The Transcendent Zombie Master

Chapter 8: The Alpha Threat

The Quad-Hook Slasher lunged forward, its four iron hooks cutting through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Lain threw himself to the left, his shoulder hitting the hard concrete wall as the monster’s claws tore a deep gash into the front of his jacket.

"Get back!" Leo shouted, grabbing Mavis by her jacket and pulling her behind a row of concrete pillars.

The level-four mutant turned its head, its white eyes locking back onto Lain as it prepared to swing its upper arms again.

"Iron Blade, block him!" Lain commanded, his fingers tapping his screen.

The sleek metal helper intercepted the strike, its long blades clashing against the monster’s iron hooks with a loud metallic ring. Sparks flew in the dark corridor, illuminating the mutant's grotesque, twitching face for a split second.

The Slasher was incredibly fast, using its lower two arms to strike the Iron Blade's torso while its upper hooks kept the blades busy. CLANG. CLANG. The heavy blows dented the helper's sleek armor, pushing the level-five Vanguard back by two full steps.

> Iron Blade Vanguard (Lv. 5) Health: 84%> 

"Lain, this thing is too agile for a single helper," Mavis called out from behind the pillar. "Its multiple joints allow it to strike from angles your metal unit cannot predict!"

"Then we overwhelm it with raw power," Lain said, his face cold. "Obsidian Behemoth, join the fight!"

The eight-foot-tall black glass helper appeared behind the mutant, its massive fists coming down like twin boulders. The Slasher sensed the danger and leaped backward, scaling the concrete wall like a giant insect to avoid the crushing blow.

The Behemoth's fists smashed into the floor, cracking the thick concrete tiles and sending a web of fractures across the ground.

The mutant clung to the ceiling, its four hooks dug deep into the ventilation tracks as it hissed down at the two helpers. It was smart enough to avoid a direct head-on clash with the massive glass tank, choosing instead to wait for an opening to strike Lain directly.

"It is hunting you, Lain," Leo warned, holding a heavy flashlight to keep the creature illuminated. "It knows you are the weak link."

"Let it try," Lain muttered, his eyes fixed on his glowing blue menu screen.

> Current Points: 140

> Materials Inventory: High-Density Bone Sample, Thermal Flares (x10)

> Available Action: Temporary Attribute Infusion. Cost: 50 points.> 

"System, infuse the Iron Blade Vanguard with the Thermal Flare material," Lain thought, selecting the red flare icon.

> Consuming: 1 Thermal Flare + 50 Points.

> Infusing Fire Attribute to Iron Blade Vanguard... Process complete.> 

The sleek metal armor of the Vanguard instantly began to glow with a dull, cherry-red heat. The blue energy along its arm blades turned into a roaring orange flame, heating the air in the corridor until the concrete walls began to sweat.

The mutant on the ceiling hissed loudly, its white eyes narrowing as the intense heat radiated upward. It dropped from the ceiling, aiming its four iron hooks straight at the glowing, heated shoulders of the Iron Blade.

"Iron Blade, use Cyclone Slash!" Lain ordered.

The metal helper spun its flaming blades in a wide, ferocious circle, creating a literal vortex of fire in the middle of the corridor. The Slasher’s iron hooks collided with the flaming edges, but the intense heat softened the monster's metallic claws instantly.

SLASH. SLASH. The burning blades cut through the mutant's upper two arms, sending the severed, smoking limbs flying across the floor.

The Quad-Hook Slasher let out a terrible shriek of agony, its black blood boiling and evaporating before it even touched the ground. It stumbled backward on its long legs, its remaining two hooks flailing wildly to keep the flaming helper at bay.

"Finish it!" Lain shouted.

The Obsidian Behemoth lunged forward from the side, its massive black glass hand grabbing the mutant by its torso. With a single, powerful squeeze, the Behemoth crushed the monster’s ribs, pinning it firmly against the ground so it could no longer move.

The Iron Blade Vanguard stepped up, its flaming arm blade driving straight through the center of the mutant's skull. The creature's body twitched once, its white eyes fading to a dull, empty gray before its entire form went limp.

> Level 4 Mutant defeated. System points gained: +100.

> Current points: 190.

> Rare Item Dropped: Mutant Core (Agility Type).> 

Lain walked over to the smoking corpse and touched the dropped item, watching it slide into his third inventory slot.

"We did it," Leo said, letting out a long breath as he lowered his flashlight. "But look at the back of the tunnel, Lain."

A loud, deep vibration shook the stadium walls again, much stronger than the previous tremors. Down at the far end of the corridor, a massive shadow was moving through the darkness, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps that felt like mini-earthquakes.

A giant monster, three times larger than the Obsidian Behemoth, stepped into the faint light of their flashlights. It had a massive, bloated body covered in thick, pulsing red veins, and a giant iron hammer was fused directly into its right arm.

> Warning: Sector Alpha Boss detected. Variant: Tyrant Crusher (Lv. 8).

> Survival Probability: 15%.> 

The giant monster raised its iron hammer arm and let out a roar that shattered the remaining lightbulbs in the ceiling, plunging the corridor into near-total darkness.