“They weren’t lying. There’s at least a dozen of them around the building. They’re all over it, trying to get inside,” Cole said, stashing his daggers and waiting.

“Anything else?” Sun Tie asked. “Any other monsters nearby?”

“I couldn’t see any, but I heard animal noises. I can’t be sure if they’re close enough.”

“Okay, let’s go. Remember, James, two hands on the sword, large swings, and stay calm. It’s easy to forget to breathe during a fight. Don’t let that happen.”

“Alright,” James said, nodding, and they followed closely behind Cole. As they turned a corner, Sun Tie began to see the enemies in the distance. Initially, all he could discern was that they were human, but with each step, he began to notice the differences.

Some had broken legs and walked in peculiar ways, while others had parts of their abdomen missing. Every single one of them had a greyish tone to their skin, confirming that they were indeed undead, the pointed ears marking them as beings from Umbraheim.

The creatures were slamming themselves against the walls of a small building topped with a symbol. The building was unremarkable, but the monsters treated it like a coveted prize.

The zombies, as Cole and James had referred to them, were attempting to break the doors and windows, but their efforts proved futile every time. In a corner, Sun Tie noticed others crawling toward the building.

"Some of the kids in the camp said it was a zombie apocalypse… They were right, who would have thought." James stated, lowering his sword with a shocked expression on his face.

"Keep your sword up. The zombies are just corpses," Sun Tie said as they stopped a block away from the enemies. Sun Tie then began to notice that some of them wore something around their necks and heads. "Can you see what they are wearing?" The Young Master asked Cole.

"It looks like armor and helmets," Cole replied. "Half-ass soldiers, in my opinion," the old man added with a grunt. Half the undead had black helmets and armor around their necks, which was an easy clue. Pierce their brains or sever their necks. Easy.

"Let's see what we can do," Cole said, aiming his bow and shooting a normal arrow toward one of the armored monsters. The arrow crashed against the helmet and stopped inside, piercing but not enough to hurt the zombie. The creature swung both arms in the direction the projectile had come as if trying to attack it. The bulging eyes of the zombie found the trio, and a loud grunt left its throat.

The slowness of the creature faded in the blink of an eye as it started running and grunting with all its might. Cole muttered something under his breath and aimed another arrow.

By his posture, it was now a charged shot. Sun Tie watched the creature running like a cultivator and was surprised.

Cole’s shot perforated the monster’s helmet again, beside the other arrow, but this time, the creature dropped to the ground, almost at their feet.

“Shit, they are fast… They were not like that in the movies,” James shouted, looking at Cole and Sun Tie. The priest’s words echoed through the streets, drawing more eyes towards them.

“Stupid…” Sun Tie said with a sidelong glance at the bald man. James shrugged as if apologizing, but the monsters were already on the move—five armored and two unarmored.

Cole unleashed arrows toward the two unarmored ones and missed one or two shots before hitting their heads. Sun Tie walked a few steps to give Cole space to keep shooting while he and James fought the monsters.

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“Remember what I told you. No mercy, they are just corpses,” Sun Tie said, positioning himself for the fight. James did the same as the monsters closed the distance. The young master activated the [Mana Seer] skill and was surprised to see nothing. They had no mana pool; in fact, Sun Tie couldn’t even see their shapes with his skill.

He immediately turned off the skill as one rushed toward him with speed. As the young master swung his blade aiming for the protected neck, the creature dodged it and danced gangly in front of him as if anticipating the next blow.

“Didn’t Liv say they are dumb? This one seems pretty damn smart to me,” Sun Tie muttered while watching James swing his blade nonstop toward the other two creatures. His sword’s reach and his long arms kept them at bay.

Sun Tie pressed the attack against the monster before him, but the creature deftly dodged him. He was trying to preserve his skills; mana restoration wasn’t instantaneous, so he needed to be careful. The young master struck successive attacks, but the zombie kept dodging them until, in one movement, it crouched and lunged towards him.

At that moment, the youth took the opportunity, dodging and releasing a [Whirlwind Strike]. The monster dropped to the ground, staggered by the force of the air blade, nearly severed in half. Sun Tie struck the neck of the monster with a decisive move, cutting the creature's head off between the neck armor and the helmet.

He looked towards James and saw one of the creatures was already on the ground, with an arrow embedded in its helmet. The second one seemed more foolish than the one Sun Tie had fought but still showed prowess in dodging the man’s blows.

In one of the swings, the zombie was too slow to dodge, losing its arm in the process. But it wasn’t the monster that flinched. James stepped back and released a gasp.

“It’s just a corpse! Press the attack!” Sun Tie exclaimed. The priest continued, lodging his sword into the monster’s shoulder. The creature didn’t stop; its body moved towards James, the sword delving deeper into the monster. It was a sight to behold—a nearly immortal soldier. Creatures like this could be the downfall of Eternal Wind if it fell into the wrong hands and if they could replicate the cultivator’s powers.

James kicked the monster, gritting his teeth, and then smashed his sword against the armored neck of the creature as it tried to grasp the bigger man with all its undead strength. Finally, one of the blows was enough to drop it. James stood gasping, gripping the sword tightly.

“Good, kid!” Cole exclaimed. “Six to go.” He pointed another arrow towards an unarmored monster close to the station and let it fly. Another one was down.

The remaining monsters were now eyeing them—two armored and three unarmored.

“Hit the protected ones, old fool. We’ll take care of the rest. Press the attack with me,” Sun Tie said, charging towards the monsters with James at his side.

Holding a blade in battle just seemed right to Sun Tie. As a kid, he had witnessed the war against the demons firsthand. His grandfather had shown him how the cultivators fought against the demonic presence. The swords glimmering in the sun had been a sight to behold. But Sun Tie couldn’t discuss the topic with his grandfather, who wished him to follow the flame path. So, he did, denying the “easy” way while his cousin, Sun Li, was free to pursue it.

The memories fueled Sun Tie's anger; he was engaging in an act that, in the eyes of his sect, bordered on criminal. Growing up, his elders forbade him from wielding a sword—a restriction he never questioned or complained about, accepting it as the correct path. Yet now, here he was, his heart full of bloodlust, sword in hand, loving it.

Slaying the zombies proved to be an easy task. The fury within the young man empowered him to dispatch the three monstrous beings swiftly. A single swing of his sword sent one of their heads flying. Another swing and his sword plunged into the mouth of a second creature. The release of the blow formed a new arc in a single, fluid motion, cleaving the third monster into two halves. It crawled towards him, viscera trailing on the ground, murder glinting in its eyes. With a look of disdain, the young master spat in the monster's face before driving his blade into its skull.

"I hate this place," he muttered, glancing over his shoulder. James stood there, his eyes wide with shock.

"That was strangely beautiful," the priest remarked. "It took but a second."

"Did it?" Sun Tie questioned, looking at his hands, a newfound strength coursing through his veins. He hadn't even needed to resort to his mana manipulation or fire skills; pure swordsmanship and rage had sufficed, and time seemed to stand still.

A cacophony of sounds from a block away abruptly interrupted Sun Tie's thoughts. Footsteps thudded on the station steps, doors burst open, and people poured out, their voices raised in screams and shouts of gratitude.

Then came the third sound—shrieks from atop the station. Shrieks that Sun Tie recognized all too well.