The Genesis of the Dead

The glow emanating from Zoran's spear immediately put Maveth on high alert. He knew exactly what Zoran was capable of when wielding his trump card. The powerful image of the obliterated Twintails' body, the damage so immense that even Maveth couldn't resurrect it, flashed briefly in his mind. Yet, this was the very moment Maveth had been anticipating and meticulously planning for.

Without hesitation, Maveth commanded the Tier 2 skeleton to charge at Zoran, simultaneously instructing the Tier 2 zombeast to flank him. His strategy was straightforward: Zoran would be forced to use his ability on either the skeleton or the zombeast, leaving the other to finish him off while he suffered the debilitating recoil of his devastating attack.

The towering skeleton lumbered toward Zoran, but the defender remained unfazed. With a burst of mana channeled into his legs, Zoran darted behind the slower skeleton, delivering a powerful kick that sent it sprawling to the ground. The zombeast veered to avoid its rolling comrade, continuing its relentless charge toward Zoran.

Channeling mana into his arms, Zoran's physical strength surged. Without even wielding his spear, he hurled the zombeast toward the skeleton with such force that the beast collided with its ally. Both enemies lay in a tangled heap. Meanwhile, Maveth, anticipating Zoran's movements, had already retreated to a safer distance.

Maveth theorised Zoran's plan hinged on grouping his adversaries together to unleash his powerful ability and obliterate all three of them at once. Maveth knew that if Zoran succeeded and survived the aftermath, his forces would stand little chance without his oversight to guide them. Maveth's absence would render his army directionless and vulnerable.

Zoran's spear began to glow more intensely, its radiance growing brighter by the second. Desperately, the two adversaries attempted to scatter and evade the impending devastation, but they were far too slow.

A deafening explosion shattered the battlefield. The ground trembled beneath Maveth's feet as shockwaves rippled outward. Despite the considerable distance he had placed between himself and the blast, the force was overwhelming. In the aftermath of the explosion, Maveth felt a sudden, inexplicable decline in his strength. Although unsure of the cause, he knew it was irrelevant for the moment. A thick cloud of dust obscured the battlefield, concealing the results of Zoran's reckless yet precise strike. However, through his connection to his creations, Maveth sensed what had transpired.

The skeleton had been utterly destroyed in the blast, its shattered bones scattered across the ground like remnants of a forgotten relic. The severed connection with the skeleton explained Maveth's weakened state, as his strength had diminished just as it had surged when he first raised it. The zombeast, while still alive in the technical sense, had been rendered immobile. Its legs were obliterated, leaving it helplessly writhing on the ground.

Maveth, however, did not despair. He had anticipated these losses as necessary sacrifices. His confidence in Zoran's physical state remained unshaken. During the previous battle with the Twintails, Zoran had been unable to stand after using this devastating move. Maveth assumed the same would hold true now. But his assumptions crumbled as the dust cleared, revealing a figure hurtling toward him.

Zoran stood upright, his body battered and broken. Blood streamed from his ears, eyes, and mouth, painting a macabre picture of defiance. His expression was that of a warrior unhinged, his eyes blazing with unrelenting fury. The spear in his hand shone even brighter than before, an unyielding beacon of determination. Zoran had pushed his body far beyond its natural limits.

He was no fool; he understood Maveth's plan all too well. Under normal circumstances, the recoil from his explosive strike would leave him paralyzed, a defenseless target. But his confrontation with the Twintails had changed everything. Like he had explained, Zoran had absorbed residual mana from the Twintails he bested while defending the village, allowing him to strengthen himself in the process. This increase in mana allowed him the ability to remain standing, albeit at great personal cost. He was teetering on the edge of transcending into a higher tier of power, but he had not yet crossed that threshold.

Fueled by an intense mix of rage and resolve, Zoran forced every last shred of mana into his spear, readying one final attack. He knew the stakes. Even if he succeeded in defeating Maveth, the consequences for his own body would be dire. At best, he would be left crippled, unable to wield a weapon ever again. More likely, this final act would be his undoing, a sacrifice he had already come to terms with.

Despite the inevitability of his demise, Zoran's resolve did not waver. He had long since ceased fighting for himself. His every action now served a his own purpose, one that burned brighter than any desire for personal survival. This last, heroic strike was his ultimate act of defiance, a testament to his unwavering dedication to his cause.

