back.

Her eyes locked onto the massive cannon ahead. Lately, her once-ghastly face had softened. Her skin had grown paler, smoother—more human.

She surged forward, closing in on the Dreadnought’s main gun. The barrel loomed before her, thick and black, radiating raw power.

"Time to end this..." she whispered.

She raised her mechanical arm. Energy surged into her palm, glowing hotter and brighter until it reached critical mass.

Then—boom.

A blinding blast of energy erupted from her hand, screaming straight toward the Dreadnought’s main cannon.

Laura’s mechanical arm packed a serious punch—on par with an SS-rank Awakener’s full-force strike. It could tear through steel and alloy like paper.

Her palm cannon was just about to hit its mark.

But then—suddenly—a flash of green light shimmered around the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser’s main cannon. An energy shield surged to life, covered in intricate runes—dense, glowing symbols that looked eerily similar to the ones etched into the walls of The Skywall.

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the sky. A miniature mushroom cloud bloomed outward as the palm cannon’s energy detonated on impact. Shockwaves rippled in every direction, tearing through the air in chaotic bursts.

But to everyone’s shock, the energy shield didn’t even flinch. Not a scratch. Not a flicker. It held firm, completely absorbing the blast and protecting the cannon beneath it like nothing had happened.

Laura’s eyes narrowed.

A shield? Seriously?

Meanwhile, Harren scoffed, unimpressed.

"You think we’d leave the Starbreaker Cannon unprotected? Please."

He turned to his crew, voice dripping with condescension. "I’ve said it before—trying to destroy the main cannon is a pipe dream."

"Harren, that Guard Mech didn’t retreat," someone reported, eyes glued to the screen. "It’s still moving toward the Starbreaker Cannon."

"Oh?" Harren raised an eyebrow, mildly intrigued. He glanced at the display, but didn’t seem too concerned.

"Doesn’t matter. That shield’s impenetrable. They’re on a suicide mission and don’t even know it."

"Mm," his subordinate nodded in agreement.

But now, the Guard Mech was practically pressed up against the energy shield—so close it looked like it might try to phase through it.

People started to murmur, confused.

"What’s it doing?"

"Why isn’t it backing off?"

"Is the pilot malfunctioning?"

"Gonna jump out and off themselves or what?"

Then, something even stranger happened.

Click.

The cockpit door of the mech hissed open—right there in midair.

"What the hell? Did they just open the hatch... in the middle of a battle?"

"Do they even know how to pilot that thing?"

"What are they trying to pull?"

"Seriously, what the hell is going on?"

As the chatter grew louder, a figure stepped out from inside the mech.

Dressed in white.

Ethan.

He rose slowly, calmly, as if he had all the time in the world. No rush. No fear. Just that same cool, unreadable expression.

He’d just entered the battlefield—in the most unexpected way possible.

Everyone watching froze.

"Wait... is that—?"

"The guy in the white shirt... the Zombie King?!"

Down below, Howard and the others immediately noticed. Their heads snapped up, eyes locking onto the figure standing atop the mech.

That face. That calm, almost indifferent look. That unmistakable white shirt.

It was him.

The same man they’d seen beneath The Skywall.

"It’s him... He’s really here..."

...