Chapter 492: Is it finally time to settle this... once and for all?

Chapter 492: Is it finally time to settle this… once and for all?

Ever since Slade stripped Sophia of control over T-09, he’d kept the cyborg close, disguising it as one of his henchmen for protection.

Turned out, that move just saved his life—T-09 had stepped in at the last second, taking a lethal blow meant for him.

T-09 wasn’t just for show. The moment it turned around, its body lit up with a swirl of dual-colored energy—two completely different forces surging in its palms.

One was ice, the other fire. Both grew more intense by the second, casting a blinding glow that lit up the entire mountainside like daylight.

Without hesitation, T-09 unleashed the ultimate Cyborg technique—Energy Fusion.

With a powerful thrust of its arms, the ice and fire energies began to merge. The fusion crackled with unstable power, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction.

BOOM!

In an instant, the energy exploded outward. A blinding flash swallowed everything nearby, and a shockwave ripped through the air like a bomb going off.

The mountain trembled violently. Massive boulders broke loose, only to be pulverized mid-air by the blast.

Then, with a final, earth-shattering roar, the entire barren mountain shattered into oblivion. A small mushroom cloud rose into the sky—everything in the blast radius was reduced to ash.

Mia, who had been closest to the explosion, was thrown back like a ragdoll.

Even Chris, Brandon, and the others—who were much farther away—couldn’t escape the shockwave. The force sent them flying, their bodies tracing arcs through the air before slamming hard into the ground.

“Damn it… I think my ass just split in eight,” Sean groaned, face twisted in pain.

Chris and the others were covered in dust and debris, ears ringing so loud it felt like their heads were about to burst. It took them a long moment to shake off the daze.

When they finally looked up, all they could see was a thick cloud of smoke and shattered rock. A massive crater had been blasted into the earth.

The mountain? Gone. Completely obliterated.

…

On the other side, Slade and his crew hadn’t escaped unscathed. The shockwave had tossed them over a hundred feet through the air.

But honestly, that worked in their favor. They scrambled to their feet, coughing and stumbling, then took off running without looking back.

“Move! Keep running!” Slade barked.

They didn’t dare slow down. T-09 might’ve been powerful, but there was no way it could hold off both Ethan and Mia for long.

Just ahead was Blackhand City—their stronghold. If they could make it there, they might just have a shot at surviving this.

Meanwhile, Ethan had already dodged the worst of the fusion blast. He reappeared atop a massive boulder, eyes locked on the battlefield below.

The smoke was starting to clear. T-09 stood in the middle of the wreckage, its body battered but still upright.

“Unexpected bonus…” Ethan muttered to himself.

T-09 was an S+ grade, fourth-generation Cyborg, equipped with dual-element crystal cores—ice and fire. Not to mention its rare alloys and cutting-edge tech.

It was worth way more than Slade.

With a flick of his wrist, the Star Map slate appeared in his hand. Four Radiant Crystals were embedded in it, glowing with fierce, fiery light.

He was ready to smash T-09 to pieces.

…

Back at ground zero, Mia was still reeling from the blast. Her body had taken a serious hit. She glanced at the wristband on her arm—pain level: 55%.

Her sharp eyes scanned the area—and locked onto Slade and his crew, fleeing like hell was on their heels.

In a flash, Mia vanished from sight. She moved so fast, the human eye couldn’t track her. Lightning crackled along her Tachi blade as she shot forward, zeroing in on Slade.

At that speed, the distance between them was closing fast.

A sharp jolt of panic surged through Slade as a powerful sense of danger gripped him. He instinctively glanced back—only to see a blur of motion, like a storm barreling straight at him. Death was coming fast.

His heart seized in terror. Desperate, he shouted at the two henchmen ahead of him, “Hey! What the hell are you running for? Go stop her!”

“What?!”

The two men looked at him like he’d lost his mind. They knew damn well that was a suicide mission.

And at a moment like this? No way in hell they were following orders.

“Boss Slade, aren’t you running too? Why’re you throwing us under the bus?”

