The dense, continuous growls of the horde merged into a deafening roar that swept across the plains like a violent ocean wave.
The ultimate showdown of the forty-nine-day cataclysm, a trial that would stretch over seven continuous days and nights, officially raised its curtain.
Across the infinite wilderness, blood-red light and thick black smoke intermingled, framing the howling masses of the undead in a haunting picture of absolute desperation.
Redstone Technology City stood like an isolated lighthouse trapped in a raging storm, waiting for the final onslaught of the tempest.
One, two, three... thousands, tens of thousands of zombies materialized out of the crimson fog, emerging from the earth beneath the blood moon.
Grotesque visages, glowing red eyes, and the distinct purple shimmer of enchanted armor painted an eerie, suffocating atmosphere across the landscape.
These zombies... had reached their final evolutionary stage.
At this point, they could no longer be classified as simple monsters; they were a vast, organized legion. Throughout the coming seven days, they would launch an unbroken, relentless assault.
The horde that arrived with the seventh blood moon differed vastly from the previous six waves.
The psychological pressure they projected alone far surpassed anything the defenders had previously faced. The sheer weight of their presence felt almost physical.
A bone-chilling cold settled over the hearts of the garrison as the swarm expanded. Cold sweat soaked the backs of the troops lining the parapets.
Yet, despite the horror before them, not a single soldier allowed their hands to tremble upon their weapons.
Even the Millelith recruits who had arrived only hours prior, lacking the extensive battlefield exposure of the veteran divisions, did not take a single step back.
The growls echoing from the dark fog grew increasingly dense as the front ranks surged forward, charging toward the sole bastion of living souls in this realm.
The leading zombie was locked firmly within the crosshairs of Ryen's sniper rifle.
"This is the final blood moon," Ryen murmured softly, his tone relaxed on the surface while his mind rapidly audited the metrics of the approaching swarm.
"Their defense and attack values are currently unknown, but their movement speed and jumping distance have increased yet again. Judging purely by eye, their physical attributes are at least on par with troops under the effect of a Level II Speed and Leaping Potion."
Hearing Ryen's assessment, the hearts of the leadership sank.
"Are you certain?" Morax asked, pressing his fingers to his temples to soothe a rising headache.
Ryen paused briefly before answering in a low, measured voice. "If anything, that estimate is conservative."
"These entities represent the most troublesome opponents we have encountered since entering this universe."
Venti offered a helpless shrug, his expression turning wry. "An army equivalent to soldiers under Level II potions... able to mine blocks, immune to sunlight, attacking continuously for seven days, with daily numbers exceeding a hundred thousand."
"You could comfortably say that outside of the Archon War, this is the most grueling conflict any of us has ever faced."
Ryen let out a dry, amused laugh. "I admire your ability to keep cracking jokes at a time like this."
"It's called finding humor in adversity," Venti smiled softly. "Besides..."
"The enemy may be formidable, but we are no longer who we used to be."
"...Fair point."
Ryen pulled the trigger, cleanly eliminating the lead zombie as it breached the outer perimeter.
With that single gunshot, the entire defensive network of Redstone Technology City erupted.
A dense curtain of lead poured onto the plains without a moment's hesitation. There was no need for precise marksmanship; given the sheer density of the horde, any shot fired was guaranteed to hit a target.
Like wheat before a scythe, row after row of zombies collapsed into black smoke under the sweeping fire.
Yet the sheer volume of the swarm meant that suppressing them with small arms alone could barely scratch their total numbers. Furthermore, high-tier units clad in top-grade enchanted armor easily absorbed individual rounds without breaking stride.
Frags of the frontline managed to slip through the hail of bullets, pressing directly against the base of the outer wall.
"Activate the lava moat!" Morax issued a calm command over the channel.
Redstone mechanisms along the battlements engaged simultaneously. Long, specialized dispenser arrays mounted around the entire perimeter opened, pouring a thick curtain of scorching, crimson lava down the face of the obsidian walls.
The liquid fire cascaded downward, enveloping the base of the fortress. The leading zombies attempting to mine the wall were instantly swallowed by the molten tide.
Zombies, regardless of their evolution, remained vulnerable to fire damage.
In an instant, the pressure along the outer wall dropped drastically. Beneath the lava, the horde's forward momentum ground to a complete halt.
Yet Morax and the senior command harbored no illusion of an easy victory.
"Keep a tight watch on the inner sectors," Morax instructed calmly. "Watch for subterranean tunneling or airborne block stacking."
He gazed down at the horde trapped beyond the lava moat, a quiet sigh escaping his lips.
During previous blood moon cycles, engaging the lava moat effectively signaled a temporary victory along the main perimeter. The zombies, unable to cross liquid fire, could only pace helplessly along the edge. The defenders merely needed to watch for isolated tunneling attempts or sky-bridges, wait out the night, and let the morning sun sweep the field clean.
That strategy was useless now.
These entities no longer burned under daylight. Trapping them in place without actively reducing their numbers would only allow the swarm to accumulate day after day.
If left unchecked, by the end of the seven-day trial... over a million hyper-evolved zombies would gather around the city, creating an unmanageable crisis.
"We must systematically reduce their numbers right now," Morax declared without hesitation, adjusting his communications channel.
"Engage the redstone artillery. Target high-density clusters with RPG fire."
"Execute a controlled, continuous clearance of the horde."
