Knox had barely finished explaining when a sudden explosion erupted somewhere in the distance, shattering the unnatural silence that had surrounded this part of Death Land.
BOOOOM!
The four members of Group 8 immediately tensed and shifted into combat-ready stances. Almost at the same time, a pillar of dark-red flames rose above the distant ruins, making it clearly visible even through the gloomy atmosphere covering the city.
"Huh? That... red flame?" Merida muttered as she stared toward it.
"Isn't that Dark Flare?!" Cindy immediately recognized the spell. "Then it must be Meilyn!"
"If that's the case, Group 7 must be the ones who fell into whatever is happening over there," Claudia concluded, her expression becoming serious.
Knox remained silent for a moment as he watched the dark-red flames burning above the distant buildings. Unlike the three girls beside him, however, he already had a fairly good idea of what was happening.
Looks like Simon's third Ancient Undead, the ruler of the zombies currently occupying Death Land, has finally started making his move.
One of the Ancient Undead that had once belonged to the 7th Legion and the current ruler of the countless zombies wandering throughout Death Land, Prince. With his ability to command an enormous number of zombies at once, this place could practically be considered a paradise made specifically for the former Captain of the Zombie Troops.
However, there was one major problem with Prince himself. Because of the crown he possessed, he was unable to freely use his original body and instead fought by possessing other zombies. Despite his considerable strength and authority over zombies, his childish personality and tendency to overestimate himself had always been among his greatest weaknesses.
And right now, it seemed that troublesome undead had chosen Group 7 as his target.
Knox immediately turned toward the three girls. "Let's go, everyone."
There was no hesitation in his voice, and none of the girls questioned the decision. Group 8 immediately rushed through the ruined streets in the direction of the Dark Flare, moving as quickly as they could while still keeping an eye on their surroundings.
It didn't take long before they reached the area where the flare had appeared, but the sight waiting for them there immediately explained the strange absence of zombies they had noticed earlier.
"Wow..." Cindy stared ahead with widened eyes.
"This... no wonder we haven't seen any zombies along the way," Claudia muttered.
Spread throughout the streets ahead of them was an enormous horde consisting of dozens upon dozens of zombies. They crowded between the ruined buildings and flooded across the streets, their sheer numbers making it seem as though all the undead that had mysteriously disappeared from the surrounding area had gathered in this one place.
"All the zombies we couldn't find..." Merida quietly observed. "They were here."
Knox, however, wasn't looking at the horde.
"Guys, look up."
Hearing him, Cindy, Claudia, and Merida immediately raised their heads. Four figures were sprinting at full speed across the rooftops, jumping from one ruined building to another as the massive horde surged through the streets below them.
If this were some kind of game, the sight of four people parkouring across rooftops almost made them look like assassins who should have hidden blades strapped beneath their arms.
But Group 8 immediately recognized them.
It was Simon, Rick, Meilyn, and Cami.
Judging by how quickly they were moving and the horde relentlessly following their path from below, there was no question about what was happening.
"Those zombies are definitely targeting Group 7," Knox said, his eyes following the four figures racing across the rooftops.
Knox continued watching Group 7 from below, his eyes narrowing slightly as another thought crossed his mind.
Hmm, with this movement, it's basically confirmed that Prince is targeting Simon. And considering his ability to control the zombies throughout Death Land, it wouldn't be strange if he's already detected us as well.
"What on earth happened here...?" Cindy muttered as she stared at the enormous horde filling the streets.
Her voice pulled Knox away from his thoughts. He took one last glance toward Group 7 before turning his attention to the more immediate problem in front of them.
"We can think about that later. Let's take care of these zombies first."
The moment those words left his mouth, Group 8 immediately moved into formation. After all the training they had gone through together, none of them needed lengthy instructions just to prepare for battle.
"Hehe, so this is what playing Resident Evil in real life feels like? Or maybe Left 4 Dead... Dying Light might be more accurate."
"Hmm? What are you talking about, Knox?" Claudia asked while preparing a magic circle in front of her.
"Haha, nothing, Clara." Knox casually brushed the question aside before his expression became serious again. "We'll begin attacking as soon as you cast Poison Fog. That'll be our signal. Cindy, you and I will take the vanguard. Merida, prepare an area-of-effect spell, but don't use any sleep curses for now. Conserve your jet-black."
"Understood."
The three girls answered almost simultaneously before beginning their preparations. Cindy summoned her scythe into her hands, while Merida gathered mana for a large-scale water spell. Claudia focused on completing her Poison Fog, and beside them, Knox drew his sword as violet energy gathered around the blade, extending and condensing it into the shape of a massive greatsword.
Before they began, however, Knox suddenly remembered something important.
"If possible, don't damage the bodies too badly. Most of these zombies might be low quality, but the corpses can still be useful afterward, either as materials or..."
He deliberately paused before delivering the magic word.
"We can sell them for money."
Cindy's eyes immediately lit up.
"Alright! Time to get serious!"
Claudia glanced at her with a helpless expression, but before she could comment on how quickly Cindy's motivation had changed, the magic circle in front of her finally reached completion.
"Poison Fog is ready! Everyone, get ready!"
A thick poisonous mist immediately spread from Claudia's magic circle and rolled across the street, swallowing the front ranks of the zombie horde. Merida followed right behind her, releasing her prepared water magic into the mass of undead as the opening attacks threw their formation into disarray.
That was the signal Knox and Cindy had been waiting for.
The two immediately rushed forward together, charging straight into the zombie horde.
Merida's water magic swept through the horde first, soaking the zombies and the ruined street beneath their feet. Knox followed directly behind it, swinging his greatsword through the front ranks as a wave of freezing cold spread outward from the blade.
The zombies caught directly in its path were cleaved apart, while those that avoided the edge were struck by the cold wave instead, their water-soaked bodies rapidly freezing and becoming immobilized.
With Cindy fighting alongside him and the two girls supporting them from behind, Knox continued moving through the horde without slowing down. However, while his body remained focused on the battle in front of him, his mind had already turned toward something else.
"Igris, there's an Ancient Undead somewhere in Death Land named Manus. He was a Swordmaster of the Talhern Empire who died while defending this city. Find him for me, but don't make contact or do anything to him yet."
Knox's greatsword swept through another group of zombies before he silently issued his next command.
"Beru, scout the city and locate Prince, the Ancient Undead of the former 7th Legion. Same order, don't make a move once you find him. After that, search Death Land for any humans who aren't affiliated with Kizen and report back to me."
Two familiar voices immediately answered from within his mind.
[Yes, my liege.]
[Leave it to me, my liege!]
Knox continued fighting without showing any outward reaction. Beneath his feet, however, his shadow quietly rippled for a brief moment before several dark figures slipped out from within it. Hidden by the surrounding chaos and the shadows cast by the ruined buildings, they scattered in different directions and disappeared into Death Land without Cindy, Claudia, or Merida noticing anything unusual.
By the time the movement beneath Knox's feet completely settled, Igris and Beru had already begun carrying out their respective orders.