The stakes were high and Alex could not afford too many mistakes.
The sword wielding zombies showed no skill in swordsmanship, yet their strikes worked in tandem with each other. The mastermind - a greater zombie- manipulated the lesser zombies with precision. Alex was forced into defending time and time again.
She had to actively adapt. Alex had become somewhat proficient in weapon usage, but her movements lacked polishing and refinement. In this situation, she was challenged by at least two zombies at a time, while she had very limited areas to attack.
The fight had quickly become a battle of attrition. It was obvious the manipulator held no regard for the zombies' health as the zombies fought with abandon. It was hard for Alex to direct all her attacks to behind the covered knees and elbows of the mobile assailants, however, their lack of protection for these weak spots made it easier.
The zombies also possessed the unending stamina her chakrams provided her, and they were impervious to pain. After daunting minutes of prolonged battle, the first enemy fell: its knees surrendered to Alex's persistent cuts.
Alex was not awarded with a moment of respite, another zombie quickly took the place of the fallen zombie. The narrow corridor worked in Alex's favour by limiting the amount of attackers she faced at once, and the variety of swings her enemies could perform.
Four zombies had eventually succumbed, defeated by a green streak of light each time and Alex had only become faster in her movements. The zombie controller, though intelligent, was certainly not a combat expert. The same ploys and strategies became predictable as time drew on. Alex had begun analysing, anticipating and countering her opponent's moves before they had even been performed. Her ability to think in battle only heightened.
Her physical capabilities had far surpassed human limits, but her mental reasoning and thinking speed had not received the same supernatural boost.
While battling, her instincts were honed and she became far more decisive and analytical, rendering her opponents motionless before they could even strike.
The zombies, even with their melee weapons and tight armour, no longer stood a chance against her. Something both she and the greater zombie seemed to have realized.
In what could only be the castle lord's desperate attempt to neutalize the growing threat, zombies flooded the narrow corridor from all sides. The zombies began to deploy messier tactics. Instead of properly wielding their weapons, those at the end of the corridor began to throw them at Alex. Whereas, those in close proximity to her, had a sudden downgrade in their movements.
If before, Alex could say they were well coordinated, now they only struck fiercely. There was no connection between their attacks, nor was there any follow up. It seemed as though the greater zombie could not precisely control a vast number of lesser zombies at once. This hasty action actually benefited Alex. The swords were not as slim as arrows, continuously being blocked by other zombies or simply never reaching her.
With easier attacks to evade, Alex found herself in a better situation. The zombies came to her, meaning she did not have to leave her favourable position.
The greater zombie decided to change plans after a while, as most of the zombies had retreated in different directions, an attempt to lead Alex out of the narrow corridor. Only Alex and about thirty deceased zombies remained in the corridor. Alex had taken her time to kill each of them thoroughly before moving on.
'I can't waste those spirit shards- well… I'm mainly trying to extinguish potential threats.'
It was fifteen minutes till 8pm and Alex wondered if she would have to follow a new set of rules.
Alex pondered peacefully, with a fruit in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Although she did not necessarily require nutritional supplements due to her magical weapons, Alex was still worried about over dehydrating herself or the weapons somehow siphoning her 'energy'. After the ordeal with the soul information Alex found herself distrusting the diety's items and settings even more.
Alex was almost done with her break when a familiar screen flashed in front of her, a new sentence appearing after she was done with one.
|Notice|
[ As you are the only challenger alive and you have lasted until the 5th battle, you have successfully fulfilled a hidden condition.]
[ You can choose to leave the stage right now or complete the stage. In the case that you desire to complete the stage, battle requirements and conditions will no longer be imposed on you. ]
•LEAVE• •STAY•
Alex did not hesitate, choosing to stay immediately. The hidden condition elicited a raised eyebrow from her, but nothing more. The shop's information packages already hinted at hidden achievements and such.
Alex contemplated on whether to use armour or not, but ultimately decided against it. She understood that her speed was a great asset and should not be hindered, especially when she was facing multiple enemies at once.
Alex quickly assessed her map to get an idea of the current distribution of zombies, then continued moving.
Taking a right, Alex was abruptly attacked by three zombies. Their weapons aimed at three vital locations. Alex had anticipated this action and redirected two swords with her chakrams, while simply kicking the other one away. Her strength far surpassed the zombie's after all.
She dealt with those three quickly, incorporating kicks into her attack pattern.
This turn led straight to a wall, but also had two open doors on either side. One led to the storage room, and the other the conference room.
Alex walked past the storage room, not sparing a glance at the pile of mangled deceased humans within.
She directly entered the conference room and headed straight towards the standing greater zombie. Many zombies stood in front of the zombie and others rushed at her, attempting to intercept her. Alex was fast enough to ignore them all. She climbed unto the conference table, easily reaching the other end and jumped over the wall of zombies protecting their master.
In mid air, Alex threw a chakram straight at the greater zombie. Her movements were too fast for it to react or sacrifice a zombie in its place. Her weapon lodged deeply into its head.
Alex was prepared to fight the other zombies once they were free from the control. She only felt that eliminating the castle lord was imperative. Although unlikely, who is to say it did not possess the ability to turn humans into puppets as well, finding her group mates too useless to bother with.
Alex was about to kill the next zombie, until all the lesser zombies in the room staggered before slumping to the ground. It was synchronous, resembling puppets after their strings had been cut.
Alex raised her head. She looked at the golden figures, the numbers were unmoving, frozen.
65: 10 : 43
[ Congratulations… ]