Zombie Domination

At the top of the gate, every unit was working in tandem, supporting one another. Glain's firm voice cut through the comms, commanding them all to focus their efforts on backing up the frontline.

From her position, Veronica's eyes lingered on the distant figure of Julian locked in combat with the sky whale. Her brow furrowed. "Don't you dare die on me, Julian", She muttered under her breath.

High above, Julian unleashed his shadow skill, sharpening the darkness into countless spear-like spikes that pierced through the swarm of dragonflies. The insects screeched, their wings thrumming in chaos.

Julian pressed a hand to his ear. "Is the weapon still not ready?"

On the other end, Sebas adjusted his glasses, his tone calm but apologetic. "My apologies. The weapon is still charging. We'll need another five minutes before it can fire at full capacity."

Down on the frontline, Cindy's voice quivered as she watched the battle unfold. "W-wow… this fight is nowhere near easy…"

Beside her, Belle tightened her safety goggles, eyes sharp. "We should stay focused. We never know what might target us next." She cast a glance toward Kevin, who was pouring every ounce of strength into fueling the weapon.

"Do your best, Kevin," Belle murmured.

Feeling her gaze, Kevin briefly looked down, raising his right hand to flash her a reassuring thumbs-up before turning back to his task.

Back in the skies, Julian exhaled sharply at Sebas's words. "So it won't be that simple after all…"

Joe, however, only grinned, a manic light in his eyes. His laughter erupted across the comms. "Hahaha! Who needs that damn weapon? We'll crush the beast long before it's ready!"

Without waiting for a response, Joe's wings beat furiously, the black scales on his body gleaming under the fractured light. He shot forward like a meteor, laughter still echoing through the comms.

"Stupid lizard, wait—!" Julian's voice was sharp, but Joe had already closed the distance. His fist burned with compressed heat, veins of crimson light crawling up his arm as he prepared another devastating blow.

The sky whale responded almost instantly. Its massive body twisted, and a wave of energy rippled outward. The dragonflies swarmed like living shields, intercepting Joe's charge.

"Tch, reckless idiot…" Julian hissed, his gravity field flaring to drag himself upward, ready to cover Joe before he got swallowed alive.

Above them, the whale's core began to glow again, brighter than before, its shield reforming, its bulk turning as if to remind them all, their enemy was not some beast to be overpowered, but a fortress in the sky.

Joe roared, punching through the cloud of insects. "COME ON, MONSTER! TRY ME!" His claws raked against the shimmering barrier, sparks and shockwaves exploding on impact.

From the comms, Sebas's strained voice cut in: "Divisi Zero, hold him back! If the whale fires again before the weapon is ready, this city won't survive!"

Julian's patience snapped. With a surge of gravity, he yanked Joe backward mid-swing, the black-scaled warrior snarling in protest as his strike was cut short.

"The hell are you doing, Julian?!" Joe roared, thrashing against the invisible weight dragging him down.

"Saving your worthless hide before you ruin the plan," Julian shot back coldly, his eyes fixed on the glowing core of the whale. "You think brute force will break it? You'll only get us all killed."

Joe bared his fangs, but before he could argue further, Leo's dry laughter crackled through the comms.

"Typical," Leo drawled, his insectoid wings buzzing lazily as he hovered nearby. "The musclehead charges in blind, and the stoic knight has to babysit him. What a pair."

"Shut it, bug," Joe snapped, baring his teeth.

Leo smirked, tilting his head as his compound eyes reflected the whale's looming bulk. "Oh, don't mind me. Just enjoying the show. At this rate, the whale doesn't even need to kill us, we'll tear each other apart first."

Julian's glare silenced them both, his voice low and sharp. "Focus. The moment that shield drops again, we strike. Together."

The whale's body pulsed, veins of light crawling beneath its translucent skin. A low, guttural rumble rolled through the air before its massive maw cracked open, not with another laser, but with a thick plume of shimmering gas that spread like a poisonous fog.

Joe blinked, momentarily thrown off. "The hell is this? Poison? Smoke screen?"

Leo narrowed his eyes, his wings buzzing uneasily as the cloud swelled larger and larger. "No… That thing is...."

Before they could regroup, the whale's core flared again. A sudden tremor of power built inside its chest. Julian's eyes widened, his instincts screaming.

