Chapter Seventeen: The Hordes of Undead Part 1

The mobile command unit codenamed Dominator rumbled to life in the vehicle bay of Wakayama HQ.

It was no slapdash emergency vehicle thrown together in a panic. The design was seamless, almost obsessive in its attention to detail — a heavily armored, low-profile transport bristling with weapon systems. Twin high-caliber Magicyte cannons sat mounted on the upper turret, while multiple missile pods lined the flanks, their housings glowing faintly with restrained power. Whoever had designed the Dominator had clearly been a little insane… and extremely good at their job.

The massive vehicle sped down the reinforced highway leading toward Okunoin, engines growling as it cut through the early morning mist. Inside, the Tyrants sat strapped into their seats, gear locked and ready. Zero sat near the rear, already wearing his newly forged heavy Magicyte armor, the deep maroon circuits pulsing softly beneath the dark plating. The long black cape with matching glowing edges rested over one shoulder.

Raiden Kurogane checked his greatsword one last time.

“Upper floors are ours,” he said. “We clear the path and hold the line. Zero… you go deeper. Commander’s orders.”

Yumi Shinohara adjusted her twin blades without looking up.

“Try not to die down there. It would be annoying to have to drag your body back out.”

Kai Hayashi grinned, spinning one of the floating Magicyte orbs around his staff.

“If you find any interesting cores, save me a sample.”

Sora Amemiya simply offered Zero a calm nod.

Outside the armored windows, the dark silhouette of Okunoin grew larger with every second. The corrupted aura of the dungeon pressed against the Dominator like a living weight, thicker and more malevolent the closer they drew.

Zero rested a hand on the hilt of his new sword, the deep maroon glow reflecting in his gray eyes.

The largest dungeon in the country was waiting. And this time, he was properly armed for it.

The Dominator came to a heavy stop just outside the corrupted entrance of Okunoin. The massive gates that once marked the sacred path into the cemetery now stood warped and broken, overgrown with blackened roots and pulsing dark veins.

The moment the rear ramp lowered, the cold, death-laden air of the dungeon spilled out to meet them.

Raiden stepped forward first, greatsword resting across his shoulders. He glanced back at Zero.

“We’ll draw them to us. You get by them and start heading down.”

Then he inhaled deeply and let out a roar that echoed across the first floor like a challenge.

The ground answered.

Dirt and moss-covered soil across hundreds of ancient graves began to shift and heave. Rotten hands pushed upward. Half-eaten, half-rotted torsos dragged themselves onto the surface, jaws hanging loose, eyes glowing with a sickly pale light. The groans and broken cries of the rising undead filled the air as the horde began to surface in numbers.

Raiden’s grin sharpened.

“There they are. Go, Zero. We’ll take it from here.”

Zero gave a single nod.

Then he ran.

His newly forged heavy armor clanked with every step, the deep maroon Magicyte circuits flaring brighter as he moved — yet the weight did nothing to slow him. He cut a straight path through the rising dead, cape trailing behind him like a shadow of blood and steel.

Behind him, the Tyrants met the horde head-on.

Raiden’s greatsword carved through multiple undead in a single sweeping arc. Yumi vanished into the swarm in a blur of twin blades. Kai’s staff lit up as explosive orbs of Magicyte energy detonated among the densest clusters. Sora’s barriers and spears of light kept the group from being overwhelmed.

Zero didn’t look back.

He was already descending deeper into Okunoin, the oppressive aura of the dungeon growing heavier with every step he took toward the lower floors.

Zero descended the massive stone staircase that wound deeper into Okunoin.

Each step took him further from the surface battle. The air grew colder, heavier, thick with the stench of old death and corrupted mana. When he reached the next wide platform, he paused and looked back.

The dungeon stretched above him in layered tiers — ancient stone paths, collapsed memorials, and endless rows of graves stacked upon one another like a twisted vertical cemetery. From this depth he could still hear the distant sounds of the Tyrants fighting the rising horde on the upper floors.

Then the dead came for him.

Dozens of rotting figures dragged themselves out of the surrounding graves and onto the platform, their broken limbs twitching, jaws hanging open in silent hunger.

Zero drew his new blade in one smooth motion. The deep maroon Magicyte core flared to life along the length of the sword.

He swung.

A single flash of dark-red light cut through the air.

The entire front line of zombies was split cleanly in half. Their bodies collapsed with wet, heavy sounds as they slammed into the stone floor, blackened blood and rotting flesh spilling across the ancient path.

Zero exhaled through his nose, expression flat.

“Fodder.”

More undead began clawing their way up from the lower graves, but he didn’t even raise his sword again yet. He simply stared down at the approaching mass with clear annoyance.

“Give me something else. One of you dead monsters must have something powerful among your ranks.”

The lower floors of Okunoin stretched ahead of him, darker and more oppressive than anything on the surface.

Zero stepped forward, cape shifting behind him, the weight of his heavy armor doing nothing to slow his stride. He was already bored of the weak ones.

Zero kept moving deeper into the layered darkness of Okunoin.

A sudden blur of movement caught his eye.

Something fast — far faster than the shambling corpses he had already cut down — screamed as it launched itself from a shadowed alcove. The creature was gaunt and long-limbed, its rotting flesh stretched tight over elongated bones, claws extended for his throat.

Zero didn’t even draw his sword.

He simply raised one armored hand and caught the creature mid-air by the neck. The impact barely shifted his stance.

“Hmph. All speed, no strength.”

His iron grip tightened.

There was a wet, sharp crack as he crushed its throat. The creature’s body went limp instantly. Zero dropped it to the stone floor without a second glance and continued walking, the heavy cape trailing behind him.

He let out a quiet sigh, clearly unimpressed.

“All style, no substance. Give me something to wet my whistle.”

The deeper levels of Okunoin stretched ahead, the oppressive aura growing thicker with every step. Somewhere below, something stronger was waiting.

Zero’s gray eyes narrowed slightly, the deep maroon glow of his Magicyte circuits pulsing in the dark.

He was ready for it.