Chapter 9

Ashburn frowned. Every failed attempt at [Shadow Extraction] still drained his MP, and he couldn't afford to waste energy. He used the skill again, and to his relief, the Earth Mutant zombie rose as a shadow, its once-decayed form now cloaked in darkness. 

"Work together with the spider," Ashburn ordered, stepping between the shadow and the battlefield to shield it from attacks.

The earth mutant shadow moved into position, but its ability wasn't instant. It needed time to manipulate the ground, explaining why it had acted sparingly throughout the entire fight.

Ashburn didn't wait around. He charged forward, knives flashing as he cut down the weaker zombies—cannon fodder, barely worth mentioning.

Most were Epsilon or Delta-level mutants, their abilities more of a hindrance than a threat. Some had self-destructive powers that would have killed them eventually. Others had ridiculous abilities—like one mutant that could shoot milk from its eyes, and another that sprouted lotus flowers from its palms.

Ashburn didn't care. He cut down the weaker zombies with ruthless efficiency while the shadow spider moved swiftly, webbing up the stronger ones.

Even the water mutant zombie found itself distracted, focused entirely on cutting through the webs that bound its allies. That distraction proved fatal.

Crack!

An earth spike erupted from the ground, impaling the water zombie from below, its body jerking before going limp.

Not far away, thousands of shadows crawled across the back of a massive dragon, its sheer size towering like a tree.

But size didn't matter. The shadows were relentless, ripping it apart piece by piece. The dragon couldn't even fly. Its wings were tattered, riddled with gaping holes, leaving it grounded and helpless.

It was blind, its eyes stabbed through, the wounds serving as an entry point for countless shadows. They poured inside, devouring the beast from within. Its ears were overrun, its mouth stuffed with shadows, and even the lowest, most humiliating parts of its body, its rear and genitals, were being mercilessly attacked.

Every weak point was under relentless assault. Given a few more minutes, the dragon zombie was sure to fall. But it was durable, incredibly so.

These weren't the weak shadows Ashburn had at the start. His army had grown stronger, each soldier sharpened through countless battles. To make matters worse for the poor dragon, it couldn't even fight back effectively.

The shadows weren't attacking from the outside, they were tearing into it from within. Rolling over crushed a few, but it didn't matter. Those shattered shadows simply returned to Ashburn's shadow, waiting to be resummoned. He wasn't about to waste MP healing the expendable ones.

Boom!

A burst of flames erupted across the battlefield. Torch was on the move, his fire slamming into the tiger zombie, who retaliated by unleashing a powerful sound wave. The shockwave met the roaring flames head-on, the clash sending ripples through the air.

But Torch didn't slow down. He shot around the tiger, propelling himself with bursts of fire, each blast boosting his speed. He was no longer just running. Bit by bit, Torch was approaching flight.

Torch's powers were similar to the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four, but with a key difference, Torch wasn't immune to his own flames.

But what he lacked in immunity, he made up for with something far more dangerous. He was like an immortal phoenix. Ashburn didn't need to heal him. Torch's flames did it for him, constantly regenerating his body as long as the fire burned.

That said, his flames weren't as hot as the Human Torch's, which could reach temperatures rivaling the sun. The two combatants, Torch and the tiger zombie were locked in a stalemate.

Torch's flames surged, while the tiger darted around, its extreme speed and reaction time making it nearly untouchable. In fact, Torch realized something unsettling. 

'This tiger… might actually be faster than lord Ashburn.' Even if Ashburn pushed [Flash Step] to its absolute limit, he'd still struggle to keep up.

But speed alone wasn't enough. The tiger couldn't harm Torch. His flames healed every wound, burning away injuries faster than they could form. And the tiger had to stay cautious. Because if Torch ever found a moment to charge up an attack, the heat alone could kill it instantly.

"Need help?" Torch's head snapped to the side, eyes widening as he spotted Ashburn, now standing tall, fully restored. Leveling up had refilled his HP and MP, giving him the strength to raise all 41 zombies he'd slain as shadows.

Torch lowered his head in shame. "My deepest apologies lord," he said, voice tight with frustration. "We seem to be evenly matched."

Ashburn waved him off, watching as the 41 shadows surged forward, their dark forms swarming the tiger zombie. "Don't worry about it," Ashburn said with a smirk. "You did your part. You held it off. Now, just focus on charging up an attack while they keep it busy. Just make sure to leave me a body."

Torch nodded, determination burning in his glowing eyes. The tiger zombie lashed out, dodging and weaving through the shadows, but numbers mattered. Bit by bit, the swarm overwhelmed it, pinning it down as Torch's firepower reached its peak.

Boom!

The final blast of flame engulfed the tiger, reducing its head to nothing. And with that, Ashburn leveled up once more.

'It's stronger than me… I might fail.' Ashburn clenched his fists, taking a deep breath to steady himself. The tiger had proven itself a true powerhouse. Its speed and attack power were lethal, and even the blistering heat Torch had used to melt through the metal door hadn't been enough to incapacitate it. The flames had bothered the beast, sure, but they hadn't broken it. This thing was tough.

"Arise." Ashburn's voice cut through the silence. Darkness surged… and then fizzled out. Nothing happened.

Ashburn's frown deepened. He took another deep breath, stepping closer to the tiger's corpse. This shadow… it could probably give someone like Spider-Man a real fight. Spidey would only win thanks to his webs and Spider-Sense. In raw stats, this tiger outclassed most street-level heroes. That made it too valuable to lose.

Ashburn gritted his teeth. "Arise!" His voice was heavier, laced with frustration and determination. Darkness erupted… and failed once more.

"Come on… Arise!" Ashburn's voice rang with frustration, but once again, darkness burst forth—only to fade into nothing. He clicked his tongue, scowling as disappointment settled in.

With a sigh, he turned and headed toward the dragon's location. By the time he arrived, the massive beast was already at death's door, its once-formidable body torn apart by the relentless shadows. Ashburn watched quietly, letting the shadows finish the job. The moment the dragon collapsed, its final breath rattling through the air.

[Level Up!]

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[Mission Complete: Free the Zombies]

Objective: You came across mutant zombies trapped within a room that suppressed their powers. Free them and fight them at their best—otherwise, you're just being rude.

Targets: 43/43

Reward: [Bloodlust], [+30 Intelligence]

Punishment: [None]

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[Bloodlust]- Unleash an aura of pure killing intent, intimidating enemy combatants into submission. This skill induces intense fear in those targeted, decreasing their stats by 50%. It can be applied to multiple opponents simultaneously.

"Nice," Ashburn smirked, satisfied with the new skill. The debuff alone made it invaluable, but the fact that it could affect multiple targets at once? That made it deadly. And with the +30 Intelligence boost, his mental clarity sharpened, thoughts flowing faster, connections forming effortlessly. Learning would be quicker. Reactions would be faster. Calculations would be precise...