"Scatter, NOW!" he barked, shadows swirling violently around him. In the same breath, a blinding beam of energy lanced out from the whale's mouth, cutting through the gas like a blade of light.

Julian slammed his hands together, his shadow shield rising in an obsidian dome around him. The laser struck, tearing at the barrier with deafening force, sparks of black lightning crackling where the two powers collided.

Behind the shield, Julian gritted his teeth. 'So that's it… the gas amplifies its beam, refracting it into something far more destructive.'

Outside, the battlefield lit up in searing brilliance, forcing Joe and Leo to veer off wildly, covering their faces.

"Damn it!" Joe cursed, narrowly avoiding the edge of the blast.

Leo clicked his tongue, his voice sharp over the comms. "Figures. The beast is smarter than you, Lizard, it knows how to set up its prey before the kill."

The blast carved across the sky, splitting clouds apart and shaking the very air. Joe wasn't fast enough, his scaled torso took the brunt of the beam.

"—GAHHH!" His roar tore through the comms as the light swallowed him whole, searing scales and flesh alike. For an instant, his massive form looked like a burning silhouette about to disintegrate.

But then, with a guttural growl, his draconic regeneration surged to life. Charred scales cracked and fell away, revealing raw muscle that knit itself back together, glowing faintly with molten heat. Smoke rose from his body as he spat out blood and flame in equal measure.

"Ha… haHA! You think this is enough to kill me?!" Joe bellowed, his voice hoarse but wild, like a beast cornered and hungry for more.

Meanwhile, the laser's shockwave rippled outward, tearing through the gas cloud in a chain of explosions. Leo had anticipated it, his body already encased in a hardened insectoid exoskeleton. The impact rattled his bones, fractures racing across the armor, but it held just enough for him to survive the inferno.

When the light finally faded, Leo emerged from the smoke with wings singed and armor cracked, but still airborne. His lips curled into a thin, scornful smile as he glanced at Joe, who was still smoldering.

"Tch. Regenerating or not, you looked like grilled lizard out there. Try not to die so pathetically next time."

Joe snarled back, coughing smoke, his grin as feral as ever. "Worry about yourself, bug boy. I'm still standing."

Julian, still behind his shadow shield, exhaled slowly. His eyes sharpened on the whale, which was already preparing another pulse. That monster isn't wasting energy, it's testing us. And the next one won't be so forgiving.

Julian's gaze locked onto the sky whale, its massive body already pulsing with light again. His voice cut through the comms, steady and cold.

"Save your breath. We strike back now, before it fires again."

Leo scoffed, his tone dripping with cynicism. "Strike back? Against that shield? That's just wasting strength we don't have."

Julian didn't flinch. "We're not aiming to defeat it, not yet. We just need to force it to cancel its attack."

With that, he pulled a set of small glass vials from his inventory, each one filled with a glowing violet liquid that shimmered unnaturally against the darkened sky. Without hesitation, he tossed them toward Leo and Joe.

Leo caught his with a sharp glance, frowning. "What the hell is this supposed to be?"

"Temporary amplification," Julian replied flatly. "It'll boost your power and restore some stamina. Take it or don't, I don't care. But don't drag us down if you refuse."

Joe grinned wide, already uncorking his potion. "Hah! You think I'd hesitate? Bottoms up!" He downed it in one gulp, then flexed his hands, scales crackling with fresh energy. His grin turned savage. "Damn… I feel like I could tear the sky apart!"

Leo watched him for a moment, skeptical. But when Joe's aura spiked like a furnace about to erupt, curiosity won over suspicion. He drank his as well, shuddering as the potion's power rushed through his veins, coating his exoskeleton in a faint violet sheen. His lips curved into a sly smile.

"…Interesting. We'll need to talk, Julian. After this battle, I have an offer you'll want to hear."

Julian ignored him, uncorked his own vial, and swallowed it down. A sharp, bitter taste seared his tongue as shadow energy surged through his body, sharpening his focus. He tossed the empty vial aside, eyes narrowing on the massive beast above.

"Think about your deals later," he said coldly. "For now, we bring that monster down."

Leo chuckled. "Fair enough." His insect wings flared open, vibrating with renewed strength.

Joe slammed his fists together, sparks of molten flame scattering from his scales. "Let's rip it apart!"