Maveth was caught off guard, and the weakening caused by his subordinates' demise left him exceedingly vulnerable. Zoran, in his relentless advance, had transformed into an unstoppable and imposing juggernaut, an embodiment of raw power that would surely spell Maveth's end.

A torrent of thoughts and desperate solutions flooded Maveth's mind as he frantically sought ways to prolong his second life. His remaining soldiers, sensing their master's peril, surged toward him like a swarm of ants defending their queen. Despite their efforts, Maveth was powerless against Zoran, whose steady approach was marked by the intensifying glow at the tip of his spear.

Out of the corner of his eye, Maveth caught sight of the purple-eyed skeleton sprinting with all its might. It attempted to intercept Zoran, sending shockwaves in a desperate bid to halt his charge. Yet, the distance between them was too great, and the skeletal attack fell short, unable to hinder Zoran's advance.

Maveth remained composed, his instincts kicking in as he analyzed the skeleton's attempt. A sudden realization struck him: the attack could be replicated. Channeling his own mana, Maveth mimicked the skeleton's movements, concentrating his energy into a single, devastating shockwave.

BOOM!

An even louder explosion erupted, sending both combatants hurtling backward. The premature detonation of Zoran's attack was triggered by Maveth's impromptu move. A broken spear tip soared gracefully through the air before embedding itself far off in the distance. The wooden shaft lay warped, its lethal edge shattered.

A thick cloud of dust obscured the battlefield as Maveth's troops, now gathered en masse, awaited their master's command. Maveth himself had sustained injuries, though his undead composition rendered him impervious to pain. His chest appeared caved in, a grotesque indentation marring his form, yet his legs remained functional, allowing him to rise unsteadily to his feet.

The storm that had raged during their battle ceased, as if acknowledging the fight's conclusion. The dust began to settle, revealing a cold, starless night sky. A frigid late-autumn wind scattered the debris, unveiling the battered figure of the village's guardian.

Zoran's condition was dire. His limbs twisted at unnatural angles, his chest riddled with gaping wounds. His appearance now resembled that of a discarded, broken doll. Yet, despite his catastrophic injuries, his labored breaths continued. His eyes, bloodshot and weary, darted around as he tried to summon what little strength he had left.

Each breath came with immeasurable pain, far worse than any Zoran had endured before, even surpassing the agony inflicted by the Fleshripper. His entire body screamed for respite, urging him to surrender to his injuries. Yet, with the final remnants of his strength, he remained conscious and attempted to crawl toward his shattered spear.

It was a pitiful sight. Zoran's face contorted in pain as he inched forward, barely managing to move. The undead surrounding him stood motionless, their hollow eyes observing the spectacle. They made no effort to stop him. Maveth, strode slowly toward the crippled man.

Zoran's determination remained unbroken. Surrounded by enemies and trapped in a body that had failed him, he pressed on, driven by sheer willpower. His mind begged him to give up, to let go and rest, but he refused. He would continue until there was nothing left of him.

Maveth halted in front of the crawling man, gazing intently into his eyes. To Zoran's surprise, there was no malice in the his expression. Maveth's gaze held no trace of sadistic pleasure, unlike the countless bandits who roamed these lands. Instead, Maveth seemed more akin to an unrelenting force of nature, a phenomenon that simply existed, indifferent to notions of right or wrong.

As Zoran looked into Maveth's empty eyes, Maveth returned the scrutiny, peering into the depths of the man's soul. He compared Zoran's impending demise to the few deaths he had witnessed before. Unlike the bandit who often met his ends with satisfaction, Zoran's expression was one of frustration and regret. Was he angry? Perhaps he resented Maveth for the betrayal that had brought him to this moment. In Maveth's logical mind, such anger was entirely justified.

And yet, the words that escaped Zoran's lips left Maveth utterly bewildered. "Thank... you..."

For the first time since his revival, Maveth felt something stir within him. It was a powerful and unfamiliar emotion, a potent mix of regret and confusion. He stood there, motionless, as the weight of Zoran's words sank in, leaving him to grapple with feelings he hadn't thought himself capable of.