Chapter 158: Nathan and Sonya Completed their Missions!
Nathan was the first one to disrupt the Zombie Race’s formation.
He pulled the bowstring back as Wind Mana rapidly gathered around the arrow.
Instead of aiming directly at one of the soldiers, Nathan adjusted the trajectory slightly downward before releasing it toward the ground in front of the advancing group.
The arrow crossed the distance almost instantly.
BOOM!
A violent burst of green wind exploded the moment it struck the black-gray ground.
The soldiers at the front were forced apart as the compressed currents tore through their formation, breaking the organized advance before they could properly surround Cain’s group.
Jack immediately took advantage of the opening.
He charged directly into the scattered soldiers and slammed his fist into the closest zombie before it could recover its footing.
Professor Ian entered from another direction at almost the same time, his sword flashing as he intercepted the soldiers attempting to regroup.
The rest of the group followed shortly afterward, turning the previously organized formation into a chaotic battle within seconds.
Cain barely paid attention to them.
His golden eyes remained fixed on the three 2nd Echelon commanders standing ahead of him.
The closest one wielded a broad axe almost as wide as its upper body.
The moment it realized Cain was rushing toward the soldier carrying the communication device, the zombie stepped forward and released a furious roar before swinging the heavy weapon toward his shoulder.
Cain did not slow down.
The movement of the axe appeared clearly within his vision.
He shifted his upper body slightly to the side, allowing the blade to pass harmlessly beside him before his sword flashed downward.
Shhk!
The edge passed through the armor protecting the zombie’s knees.
Both legs separated almost simultaneously.
The 2nd Echelon soldier possessed more than enough strength to continue fighting despite such an injury, but losing both lower legs in the middle of its charge instantly destroyed its balance.
Its massive body fell forward.
Cain had already moved past it before it even struck the ground.
The second commander attacked immediately afterward.
It wielded a long spear covered in dark Mana, and unlike the first one, it did not recklessly charge forward.
The zombie planted its rear foot firmly against the ground before thrusting the weapon toward Cain’s chest, attempting to stop his momentum while maintaining enough distance to react.
Cain turned his body at the final moment.
The spearhead passed beside his torso.
His sword descended toward the zombie’s right knee.
The armor covering the joint split apart without slowing the blade for more than a fraction of a second.
Before the commander could retract its spear and create distance, Cain changed the direction of his sword and swept it toward the opposite leg.
Another clean cut followed.
The zombie immediately collapsed.
Cain did not even glance back as his attention moved toward the last 2nd Echelon, the same zombie that had been holding the communication device when Cain’s group appeared above the ridge.
The soldier had already stopped speaking into it.
After witnessing two other 2nd Echelon commanders lose their legs within seconds, whatever confidence it had possessed earlier had completely disappeared.
It hurriedly stored the communication device against its waist and pulled out a curved sword before retreating toward the entrance of the outpost.
Cain’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He had no intention of allowing it to escape deeper inside.
Ruin Dragon Force surged through his legs.
The distance between them disappeared almost immediately.
The Zombie Race commander barely managed to notice Cain’s movement before he appeared beside it.
Its crimson eyes widened.
Cain struck the arm holding the communication device first.
The soldier’s hand snapped away from its body, sending the rectangular object flying across the ground.
Before the zombie could even react to the loss of its hand, Cain lowered his sword.
One of its legs separated beneath the knee.
The commander released an angry roar and swung its curved blade toward Cain’s neck in desperation.
Cain leaned backward just enough for the edge to pass in front of his face.
His sword moved again.
The remaining leg was severed.
The commander crashed heavily against the ground.
Cain finally stopped and looked back toward the other two.
All three 2nd Echelon soldiers were still alive.
That was exactly what he wanted.
He had disabled their ability to move without dealing more damage than necessary, leaving them in a perfect condition for Nathan, Sonya, and Alex to complete their respective Advancement Missions.
"Done."
Almost immediately after the word left his mouth, a deafening explosion of Lightning erupted from another part of the battlefield.
Cain turned toward the source.
The fourth 2nd Echelon commander was already dead.
Ron stood a short distance behind its corpse, with bluish-white Lightning still crawling across his body and flowing along the spear in his hands.
The Zombie Race soldier’s head was completely gone.
Only the ruined section of armor around its neck remained, surrounded by scorched flesh that continued releasing faint traces of smoke.
Ron pulled the spear back and casually rested it against his shoulder.
The difference brought by entering the 2nd Echelon was obvious.
Not long ago, Ron had needed a prolonged battle and almost everything he possessed to defeat the Level 55 soldier guarding the previous outpost.
