Zombie Domination

Joe was the first to move, roaring with exhilaration as violet energy coursed through his veins. His dragon wings flared wide, scattering sparks as he shot upward in a blazing arc. Heat welled in his chest, and when he exhaled, a torrent of condensed fire erupted, spiraling toward the whale's shield.

The impact cracked like thunder. The barrier flared, rippling against the force.

"Keep the pressure on!" Julian barked. His shadows coiled around him, sharpening into dozens of spear-like forms. With a flick of his hand, they shot forward, striking the weakened barrier in rapid succession, each blow timed between Joe's bursts to exploit every ripple.

Leo, meanwhile, moved with surgical precision. His insect wings thrummed as he darted across the whale's flank, exoskeleton gleaming. Venomous orbs condensed in his hands, each glowing an eerie green. With a sharp gesture, he hurled them, and when they struck the barrier, they hissed, corrosive energy eating away at its structure.

The whale roared, its massive body trembling. Its core, which had been gathering light for another devastating beam, flickered, then stuttered, like a heart missing a beat.

Julian's eyes narrowed. "It's working."

Joe slammed another flaming strike against the shield, laughing maniacally. "Hah! Look at it squirm!"

Leo's voice crackled through the comms, low and sharp. "Don't get cocky, lizard. It's not breaking, it's stalling."

But that stall was enough. The whale's glow sputtered and dimmed, the energy it had been hoarding dissipating into the sky. Its colossal head thrashed, annoyed, forced to abandon its charge.

Julian exhaled slowly, his shadows receding just enough to regroup. "That's one strike denied. Don't waste the opening."

Joe clenched his fists, still grinning. "Then let's make it regret ever showing up."

Leo only smirked, venom still dripping from his hands. "Now it's interesting."

The whale's body shuddered, its wounded pride burning hotter than its pain. The ocean-blue glow beneath its skin surged outward, and frost crept across the air itself. In an instant, crystalline shards of ice erupted from its massive frame, sharp as spears, raining down toward Julian and the others.

Julian's shadows rose like walls, intercepting the first wave, but the force sent tremors through his arms. Joe roared, wings flaring as he burned through a barrage, vaporizing the icicles midair. Leo darted between them, his exoskeleton deflecting shards that slipped through.

"Stay sharp, don't think it's over!" Julian barked.

His warning came too late. The whale's throat pulsed with a grotesque light, its jaws yawning open. From deep within, a guttural rumble shook the sky before a storm of shapes spewed forth.

Not beams, Not frost.

Creatures.

Dozens, no, hundreds of flying fish, each with razor fins and eyes glowing with the same azure energy, burst into the air. Their wings shimmered like jagged glass as they swarmed in every direction.

Joe's laughter faltered. "You've got to be kidding me—"

The swarm split instantly, some diving toward Them, others veering past them with terrifying speed. The realization hit like ice in the gut. They weren't just here to fight.

"They're heading for the city!" Noah's panicked voice cracked through the comms from below.

From the walls, Glain shouted commands as the defenders' formations wavered. Alarms blared, bells ringing across the fortifications. Gunfire and mana bolts erupted as soldiers tried to intercept, but the fish were too many, darting through the chaos like arrows.

Julian's jaw clenched. "Damn it, we can't let them through!"

But the whale's shadow loomed overhead, already gathering more energy, as if mocking their divided attention.

Before anyone could react to the swarm, the whale's body pulsed again, icy light surging across its massive frame. The air dropped to a biting chill as countless shards of frozen lances burst forth, more numerous and sharper than before, blotting out the sky.

"Oii oii, again?!" Leo hissed, raising his guard.

But Joe stepped forward, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Leave this to me."

His chest expanded, his wings flaring wide as heat began to radiate from his core. Sparks shimmered in his throat, his breath turning molten, and then his entire mouth blazed with fire. The flames grew, roaring hotter and hotter until they burned blue, an inferno dense enough to twist the air itself.

The frozen storm rained down, blades of ice screaming toward them.

Joe unleashed his breath.

The explosion of blue fire clashed with the avalanche of ice midair, the impact thundering like a battlefield cannon. Steam erupted in a blinding wave as the two forces devoured each other, hissing and shrieking. Then, with a deafening roar, Joe's flames melted through every shard, turning the whale's attack into nothing but a storm of boiling mist.

Julian didn't waste a heartbeat. "Now!"

His body blurred with arcs of lightning, his shadow trailing like a streak of black storm as he darted into the swarm. Blades of shadow, sharpened by his momentum, carved through flying fish one after another, their azure glow winking out in bursts.

