A dense black mist surged forth from beneath the castle, as though it were alive, spreading toward the distant mountains. The once-clear outlines of the peaks now appeared as hazy as a dream.
This was exactly as Ash Williams had heard in the prophecy—a dark legion would rise.
"Matt, what's wrong?"
Hearing Daredevil's scream, Colonel America turned around, only to see a pool of dark blood on the ground and an arm retracting back into the mist.
Storm, her voice trembling as she tried to make sense of what she'd just witnessed, exclaimed, "H-He was dragged away by a swarm of hands!"
"I saw it too. Everyone, form up around me! Defensive positions!" The zombie clad in a star-spangled uniform raised his shield, rallying the others.
The shadows, however, were far from idle. They began to emerge from the mist, revealing their true forms—countless undead, standing upright and animated.
These reanimated corpses bore no semblance of humanity. Their faces were pale and expressionless, with dull, lifeless eyes glowing cold red. Driven by unrelenting hatred, these beings had only one goal: vengeance against the zombie heroes.
Their bodies were incomplete—missing limbs, tattered robes barely clinging to their forms, as if they'd been left to rot for centuries. The remaining fabric fluttered faintly in the wind.
"This must be one of Strange's messed-up experiments. Kill them all!"
The Colonel America snarled at the undead horde before hurling his shield with all his might. The weapon whistled through the air, slicing through seven or eight of the undead before shattering them into pieces. Their bodies fell to the ground in lifeless heaps.
The sheer power of his attack took the Colonel by surprise. He had only intended to test the waters, but these undead turned out to be astonishingly fragile. His grotesque face twisted in momentary confusion before breaking into a triumphant grin.
"These things are nothing!" he declared, confidence and fighting spirit renewed as he realized the enemy was far weaker than anticipated—almost laughably so.
But his gloating was short-lived. A tidal wave of undead surged from the mist, overwhelming the zombies' formation with sheer numbers. Though the zombie heroes held their ground, the immense pressure of the oncoming horde planted seeds of unease.
The Colonel roared defiantly, rallying his comrades. "Hold the line! These brittle corpses can't defeat us! Push through! The endless feast is waiting for us inside the castle!"
Among the chaos, a shadow darted through the undead ranks with deadly precision. Its claws slashed and tore, leaving destruction in its wake. Venom's sticky black tendrils lashed out, ripping the undead apart.
Elsewhere, Gambit hurled explosive playing cards, sending the undead flying, but the dwindling thickness of his card deck hinted that his strategy might not last much longer.
Sunspot burned brightly, engulfing the undead around him in flames, turning them to ash, while Blob simply rolled through them like a wrecking ball.
The zombie heroes employed their unique powers to slaughter the undead with alarming speed. Yet, the seemingly endless numbers of the dark legion began to slow their advance.
Atop the castle, the Book of the Dead (Necronomicon) grinned wide as it addressed Noah. "How about that? If it weren't for those zombies eating so many people, I wouldn't have been able to summon this many undead. I really went all out this time! You're taking me with you after this, right?"
"Well done," Noah replied, though his voice was indifferent. He didn't directly answer the book's question but instead glanced at the battlefield below. Zombies clashed with the undead amid the mist, painting a scene of unrelenting chaos.
Though the undead were numerous and served their purpose as cannon fodder, they were weak individually. They lacked any true immortality—smashing them to bits with a few blows was more than enough.
They could stall the zombie heroes for a while, sure, but defeating them?
That was a pipe dream.
Having said his piece, Noah shifted his gaze toward the castle gates, where several figures had already arrived, moving faster than the mist.
He turned, holding the Necronomicon close, and retreated deeper into the castle.
Outside, Juggernaut's heavy footsteps shook the ground as he approached Doom's castle. With a colossal foot, he kicked the massive metal gates with all his might.
A thunderous boom echoed through the air as the doors flew off their hinges, soaring like a meteor before crashing into the far wall. Debris rained down as the impact filled the area with dust and rubble.
"Come out, Ross! Last time, you tricked us. This time, I'm not just going to crush you—I'm going to eat you!"
Without pausing, Juggernaut stomped into the castle, oblivious to the fact that only a few of his allies remained. Behind him, only Colossus and Luke Cage followed.
"Where's the Colonel? And what's with that mess outside?" Cage glanced back at the darkness beyond the doorway, his expression puzzled.
"Who cares?" Colossus growled. "I've been sick of those Avengers clowns for ages. If they don't want in, that's their loss. Let's just enjoy the feast ourselves."
Cage frowned. "You do realize I'm an Avenger too, right?"
"Well, it's not too late to quit. The X-Men don't only accept mutants, you know."
"Pass," Cage replied flatly.
They moved further into the castle, eventually reaching the throne room. Behind the throne were three tunnels, each stretching deep into darkness.
After a brief exchange of glances, Juggernaut took the lead. "We'll split up. Better odds of finding fresh meat that way. Plus, no fighting over it. It's all down to luck."
"Agreed," Colossus said, nodding toward his old enemy. He entered the left tunnel without hesitation.
Juggernaut and Luke Cage chose the center and right paths, respectively. Soon, the throne room fell silent again, save for the faint, ghostly green light gliding across the walls.
Colossus trudged through the dark corridor, muttering to himself. "So hungry... Stomach's empty… Good thing we hit that school beforehand."
As he recalled the feast at the school, a wicked grin spread across his face. He could still picture the terror and despair of the students as he hunted them down, their screams filling the air.
Some had tried to fight him off with desks and chairs. It was adorable.
The taste and texture of that meal were unforgettable—a memory he would savor forever.
But the thought of it also reignited his frustration. The living were becoming scarce in this world, while the number of zombies only grew. Sooner or later, they'd be fighting each other over the last scraps of meat.
And what about the rumored teleporter? Was that real, or just another of the Colonel's ploys to lure them all to Latveria?
Colossus narrowed his eyes as he spotted something at the end of the corridor—a figure holding a gray book.
He blinked, ensuring his vision wasn't deceiving him. No, it was real.
The figure, upon noticing Colossus, appeared startled and immediately turned to flee.
"Don't run!" Colossus bellowed, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground as he charged forward. His bloodlust-filled laughter echoed through the dark passage.