"Alright, alright, no more speeches," little shadow said with a shrug, obedient for once. He turned his head toward Bulldozer's direction—only to see him locked in a brutal slugfest with Terrax. The two were going at it like wild beasts, neither giving an inch.

"I'll go give Big Lug a hand."

"…"

Heartland had just lost two of its SSS-tier heavy-hitters back-to-back. The blow to their morale was massive.

But things were about to get even worse.

Even the seemingly invincible Deathless Sovereigns were starting to falter.

Nerissa, already drained from earlier battles, was now being relentlessly hunted down by Claire. Poison mist still clung to her like a shroud, but it was thinning fast. Every time they clashed, Claire's strikes pushed her back, and the once-thick red fog around her was fading to a dull haze.

Her elite SSS-tier guards weren't faring any better—locked in combat with the heads of the other two human families, and clearly outmatched.

And then there was the Overlord of Eastreach—Bloodveil—lurking nearby, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Claire, I've got your back!"

Bloodveil surged forward, his body flickering like a crimson flame. The power of his Absolute Domain rippled out, and where red and blue clashed, a river of blood carved its way through the battlefield.

Nerissa's poison was being stripped away, her defenses crumbling. She was barely holding on.

"…"

Meanwhile, Ethan's mid-tier forces were tearing through the enemy with terrifying efficiency.

Leading the charge were the infamous Japanese Iron Trio and the Dune Twins.

Mad Dog, the most fearsome of the Iron Trio, was wrapped in thick, bone-white armor—his skeletal mutation ability pushed to the limit. He looked like a war god, unshakable and unstoppable.

Beside him, Samara moved like a shadow—fast, lethal, and eerily reminiscent of Laura, though a bit rougher around the edges. She darted through the chaos, cutting down enemies like a ghost in the mist.

And then there was T-Rex, the fusion-type Zombie King. A walking tank, all brute force and raw muscle. He charged at the front like a battering ram, soaking up damage and smashing through enemy lines.

"Brothers! This is it—the turning point! We fight together, we rise together! Let's take the damn summit!"

Behind them, a wave of elite zombies surged forward, roaring with bloodlust.

Before anyone realized it, they'd pushed even closer to the base of The Origin Mountain.

Even the outer edges of the battlefield were a bloodbath.

Black mist rolled across the ground like a living tide—then came a thunderous roar.

It was Fear, Mist's right-hand zombie, unleashing his Soulquake ability. The psychic shockwave froze a cluster of enemy zombies in place for several seconds.

"Hank! Gatorax! Move in now!" Big Ears barked.

Behind him, two more Zombie Kings let out savage howls and dove into the fray.

Shrimpy scanned the battlefield, eyes wide. Everyone was fighting tooth and claw, all for one goal—to reach the summit.

"Big Ears, what about us?"

"Obviously, we're the brains of the operation," Big Ears replied, watching the chaos unfold. The frontlines were a meat grinder—charging in blindly was suicide.

Mist nodded. "Honestly, with a battle this massive, I doubt our power levels are gonna tip the scales."

"But what if…" Shrimpy's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "What if we're the final straw that breaks the camel's back?"

"Uh… you think so?" Mist scratched his head.

Big Ears didn't answer right away. His gaze dropped to the ground, scanning the piles of mangled corpses.

Then he spotted it—a faint glimmer of light.

A shattered S-rank Zombie King, blown apart by the Starbreaker Cannon. Its crystal core was still intact, glowing faintly in the wreckage.

Big Ears' eyes lit up. He turned back to the others, voice suddenly full of fire.

"You know what? Shrimpy's got a point. But we're not just the straw that breaks the camel's back—we're the whole damn mountain that crushes it!"

"…So we're not staying back anymore?" the others asked, already guessing where this was going.

Big Ears nodded. "The road to becoming an Overlord is never easy. If we want to stand at the top, we've gotta give it everything we've got. Let's go!"

"Hell yeah! For the summit!"

The three zombies let out a battle cry and charged forward, joining the chaos with wild grins and blood in their eyes.

Big Ears bolted straight for the glowing light ahead—no doubt about it, that was an S-rank crystal core.

If he could get his hands on it… then The Cannon King would rise again.

