Chapter 860: The Zombie Lords
Shane then listened to Cloudâs suggestion to deal with the two Zombie LordsâŠ
âAlright⊠Go ahead with the plan, CloudâŠâ Shane immediately said as he knew that the situation was escalating beyond human limits.
[ Situation critical. Deploying AEGIS Units⊠]
âI guess itâs about time.â Shane muttered as he agreed to Cloud to deal with this matter with brute force⊠Their Mech Frames had a decent power source and equipment upgrades already.
Because of that, he didnât hesitate anymore. They would save a lot of munitions with thisâŠ
Far above the battlefield, the stealth shroud of the Floating Fortress began to peel away.
Soon, it started revealing massive hangar bays lined with Mech Frames suspended by mag-rails.
âAEGIS Squadronâlaunch.â
The magnetic clamps released!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
One by one, six Juggernaut Frames and four Vanguard Frames dropped from the fortress⊠Boosters igniting mid-air as they descended like blazing comets through the skyâŠ
They werenât capable of sustained flight, but they had enough thrusters to help them descend without issues.
Soon, the eastern plains trembled as ten large Mech Frames landed in formation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shane took a deep breath as he checked the information about the squad he had sent out.
[ Second Aegis Squadron Deployed ]
[ Squad Leader: Ace Pilot Xyrille (Juggernaut-041) ]
[ Fire Support Lead: Ace Pilot Garren (Vanguard-041) ]
The dust settled, revealing metal behemoths standing shoulder to shoulder.
Taylor and Earl looked up just as the Juggernauts stomped forwardâŠ
âI guess weâre done hereâŠâ Taylor muttered.
She liked the idea of retreating for now since this Red Night Event would last for 1 day. She didnât want to reveal all her hidden cards just yet.
It was the same for EarlâŠ
Although they have Spirit Stones to recover their Spirit Energy, it doesnât recover their fatigue or physical exhaustionâŠ
âJuggernaut Team, lock targets Zombie Lord Lithe and BellâŠâ Xyrille commanded through the comms. She had been waiting for this, and she was excited to deal with these Zombie Lors!
âVanguard, prepare long-range payloads. Prioritize Bellâs emergence zone.â Garren saidâŠ
The upgraded AEGIS-01 âJuggernautâ units were monstrous, each standing five meters tall, and they had stronger shields that were now capable of regenerating minor structural damage in real time.
Their rotary cannons had been replaced with dual-purpose Plasma Gatlings, firing concentrated bursts of ionized energy that could vaporize standard Tyrant hides in seconds.
This technology did not come from Anima Store⊠Instead, it came from the underground facility where they also rescued the Hybrids like Arial. Nonetheless, most of the materials came from the store.
And when that wasnât enough, each forearm carried an Impact Rail Pile Bunker, redesigned to punch through even a Zombie Lordâs exoskeletal armor.
âJuggernaut Teamâformation Delta! Frontline push!â Xyrille shouted.
Six Juggernauts surged forward, with their boosters flaring blue.
Plasma rounds tore through the air, wiping out the charging Tyrant and other lower-tier Zombies..
Zombie Lord Lithe had already recovered and soon, its body moved⊠It charged forward, aiming to grasp one of the nearest mechsâŠ
But Xyrille slammed her shield down, activating her mechâs newest enhancement.
It was âAegis Pulse Field.â A burst of magnetic energy vaporized the warped hands of the Zombie Lord mid-air!
âNot this time, freak.â
She dashed forward, shield-first, and collided with Litheâs chest in a thunderous crash that sent shockwaves across the field.
Meanwhile, Bell, the four-armed abomination, was still emerging from the scorched earth and it was a terrifying figureâŠ
The Vanguard Team, led by Garren, was just on time when it finally emergedâŠ
The AEGIS-02 âVanguardâ units stayed at mid-rangeâŠ
Their artillery systems had been heavily upgraded, each now carried Twin Plasma Lances capable of continuous beam bombardment, while their missile pods could deploy self-guided âSpectre Warheadsâ programmed to detonate within enemy weak points.
âGarren to all Vanguards⊠Concentrate fire on the big one! Suppress the mutation growths before it stabilizes!â
âCopy that, Commander!â
Ten seconds later, the red sky ignitedâŠ
Dozens of plasma beams struck Zombie Lord Bellâs torso, melting chunks of bone armor, while hundreds more rounds rained from above, covering the whole area with explosions.
The Zombie Lord roared in agony, but even as its flesh was already being burned, it refused to fall. Its four arms slammed into the ground, channeling corruption through the soil.
Suddenly, spikes of black bone erupted outward, skewering one Vanguard through its leg!
âUnit-03 down! Damage at 64%. Stabilizing!â
âPull back and re-align!â Garren ordered⊠âActivating Scorched Earth Protocol! Get me a clear radius!â
He toggled a control mechanism within his cockpit and his Vanguardâs core gathered enough energyâŠ
âAll units, brace!â
Suddenly, his mech unleashed a controlled detonation of stored munitions, creating a shockwave that obliterated the bone spikes and blew a hole through Bellâs abdomen!
But Bell didnât die!
It screamed, and it was a terrifying one that shook everyone, even with their shields active!
âAacck!â
âThis monster!â
They felt as if their organs were shaken, and some of them even had nosebleeds or worse, coughed up blood! Still, they had prepared several potions within the cockpit, and they were easily healed after that attack.
Zombie Lord Bell, however, pushed its limit and was weakened because of that counterattack. It was time to eliminate the Zombie.
But Zombie Lord Lithe rushed towards the Mechs!
Lithe roared, and its mangled body began to transform again!
Its flesh stretched and twisted like it was changing into another speciesâŠ
Then, its right arm bulged, the bones elongating and forming into a pile driver-like limb!
âDid it copy our Mechâs Rail Pile Bunker?!â
âJuggernauts, keep your spacing! Donât let it close the gap!â Xyrille shouted as she just knew what to doâŠ
The Zombie Lord then slammed its newly formed arm into the earth. The impact sent a shockwave through the terrain, probably to break their balance!
One Juggernaut staggered, but its thruster stabilizers activated instantly, anchoring it in place.
âCircle formation! Keep the pressure up! We will kill this thing!â
Six Juggernauts shifted formation as they began rotating around Lithe!
Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!
Concentrated plasma streams tore into Litheâs body, vaporizing chunks of its flesh.
âFinish it!â