Chapter 26: Holy Flame! One Strike, Total Annihilation!
“Damn it!”
“Why are there even more of them?!”
“Those bastards…”
“The numbers are insane!”
“We’re finished… This is the end!”
“…”
Another wave of zombies surged forward, a black tide blotting out the horizon, dwarfing anything they’d faced before. But what truly chilled everyone’s blood was the sight of dozens of Tyrants—towering, mutated monsters—lurking within the horde.
“This is bad. Really bad.” Huang Xin’s brow furrowed, his expression grave. He released a heavy sigh. “What kind of enemy are we up against? Who could possibly command a zombie horde of this size?”
“Huang Xin, this is way beyond us,” one investigator said, voice grim.
“Yeah, this Anomalous Disaster isn’t just F-grade anymore. Hell, it’s worse than E-grade!” another muttered, defeat coloring his tone.
For a long moment, Huang Xin was silent. Staring down dozens of Tyrants, he couldn’t muster a single plan.
The truth was, even entry-level investigators struggled against a single Tyrant. Now there were dozens. Each one was powerful enough to serve as a boss monster, yet here they were—merely elite mobs in this nightmare.
“I’ll hold them back. All of you, reinforce the defensive line while there’s still time.”
Li Hongyou’s voice was steady as she addressed the group. “If I fail, call in an airstrike from the Investigation Bureau immediately. We can’t let these zombies breach the city. If they do, the consequences will be catastrophic.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
BZZZZZZT!
No sooner had she spoken than—
A bizarre, piercing sound ripped through the sky, so sharp everyone clapped their hands over their ears on instinct.
“Shit! Now what?!”
“That noise… Don’t tell me the zombies did this?”
“Make it stop! Somebody, please, make it stop!”
As confusion reigned, Bai Yu caught sight of Li Hongyou faltering in midair, her form wavering as if she could barely hold herself aloft.
“Oh no!”
Before anyone could react, Li Hongyou tumbled from the sky, landing in Bai Yu’s arms.
“What happened to you?” Bai Yu asked, voice urgent.
“It’s not just noise… It’s psychic interference. It’s disrupting my abilities…”
Li Hongyou gritted her teeth, pain etched deep across her face.
“How is this possible?!”
“We’re doomed! Without Li Hongyou, we don’t stand a chance!”
“That’s it, it’s over! There’s no hope left!”
Despair swept through the group. Without Li Hongyou’s powers, they wouldn’t last a minute—even against ordinary zombies, let alone the Tyrants.
“Take me to Liu Qian…”
Summoning the last of her strength, Li Hongyou whispered to Bai Yu, “I’ll get you two out of here.”
“All right.”
As Bai Yu bent to lift her, a soft blush of pink light shimmered nearby.
“What the—?”
Before anyone could react, two figures materialized before them.
“What’s with all this noise? It’s deafening out here.”
The moment Bai Xuan arrived, the mask on his face contorted into a scowl.
The psychic pulse hammered against his mind, but relief surged through him when he saw Bai Yu unscathed.
“How are you two here?!”
All eyes turned to Bai Xuan and Serene, stunned into silence.
But that question hardly mattered now.
“What happened to her?” Bai Xuan asked, looking to Bai Yu.
“It’s psychic interference. It knocked out Hongyou’s powers,” Bai Yu replied.
“Psychic interference, huh…” Bai Xuan murmured, his gaze lifting to the horizon.
There—thousands of zombies surged toward the Military Base, dozens of Tyrants among them.
“So many zombies…”
Bai Xuan’s frown deepened.
“Leave it to me.”
Serene stepped forward, her grip tightening on the Sword of No Light as she strode toward the seething horde.
“Wait! She can’t take on that many zombies alone!” Huang Xin called out in alarm. “Even Li Hongyou couldn’t—”
“Trust us, Investigator Huang Xin.” Bai Xuan’s tone was calm and certain. “She’ll handle it.”
“…All right.”
Huang Xin fell silent, swallowing his doubts.
Everyone’s gaze fixed on Serene as she advanced—alone—into the endless sea of undead.
It was like watching someone march straight into hell.
Yet in that moment, a faint golden glow began to shimmer around her.
“Revenants, who cannot reach heaven and wander this world—!”
Serene came to a halt, her gaze unwavering. Slowly, she drew the Sword of No Light from her waist.
At the same time, the little white rabbit on her shoulder transformed—becoming a cloak and a pair of rabbit-ear headpieces that settled softly over her armor, fluttering gently in the wind.
“In the name of the Holy See—”
Serene raised the sword before her chest, both hands gripping the hilt.
Instantly, a torrent of mana converged. Platinum flames bloomed along the blade, rising higher and higher, forging a sword of pure justice.
“I grant you—”
“—the path to salvation!”
“Holy Flame—eternal and unyielding!”
Before her words had even faded, Serene brought her sword down.
A torrent of platinum fire erupted from the blade, surging forward in a sweeping tidal wave.
In a single breath—
A sea of searing flames devoured everything in its path.
Thousands of zombies writhed and howled, incinerated to ash in an instant. Even the mighty Tyrants—monsters thought invincible—were swallowed whole, vanishing without a trace in the blaze.
The flames died down, leaving only stillness and peace in their wake.
“…What…”
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened.
It was all too fast.
Fear hadn’t even had time to take hold before the battle was already over.
They hadn’t even seen what happened—just a flash of platinum light, and then, silence.
For a long, stunned moment, no one spoke. Then, suddenly, the survivors erupted in jubilation.
“We did it! We won!”
“It’s over? Just like that?”
“Oh my god, I’m still alive!”
“I thought we were all dead for sure!”
“What was that move? How did she do it?”
“That power—no ordinary human could do that! Not even an airstrike could cause that much destruction!”
“She’s an angel! She has to be an angel!”
“….”
“This is unreal!” Huang Xin laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
He’d known the armored woman was powerful, but he’d never imagined her strength was so overwhelming.
The force of that single strike had clearly surpassed even Li Hongyou, the strongest of the rookie investigators.
The other investigators were just as awestruck, but beneath their wonder, unease began to grow.
After all, the power Serene had just revealed was far beyond anything they could hope to control.
Bai Xuan, however, was unsurprised.
That attack had combined the Fire of Justice with the full might of the Source of Life—a holy flame of unimaginable scope.
Holy attributes naturally countered the undead; fire, of course, was the ultimate bane of zombies. The outcome was inevitable.
Still, even Bai Xuan hadn’t expected the fight to end so quickly.
He’d hoped a few stragglers might slip past—just enough for him to stretch his own muscles.
While Serene was purging the zombies, Bai Xuan had already slipped away to the secure room where Liu Qian was being held.
Liu Qian stood by the window, having witnessed the entire spectacle.
“Wow~ That Paladin has saved me three times now, right? She’s incredible!”
Liu Qian cheered, unable to hide her excitement.
She turned, smiling at Bai Xuan as he appeared in the doorway, and asked softly:
“Excuse me, Mr. Masked Slime, are you lost?”
“No, I’m not lost.”
Bai Xuan shook his head and stepped into the room.
“I just have a few questions I hope you can answer,” he said.
“I’d love to help,” Liu Qian replied, her smile never fading, “but… now’s not the best time. I have guests to attend to.”
“Guests?”