Zombie Domination-Chapter 66 - Clash

The absorbed energy surged into Seth’s body, amplifying his presence as his own aura flared, pulsing with stolen power.

Rayden let out a strange, almost amused chuckle.

"Oh? So you’ve got a skill now, huh..."

Seth stood with pride, arms crossed as glowing embers of energy crackled around him.

"That’s right," he said smugly. "Thanks to the General, I’ve been refined. And now, I get the pleasure of beating you down."

With a snap of his fingers, the energy Seth had absorbed from Rayden earlier surged back, this time exploding right in front of Rayden’s chest.

BOOM!

Rayden was blasted backward, the shockwave kicking up dust and debris. He crashed against the ground, gritting his teeth as the pain rippled through his ribs.

Seth grinned, walking forward casually. "You know, I didn’t expect your skills to go beyond disguises. That little trick just now... that was Derek’s skill, wasn’t it?" He tilted his head mockingly.

"How cruel of you, Rayden... using the ability of a subordinate who died for your sake."

Rayden slowly stood, his expression now cold, deadly calm. The usual lightness in his tone was gone.

"Don’t speak my comrades’ names with that filthy mouth of yours."

Seth smirked wider, clearly entertained. "Oh, did I touch a nerve?"

Rayden launched forward again, but this time, without using any skill. His fist swung clean, raw, pure muscle behind it.

"If I don’t use my skill," he growled, "then your ability to absorb won’t matter."

Their fists clashed, and for a moment Seth stumbled, but then he gathered the latent energy he had stored up. With a surge of power, he launched a wave of force directly into Rayden’s chest, sending him flying once again across the broken concrete.

"Hahaha!" Seth laughed, eyes wild with delight. "How’s that, Rayden? My skill’s impressive, isn’t it?"

Rayden, panting slightly as he pushed himself up again, wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

Rayden, still grinning casually despite the bruises forming along his jaw, tilted his head slightly and said, "So... your skill lets you absorb and release energy you take in. Pretty much like a battery."

Seth narrowed his eyes, already sensing something behind Rayden’s calm tone.

Rayden chuckled, his voice cool as ever.

"Well then, if I just keep filling you up with energy... maybe you’ll explode like one."

Seth scoffed. "A foolish strategy. Let’s see who runs out of steam first."

The ground trembled as Rayden summoned multiple orb-like shock spheres around him. With barely a motion, he launched them toward Seth in a fast barrage, one after another, glowing pulses zipping through the air.

Seth activated his skill, [Energy Absorption], and the spheres vanished into his body, absorbed without delay. Then, as expected, he hurled the energy back toward Rayden.

But Rayden was already moving.

He created a second wave, dozens of smaller energy blasts that met Seth’s counter mid-air.

BOOM!

A violent chain of explosions erupted, smoke and debris swirling everywhere.

Within that chaos, Rayden slipped through the shadows of the blast, quiet and fast.

Seth sensed him, but only just in time. He turned and threw a punch.

Rayden smirked, raising a single palm. Another energy sphere flared to life and met Seth’s punch with a detonating blast, forcing the hit back.

Seth instinctively tried to absorb the energy, but Rayden had been waiting for that opening.

There’s always a delay.

In that half-second window, Rayden’s fist connected cleanly, right to Seth’s chin.

CRACK!

The blow sent Seth flying backwards, flipping mid-air as blood flew from his mouth.

But Rayden wasn’t done.

Still mid-motion, he condensed another sphere, this one sharp and small, a pinpoint of volatile power, and fired it straight at the airborne Seth.

BANG!

It struck his chest and sent another surge of force rippling through his body.

Seth hit the ground hard, coughing, the grin now wiped from his face.

Rayden stood tall through the smoke, Energy dancing in his palms, his eyes locked onto his opponent.

"You’re not the only one who can play with energy," he muttered.

Meanwhile Julian lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air with a sharp whirl, the clash of steel echoing through the dim room like war drums.

Giroth, unfazed, stepped in with perfect timing, parrying the strike with a smooth block to his left side. The old man’s movements were calm, almost too precise.

Julian didn’t stop, he shifted instantly, spinning to feint and attack from the opposite side. But Giroth read the maneuver like a well-worn book. Their blades collided again, a flash of sparks lighting up their narrowed eyes.

"You won’t land a single hit on me, boy," Giroth said coolly, his katana firm in both hands. "Your form is decent, but your intent is too loud."

Julian said nothing, his breathing steady.

He darted in again. this time sweeping from the left, then angling a sudden thrust toward Giroth’s neck. Giroth tilted his blade, deflecting the attack fluidly. But Julian was already moving, twisting his wrist to slash toward Giroth’s chest.

Blocked.

But Julian’s eyes sharpened.

There. An opening—brief, but there.

He pivoted low and struck at Giroth’s left arm. Giroth anticipated it, his blade moved to intercept, but Julian wasn’t aiming to hit. He redirected mid-swing, slashing upward instead.

CLANG!

Blades scraped violently, but Julian’s edge slipped past just enough to cut a shallow gash across Giroth’s arm.

The old swordsman narrowed his eyes as blood trickled down his sleeve.

Julian didn’t gloat. He simply adjusted his stance and said, his voice calm and firm,

"Pure swordsman versus skill swordsman... let’s see which one breaks first."

Giroth chuckled, low and dry.

"Hu hu... now this is getting interesting."

He raised his blade again. "Come, then. Show me what that edge of yours is truly made of."

