MTLNOVEL Chapter 651: Aegis Series
In the meantime, after the Zombie Horde was dealt with, Diana finally had the time to relax…
With the death of the Zombie Lord, she soon checked the Cinder Gauntlet that she looted… Perhaps, because she was the commander, she was able to get the reward notifications for its death, including its items.
[ Cinder Gauntlets ( Exceptional ): Forged from the bones and essence of Bal. Increases Strength by +25, adds Fire Resistance +40%, and allows the user to cast 'Blazing Burst' once per hour. ]
It was definitely an incredible item, and she decided to give this to someone else. Well, she'd let Shane decide who would obtain the pair of gauntlets… After all, it was better to give such things to the leader of the Shelter.
After that, she swiftly opened the Platinum Treasure Chest…
Platinum Treasure Chest
[ You have received a Skill Fusion Talisman x5 ]
[ You have received a Talent Expansion Scroll x5 ]
[ You have received a Revival Injector x5 ]
[ You have received an Invincible Emblem x5 ]
[ You have received a Magic Power Core x5 ]
[ You have received a Zombie Core x500 ]
[ You have received a Polymorphium Metal x50 ]
[ You have received a Spectral Moonstone x10 ]
[ All items have been transferred to your Inventory. ]
"Wow…" Diana couldn't help but feel elated after seeing the rewards provided by the Platinum Chest… It wasn't just Skill Fusion Talisman but also Talent Expansion Scroll! There were even five of them!
"Now… I just have to find the Talent Orb." Diana muttered to herself.
Apparently, Talent Orbs could be looted or obtained through a System Reward. There was even a small chance to get them from the Clan Mission Reward.
As for the Skill Fusion Talisman, the other Talent Expansion Scrolls, and other items here, she planned to give them to all the participating survivors. They also needed to obtain new Skills and Talent after all.
Finally, Diana obtained the red crystal that was left behind by the Zombie Lord.
It was given to her instead, as everyone knew that she'd distribute them to the team in the end.
[ Do you want to retrieve the loot? ]
"Yes."
[ You have earned 3,000 Experience Points. ]
[ You have earned 50 Reputation Points. ]
[ Loots obtained: Item Upgrade Crystal x50, Zombie Cores x50, Unknown Meat ( Safe ) x20, Unknown Meat ( Unsafe ) x10, 100mL Lord Zombie Blood, Spirit Enhancement Bottle x10, Vitality Enhancement Bottle x10, Agility Enhancement Bottle x10, Blaze Mask x1, Blaze Skill Scroll x1, Blaze Mantle x1, Blaze Plate Armor x1, Blaze Gauntlets x1, Blaze Belt x1, Blaze Greaves x1, Blaze Boots x1 ]
"Nice… Another set of Lord-Tier Gears." Diana chucked as she already considered whether to give this to Lysandra or perhaps Tundra, who was guarding the Southeast Gate alone.
As for the Blaze Skill Scroll, she could guess that it would be related to Fire… With that in mind, she believed that Tundra would definitely be suited for that…
***
Within the Eclipse Domain, Shane was able to handle everything. They encountered the 12th Zombie Horde consisting of a total of 3 Zombie Kings but still, they managed to win…
As a matter of fact, he alone was able to bring down the three Zombie Kings!
However, by doing this, he also destroyed his Bio-Armor… Then, Silver, his Metal Slime, was even injured during this battle.
After his battle against the Zombie Kings, he had to take a quick break and allowed the Elves who had weapons made of the World Tree parts deal with the situation…
"I wonder how strong the last Zombie Horde would be…" Shane muttered to himself…
Then, as he thought of having a quick meal, one that came from the Nourishment Store, Cloud noticed some movement in the Portal Hall…
[ The New Genesis Gate had sent a messenger. ]
Shane froze as soon as he heard this.
"Ahh… Not good."
There was only one reason why they would send a messenger!
The New Genesis Shelter was in trouble!
***
Indeed, after more than 12 hours in the Zombie Wave, around 8 in the evening, Arial was already having trouble keeping up with the defenses…
[ Breach Detected: Multiple Hostile Entities at Northern Gate ]
[ Emergency Override: Barrier Systems Down ]
[ Northern Gate: DESTROYED]
[ Warden Unit Casualties: 64 Confirmed ]
[ Zombie Lord Presence: 2 Detected ]
They were met with numerous Juggernauts, Tyrants, and Spitter Zombies… The combination of these Zombies was simply too nasty.