At the same time, Leo spread his arms wide, his spider-silk threads glinting under the haze. With precise movements, he wove a net through the chaos, slicing through the swarm like a butcher's blade. Dozens of creatures shrieked, their bodies severed mid-flight.

The whale's massive eye twitched, its attention dragged toward them, but that was exactly what they wanted, Julian and Leo keeping the beast occupied.

On the upper battlements, tension spiked as the swarm of flying fish broke through the steam, their glowing fins slicing the air as they closed in on the weapon emplacement.

"They're getting closer!" Rea's voice cracked, panic evident as his eyes followed the approaching horde.

Belle, already bracing her rifle against her shoulder, didn't flinch. With a steady breath, she activated the safety seals of her weapon, the runes along its frame flaring to life. "Then we'll hold them here. We can't let a single one damage the cannon."

Cindy's hands trembled slightly as she gripped her small pistol, her gaze darting between the incoming fish and the massive whale circling above. "That thing… it's too smart. It's aiming here on purpose, isn't it? Like it knows this weapon can kill it…"

Sebas's calm voice broke through the intercom, though even he couldn't hide the edge in his tone. "Correct. The whale may have deduced the cannon's position based on the trajectory of our last shot. It's not just a beast anymore...."

A heavy growl rolled out, snapping their nerves taut. Lucy's body contorted, bones shifting and muscles tearing as her form swelled into that of a towering bear, claws gleaming like steel. She planted herself in front of the others, her breath steaming in the chilled air. "Then we'll just have to hold the line. Sebas, how much longer until that weapon is fully charged?"

"Two minutes," Sebas replied without hesitation. "Hold those things off until then, no matter the cost."

The first wave of flying fish shrieked as they dove toward the barricades, their scales glowing like falling stars.

Lucy bared her fangs, muscles coiled like a spring. "Then let them come."

At the gates, chaos erupted as the swarm of flying fish broke past the defensive line. Glain's eyes narrowed, his hands weaving arcs of energy to form shimmering snares in the air. The traps snapped shut, catching several of the creatures mid-dive, yet their numbers were overwhelming, their small, darting bodies slipping through gaps too fast for his skill to contain.

Beside him, Rogan fired with flawless precision, each shot finding its mark. But even his accuracy couldn't hold back the tide. "There are too damn many of them!" His voice strained as more slipped through, their shrieks piercing the air.

Noah, his rifle blazing, emptied round after round into the sky. Each pull of the trigger brought down a handful, yet the sheer volume swarming above made his efforts feel like throwing stones into a storm. Sweat dripped down his temple, his jaw set in frustration.

Glain opened the intercom channel, his tone sharp. "Sebas! Can you hold the weapon? These things are scattering everywhere, if they reach you—"

Sebas's calm but firm reply cut through the static. "We'll protect it with everything we have. Focus on your front line, City lord. Trust us."

For a heartbeat, Glain's gaze lingered upward, catching flashes of light from the upper battlements where the cannon team fought to hold their ground. He exhaled sharply, making his decision.

"Then so be it." He turned to his squad, voice ringing with command. "Forget the strays, focus everything on the enemies in front of us! Hold the gate at all costs!"

The soldiers tightened their ranks, bracing themselves as another wave of mutated beasts pressed against their defenses.

From the fourth unit's position, Fey's eyes lifted briefly toward the sky, her lips pressing into a thin line. "That damn whale's getting worse by the minute…" she muttered, frustration simmering in her voice.

But Lea, fists still coated in faint tremors from her last blow, cut in through the intercom with an almost cheerful tone. "Eyes front, Fey. Our target's right here. Leave the sky to them, we've got our own beast to break."

Her words punctuated by action, Lea slammed her fist down once more. The force reverberated through the ground, sending the massive turtle mutant crashing into the earth, its shell cracking the terrain beneath it. Dust burst upward as the creature groaned, but the moment it hit the ground, its massive shell sealed tight, forming an impenetrable barrier.

Emma, already brimming with fire, didn't hesitate. She thrust her hands forward, a roaring stream of flames erupting and engulfing the downed creature. Explosions followed, one after another, painting the battlefield in searing orange.

When the smoke finally cleared, the three of them caught sight of the turtle, unmoving… yet completely unharmed, the glossy sheen of its shell barely singed.

Emma's face twisted with irritation, sparks flaring hotter around her arms. "Damn it…! I'm so sick of this walking fortress!"