On the other side Seth barked at Velma, panic edging into his voice as sweat rolled down his face, "Is that damn spell ready yet?!"

Velma barely spared him a glance, "Tch. Patience, would you? Or are you seriously doubting your chances against Rayden? How pitiful."

Seth clenched his jaw. "I need healing, damn it! That’s your job!"

Velma’s lips curled into a sneer. "Then don’t get hit, idiot. I’m still focusing on something else, so hold your ground, loser."

Seth cursed under his breath, frustration boiling.

Rayden, who had been watching from a distance, let out a low whistle. "Wow. And here I thought I was shameless. You’re begging your teammate for healing while trying to act tough?"

Seth snarled, eyes burning with rage. "Shut up! I’ll wipe that smug grin off your damn face!"

"Try it," Rayden replied with a smirk.

Seth summoned a blast of raw energy and launched it toward Rayden. It cracked through the air with violent force, but Rayden saw it coming. He weaved to the side and closed the distance in a flash.

"What’s wrong?" Rayden taunted, landing just a meter away. "Afraid of a close fight now?"

Seth staggered back, trying to regain distance.

"Where’s that cocky laughter from earlier?" Rayden pressed in, slamming a heavy punch into Seth’s chest. The blow sent him flying backward.

"You’re pathetic," Rayden muttered.

Seth groaned, sprawled on the ground. His eyes wide and filled with fury, he screamed, "Damn it! DAMN IT! What the hell do you understand?!"

Crackling energy surged from his body, spiraling into a massive blast aimed at Rayden.

"I’ve been compared to you every damn day!" Seth roared. "Every single day! What would you know about that?!"

Rayden dodged the explosion effortlessly, his body slipping through the smoke and light.

He reappeared in front of Seth in an instant, eyes cold, fist clenched.

"I know enough," he muttered, and then drove his fist straight into Seth’s cheek.

CRACK.

Seth’s body flew across the floor, slamming into the far wall with a dull, painful thud.

Seth groaned as he pushed himself up, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. His body trembled, but his eyes burned with defiance.

"I’m not... done yet," he growled. "I won’t lose to you, Rayden. Not anymore. I have a skill now... I will win."

Rayden narrowed his eyes, his smirk fading.

He’s getting up again? Damn it... this could be bad.

Across the room, Seth raised his hand, and a flickering pulse of raw energy surged through his veins. His breath became ragged as he growled through clenched teeth.

"You’re going to fall today, Rayden," Seth said, voice low and dangerous.

A deep hum filled the air as energy began to spiral around him.

Then, it happened.

[Ultimate skill : Overdrive Conduit]

The words shimmered faintly in the air, like a silent declaration of war.

Rayden’s instincts screamed at him, he had to stop Seth before it was too late.

But it was too late.

The energy Seth had stored began to reshape him. His hair lit up, glowing like white-hot plasma, flowing as if caught in a storm. Sparks jumped from his skin, and the bruises and wounds on his body began to seal themselves shut with a hiss of steam.

Power poured off of him in waves.

Rayden stepped back slightly, eyes narrowing.

This isn’t good... That energy, it’s not just raw anymore. He’s refining it... turning it into something dense.

As the transformation neared its end, Seth lifted his head slowly, a twisted grin forming on his lips.

"Get ready, Rayden... this time, you’re the one who won’t stand back up."

On the other side of the chaos, Julian was still locked in a relentless sword duel with Giroth.

Their blades clashed again and again, precise, deadly, and without hesitation. Julian’s strikes were sharp and calculated, slicing through the air with practiced form, while Giroth responded with disciplined precision, his katana flowing like water through each block and counter.

Julian feinted to the right, his blade cutting low, but Giroth read the motion and swung from the side, forcing Julian to bring his sword up just in time. Sparks flew as metal slammed against metal.

Without missing a beat, Giroth shifted his stance and redirected his attack, slashing from a tighter angle, but Julian caught it again, his arm trembling slightly from the impact. Then Julian stepped back, rebalancing, and launched forward into a sudden offensive flurry.

Giroth blocked, barely.

The room echoed with the sharp clang of steel-on-steel.

Then Giroth saw it, an opening in Julian’s stance.

He struck.

But the moment he lunged, he realized it was a trap.

Julian caught the katana mid-swing, wrapping it between his arm and ribs like a vice, then twisted his body to deliver a devastating counterattack—

Bang!

The shot rang out.

Giroth had already abandoned his blade, pulling a sidearm from under his coat in one fluid motion. The bullet ripped toward Julian’s left arm, only to be swallowed by a burst of writhing darkness as Julian instantly deployed his shadow to intercept.

A thin line of blood still trickled down Julian’s arm. It hadn’t been a clean block.

Julian stared coldly at Giroth.

"So, you’re done with the honor duel, huh?" he said, voice low. "You pull a gun... that means I get to use my skills too."

Giroth’s smile was sharp. "This was never just about swords. The battlefield doesn’t care for rules."

But Julian could see it now, behind Giroth’s controlled tone, there was a flicker of unease. The swordsman was rattled. Julian’s blade technique alone had been enough to go toe-to-toe with a [Swordmaster].

’He’s panicking’, Julian thought to himself.

’He didn’t expect me to keep up without using a single combat skill...’

Julian adjusted his grip on hia katana and pulsing faintly with dark energy. The shadows stirred around his feet, ready to answer his call.

"Then let’s stop pretending," Julian muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Time to end this."