"Dragon Knights, take to the air and monitor the bomb craters. Track how many units drop into the trenches and begin mining toward the city. I need a precise estimate."
"Snipers, prioritize high-tier armored targets. The Mage Legions are cleared for free fire."
"Execute!"
Following Morax's disciplined orders, dragons spread their wings, soaring into the night sky.
Redstone cannons mounted along the high walls roared to life, while heavy infantry armed with rocket launchers aligned their sights, coordinating with the artillery to rain explosive payloads onto the thickest concentrations of the undead.
The quiet night, which had initially been broken by the snarling of the horde and suppressed by heavy gunfire, was now completely consumed by the thunder of continuous detonations.
Blazing explosions merged into a brilliant tapestry of fire that easily outshone the dozens of beacons mounted atop the city spire.
With the redstone artillery online and the bombardment sequence engaged, thousands of zombies were obliterated every minute. Out of the initial wave of over a hundred thousand entities, nearly thirty thousand were erased in short order.
The tactical result was undeniable, but it came at the cost of rapidly depleting their TNT and explosive stockpiles.
Dragon Knights swept across the airspace, their vision enhanced by Night Vision Potions as they monitored the deep craters carved by the heavy shells.
Just as Morax had anticipated, many zombies survived the initial blasts by falling into the deep craters, where they immediately began mining subterranean tunnels toward the city foundations. Some entities even leaped into the trenches intentionally to begin digging.
"Reduce the cadence of the main artillery," Morax instructed upon receiving the flight reports. "Dragon Knights, initiate manual TNT bombing runs!"
"Clear the trenches."
A squad of Dragon Knights immediately executed a low-altitude dive, dropping heavy explosive charges directly into the craters. Another squad swept low over the advancing ground wave, unleashing dragon breath to prevent fresh units from entering the trenches.
Barely half an hour had passed since the battle began, yet the conflict had already reached a white-hot intensity.
"Lord Rex Lapis, a significant volume of zombies has dug beyond our line of sight into the lower strata!" Dashi reported hurriedly over the comms.
Morax's brows knit together slightly, his voice remaining firm. "Maintain your flight pattern and attack cadence. The subterranean layers directly beneath Redstone Technology City are saturated with lava pockets; they will not breach the core so easily."
Dashi offered no verbal reply, as he was fully occupied maneuvering his dragon through the night sky, coordinating with his squad to lay down suppressive fire.
The gunfire from the battlements eased slightly to prevent friendly fire against the low-flying Dragon Knights.
For the moment, the defense operated with structured efficiency. The primary risk rested on the Dragon Knights, as rare zombie variants carried enchanted bows capable of hitting aerial targets.
Fortunately, the Dragon Knights were elite veterans who had spent months perfecting their aerial coordination. They maneuvered their dragon mounts deftly, dodging incoming arrows while sustaining suppressive fire from above.
Morax evaluated the estimated number of subterranean breaches, pausing briefly before issuing a new command:
"Disengage the lava moat. Allow the ground wave to approach the base of the wall, then sweep them with concentrated small-arms fire."
Redstone mechanisms along the high parapets clicked in unison, and the cascading curtain of lava gradually ceased its flow.
With the molten barrier removed, the horde surged toward the obsidian walls once more.
Yet the heavy infantry along the battlements was fully prepared. A storm of lead swept the base of the wall, obliterating the vanguard before a single entity could strike stone.
Morax observed the sector for a few moments, confirming that the defensive line had stabilized before letting out a quiet breath.
"Maintain this rotation: alternate between small-arms suppression and lava moat activation whenever clusters press too close."
"Coordinate with TNT artillery strikes during moat phases."
Turning toward Xiao and the Adepti, Morax spoke softly. "The wall defenses will hold through tomorrow morning. If everything proceeds according to plan, the remaining surface numbers should be manageable by sunrise."
"At that point, lead your elite vanguard into the field to clear the remaining stragglers."
"Ensure the current day's wave is completely eliminated before noon, leaving the afternoon window open to inspect and repair our outer defenses."
"Additionally, enforce strict sleep rotations for off-duty personnel."
Xiao offered a firm, solemn nod.
Venti, seeing that the ground assault had been temporarily contained, lowered his bow and stretched his arms. "Old man, why don't we simply maintain continuous fire from the walls until every last monster is wiped out?"
Morax cast a quiet glance at the bard, his tone entirely flat. "Do you believe our ammunition reserves are infinite?"
"We are fighting a seven-day war, not a single-night skirmish."
"Our explosive reserves must be rationed to sustain a continuous output across all seven days."
"Had today been the final night of the trial, we could easily afford to maintain max-rate saturation bombardment until the end."
Morax's delivery was completely calm, devoid of any harshness, yet Venti scratched his cheek awkwardly. Being lectured with such dry, indisputable logic made him feel remarkably foolish, a sentiment mirrored by the exasperated looks Diluc and the others directed his way.
Choosing to drop the subject, Venti resumed his watch, while Morax returned to auditing their logistical figures.
Assuming the intensity of the assault remained at this baseline, sustaining the defense for seven days was entirely achievable.
The true wildcard lay elsewhere.
"Lord Rex Lapis! Mr. Ryen! We have a breach inside the city!" Fengyan's urgent voice suddenly burst through the communication channel.
"Residential Sector Three! Over a thousand zombies have mined through the surface from below!"