บท 31: Stage 1: The Final Battle

The sun had set a while ago and the moon shone brightly against the backdrop of darkness.

At exactly 8 pm, there were no onlookers to witness two of the bases in opposite directions instantly disappear. Only to appear at the exact location where the challengers had originally started the stage, the centre.

Those within the bases did not experience any disturbance or distortion despite the mass relocation.

John and all who were willing to be proactive had fortified the lounge. They moved weapon racks, the couch, and the beds, all to control the path of zombies and what they would have to handle at once.

"The zombies have no thinking process whatsoever, and with access to food, water and weapons we will be able to take rotations and avoid overtaxing ourselves. " John was addressing those who were not associated with the rebels and had proven their worth. He was hoping for a drawn-out battle, which is why he chose the lounge as it was not only the largest area but also provided direct access to a washroom.

"Are we going to leave them out there like that?" Anna, a seventeen-year-old under Aoki's department hesitantly questioned John.

"Yes, anyone who disagrees can die with them." John's voice was resolute, betraying none of his inner turmoil. He had essentially thrown the rebels to their death, forcing each of them out of the inner areas of the base. Most of them were in the reception area in front of the stairs banging on the door in a senseless attempt to flee, others attempted to breach the barricade separating them from the others. A good number of these males and females simply wailed in defeat, begging John to forgive them.

Theresa and the rest expressed mixed emotions as the sturdy automatic door slid open. The stairs led to the hatch, their only hope of escape. Theresa did not wait for zombies to appear, instead, she ran ahead, leaving through the open hatchet. The moment she appeared on the surface the frantic look on her face vanished, replaced by disbelief. Rows and rows of death knights were lined in front of her.

The calm monarch on the well-embellished throne barely glanced at the frightened human before issuing a mental command to the nearest zombie.

Theresa's story ended there. One of the battle-ready zombies swung a sword at her. Its frame rattled against the metallic armour. Her head fell backwards, rolling down the stairs and greeting her shaken comrades.

John and the rest only heard a cacophony of undiluted terror, an indication of the zombie's engagement with the abandoned rebels.

John, Evan and Anthony looked through the intentional gap they had left between their barricade. A space wide enough for a single zombie to squeeze through.

After some time, they heard heavy thuds against the tight blockade that they had placed to prevent access from the reception to the corridor.

Soon, the zombies pushed past their supposedly strong barrier, entering the corridor without further resistance.

John was the first to lay his eyes upon the staunch figures. The full body armour heightened the sense of danger they exuded, coupled with their gleaming blades and unabashed stares. John's eyes widened in shock, a hint of despair had returned to his once steady gaze.

The lounge was directly opposite the corridor, saving the zombies the trouble of searching for them.

John, Evan and Anthony tensed in anticipation of their upcoming fight.

°°°

Present time

66: 34: 00

Alex understood that her fellow group members had most likely perished.

The castle, empty as it was, had somehow been moved. It was now in between the labyrinth and the tree. The underground bunker was moved underneath the castle. Its entrance was somehow open and in the castle's throne room. Alex had not noticed the inconspicuous hole in the floor earlier, due to her hastiness. However, once she zoomed out of the castle, she saw the icons of both bases. The castle had no red dots above its icon, dissimilar to the underground bunker. Its icon was barely visible beneath the surplus red.

Alex took her time, inspecting the entire bunker using the map. The fully armoured zombies were moderately spaced out in the bunker. In the storage room, where they had once stored necessary food supplies, human bodies were heaped on the floor. This scene almost made Alex retch as she recognized all the despair-filled faces of those she had once interacted with. Dry blood painted the room's floor adding to the disturbing scene.

The castle lord - a greater zombie Alex believed could control other zombies- was sitting in the conference room with 12 different zombies guarding it.

With her knowledge of the zombies' locations, Alex felt prepared enough to face them and end this stage.

66: 01: 38

It was 7 pm, and Alex wanted to end this within an hour, unsure of the restrictions the next battle would impose on her. Her chakrams still had a healthy green glow to them, sure to provide her lasting stamina throughout her battles.

Later, Alex approached the opened hatch leading to the bunker. The castle barely let any light seep through but Alex was grateful for the lighting in the bunker.

She went deeper down the stairs. Her light footsteps echoed in the misleading silence of her location. Behind the doorway of the reception area, two zombies waited on either side of the wall.

Alex knew what lay ahead. Even though she was within what should have been their alert range, both zombies had not made their presence known. Alex did not want to be ambushed, so at the last step, she made a mad dash out of the threshold.

The zombies had already swung their swords at empty air, not anticipating such a fast enemy. Alex turned around and jumped onto one zombie before plunging one chakram into the gap at the neck area. The zombie swung its sword as if unaffected but Alex did not wait for its final breath before leaping onto the next one and repeating her previous actions.

The mastermind was aware of her presence, resting was not a viable option. Alex moved into the corridor, ready to face the foes she knew were ahead.

Alex had long since realized her method of killing the zombies was far too inefficient. The gap between the helmet and chest plate was truly narrow. It only existed due to the disparity between the standard heights of humans and the averagely taller zombies.

However, this height difference made it more difficult for the shorter Alex to reach their necks. Therefore, Alex decided to target other spaces such as the back of their legs and arms.

17 zombies readied their respective swords in the corridor, all facing her.