Chapter 741: Crimson Grasp!
The battle between the zombies and the Xenobeasts was about to erupt.
The Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters and the Lord of the Carrion Reavers turned their attention to the two Voidborn Undying, sizing up their opponents.
âIâll take the one in the white shirt,â the Overmind Queen said coldly. âHe tried to sucker-punch me earlier.â
âNo problem,â the Lord of the Carrion Reavers replied without hesitation. Heâd seen that guy take down Ragnar in a way that was downright eerie. Something about him felt more dangerous than Bloodveil.
âThen letâs do this!â the Overmind Queen shouted.
With that, the battlefield exploded into chaos.
The Xenobeasts, already itching for a fight, charged in like wild animals let off their chains. Hulking Carrion Reavers thundered forward, mixed with the grotesque, bloodthirsty parasitic monsters.
Shrieks and howls tore through the air, a chorus of madness.
Ethan saw the same thing Ragnar had beforeâenemies everywhere. No matter where he looked, it was all twisted faces and monstrous heads.
Slimy tentacles and razor-sharp claws lunged at him from every direction.
The stench hit him like a wallârot, blood, and bile swirling in the air.
âFilthy thingsâŠâ Ethan muttered, his eyes glowing red.
The power of the Domain of the Dead surged from him like a storm. The creatures that had just closed in were shredded instantly, not even managing a scream before they were reduced to dust.
The monsters were obliterated in a blink, leaving a sudden vacuum of silence around him.
Shattered bodies littered the ground, and a crimson mist drifted through the air. Under the blood-red moonlight, the scene looked almost otherworldlyâeerie and surreal.
Ethan stood in the middle of the carnage, his white shirt still spotless.
âThis guyâŠâ The Overmind Queen narrowed her eyes. She had to admit, this Zombie King wasnât ordinary. The lesser creatures couldnât even scratch himâthey were just wasting his energy at best.
âDie!â
She thrust her right arm forward. It swelled rapidly, transforming into a massive tentacle that whipped through the air like a giant serpent.
Wherever it passed, the ground cracked and collapsed, radiating a terrifying pressure.
To Ethan, it looked like a freight train barreling straight at him.
But he didnât flinch. He raised his fist and met it head-on.
BOOOOM!
The impact was like two comets colliding, shaking the heavens. A shockwave blasted out in all directions.
Nearby cliffs trembled and cracked, rocks tumbling down in a landslide of dust and debris.
It felt like the world itself was breaking apart.
The Overmind Queen retracted her tentacle. She wasnât hurtâat least not seriously. The blow had been intense, but manageable.
âHuh⊠not as tough as I thought.â
She muttered to herself, starting to think this guy might just be sneakyâgood at ambushes, but not so great in a straight-up fight.
Of course, Ethan was holding back. He hadnât even started to go all out. He had his own plans.
If he just killed both Xenobeast leaders outright, wouldnât that make him Bloodveilâs errand boy? That wasnât happening.
Besides, Bloodveil was still full of energy. If Ethan took both SSS-grade crystal cores for himself, Bloodveil definitely wouldnât be cool with that. Itâd strain their so-called âalliance.â
So⊠better to let him burn some energy first. Let him take a few hits.
Right now, Bloodveil was deep in the thick of it. Waves of parasitic monsters were swarming him from all sides.
He lashed out with two blood-forged chains, tearing through the horde like a blender.
But then a massive shadow loomed over himâlike a mountain with claws.
The Lord of the Carrion Reavers had launched a sneak attack.
Bloodveil hadnât sensed him at all. The thing moved like a ghost, and by the time he noticed, it was already too late.
Caught off guard, he raised both hands in a panic. His mutated blood surged out, forming a shield just in time to block the incoming blow.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, Bloodveilâs blood shield shattered. His body was slammed into the ground, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the earth. The Lord of the Carrion Reavers staggered back from the recoil, his massive frame lurching as he glanced down at his clawâthin wisps of smoke curled up from where the corrosive blood had burned him.
But to him, it was nothing more than a splinterâannoying, but harmless. The damage healed almost instantly.
âHeh heh heh⊠Youâre dead meat today!â
The Lord of the Carrion Reavers sneered, convinced now that Bloodveil wasnât all that. Compared to the Zombie King in the white shirt, this guy was clearly weaker.
Bloodveil, whose strength lay in his mutated blood and control over it, wasnât built for brute force. He leapt out of the crater heâd been smashed into, just as another wave of parasitic monsters and Carrion Reavers surged toward him.
The Xenobeasts came in thick, a living wall of claws and fangs that blocked his view.
The Lord of the Carrion Reavers vanished into the chaos, slipping into stealth again. He planned to repeat the same trickâhit and run, over and over. A few more rounds of that, and Bloodveil would be done for.
âDamn it! Where the hell did he go?!â
Bloodveil growled, tearing through the lesser monsters while scanning the battlefield. But the Lord of the Carrion Reavers was built to hunt zombiesâhis stealth was practically undetectable to them.
Between the endless swarm and that sneaky bastard, Bloodveil was clearly outmatched.
âBoss! Weâve got your back!â
Just then, a chorus of guttural roars echoed from behind him.
Reinforcements had arrived.
Under the blood-red moon, a tide of shadows surged forwardâan army of zombies, snarling and shrieking as they charged. Some ran on all fours, others sprinted upright, their eyes glowing with hunger.
Elite zombies clung to sheer cliff faces, crawling like monstrous spiders, scaling the rocks with terrifying speed.
The Zombie Horde had arrived in full force, a black wave stretching across the hills. The air above them churned with killing intent, forming a dark cloud that loomed like a storm of demons.
âPerfect timing!â
Bloodveilâs tension melted away as he saw his undead brothers flood the battlefield.
The Xenobeast horde collided with the endless Zombie Horde, and the battlefield exploded into chaos. All across Razorback Ridge, the clash of monsters echoedâscreams, roars, and the sound of tearing flesh filled the air.
Under the blood moon, the night was destined for slaughter.
With his army at his back, Bloodveil stood tallâthis was his domain. His confidence surged, his presence swelling like a storm.
âEastreach has always been mine!â
He roared, and a crimson light burst from his body, shooting into the sky like a flare of blood-soaked fire.
At that exact moment, the Lord of the Carrion Reavers reappeared, lunging in for another sneak attack. His massive claw swept in from the side.
âCrimson Grasp!â
Bloodveil growled, and dark red blood erupted from his body, coalescing into a massive handâover thirty feet tall, matching the Lord of the Carrion Reavers in size.
The blood-forged hand lunged forward, aiming to seize the beast.
âWhat the hell is that?!â the Lord of the Carrion Reavers snarled, sensing the danger. He immediately aborted the attack and leapt back, narrowly dodging the grasping hand.
But just as he exhaled in relief, a gust of wind slammed into himâBloodveilâs giant hand had clenched into a fist and was already swinging down.
CRACK!
The Lord of the Carrion Reavers crossed his arms to block, and the impact rang out like a cannon blast.
He wasnât seriously hurt, but smoke hissed from his arms as the mutated blood ate through his flesh, exposing pale bone beneath.
ROAR!
The beast let out a furious howl and retreated fast, putting distance between them.
In the shadows, his glowing red eyes burned with fury and caution, locked on Bloodveil like a wounded predator sizing up its rival.
âLooks like⊠this guyâs not as weak as I thought. The Voidborn Undying⊠none of them are easy killsâŠâ
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