Ryan watched as the zombies surged forward like a flood, demolishing the makeshift barricades in their path. Their sheer numbers overwhelmed the obstacles, and in the process, they sacrificed some of their own to clear out the potato mines placed in front of the defensive position.
About twenty meters from the high nut wall, a formation of giant zombies emerged from the horde. These creatures showed no concern for their lesser counterparts, trampling over regular zombies in their impatience to reach the frontline.
These were no ordinary giant zombies. They were larger, more formidable, and wore makeshift armor cobbled together from car parts and broken houses. The improvised protection significantly reduced the effectiveness of plant attacks against them.
Ryan attempted to strike these giant zombies using Unclean and Quiet, but their thick flesh and natural resistance to magic dulled the effects. Each spell only managed to leave a faint grayish-white mark on their bodies.
Determined, Ryan focused his attacks on the legs of one giant zombie. The repeated strikes gradually spread the gray-white imprints across its limbs, slowing it down. However, the creature quickly realized the cause of its sluggishness, reached down, and ripped off its own damaged flesh before continuing its advance as if nothing had happened.
Nearby, another team had concentrated their firepower on one or two giant zombies, successfully bringing them down. But before they could celebrate, new giant zombies immediately filled the gaps, marching forward with relentless determination.
Watching the massive creatures charging toward him, Ryan knew it was time to stop holding back. He pulled a vial of psychedelic mushroom spore powder from the belt around his waist, swiftly scattering the fine dust into the air in front of him. Then, with his wand, he traced a symbol in the air and uttered an incantation in ancient Viking:
"Deterrence of filth."
As the spell took effect, the airborne spores ignited, forming a pale flame rune. The rune, at its simplest level, symbolized ice—a force of grace, beauty, and deception. But at a deeper level, it represented delays in plans, the cooling of passion, and the quelling of aggression.
The fiery rune shrank into a glowing orb the size of a ping-pong ball. Under Ryan's control, it soared toward a cluster of giant zombies. Upon impact, it exploded, releasing a white mist that enveloped them and the surrounding undead.
Within seconds, the infected zombies stopped moving. Then, in an unexpected turn, they turned against their own kind, attacking the other zombies nearby.
The sudden betrayal threw the entire horde into disarray, disrupting the rhythm of their assault. Seizing the opportunity, Ryan's teammates pulled him back toward a robotic turret, where he could recover his strength. Meanwhile, the surrounding combat plants and machines ramped up their firepower, taking advantage of the chaos to eliminate as many zombies as possible.
Despite their best efforts, the sheer number of zombies in this wave was overwhelming. The enemy had gone all-in for this attack, and their numbers vastly outmatched the defenders.
Minutes later, as Ryan was regaining his strength, a command arrived from the camp:
Frontline squads, fall back! Abandon the Nut Wall and retreat to the trench defenses!
The zombies' offensive was simply too fierce. Masses of imp zombies had been hurled over the Nut Wall, causing chaos in the rear. At the same time, the main zombie force in the front was relentlessly hammering away at the Nut Wall, overwhelming every team trying to hold their ground. The green wave of undead kept surging forward, and despite desperate reinforcements, breaches appeared everywhere. Many Nut Walls collapsed, and even the unmanned defense robots suffered significant losses as they struggled to seal the gaps.
Faced with the worsening situation, the camp commander decided to pull back and consolidate their forces.
Under the cover of cherry bombs and hot peppers, Ryan and his team successfully retreated to the trenches, where they quickly reestablished their defenses.
Moments later, the abandoned Nut Wall was completely overrun. Despite the fierce resistance from surrounding plants, Ryan could see zombies falling by the dozens every second. But the overall momentum of their full-scale assault remained unstoppable.
The trenches, originally designed to slow down the zombies, were rapidly filled with piles of undead corpses, burying them completely.
The battle raged on. The sheer intensity of the firepower network created by the plants and human forces turned the battlefield into a gruesome scene of blood and destruction.
Ryan pushed himself to his limits, casting spell after spell to target powerful mutated zombies. Several times, he overexerted himself and collapsed, only to force himself back up and continue fighting.
In the midst of battle, Ryan noticed something: his magic was evolving. The casting speed of his commonly used spells had doubled, and his combat experience had grown tremendously. By now, he felt that his battle instincts had surpassed even those of many Ministry of Magic officials who had never seen real war.
By the time afternoon arrived, the advanced zombies leading the horde grew impatient. Frustrated by the stalemate, they personally entered the front lines, escorted by guarded giant zombies. Their intent was clear—break through the human defenses at all costs.
However, zombies were still zombies. Even though these advanced zombies had intelligence, they lacked the strategic depth of humans.
The moment the commanders appeared at the front, hidden corn cannons in rapid-fire mode unleashed a barrage of explosive attacks. Simultaneously, weak points were deliberately opened in the defensive line.
Dave, piloting a massive war robot, charged directly at the advanced zombies.
Nearby combat squads rushed forward to clear obstacles in Dave's path.
Ryan's team merged into the advancing force, pushing towards the enemy command position.
As they closed in, Ryan reached for a glass bottle filled with crystallized sunlight from his waist. There was no time to carefully open it. Instead, he smashed the bottle against a steel part of the robot, shattering it instantly.
Ignoring the shards of broken glass, Ryan clenched his left hand, gripping the sunlight crystals tightly. With his right hand, he raised his wand, chanting in ancient Viking:
"Sunshine breaks the filth!"
A rune representing light floated from Ryan's palm, transforming into a miniature sun that radiated a gentle yet powerful glow.
Ryan strained to lift his left arm, aiming it toward the enemy frontline.
For the human forces, the sunlight felt warm and revitalizing. But for the zombies, it was excruciating. The holy light seared their rotting flesh, forcing them to halt their attack and shield their exposed weak points.
This shift in momentum gave the human army the final push they needed.
With a deafening roar, the assault forces broke through the last line of zombie defenses, reaching the advanced zombie commanders at the center of the horde.
The final battle had begun. Victory or defeat would be decided here.
FOR MORE CHAPTERS
patreon.com/STEPHENHART427