Zombie Domination

Kevin's voice cut through the chaos.

"Why are you attacking the city, Mr. Joe? We had a pact. we were supposed to fight the Sky Whale together!"

But Joe only grinned beneath his dragon mask. "I don't know what you're talking about. Soldiers, crush them all!"

At his command, his troops surged forward like a tide of madness.

Kevin turned to his team, raising a glowing hand. "Take them down. but don't kill. Just disable them!"

Joe laughed. "Still so arrogant, boy. You think mercy is strength? You'll regret that."

Without warning, Joe dashed toward Kevin with ferocious speed.

Kevin met his charge, bursting forward like a beam of light, but Joe raised a hand and parried it with ease.

"You can match my speed?" Kevin narrowed his eyes.

Joe grinned. "No… you're just too slow!"

His fist collided with Kevin's chest, sending a shockwave through the air and knocking Kevin backward.

Just then, more figures appeared at the edge of the battlefield, Julian's group, Mr. Leighton, Lea, Luke, and Vivi, all charging in with weapons drawn. And moments later, Mr. Glain's elite squad encircled the battlefield, their presence forming an inescapable ring.

Joe laughed wildly. "Hahaha! What a grand reception! I feel honored!"

Kevin stood tall, wiping blood from his lip. "Your opponent… is me, Mr. Joe!"

With a flash of movement, Kevin closed the distance and punched Joe in the face. A blinding light exploded on contact, temporarily blinding Joe's eyes. Then Kevin raised his hand, and light condensed into a searing laser that struck Joe's chest and sent him crashing into a broken wall.

Smoke rose. For a moment, silence.

Then Joe laughed again. "So you do have fangs, light boy!"

He rose to his feet, his torso scorched, but the damage was healing rapidly. A glint of something tough shimmered on his skin.

Dragon scales.

"You… regenerated," Kevin muttered, eyes narrowing. "Those scales, Dragon..?"

Joe flexed, his scales clicking together with metallic tension. "The future king of this wasteland is Me."

Kevin stepped forward, his voice stern. "Stop this madness, Mr. Joe. We're not here to fight you. Why are you attacking the city? What's your real reason?"

But Joe ignored Kevin's plea. With wild eyes and a grin that promised chaos, he lunged forward.

"Stop talking," Joe snarled. "Let's just enjoy the fight!"

Kevin braced himself. "We still have an enemy to face, Mr. Joe! We can't waste strength fighting each other, we need to work together!"

But Joe didn't listen.

With a roar, he slashed forward. His claws, now transformed into obsidian dragon talons, raked across Kevin's chest, tearing through the fabric and cutting into flesh. Kevin grunted and stumbled back, pain flaring hot in his ribs.

Not wasting a second, Kevin summoned his power. Brilliant swords of light materialized around him, blades forged from pure energy, floating like divine guardians.

"Careful, Mr. Joe," Kevin warned, his voice strained but resolute. "I can hurt you."

Joe only laughed, a manic glint in his reptilian eyes. "Still arrogant. Then take this!"

Flames erupted around Joe, burning spheres forming in the air, circling him like satellites. With a flick of his wrist, he launched them all at once. Dozens of fireballs roared through the air toward Kevin.

Kevin clenched his jaw, focused, then hurled one of his floating swords, its edge glowing with the wrath of the sun. The sword spun through the flames and struck them mid-air.

A massive explosion erupted, fire and light colliding in a blinding blast.

But just before the full force could detonate...

A wall of twisted wood and bark surged up from the ground.

Thick branches and vines wrapped around the blast site, absorbing and smothering the force of the explosion. The air rippled, pressure dropped, and silence followed.

Before either could react, thick roots shot out from the ground and coiled tightly around both of them, binding them in place. Joe struggled against it, growling, while Kevin remained calm.

Then a voice echoed through the smoky battlefield.

"That's enough," said a cold, authoritative voice.

From the shadows stepped Mr. Glain.

His eyes were sharp behind his old face, his coat billowing as twisted wooden tendrils slithered back into the earth around him.

Joe hissed. "Glain… you dare interfere?"

Mr. Glain narrowed his gaze. "This isn't a game, Joe. You've forgotten your place."

Joe growled as the thick roots and branches tightened around him, but only for a moment. With a sudden surge of raw power, his muscles tensed, scales rippled across his skin, and with a bestial roar, he shattered the wooden restraints.

The splinters burst outwards like shrapnel.

"These bindings are nothing!" Joe bellowed, stepping forward through the cloud of dust, eyes glowing with reptilian fury.

Mr. Glain remained still, unfazed.

