Chapter 99: Breaking Through the Dead

The first husk lunged. Its twisted body, a grotesque fusion of rotted flesh and decayed machinery, moved with unnatural jerks, its metal-plated arms snapping forward like a broken puppet. Elias barely had time to react before he fired his thrusters, side-stepping the attack and smashing his gauntlet into its skull. The impact sent a shockwave of kinetic force, shattering the creature's head and sending it sprawling to the ground.

But it didn't stop moving.

The husk twitched, its body convulsing before it jerked upright again, its ruined face knitting itself back together with dark energy.

Ivy's voice was sharp. "They regenerate!"

Lira slashed her daggers across another husk's chest, cutting deep, only to watch the wound close instantly. She jumped back, breathing hard. "That's… that's not fair!"

Reinhardt grinned, swinging his war hammer, crushing two of them in one blow. "Good! That means we get to hit them twice as much!"

Elias didn't have time to groan at his enthusiasm. More husks poured from the darkness, climbing over each other, their burning blue eyes locked onto the group. They moved like predators, silent yet efficient, with no sense of pain, no hesitation.

Cecilia phased through one as it swiped at her, appearing behind it in a blur of motion, slicing her blade across its spine. It dropped to its knees but didn't die. "Alright," she muttered. "I officially hate these things."

Marco was frantically tapping at his datapad, his eyes darting over the readings. "They're… some kind of failed Vanguard experiment—warriors who were partially mechanized but lost their minds. They shouldn't be alive. Something is reanimating them."

Varian stepped forward, his golden sword humming with light. "Then we sever that connection."

Elias clenched his fists, scanning the battlefield. If killing them normally didn't work, then there had to be another way. His visor highlighted residual energy readings around the husks—traces of arcane signals pulsing beneath their skin.

"They're linked," Elias said. "Something is controlling them—like a hive mind."

Ivy loosed an arrow, striking one through the heart. It fell back—but immediately got up again. "So how do we stop a hive mind of undead machines?"

Marco's screen flared with new data. "The door—it's connected to the same energy signature!"

Elias's eyes snapped toward the massive, half-opened gateway. The sigils around its edges pulsed with the same eerie blue light as the husks' eyes.

The realization hit him instantly. "It's the lock mechanism. These things are part of the security system."

Cecilia frowned. "The Vanguard locked this place down, and instead of turrets or golems, they used… this?"

Varian's grip tightened around his sword. "If the lock is sustaining them, then opening the door completely might make them stronger."

Reinhardt snorted. "Or it might shut them down."

Elias made a snap decision. "Marco—finish opening it."

Marco's fingers flew across his datapad. "If this backfires, I just want it on record that I objected."

"Noted," Elias muttered.

The massive door groaned, metal gears grinding against ancient rust. As it opened wider, the blue energy pulsing through the husks fluctuated—some froze mid-movement, their limbs twitching.

Then the screaming started.

A horrible, mechanized wail erupted from deep inside the tunnel, vibrating through the metal walls. The husks convulsed violently, their bodies spasming as if something was ripping them apart from the inside.

And then—they charged.

Elias barely had time to brace before three husks lunged at him at once. He fired his thrusters, dodging to the left, then slammed a charged plasma punch into the nearest one's chest. The impact ripped through its core, but instead of regenerating, the creature glitched—its body locking up, then crumbling to the ground.

"The door's breaking the connection!" Elias shouted.

Lira didn't wait for further confirmation—she leapt onto a husk's back, driving her daggers into its skull plating, twisting hard. The creature jerked once, then collapsed.

Cecilia phased behind another, her twin blades severing its spine in a flash of silver.

Ivy fired a barrage of arrows, aiming for the ones that were staggering from the energy disruption.

Reinhardt laughed, bringing his war hammer down on the last of them. "Told you! Hit them hard enough, they stay down!"

Within seconds, the last husk fell. Their bodies twitching, then falling silent.

And then—they stopped moving.

Marco exhaled. "Holy crap. That worked."

The massive door fully opened, revealing the entrance to the tunnel leading to the Academy.

Silence settled.

Elias stepped over one of the fallen husks, his visor scanning for any signs of residual movement. But they were dead—fully dead.

Lira wiped sweat from her forehead. "That was disgusting."

Cecilia kicked a severed husk limb. "Whoever designed this security system was a lunatic."

Varian, however, was staring at the fallen creatures with a deep frown. "Something isn't right."

Elias looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Varian knelt, inspecting the metal plating of one of the husks. He traced a gloved finger over the surface, his eyes narrowing. "These aren't just Vanguard constructs."

Marco frowned. "Wait, what?"

Varian stood. "They were modified. Someone altered their internal structure long after the Vanguard fell."

Elias's stomach dropped.

Lira's voice was quiet. "Meaning… someone has been down here."

Marco checked his datapad, his screen flickering as he ran another scan. His face paled.

"There's another energy signature in the tunnels ahead," he whispered. "And it's active."

Ivy gritted her teeth. "We're not alone down here."

Reinhardt adjusted his grip on his hammer. "Good. I was getting bored."

Elias exhaled, trying to push down the unease crawling up his spine. The husk security system had been bad enough. If someone else had been tampering with it…

Then what the hell were they about to walk into?

He turned toward the tunnel, his war armor humming softly, his mind already preparing for the worst.

"Let's move," Elias said. "And stay alert."

Whatever was waiting ahead was still awake.

And it had been expecting them.