“Goddammit!” Slade snarled, practically foaming at the mouth. His face twisted in rage, nostrils flaring.

Shadow Lock!

In a split-second decision, he activated his Awakener ability again—but this time, not on Mia.

He targeted his own men.

The two henchmen froze mid-sprint, their bodies locking up like statues. Their shadows on the ground stopped moving, frozen in place.

Slade didn’t waste a second. He grabbed one in each hand and hurled them straight at Mia like human shields.

The two men’s faces contorted in horror and fury.

“You sneaky bastard!” one of them screamed.

But Mia didn’t even blink. Her Tachi flashed once—clean, precise—and both bodies were sliced in half mid-air. Blood sprayed across the sky, limbs spinning through the air like broken dolls.

Their sacrifice bought her only a heartbeat.

Then she was moving again, blade crackling with lightning, eyes locked on Slade.

“Shit!” Slade gritted his teeth. He knew he was out of time. There was no outrunning her now.

If he was going down, he’d go down swinging.

“Fine! Let’s end this!” he roared, ready to unleash everything he had in one final, desperate attack.

But just then, a voice from up ahead shouted, eyes wide with hope, “Boss Slade! Our people are here!”

“Huh?”

Slade blinked, stunned. He turned toward the direction of Blackhand City—and sure enough, a massive wave of Black Hand Legion soldiers was charging toward them.

At the front of the group was Vanessa.

Just like she’d said earlier, she’d mobilized a huge force to counter the Zombie Horde coming out of Los Angeles. But when she felt the shockwave from the explosion, she knew something was wrong—and came running.

Mind Storm!

Vanessa, a powerful psychic-type Awakener and the top leader of Blackhand City, unleashed a tidal wave of mental energy. It surged outward like a storm, stretching over a thousand feet in an instant.

Mia had just closed in on Slade, her blade raised for the kill—when suddenly, it felt like she was wading through molasses. Her speed dropped sharply, her body resisting her commands.

A wall of psychic pressure had slammed into her.

Slade and the few remaining henchmen didn’t waste the opportunity. They bolted toward the incoming reinforcements, diving into the safety of the crowd.

They collapsed among their comrades, gasping for breath, hearts pounding like war drums. The terror still clung to them like smoke.

“Holy shit… that was way too close.”

“Yeah, I thought we were dead for sure.”

“Can’t believe we made it out alive…”

“Talk about luck…”

The group murmured in disbelief, still shaken.

Slade stood there blinking, dazed. He’d been ready to die—and then Vanessa had walked into the chaos like a goddess of salvation.

“What the hell are you doing out here, Slade?” Vanessa snapped, her voice cold and sharp. “Weren’t you supposed to be organizing the defense against the L.A. Zombie Horde?”

Slade stiffened, then quickly slapped on his signature sleazy grin. “Oh! Right, right! Of course! That’s exactly what I was doing. Just, uh, scouting ahead! Checking the perimeter! You know me—always thinking ahead! That’s why you’re the boss, Vanessa. Brilliant move, really. Just brilliant!”

A few of his men exchanged glances but wisely kept their mouths shut.

Mia came to a halt, her Tachi still humming with energy as she scanned the crowd. The Black Hand Legion had arrived in force—thousands of them, packed shoulder to shoulder, every face hard and battle-worn. Many bore the Legion’s signature tattoos, twisted and brutal, making them look even more menacing.

A rough estimate put their numbers well over ten thousand.

After all, this was the force Vanessa had assembled to face the Zombie Horde from L.A.

The Black Hand Legion and the Sanctuary had always been natural enemies. Since the day the apocalypse began, the two factions had clashed again and again.

This was the first time Mia had ever stood alone against such a massive force of Black Hand soldiers.

But she didn’t flinch.

She stood tall, blade in hand, eyes calm and sharp.

Things had escalated far beyond what she’d expected.

“Is this it?” she murmured to herself. “Is it finally time to settle this… once and for all?”

…