"I warned you, Joe," he said quietly, voice like steel. "Stop it now."

Joe grinned. "Warn me all you want. You still don't get it, I'm not Joe, I'm—"

But before he could finish, Glain gestured to one of his men.

A moment later, someone was thrown forward, landing harshly at Joe's feet.

The dust cleared.

It was someone small, frail. At first, nearly unrecognizable.

Joe's eyes narrowed. "...Don?"

The man at his feet looked up with a dazed expression. His body was thin, like a child's. His eyes held a mix of exhaustion and disbelief.

Joe took a step back, confused. "You were captured…?"

Don nodded slowly, pain in his voice. "Why… why are you here too, My lord? Why did you attack…?"

Joe let out a short laugh. "Hah… I just wanted to fight. My muscles were rusting. I needed a challenge."

But the humor didn't reach his eyes. There was a flicker of conflict behind that savage grin.

Mr. Glain stepped forward, his voice calm but edged like a blade.

"You should surrender, Joe. This little rebellion of yours ends here."

Joe bared his teeth. "You think I care about your rules?"

Glain's eyes hardened. "You think I'll tolerate this kind of stunt? Attacking civilians? Wrecking our alliances?"

Joe didn't answer, his hands clenched, flames flickering at his fingertips.

Glain raised a hand.

"Stand down, or face consequences worse than death."

"We surrender," Don said calmly, though there was a faint tremble behind his voice.

Joe turned sharply to him. "What did you say, Don? We're not done yet! Let's—"

But before Joe could finish, Don met his eyes, then turned his gaze to Glain.

"We came here for the blueprint… the one that can convert zombie crystals into energy," he admitted. "That was our true objective. Once we got it, we planned to leave the city. The talk of joining forces to fight the Sky Whale? That was just a ruse."

Kevin's expression froze in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding…"

Luke stepped forward, shaking his head. "That's seriously uncool, man…"

Glain narrowed his eyes, walking slowly toward Joe. "Is this true?" he asked. "Is that what your subordinate just confessed?"

Joe remained composed, his voice still laced with that familiar arrogance. "Yes. It's true. I didn't want to lose any of my people fighting that monster. We've hear what it's capable of. Facing it head-on would be suicide."

Glain scoffed. "You, of all people… The infamous battle freak who would charge into death without hesitation, now trembling at the thought of a fight? Afraid of a whale?"

Joe clenched his jaw. "I'm not afraid. I'm responsible. And Don's right. I'd rather keep my team alive than charge into a hopeless war."

Glain's tone grew sharper. "So you chose the coward's path. Betrayal. You infiltrated my city, pretended to be an ally, and tried to steal one of our most vital technologies."

"I thought it was the right thing to do," Joe replied, unfazed. "What's a little theft compared to keeping my squad alive?"

Don quickly stepped forward. "It was my idea. Lord Joe had nothing to do with it. I was the one who—"

"Stop," Joe growled. "Don't take this on yourself. I'm your leader. I take responsibility for what we do. All of it."

But Glain raised a hand, silencing both of them.

"I've heard enough," he said coldly. "So this is what you've become, Joe. A leader with no honor."

He turned to his soldiers. "Take them both. We'll deal with their punishment later."

The soldiers moved in. Neither Joe nor Don resisted.

And in that quiet, heavy moment, the sound of trust breaking was louder than any battle cry.

"I never imagined they'd be that selfish…" Kevin muttered, his fists clenched at his sides. "We're doing all this to save humanity, and they—"

"They didn't trust us," Glain cut in, his tone flat but edged with bitterness. "Perhaps… that's my failure. I should've been more cautious. With everyone."

Mr. Leight nodded solemnly. "Then we must keep a closer watch on the others. Before another one of them turns out like Mr. Joe."

But Glain shook his head. "No. Let them be. If anyone else dares to betray me…" His eyes narrowed darkly. "I'll show them what consequences truly look like."

Suddenly, a low fluttering echoed above them.

A raven descended from the sky, its wings outstretched like a shadow of ill omen, landing with precision near Julian's group.

Celestia stepped forward, her expression sharpening as she decoded the message. "The scout group has reached the Sky Whale," she announced. "They've begun analysis… and they're all safe."

Everyone let out a breath they didn't realize they'd been holding.

"Good news," Glain said, stretching slightly as if to shake off the tension. "My mood was starting to rot."

"Thank god," Kevin exhaled. "At least they made it through."

Emma smiled faintly, pressing her hand to her chest. "Finally… I can breathe again."

Luke tilted his head up toward the grey sky. "Let's hope they return just as smoothly."