Chapter 98: PLAN B! (1)
Cain looked toward the Zombie King.
Despite the wounds covering its body and the amount of energy it had already consumed, the creature was still extremely dangerous.
Its strength remained above his, and judging from the pressure it continued releasing, Bottomless Furnace was nowhere near exhausted enough for Cain to finish the battle.
Cain clicked his tongue.
’It’s time.’
His gaze shifted toward Ron, who was currently fighting beside Jack against several of the remaining zombies.
"Ron!"
Ron turned the moment he heard Cain’s voice. One glance at Cain’s blood-covered body was enough for him to understand what was about to happen.
He drove his spear through the eye of the zombie in front of him before kicking the corpse away.
"Get ready!"
Cain immediately returned his attention to the Zombie King.
He could not simply turn around and run. With the difference in their speed, exposing his back without first creating enough distance would be no different from asking to be hit.
He needed an opening.
The Zombie King charged toward him.
Cain deliberately remained where he stood and watched the creature approach. Flesh Armament gathered around its right fist as layers of hardened tissue covered the knuckles, while a large amount of energy simultaneously rushed into the same arm through Energy Reinforcement.
Faultline Vision immediately revealed the resulting change.
The Zombie King’s right arm became considerably more dangerous, but concentrating so much energy there naturally left the opposite side weaker.
Cain waited.
The distance between them rapidly disappeared.
Just as the armored fist was about to strike his face, Cain moved.
The punch passed beside his head as he stepped directly inside the Zombie King’s reach and drove his sword beneath its ribs.
Shhk!
The blade sank deeply into its body.
Cain did not immediately pull it free.
Instead, Ruin Dragon Force surged through his arm and flooded into the sword. A violent burst of dark gray energy entered directly through the wound before spreading into the surrounding flesh.
The Zombie King’s entire body stiffened.
Dark gray energy immediately spread around the blade, causing the flesh surrounding the wound to blacken and deteriorate.
The tissue that had already begun trying to close around the weapon instead started breaking apart under the continuous corrosion.
Cain did not wait to see how much damage it would cause.
He kicked the Zombie King’s knee while ripping the sword free.
The creature stumbled half a step.
That was all Cain needed.
"PLAN B!"
Ron appeared beside him almost immediately.
Cain jumped onto his back without hesitation and wrapped one arm around his shoulder.
"Go!"
"You don’t need to fucking tell me!"
Wind Mana erupted around Ron’s legs.
The ground cracked beneath his feet before his body accelerated forward at terrifying speed, carrying Cain away from the battlefield in an instant.
The intersection rapidly disappeared behind them.
Cain immediately looked over his shoulder.
The Zombie King remained standing where they had left it for half a second, its cloudy eyes staring at their retreating figures.
Then its expression twisted, energy suddenly surged through its legs and the creature immediately chased after them.
"Of fucking course it’s coming toward us!" Ron shouted after glancing backward.
"Good."
Ron almost lost his rhythm.
"GOOD?!"
Cain ignored the complaint and tightened his arm around Ron’s shoulder to stabilize himself.
His other hand pressed against Ron’s upper back before green Mana gathered around his palm as he used his (Greater Restoration) skill.
Healing energy immediately entered Ron’s body.
The intense burning throughout his legs eased slightly as the damage caused by pushing his speed beyond its comfortable limit began repairing.
Ron felt the difference immediately and accelerated again.
"You better heal me properly!"
"Just stop complaining and run."
"You’re sitting on my fucking back while the King of Zombie is chasing us!"
A loud crash came from behind them.
The Zombie King had reached an abandoned vehicle blocking part of the road.
Instead of wasting time moving around it, the creature simply reinforced its body and smashed through the side of the car. Metal twisted beneath its shoulder before the vehicle spun across the road and crashed into another wreck.
Ron heard the impact.
His face became noticeably paler.
"Cain!"
"What?"
"What is my pitiful mother supposed to do if I die here?!"
Cain almost laughed despite the pain still spreading throughout his body.
Ron continued shouting while his legs moved so quickly that his feet barely seemed to remain on the ground.
"You fucking bastard! Did you forget my mom used to take care of us when we were kids?! She fed you too! She treated you like another son!"
"Stop wasting your breath."
"I’m preparing my final complaints!"
"You’re not dying, what are you on about?" Cain sneered.
"How the fuck do you know?!"
Cain glanced backward again.
The Zombie King was still following them.
Its speed remained terrifying.
Whenever the distance between them widened, Energy Reinforcement gathered through its legs and pushed it forward with another violent burst.
However, Ron was still fast enough to prevent it from catching them.
"As long as you keep running and don’t let that bastard reach us, neither of us is dying."
"That is not reassuring at all!"
Cain ignored him after that.
His own body had already started recovering.
The broken bones throughout his arms gradually reconstructed themselves beneath the skin, while the internal damage caused by the Zombie King’s earlier attacks slowly disappeared.
Cain deliberately left most of the work to the Undying God Body.
Greater Restoration remained focused on Ron.
If Ron’s legs failed now, both of them would immediately be forced into another fight before Cain had recovered enough.
They continued across several roads.
Ron changed directions whenever necessary, deliberately choosing narrower streets or areas filled with abandoned vehicles.
The obstacles barely stopped the Zombie King.
But they did slow it down.
Whenever a wreck blocked the road, the creature simply crashed through it using its reinforced body.
However, each time Cain could clearly feel another surge of energy being consumed.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Even during the chase, Bottomless Furnace continued spending its reserves.
Ron was consuming Mana and damaging his body to maintain his speed, but Cain could heal some of that damage for him.
The Zombie King had nobody helping it recover what it was burning through.
Cain closed his eyes briefly and focused on his condition.
His Mana was still far below its maximum.
Several muscles remained sore, while the repeated strain from pushing Ruin Dragon Force had left his entire body feeling unusually heavy.
Nevertheless, he was recovering.
Even though it wasn’t enough to return to his strongest condition, it was enough to fight for another round.
"Turn left."
Ron immediately changed direction.
A burst of Wind Mana gathered beneath his feet before he crossed another intersection.
"Then what?"
"Keep going for another thirty seconds."
Ron glanced sideways.
"You’re counting even in this situation?"
"Yes."
"You’re crazy."
Cain ignored him and continued recovering.
His breathing gradually became smoother.
The worst injuries had already disappeared, and the fractured bones that would have affected his swordsmanship had completely repaired themselves.
The Zombie King would not patiently follow Ron for half an hour.
Cain only needed enough strength for another round.
Several seconds later, he finally spoke.
"Slow down."
Ron stared straight ahead.
"Are you fucking crazy?"
"I’ve recovered enough."
"You look like you were beaten by a truck."
"Just shut up and see how I’m grinding this bastard down."
Ron opened his mouth to argue again, but Cain had already jumped from his back.