This time, another enemy of the same Echelon had died before Cain even finished disabling his third target.
The threefold increase from advancing with a Perfected Mana Core was already showing its value.
Ron then headed toward the larger battle.
Several 1st Echelon soldiers had already begun surrounding Jack from different directions.
Lightning suddenly erupted beneath Ron’s feet.
His body disappeared.
A moment later, he appeared beside one of the soldiers attempting to attack Jack from behind.
Instead of using the spearhead, Ron swung the shaft toward the zombie’s knee.
Crack!
The joint bent unnaturally.
Before the soldier could fall completely, Ron disappeared again and moved toward another target.
He no longer needed Experience from the 1st Echelon enemies.
Rather than killing them directly, he began crippling their legs and leaving the finishing blows to the others who still needed Levels.
Cain turned his attention back toward the three commanders lying on the ground.
"Nathan."
Nathan immediately understood what Cain wanted.
He withdrew from the fighting and approached the first disabled 2nd Echelon soldier.
The zombie had already realized what was happening.
It dragged itself backward using both arms, leaving a trail of dark blood behind as the severed remains of its legs scraped across the ground.
Nathan calmly raised his bow.
The commander looked toward him before shifting its gaze toward Cain.
It apparently understood that Nathan was far weaker.
Unfortunately, its legs were already gone.
There was nothing it could do with that knowledge.
Nathan pulled the bowstring back.
Green Wind gathered around the arrow before rapidly condensing closer to the shaft.
The surrounding air began trembling faintly as the accumulated energy continued increasing.
The Zombie Race soldier raised one arm in front of its face.
Nathan released the string as he used his (Tempest Arrow) skill.
The arrow disappeared from the bow.
BOOM!
The soldier’s head exploded.
Compressed Wind tore through its skull before erupting from the other side, scattering dark blood and fragments across the ground behind it.
Nathan slowly lowered the bow.
Several notifications immediately appeared before him.
...
[2nd Echelon Advancement Mission completed.]
Nathan’s normally composed expression finally changed.
A trace of excitement appeared in his eyes as he looked toward Cain.
"Finally completed."
Cain nodded in satisfaction.
"Prepare yourself."
Nathan did not waste any time as he moved several meters away from the fighting before sitting down and closing his eyes.
The Perfected Wind Mana Core inside his body had already begun reacting to the completion of the Advancement Mission.
Green Mana gradually gathered around him.
Cain only watched long enough to confirm that the Core Metamorphosis had begun properly before shifting his attention elsewhere.
There was no reason to stand beside Nathan throughout the entire process.
He had already witnessed enough advancements to understand what would happen next.
More importantly, Sonya was already walking toward the second disabled commander.
The miniature Sun floating behind her released enough heat to distort the air around it.
The Zombie Race soldier looked at the glowing sphere before slowly raising its head toward Sonya.
Fear appeared within its crimson eyes.
Whether it understood the nature of her Fire Talent or simply sensed the enormous amount of energy concentrated inside the miniature Sun did not matter.
The soldier clearly understood that Sonya was approaching to kill it.
"Wait."
Sonya stopped several meters away.
The zombie immediately continued speaking after realizing she had listened.
"I can tell you about the insider information related to—"
"Keep that information to yourself." Sonya replied coldly as she raised one hand and Fire Mana began gathering above her palm.
The flames above Sonya’s hand compressed inward.
Instead of becoming larger, the sphere gradually shrank as more Fire Mana entered it. Its outer layer remained crimson-gold, while the center grew increasingly bright.
The temperature around Sonya rose sharply.
Even from several meters away, Cain could feel the heat against his skin.
"We can negotiate!"
The Zombie Race commander attempted to move backward again.
Sonya smiled faintly.
"No, thanks!"
She pushed her hand forward.
The Inferno Star shot across the distance.
The zombie immediately crossed its arms over its chest as dark Mana erupted from its body, forming a hurried defensive layer around the remaining armor.
The defense barely lasted.
The compressed sphere struck its chest.
BOOM!
Crimson-gold flames swallowed the soldier.
The explosion surged upward as Sonya deliberately controlled its direction, preventing the flames from spreading toward Nathan or the others fighting nearby.
The commander’s scream lasted only briefly.
Its voice disappeared beneath the roaring fire.
Sonya maintained her control for several seconds before allowing the flames to weaken.
When the fire finally dispersed, almost nothing recognizable remained of the soldier’s upper body.
Its armor had melted across several sections, while the flesh beneath had been reduced to blackened remains.
A System panel appeared before Sonya.
[2nd Echelon Advancement Mission completed.]