But the surge of energy from the four zombies didn't go unnoticed. A group of elite Heartland zombies quickly picked up on their presence—including a Zombie Leader stationed on the outskirts, one of Endless's subordinates.

"Well, well… what are those weaklings doing here? Running around like headless chickens. You guys seriously think you belong on this battlefield? What, here to donate your heads?"

The Zombie Leader's voice dripped with mockery, but his eyes were full of killing intent. With a sharp command, he and a squad of elite zombies charged toward Big Ears and his crew.

Big Ears felt it instantly—his senses flared.

He looked up and spotted the incoming figures, all bloodthirsty and fast. Worse, they were coming from the same direction as the crystal core—only about 150 feet away now.

"Big Ears… there's a lot of them. Should we fall back?" Shrimpy muttered nervously.

Locomotive scoffed. "What the hell, man? You were the one yelling 'charge' a second ago, and now you wanna bail?"

"Only cowards retreat!" Big Ears snarled. "When two forces meet on a narrow path, the brave one wins. So let's tear these bastards apart!"

The four zombies narrowed their eyes, their pace never slowing. They charged forward like they had nothing to lose.

"…Huh?" The Zombie Leader blinked, surprised. He hadn't expected them to keep coming. Their scrawny silhouettes looked like they were running straight into death—like moths to a flame. There was something almost… noble about it.

"Alright then. I'll give you this—you've got guts. Let's make this a fair fight."

The two sides closed in fast—seconds away from clashing.

Suddenly, Big Ears dove to the ground, flattening himself against the dirt.

"Mist! Smoke cover, now!"

"On it!" Mist shouted back. Black smoke erupted from his body, billowing out in thick waves, swallowing the battlefield in darkness.

The Heartland zombies lost sight of everything.

"What the hell is this?!"

They charged into the fog, claws slashing wildly, trying to clear the air—but it was no use. The mist clung to everything, thick and suffocating.

Still, the Zombie Leader sniffed the air, his senses sharp. "He's over there—on the ground! Follow me!"

Meanwhile, Big Ears was frantically digging through the pile of rotting flesh, his claws squelching through blood and gore. The stench was unbearable, but he didn't stop.

The enemy's snarls were getting closer. He could see their twisted faces starting to emerge through the fog.

Then—his claw hit something solid.

"There you are… I knew you were still here!"

He yanked out the Crystal Core Hand-Cannon, jammed the blood-soaked S-rank core into the chamber, and spun around just as the Zombie Leader lunged at him, claws aimed for his throat.

Big Ears didn't flinch.

He raised the cannon and pressed it right to the bastard's forehead.

"Hey there."

"Wha—???" The Zombie Leader's eyes went wide, completely caught off guard.

BOOM—

The explosion rocked the edge of the battlefield. A blinding flash of light burst from the cannon's muzzle, followed by a shockwave that tore through the surrounding mist.

Even from a distance, the flare of an S-rank Crystal Core Hand-Cannon was unmistakable.

"What the hell?! That little zombie's packing an S-rank cannon?!"

"Where the hell did they get that kind of gear?!"

"And that blast… it's no joke…"

"…"

The Heartland zombies started murmuring, unease spreading like wildfire. Their morale, already shaky, took another hit. Now they were paranoid—what if every enemy zombie had a cannon hidden somewhere? What if any one of them could suddenly pull out a Crystal Core Firearm and blow them to pieces?

How were they supposed to fight like that?

The hesitation showed. Movements slowed. Attacks lost their edge.

And across the battlefield, the tide began to shift.

The three Deathless Sovereigns of Heartland scanned the chaos, their expressions darkening.

From the elite SSS-tier Voidborn Undying to the outer-ring Zombie Leaders, their forces were being crushed.

"Our Zombie Horde was never built for attrition," Endless said, his aura pulsing with restrained fury. "We rely on overwhelming top-tier force."

"Oh?" Lilith and Nightwraith turned toward him, catching the serious glint in his eyes.

They knew that look.

Every time the battle reached a breaking point, Endless would step in—turning the tide with sheer power, dragging the war back from the brink.

And now… it was time again.

The three Deathless Sovereigns were about to enter the fray.

The real fight was just beginning.

...

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