The Mountain Zombie knelt down, one massive hand clutching its own throat. Its other hand stretched outward, desperately reaching for the hilt of the golden sword.
Its flesh burned and charred under the presence of powerful light magic—the natural nemesis of the undead.
"EAAAAAAA!"
It roared, the sound shattering the eardrums of the mages present. The earth shook violently as cracks tore through space itself, black lightning dancing wildly around the undead monarch.
Yao Ting, suspended midair, squinted as he stared at the Mountain Zombie's bleeding throat. A black, unholy radiance leaked out—faint, but unmistakable. It was the undead crystal, the core of its existence and its greatest weakness.
"It's the throat! Its throat is the weak point!" Yao Ting yelled. "The undead crystal is located in the throat!"
"What?" Zhu Meng, Han Ji, Damon—everyone present was shocked.
Undead crystals were the core of undead beings. Destroy it, and the undead would perish completely. Otherwise, they would continue to revive endlessly.
The moment Yao Ting spoke, Damon didn't hesitate for even a second. Abandoning all plans for coordination, he shot forward. His speed was equivalent to a Monarch's—like an arrow released from a bow. He sprinted toward the nearest Flesh Mound Commander, a grotesque undead whose body was as large as a small mountain, intending to use it as a stepping stone.
His foot planted firmly on the undead commander's body as he launched himself forward with all his strength.
Boom!
The hill-sized commander exploded upon impact. Damon's body, now clad in black armor, soared upward, reaching above the clouds in a single second—his trajectory aimed directly at the Mountain Zombie's throat.
Sensing the incoming threat, the Mountain Zombie instinctively stretched out its remaining arm, swatting toward Damon as if crushing a fly.
Space collapsed as the lightning-clad giant hand descended.
"Imperial Flames!" Damon roared.
Blue flames enveloped his figure instantly. His hands, coated in soul-grade fire, shot forward to meet the massive palm head-on.
BOOM!
A shockwave unlike any before erupted. Space warped and collapsed, and undead hundreds of meters away were obliterated by the collision of the two colossal forces.
"Agh!"
The giant hand slowed—but did not stop. It slammed Damon straight into the ground.
Boom!
In a direct contest of strength, Damon lost.
Despite his immense physical growth, the colossal beast still held an overwhelming advantage in sheer size and mass. A massive crater—hundreds of meters in diameter—formed at the impact site. At its center lay Damon.
Bloodied.
His arm was gone—completely obliterated. Blood poured from his ruptured shoulder.
"Fuck…" Damon cursed as searing pain unlike anything he had ever felt tore through him.
Before his eyes, the destroyed arm began to regrow.
Bones.
Muscles.
Nerves.
Blood vessels.
Fascia.
Skin.
In the span of mere seconds, his arm reformed—whole, new, and unharmed.
Super Regeneration.
A skill he had once obtained from a troll, it had saved his life countless times. But this was by far the most intense usage of it yet.
In theory, as long as his soul remained unharmed and even a tiny fragment of his body existed, Damon could fully regenerate—even if his head were severed or his body completely crushed.
It had always been theory.
Until now.
Damon had faced many powerful enemies, but he had never truly pushed this ability to its absolute limit. After all, he wasn't a masochist who enjoyed pain.
As his arm finished reforming, Damon looked up. The Mountain Zombie stared down at him coldly. Its massive leg rose high into the air, ready to stomp down and end the nuisance once and for all.
"Cry of the Snow Mistress: Icy Rain of the Sorrowful World!"
President Han Ji's voice rang out as he completed the casting of a third-tier Super Ice Spell, protected by the other experts.
In the sky, icy clouds converged, forming the magnificent figure of a sacred goddess. Her sorrowful tears transformed into the most terrifying snowstorm seen in a hundred years.
The air froze.
The land froze.
All living things froze.
The icy rain poured down, blanketing the Mountain Zombie. A thick layer of ice rapidly formed across its body.
Snow piled up like mountains. The savage undead monarch was suppressed, its movements growing slower and stiffer as the ice spread further.
The clouds froze.
The air froze.
The ground froze.
The towering Mountain Zombie froze as well.
Its raised leg halted mid-step, frozen directly above Damon's head.
"Under the throat—destroy its undead crystal!" Han Ji commanded.
Two enormous swords of light appeared in the sky.
The mysterious man and Du Xiao unleashed Super Light Spells simultaneously. The colossal light swords descended from above.
Zhu Meng didn't hesitate. Though his energy was nearly depleted, he hurled his lightning spear with everything he had. It shone brilliantly as it followed right behind Mo Fan's black crescent.
Wang Kai.
Ling Xi.
Yao Ting.
Lu Huan.
Every Super Tier Mage present unleashed their most destructive spells at once.
They had come to escort the squad to the Dark Abyss, but now that the Mountain Zombie's weakness was revealed—and they had both the means and opportunity—none of them hesitated.
They followed Damon.
Silver wings unfurled behind him as Damon shot out of the stomp's range at full speed. The frozen leg trembled violently—the ice spell was nearing its limit.
Black Tsunami struck one leg.
Wing slashes tore toward the monster's neck.
Swords of light followed in relentless succession.
Everyone poured out everything they had, aiming to kill the Mountain Zombie in a single decisive strike.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Attack after attack landed.
Chunks of flesh rained down from the sky.
Crimson blood, tainted with darkness, poured like rain.
Super-tier spells hammered the undead monarch without pause.
Inside the city walls, mages and civilians alike held their breath, praying—for victory, for survival, for humanity.
Damon flew upward along the monster's leg.
Blue flames once again engulfed his body as he raised both hands high.
"It's over!" he declared.
Imperial flames erupted violently. A Fire Element Star Palace formed instantly.
A Super Tier spell was unleashed—but it wasn't Flame Prison Gates.
A pillar of blue fire shot forward, condensing into a gigantic spear of flames.
Damon poured every last drop of his Super Tier magical energy into that single spear.
Like a god of fire encased in blue flames, he surged forward—
And drove the spear straight through the Mountain Zombie's throat, piercing the undead crystal in a single, decisive strike.
Boom!
***
A/N:
Okay, this was the most difficult chapter for me to write till date. It was a high-level fight—Damon vs the Mountain Zombie.
Honestly, various ideas were blooming in my mind. Going for a simple way to kill the Mountain Zombie by using Devour was one option.
But honestly, Devour may be strong, yet against a creature that can destroy a small dimension with physical strength alone, it wouldn't make any sense.
Having Damon fight the Mountain Zombie alone and glorify him?
Honestly, no. See, the Mountain Zombie is the peak of Monarch Realm monsters. Damon, though he has a lot of options and powers, it's unrealistic to think he could kill the Mountain Zombie with just that. Devil Mo Fan, with power equivalent to a Supreme Monarch, wasn't able to secure a clear victory against the Mountain Zombie, so I can't logically have Damon combat it with lower strength.
So I wrote this chapter keeping all of that in mind. I hope you all like it.
***