"Arriving at Xi'an in 20 minutes."
The voice echoed in Damon's earpiece — vocal instructions from the Map app designed for mages who could fly or use flight-enabled equipment. Essentially, a Google Maps for the skies.
Following the directions, Damon soared toward Xi'an at a steady pace, careful not to exhaust the reserves of his giant wings too quickly.
As he neared the ancient city, his speed suddenly dropped. Halting mid-air, Damon furrowed his brows, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at a grey cloud radiating an ominous aura below.
"What a creature..." he muttered, rising higher above the twisting mass. His perception sharpened as he studied the grey cloud — its presence faint yet suffocating, almost undetectable even for a Supermage.
"So what are these?" Damon frowned, watching the ghastly form below. He wasn't an encyclopedia; not every creature, especially undead ones, was familiar to him. "Hmm..."
The writhing cloud expanded, revealing a grotesque, twisted face as the being rose like a column of smoke, its aura now unmistakable.
"Commander?" Damon muttered as the monstrous pillar of mist surged upward.
Screeech—
An ear-piercing scream assaulted his ears as the creature lunged at him like a predatory wolf.
"Hah," Damon chuckled at the incoming attack. Before, he might have been wary of Commanders, but after all the updates and evolution he had undergone, fear no longer existed in his heart.
"Charging at me mindlessly without knowing your place..." he murmured as royal blue flames engulfed his body, swirling into a vortex of fire. "Recklessness or courage?"
The blue flames beneath his feet began to take shape — an eastern dragon coiling around him as Damon stood atop its head.
Rawr!
The dragon roared, then launched forward, tearing through the smoky figure before wrapping around it again, shredding it mercilessly.
The power was overwhelming — stronger than any advanced spell. The imperial flames magnified his might. Now, as one with his element, every flame bowed to his will. No longer bound by stars or traditional magic, he could manifest any spell with thought alone — limited only by his reserves and imagination.
The ghostly monster disintegrated, burning to ash as it fell. Damon exhaled, glancing down at the remains before looking ahead — more figures were approaching.
'Minions, warriors... all small fries,' he thought. The flames around him faded as a radiant, divine light burst forth — pure and sacred.
Screech. Screech.
Light — the ultimate poison to the undead. The weakest element for the living, yet the strongest bane to the dead. Ironic, really.
As Damon reflected, the ghostly figures began retreating, too afraid to approach. But would Damon let them go alive?
"Anyways..." he grinned as the light gathered behind him, swirling upward like stardust until it took the shape of a female figure clad in golden armor.
"Die..." Damon whispered as the celestial figure unfurled her angelic wings, lifting a luminous sword above him. "All of you."
With a single slash, a golden arc of light ripped through the air. The undead couldn't even scream before they were cleaved apart and erased from existence.
Watching the fading ashes, Damon shook his head. "Weak."
For the first time, there was no thrill — no rush. Just... boredom. A strange, hollow feeling for someone who once lived for battle.
"Sigh... whatever." Smirking, Damon dismissed the thought and looked ahead. "The city is still far away."
Finding undead this far from Xi'an was unusual — especially in this direction.
'Something isn't right...' Damon thought. "Has the city already—"
He had told his men to contact their acquaintances in Xi'an earlier, but no one had responded. He'd been in too much of a hurry to investigate. No media reports mentioned an undead outbreak, so Damon hadn't thought much of it — until now.
"Sigh... whatever." Shaking his head, he unsummoned his silver wings.
Turning into a black mist, he moved forward stealthily at full speed killing the undead whenever encountered with light sword, he moved forward — only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight ahead.
An ocean of undead stretched across the land below — like the gates of hell thrown open. They swarmed endlessly, encircling the towering walls of Xi'an.
As far as the eye could see: bones, rotting flesh, and blood. Ghosts, ghouls, zombies, skeletons, phantoms — a legion of death stretching beyond the horizon.
Minions, warriors, commanders... and monarchs. Not one, but many — surrounding the city from all sides.
Massive undead dragons coiled around the golden dome — humanity's last sanctuary. Phantoms ruled the southern skies. It was pure chaos — the end of the world.
At the northern horizon, standing atop clouds, was a giant. Its undead body towered like a mountain, wreathed in lightning that cracked around its form as it reached for the heavens.
Aura akin to the black snake of hangzhou radiating from him—supreme monarch.
The most loyal general and the orchestrator of the attack, the loyal servant of Undead Emperor, Ancient King Ying Zheng— Mountain Zombie.
Gulp.
Damon swallowed hard. His heart pounded violently; his body trembled as he beheld the apocalyptic scene before him.
Sweat covered his forehead as he looked at the calamity of undead in front of him.
This was the true battlefield — the living against the dead. The ocean of death swallowing the city of light as the undead gods laughed at humanity's last stand.
There was no escape, just death and darkness that covered the earth and sky..
This was Xi'an — the ancient capital.