Chapter 198: The Battle That Decides Everything

"This battle will determine the fate of our world."

Nobody responded as everyone standing behind Cain understood exactly what those words meant.

If they won here, Invasion Corridor 73-A would finally collapse and the Zombie Race would lose the path they had created into their world.

If they failed, then their world would definitely get destroyed as most of the strongest humans were gathering in this place.

Cain turned back toward the enormous fortress.

"Let’s go."

The entire group advanced.

There was no attempt to conceal their approach.

At this point, stealth had already lost most of its value. The four Spatial Anchor Gates had fallen one after another, the World Gate Core was fully exposed, and the Zombie Race forces inside the Central Base had clearly withdrawn from the surrounding districts in preparation for their arrival.

They knew the humans were coming and Cain had no reason to pretend otherwise.

The distance between them and the wall gradually disappeared.

Several dozen meters remained when Nathan slowed his steps with his bow already in his hands and an arrow rested against the string.

Cain did not need to give an order as Nathan raised the weapon and immediately released the arrow.

Twang!

The arrow crossed the distance and struck one of the zombies standing along the top of the wall directly through the head.

Its body jerked backward and disappeared behind the wall.

Several more bowstrings sounded around him as the other archers had already begun firing.

Mana gathered around the arrows as they crossed the open ground in rapid succession.

One zombie had barely turned toward the approaching humans when an arrow entered beneath its chin.

Another tried to lower itself behind the wall but was struck through the shoulder, leaving it exposed long enough for a second shot to finish it.

The defenders finally reacted.

A deep bell suddenly rang out from somewhere within the fortress.

DING!

The heavy sound rolled across the walls and echoed through the Central Base.

A second bell followed soon after.

DING!

The zombies stationed along the fortifications immediately began moving, and more figures rushed toward the walls from the structures behind them.

Nathan released another arrow.

"Left tower."

The archers shifted their aim.

Cain continued forward without looking back.

He then raised his right hand, True Ruin Energy began gathering above his palm.

The amount increased rapidly.

Dark gray energy compressed together until the air around his hand distorted faintly.

Several people behind him felt the pressure and instinctively created more distance.

Cain’s eyes remained fixed on the enormous gates ahead.

He had no intention of wasting time as his palm struck forward.

The condensed energy expanded violently.

A gigantic dark gray palm formed ahead of him and crossed the remaining distance in an instant.

The zombies guarding the gate barely had time to react as the enormous attack slammed directly into the enormous gates.

BOOOOOOM!

The entire front section of the fortress shook.

Metal groaned beneath the impact, cracks spread through the surrounding stone before the center of the gate collapsed inward.

The enormous gates were torn from their supports and thrown deep into the street beyond.

Fragments of dark metal scattered across the ground, dust poured outward through the opening.

Cain did not stop as he immediately went inside.

The first figures rushed through the destroyed entrance before the dust had fully settled.

Cain and Mo Xuanye entered at the front.

Ron and Viktor followed from either side.

The moment Cain crossed the broken gate, the scale of the forces waiting inside became clear.

Hundreds of zombies filled the broad avenue beyond the entrance.

The weakest were only at the 1st Echelon, but they still formed a dense mass across the street.

Among them stood a few dozen 2nd Echelon fighters.

Their equipment was noticeably better.

These guys had clearly expected them to break through eventually.

They simply had not expected the gate to disappear from a single attack.

Cain’s eyes moved across the formation.

He could have allowed everyone behind him to engage normally, but there was no reason to since the faster they removed the weaker defenders, the sooner everyone could focus on the actual threats waiting deeper inside.

His sword left its sheath, dark gray True Ruin Energy immediately crawled along the blade.

This time, Cain did not hold back the amount flowing into it as he poured far more energy than he normally used around the sword.

The metal disappeared beneath the dense layer of Ruin Mana.

At the same time, more energy entered his body.

The pressure surrounding him became heavier as his physical strength increased.

Then the skin across his right arm changed, dark scales emerged from beneath the surface and rapidly spread downward.

His fingers lengthened slightly as his nails transformed into sharp claws.

The zombies at the front rushed in their direction.

Cain lowered his body and disappeared, a deep crack spread across the ground where he had been standing.

He reappeared more than ten meters ahead with his body lowered close to the street.

One leg bent beneath him and carried most of his weight, while the other stretched outward along the ground.

His sword was already positioned beside his waist.

Then Cain swung his sword.

His movement looked simple, but the result was not to those who had never seen this move as a thin crescent of dark gray energy separated from the blade.

It expanded as it crossed the avenue.

Several zombies at the front attempted to block, but the attack passed through them effortlessly as their bodies separated into two.

The True Ruin Energy continued forward.

More zombies were cut apart before they could even react.

Those farther behind raised their weapons or reinforced their bodies with Mana.

The crescent tore through the formation and continued deeper into the street until its energy finally weakened.

For a moment, the entire avenue became strangely quiet.

Then bodies began falling.

Heavy impacts sounded across the road as dozens of zombies collapsed nearly at the same time.