Furthermore, the two Zombie Lords had surprised him as well!
These two didn't arrive at the same time and according to his scouts, it seemed to have destroyed a smaller shelter from afar. One of them wasn't really meant for his shelter, but it turned out this way because the others failed to stop the lord!
Arial remained at the center of the command chamber, his eyes filled with streams of incoming combat data. Through the neural link with the shelter's core systems, he 'felt' every unit's movement, every turret's spin, every barricade collapsing under the swarm.
The northern gate had fallen.
"This is not going well…"
They hadn't expected two Zombie Lords to appear simultaneously. Most incursions involved hordes, maybe a single mutated leader type. But not this.
This was calculated devastation.
The first Zombie Lord was an armored being with spiked limbs and the ability to generate energy shields around itself and nearby undead!
His name was Cesar the Shale Master… Even turret fire and artillery shells from the Automated Turrets had bounced harmlessly off it.
It had led a wave of Runner Zombies, Jumper Zombies, and Shielded Crawlers, to smash straight into the barrier wall.
Arial had a lot of trouble gathering forces to deal with it and could only use the shelter's internal comms to coordinate the army with the movement of his two Magicians.
"Deploy Phase-4 Defense Grid. Bring Sona and Otto to the north. We must stop them..."
Thankfully, both Sona and Otto were equipped with Legendary Items that Shane had arranged for them…
Otto the Fire Magician unleashed an inferno, setting dozens of Jumper Zombies alight mid-air.
Their flaming corpses fell like meteors onto the Zombies below...
At the same time, Sona summoned a massive tidal wave, sweeping the Runners off their feet and hurling them into the collapsed trenches where Warden Units awaited with spears and incinerators.
With synchronized firepower from the remaining turrets and a hundred Warden Units, the shield-wielding Zombie Lord—now exposed after Sona cracked its barrier with successive ice blasts—was finally brought to its knees.
[ You have eliminated a Lord-Tier Zombie: "Cesar, the Shale Master." ]
But the victory could not be celebrated yet...
The second Lord-Tier, although late, had entered the battlefield.
[ You have entered a Lord-Tier Zombie's Area.]
Name: Threx, the Glutton
Type: Aberrant Devourer
Threat Level: Catastrophic
[ Description: Threx, the Glutton, devours all things in its path. Whether flesh, steel, or fire, nothing satisfies its hunger. Its mouth seemed to lead its food to the void… It cannot be reasoned with, and it will not stop. ]
The monstrosity towered over buildings… Its huge mouth could actually split sideways in a terrifying way…
Every bite of this Zombie Lord devoured part of the shelter. The Warden Units, broken turret mounts, even a shattered corner of the barracks wall didn't escape from its mouth…
It was at this point that Arial had to send a messenger to Shane… It wasn't just to ask for some assistance but to let him know about the disaster they were facing… Aside from that, he also wanted to inform him about his battle plan.
This way, even if Shane was also in trouble, or he was also responding to other shelters' calls for help, he would be able to tell whether his matter was the most important or not. After all, they weren't in the brink of destruction just yet…
Perhaps, there were still other shelters that needed more help…
"We have to hold on…"
Arial then watched Zombie Lord Threx's advance…
Every few steps, it would lean forward and consume—slurping up bodies, wreckage, and all… Then, it would move forward…
Sona, desperate to help, unleashed a full-powered Glacial Tomb, encasing the creature in a tower of crystal-blue ice.
"Take that!"
The horde around it was momentarily halted.
But she was already pale and breathing hard. It was one of her most powerful spells after all... Her mana was nearly spent from that move… Thankfully, she still had Mana Crystals with the highest purity, and after a few moments, color started to return to her face.
"Arial! We can't keep it contained! It's eating everything! It'll… it'll melt out in a minute!"
They had to find a way to destroy the Zombie Lord. They needed more firepower!
Arial no longer hesitated as he called for their next move…
"Activating Protocol: Titan Fall."
Soon, from the center of the New Genesis Shelter, a huge building in the Engineer Bay Area started moving…
Then, huge launch hatches parted.
Just like that, two Mech Frames emerged from their vaults while Aria checked their status.
[ AEGIS-01 "Juggernaut"
Status: ONLINE
Pilot: Regina
Weapons: Rotary Cannons Primed | Pile Bunker Charged | Shield Integrity 100% ]
[ AEGIS-02 "Vanguard"
Status: ONLINE
Pilot: Xyrille
Weapons: Plasma Launcher Calibrated | Missile Pods Loaded ]