Chapter 176: Countdown of Desperation

Twelve minutes!

At most twelve minutes!

Next to the commander, several adviser-like Awakeners quickly assessed the losses on both sides, their faces pale with dread.

“Without a proper city wall defense, the Lower Awakeners will perish quickly! We can only rely on the High Awakeners to drag the monster horde away and buy us time!”

“And that time doesn’t even account for when the Fourth-Stage strikes!”

“If it attacks as well…”

They dared not continue.

Everyone recalled the terrifying scene from minutes ago, their hearts heavy with sorrow.

The last of the manpower and materials in the Huaxia Battle Zone had been poured into fortifying a defense that could withstand any Third-Stage assault. Yet the six-layer-thick barrage crumbled completely at the mere wave of an energy shock, as if pierced through.

And the enemy launched that attack from several kilometers away—they had no time to react!

Under that simple energy surge, over forty thousand soldiers were buried under the rubble, including eleven Peak Third-Stage fighters and one High Third-Stage warrior!

But with the monster’s follow-up strike, there was no time to resist before they were instantaneously vaporized!

If that Fourth-Stage mutant strikes again…

No…

Even if it merely approaches the other defensive line, using only its brute strength.

That colossal, kilometer-high beast, embodying pure terror, could shatter all hope in a single moment!

“Where are the commanders?!”

“What about the Peak Third-Stage fighters?!”

“We must stop that Fourth-Stage at all costs! We can’t let it strike again!!”

Their eyes nearly burst from distress.

Gazing at the battlefield turned into a grinding mill of flesh and blood, several high-ranking commanders prepared to jump into battle. Command was now meaningless—the fight was about whether they could hold off that Fourth-Stage. If they succeeded, there was still hope. If not, it would mean national doom.

“They’re already in position!”

“Three commanders and four Peak Third-Stage fighters have stealthily infiltrated the battlefield’s edge!”

“I believe the seven Peak Third-Stage warriors can stop that monster!”

………

At the edge of the battlefield.

Within the mental barrier created by the leading Peak Third-Stage fighter, the seven top Awakeners of the Huaxia Battle Zone raced low to the ground, accelerating frantically.

Shielded by their psychic barrier, they moved like ghosts, silently weaving through the swarm of corpses overhead.

Gazing at the towering mutant in the distance, each gripped their weapon tightly, determination etched on their faces.

“Everyone, we have only one chance to act!”

“If we can seriously injure or even kill that Fourth-Stage, there’s still hope to return and stop the monster horde!”

“If we fail…”

The tone was laced with bitterness.

One of the three leading commanders fell silent.

If they failed, the military’s only option would be to detonate every nuclear bomb, allowing the remaining Third-Stage fighters and a few survivors to escape the Safe Zone, leaving behind one final spark. But everyone knew that would mean the end of the nation.

“Hasn’t Yenir awakened?”

“Is he really still unable to fight?!”

“Fourth-Stage! If he joins us, our hope will be at its highest!!”

A voice couldn’t hold back the question.

A Peak Third-Stage fighter instinctively glanced back at the continuously exploding defenses, his heart aching as if in slow torment.

He wasn’t afraid of death, yet he had no confidence at all!

“Yenir…”

The leading Peak Third-Stage fighter managed a bitter smile before shaking his head in hesitation.

“He’s only just awoken; his power may not yet be fully under control.”

“If we rush him into action and something goes wrong, we’ll lose any chance of turning the tide.”

“We must buy time—even if it costs our lives—to glean vital information on the monster’s strength. That might be the key for him to reverse our fate!”

“I believe once he’s fully recovered, he will emerge to stop this disaster!”

A heavy silence fell over them, filled with deep regret.

They all knew why Yenir had lapsed into unconsciousness after his breakthrough, and what disastrous consequences had brought them here.

“It’s all our fault!”

“If we had prioritized his training with our final reserves, we wouldn’t be in this situation!”

“Even if we had discovered him two years earlier, perhaps we wouldn’t have had to sacrifice the other battle zones!”

Their eyes burned red with regret.

They had lost count of how many times they cursed their poor judgment.

A heavy silence pervaded.

There’s no remedy for regret. No one imagined Yenir’s talent would be so terrifying, or that a world once brimming with hope could descend into endless disaster in merely two years.

Their only solace was that Yenir had managed to break through to Third-Stage on his own, catching their attention.

At least a glimmer of hope remained.

“Stop dwelling on that now!”

“We’re almost upon the monster! Prepare to strike!”

At these words, the seven Peak Third-Stage fighters nodded heavily, channeling every ounce of strength to launch their most powerful attack.

As they closed in rapidly, even though their psychic barrier should have masked any trace of their presence, they couldn’t help but hold their breath and fix their gaze on the Fourth-Stage mutant.

“Now!”

“Prepare to launch into the air and strike!”

Their target was the head of the Fourth-Stage.

Unlike other mutants with monstrous, inhuman features, this terrifying Fourth-Stage creature bizarrely retained a human form.

In an instant, bursts of dazzling light erupted violently, swirling into glowing orbs around the monster.

“Kill!!”

A roar exploded into the air!

Led by the foremost Peak Third-Stage fighter, they surged forward, covering the final distance with all their might. Those with transformation abilities morphed into streaks spanning a hundred meters, unleashing their full power!

It felt as though they were besieged from all sides.

The combined might of the seven warped space itself in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, soldiers on the defensive line—struggling against the monster horde—noticed the distant glow. Recognizing it as the signal of their most formidable commanders, the entire line erupted in ecstatic cheers.

But then, in the very next second…

The Fourth-Stage mutant, previously immobile and towering like a deity, suddenly moved.

“Bam bam bam!! Bam!!”

Its hand—large enough to blot out the sky—silently reached out toward the charging fighters.

As if crushing an insect, it snatched them effortlessly.

With a series of dull explosions…

A massive gush of fresh blood erupted like a fountain from the mutant’s fingertip.

Its enormous mouth gaped slightly.

An endless torrent of black energy burst out like a flood.

At that moment, three fighters with transformation abilities, each standing nearly a hundred meters tall, were instantly dissolved. Amid their agonized screams, they melted into a pool of blood.

In an instant, the once-rousing shouts of the warriors on the field fell silent, replaced by a dead, fearful stillness.

In just two seconds…

All seven of the once-mighty Peak Third-Stage warriors perished.

They didn’t even get a chance to strike.