"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" us kept cursing as the Zombie Kings began gaining the upper hand in the battle. His killing speed had dropped considerably, so much so that the Void Piercing Needle was now doing most of the killing for him.


    He still hadn''t leveled up yet, and the fatigue weighed heavily on him, making it harder to keep swinging his sword. The retreat was an option, but it would feel like giving up, and us''s pride—or maybe his ego—wouldn''t allow that.


    "After this battle, I''m going on vacation. Battles suck," us muttered, forcing a smile despite the chaos around him.


    "Brat, you should focus on staying alive before thinking aboutdies," The senior said in a mocking tone.


    "Fuck, Senior! Are you reading my mind or something?" us cursed again, annoyed but somehow relieved by the familiar voice.


    "Tsk, who needs to read your mind to know what you''re thinking?" The senior''s tone dripped with sarcasm, but us couldn''t help but smile. That little bit of banter gave him the energy to behead two Zombies in quick session.


    "Senior, you wouldn''t happen to have anything that could help me hold on until reinforcements arrive, would you?" us asked, half-joking, though his desperation was real.


    "Well, I do, but you''d be dead before you could use it," the senior replied, making us frown.


    "Great, just great," us muttered under his breath. His arms felt heavier with each swing, but he wasn''t about to quit. The senior was right about one thing: he needed to focus on surviving first.


    Despite his bravado, us knew he was running out of time. His Star Qi reserves were nearly depleted, and every move felt like a monumental effort. Yet, in the back of his mind, the thought of the War Goddess on her waying kept fueling his resolve.


    For now, all he could do was fight, curse, and try to stay alive.


    BOOM!!!


    Suddenly, the seven pirs trembled, and us sensed a surge of overwhelming power from the seven Zombies hovering above them. His heart sank, especially as his gaze fell on the pir where the Zombie Lady stood. A swirling, chaotic red energy surrounded her, pulsing with a deadly intensity.


    "Senior, what''s happening?" us asked, feeling the creeping edge of mortal danger.


    "They''ve entered the final phase of the ritual," the senior''s voice echoed in his mind. "In ten minutes, it''ll be toote to stop it."


    "Fuck!" us cursed, his mind racing. "That means in ten minutes, seven abominations will be born, and I don''t have what it takes to stop them. Fuck!"


    He could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on him. The Zombies'' transformations were nearingpletion, and when they finished, they wouldn''t be the same grotesque creatures he had been fighting. They''d be something far worse, something he had no power to defeat in his current state.


    us clenched his fists, trying to think of a n, but nothing came. Time was running out, and his energy was dangerously low. He was already pushing his limits just keeping the endless waves of regr Zombies at bay. The thought of facing seven fully transformed monsters made his stomach churn.


    "Do I even have ten minutes left in me?" us muttered bitterly. His eyes scanned the battlefield. The Zombies were relentless, and though he was still cutting them down, it was like trying to hold back the tide with a sword.


    "Senior, isn''t there anything I can do to disrupt the ritual?" us asked, desperation leaking into his voice.


    "There''s nothing you can do to stop it alone, kid," the senior replied bluntly. "Your best shot is to survive long enough for the reinforcements to get here, but even that might not be enough."


    us swallowed hard, knowing that his options were limited. Retreating was starting to sound more reasonable, but his pride kept him rooted in ce. He''d never run before, and he wasn''t about to start now, even if it meant facing the impossible.


    His mind raced. He had ten minutes, maybe less. If the ritual seeded, it would unleash seven creatures more powerful than anything he had ever faced. It wasn''t just his life on the line—it was the lives of the reinforcementing.


    us gritted his teeth, his exhaustion mounting with every swing of his sword. He had already fought for what felt like an eternity, but the Zombie hordes were stilling. Worse, the ritual inside the force field was nearingpletion, and he could feel the power of the Zombie Kings intensifying with each passing moment.


    "Damn it," he growled, slicing through another wave of the undead. His body was on the edge of copse, but he refused to back down. "If I can''t stop them, I''ll at least make sure they don''t take me down without a fight."


    us muttered a few words under his breath, and suddenly, his dull, tired eyes ignited into a vibrant crimson hue. At the same time, the sky overhead darkened briefly before the entire area was bathed in a deep red glow. The oppressive energy seemed to pulse around him, charging the air with tension.


    "Brat, what are you doing?" The senior''s voice rang out sharply in his mind.


    "You know," us said, his voice strained but determined, "I''m not sure this force field has any defenses against soul attacks. So why not take out the big guns first?"


    He nced at the fire dragon that was still fighting at his side, breathing torrents of me onto the Zombie Kings, who were relentless in their attacks. It had been a good distraction so far, keeping some of the stronger Zombies upied while us handled the rest.


    "But you don''t have enough Star Qi left to use the Eye of Despair," the senior warned. "At best, you can only use it once, and that means you can only target one of them for maximum effect."


    us knew the senior was right. The Eye of Despair was a powerful technique, capable of devastating even the strongest opponents, but it drained an enormous amount of energy. In his current state, he barely had enough left to pull it off once. He''d have to make that one-shot count.


    "Then I''ll make sure I hit the right target," us muttered, his eyes locking onto the Zombie Lady. She was the center of the ritual, her red chaotic energy swirling around her with terrifying intensity. If he could take her out, it might just buy him enough time.


    The battlefield around him was still chaos, with Zombies attacking from every direction. us continued cutting them down, though his movements were bing slower with each strike. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, but he couldn''t stop now. Not when the ritual was so close topletion.


    He focused his gaze on the Zombie Lady atop the pir, her surprisingly beautiful yet grotesque form radiating with dark energy. "I only get one shot at this," us muttered, tightening his grip on his sword.


    Summoning everyst ounce of his strength, us prepared to unleash the Eye of Despair. If he could disrupt the ritual by taking out the Lady, it might prevent the abominations from being born—or at least weaken them enough for the reinforcements to stand a chance.


    "Here goes nothing," he muttered. Up in the air, the Eye of Despair snapped open and a beam of Red Light shot out aimed at the Zombie Lady.


    BOOM!!!