Chapter 78: The Final Stand

Hiding in the rearmost camp, Chen Yong watched impatiently as a lone figure stood atop the city wall.

He couldn’t understand why Yenir hadn’t left yet.

If his aim was truly to kill the final mutant, why call the soldiers so early?

At this point, if the troops dispersed amid a tide of corpses, even Yenir—armed with Third-Stage power—might not be able to take down that monster.

“Bro, why don’t we get moving?”

“That guy looks really odd. If he can’t take down the Third-Stage mutant, are we just going to wait here to die?!”

Her face turned pale.

Chen Yao kept urging her brother; she wasn’t about to meet a gruesome end here. Besides, Yenir’s unpredictable status and actions left her uneasy.

The challenge had escalated beyond what the two of them could handle.

Especially since previous records showed no Third-Stage ever confronting the final mutant head-on. No one truly knew how powerful that beast was.

In her ignorance, she even suspected that perhaps the final Third-Stage was too formidable—so much so that the Military Department’s higher-ups refused to take the risk and avoided entering the Ruins Battlefield.

“Should we leave…”

A conflicted expression crossed his face.

Chen Yong eyed the soldiers already battling zombies, his heart filled with doubt.

Leaving now would logically be the wisest choice.

But if they left now, he’d essentially be abandoning Yenir. After all, they were a team—running off in the heat of battle would scream distrust.

“Why fight zombies…why help these soldiers?”

He was utterly puzzled.

In his eyes, Yenir’s actions made no sense. If the goal was truly to kill that mutant, shouldn’t he be conserving energy?

Besides, these soldiers could keep coming back—why waste effort on them?

Before arriving, the Military Department’s top brass had made it clear that these soldiers were merely expendable.

With a sigh, Chen Yong gathered his resolve after a brief inner struggle.

“Wait… just a little bit longer!”

“A ten-second break is enough! If he really can’t hold them off, we can run. After all, hiding in the back for ten seconds carries only minimal risk!”

“Little Sister, tone it down. If he’s really a mid-level Third-Stage, your brother still needs to keep good terms with him!”

“Even if we don’t get along, if you anger him, no one will notice if we die here!”

“Tch…”

He let out a cold snort.

Chen Yao gave her brother a dismissive look, finding him excessively loquacious.

“He’s still the same, isn’t he?”

“And besides, with Grandfather around, if he even dares to attack us, the entire North China Battle Zone won’t forgive him!”

“Sigh…”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Chen Yong watched Little Sister’s defiant expression, feeling a headache coming on.

Although Chen Yao wasn’t inherently mean, being pampered since childhood had left her with a flawed temperament. Unaware of the apocalypse’s brutal realities, she had no idea how cruel this world could be… with her attitude and stubbornness, if not for her status, she’d have been thrown to the wolves long ago.

Beautiful yet lacking any respect for the unknown, she was doomed to perish all too quickly in this apocalypse.

“Boom!!”

“Boom!! Boom!!”

From afar came a deafening crash as a heavy object landed.

“It’s here!”

His heart tightened. Chen Yong instantly looked up, his eyes locked on the approaching mutant.

On the distant horizon, a colossal mutant—about seventeen or eighteen meters tall, its form resembling six gigantic hammers fused together—strode toward them.

Like a starfish with many legs, its enormous feet sprouted from a flattened body. Each step carved out a massive crater.

The ground trembled.

Merely looking at its colossal proportions made Chen Yong’s skin crawl.

Its immense size spoke of an impenetrable defense. This creature was nearly impossible to kill…

Towering over the city wall, attacking its weak point would likely cost countless lives before an opening could be found.

On the other side, Chen Yao—who had just been bantering—fell silent as she watched the monster charge.

What a terrifying creature…

To her, Yenir—still fighting atop the wall—appeared as insignificant as an ant, yet he was standing his ground against the horror.

…….

“Third-Stage… low-level.”

“But it appears to be a siege-type mutant.”

Gazing at the Third-Stage Mutant that dominated his view, Yenir’s eyes turned grave.

His only available skill was Dimensional Slash.

Having never truly witnessed the might of Dimensional Slash, his calm was all feigned.

Though merely a low-level Third-Stage, this siege-type mutant was no less challenging than a mid-level one.

It might not have any special powers and was low on intelligence,

but its massive frame and terrifying destructive power could demoralize any ordinary Third-Stage.

A full-powered axe strike wouldn’t shatter its exterior. To kill a mutant with such resilience, one would either need to focus attacks on its legs to halt its movement and slowly wear it down, or risk a daring charge at its weak spot to target the brain directly.

“Phew…”

He kept regulating his breathing.

Without having activated Dimensional Slash yet, Yenir focused on closing the distance as quickly as possible, aiming for a one-hit kill!

Otherwise, using Dimensional Slash without being close enough would be like handing over his life.

70 meters…

59 meters…

40 meters…

On the city wall, soldiers, endlessly respawning, continued to fight valiantly. Even as the gigantic mutant drew closer, none of them showed fear.

Driven only by unwavering belief, fighting to the very end was all they could think about.

Closer…

Even closer…

Two seconds later, a gigantic shadow was cast over the wall. Yenir gripped his dual swords tightly, a determined glint in his eyes.

Beneath the monster’s crushing weight, the earth itself seemed to cry out in pain.

Their eyes locked.

As if driven by a premonition, the giant red eyes—arranged like portholes across the creature’s head—fixed on him.

The enormous size difference created a stark contrast.

“Hoo!!”

The wind roared!

In the instant the gap closed, the giant mutant suddenly lifted one of its steel-like legs and smashed it down!

It’s now…

Now!

Dimensional Slash!

“Buzz—”

Accompanied by a sudden, ripping sound of space, a bottomless, all-consuming black line suddenly appeared before Yenir.