THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM-Chapter 58 - 57: Continental Crisis

"Every able hunter to stations immediately!"

The voice cut through courthouse corridors like breaking glass. Emergency sirens wailed from crystal speakers embedded in the courtroom. Footsteps thundered against marble floors as panic spread through the building.

The deliberation chamber door burst open. Twelve jurors abandoned their debate in coordinated chaos. Political disagreement meant nothing when monsters broke through dimensional barriers.

Director Voskar led the exodus. Military training overrode civilian protocols. His scarred hands clutched emergency communication crystals that blazed with urgent messages.

Callen Etros stumbled behind him. Family grief forgotten in face of existential threat. ARES Guild needed leadership. Revenge could wait.

Guild representatives sprinted through the private corridors as stone passages echoed with shouted orders. Emergency protocols guided them toward secure communication centers.

Vice-Chairman Eltyos coordinated Association response. Decades of military experience managing continental defense networks. Information flowed through magical channels connecting every major power center.

The courthouse emptied like water through broken dam.

Leon stood alone in the abandoned courtroom. Manna-dampening cuffs pulsed against his wrists. Stone walls echoed with distant sirens and shouting voices.

Heavy footsteps approached through empty corridors.

Chairman Ethella entered without his usual ceremony. Midnight robes disheveled. Yet his perfect composure not cracked by continental emergency. Though his cold eyes carried weight Leon had never seen before.

"The city’s in shambles," Ethella said simply. "We need everyone who can fight."

He produced specialized keys from his pockets.

"S-rank and A-rank dungeons breaching simultaneously. Three continents. Coordinated timing." Ethella inserted keys into Leon’s cuffs. "Traditional forces insufficient for this threat level."

Suppression runes faded as metal fell away. Power flooded back through Leon’s system like released floodwater and his interface blazed to life while the connection to his undead servants returned with electric intensity.

"My trial?"

"Suspended indefinitely." Ethella stepped back. "Survival takes priority over justice."

Leon understood the implications. Temporary alliance born from desperation. The Association needed his power despite everything he’d done.

Memory surfaced from weeks earlier. The Champion’s dying words echoed with new significance. "My master is coming."

The dimensional entity had warned of coordinated invasion plans. Leon dismissed it as random monster threats and now the pattern emerged with crystal clarity.

Someone orchestrated this attack during his trial. Maximum impact when Association leadership gathered in one location the enemies had been watching, planning and waiting.

"They knew," Leon said quietly.

Ethella nodded grimly. "Intelligence suggests extensive preparation. This isn’t random disaster."

The courthouse shook as something massive impacted the building’s foundation. Dust rained from ceiling stones that had stood for centuries.

"Go," Ethella commanded. "Protect what matters to you."

Leon sprinted toward exit doors. His system interface showed restored functionality. Zombie summoning at full capacity. Three powerful servants waiting for commands.

The city burned.

Leon emerged into streets filled with panicking civilians. Guild members mobilized from headquarters across multiple districts. Emergency broadcast crystals warned citizens to seek shelter immediately.

But shelter meant nothing against S-rank threats.

Injured civilians flooded medical centers. Sanctuary healers overwhelmed by casualty volume. Available hunters proved insufficient for emerging threat levels.

Armored trolls smashed through defensive barriers like tissue paper. Each creature stood twelve feet tall. Their stone-hard skin deflected conventional weapons while their massive clubs crushed anything within reach.

Aerial demons strafed fleeing families with poisonous breath. Leathery wings blocked the sunlight as they circled overhead while their screams drove civilians into mindless panic.

Crystalline golems crushed buildings with thunderous steps. Ancient magic animated pure stone into walking destruction. Each footfall cracked foundation stones and toppled support beams.

Traditional city defenses crumbled under coordinated assault. Low ranked Hunters retreated as conventional weapons failed completely.

Iron-fang mobilized armored units toward government district. Their heavy equipment might slow the larger creatures. But stopping them required hunter-level power.

Sanctuary healers established emergency treatment centers in reinforced buildings. White-robed figures worked frantically to save lives. Their magic barely kept pace with mounting casualties.

ARES remnants struggled without unified leadership. Tobias Virell’s death left power vacuum at worst possible moment. Individual members fought bravely but lacked coordination.

Smaller guilds coordinated evacuation efforts for civilian populations. Their resources stretched beyond breaking point. Too many people. Not enough hunters.

Leon ran through collapsing streets toward Shadow Quarter. His neighborhood suffered worst damage from monster attacks. Wealthy districts received priority protection from available hunters.

Poor families abandoned by official evacuation efforts, left to face creatures that could level city blocks. The Association’s class system revealed its true nature during crisis.

Leon’s determination burned brighter than surrounding fires. His mother needed protection as personal stakes overshadowed continental politics.

His enhanced speed carried him over debris fields and around collapsed buildings. Each stride brought him closer to home. To family. To everything that mattered.

Behind him, Chairman Ethella descended from courthouse steps like divine judgment. Five A-rank trolls converged on Association headquarters. Each creature capable of destroying armies.

Ethella raised both hands. Power erupted from his form in visible lightening waves. S-rank magic reshaped reality around him. Chairman Ethella was a S-rank Storm Caller, Powerful!

The trolls froze mid-charge. Stone flesh crystallized into perfect statues. Their final expressions showed surprise at meeting superior force.

Leadership through example. Other hunters witnessed impossible power. Hope flickered in darkness consuming their world.

Leon reached Shadow Quarter as buildings collapsed around him. His freed system interface blazed with notifications. Skill improvements. Power enhancements. Everything suppressed during imprisonment.

Zombie summoning abilities returned at full strength. Three evolved servants responded to mental commands. Ready for battle against impossible odds.

No hunters pursued him through emergency chaos. Legal consequences meant nothing when extinction threatened everyone equally.

Leon’s personal mission took priority over continental politics. Save his mother. Protect his neighborhood. Fight whatever came next.

The Shadow Quarter stretched before him like war zone. Smoke rose from burning buildings. Screams echoed through narrow alleys. Monsters roamed freely through abandoned streets.

His mother was somewhere in this hell. Alone. Defenseless. Waiting for rescue that might never come.

Leon summoned his warrior zombie. The evolved undead materialized beside him. Spectral armor gleamed despite surrounding darkness. Mantis blade hummed with contained violence.

Together they advanced into chaos.

Multiple crisis threads converged simultaneously. Leon’s trial suspended but unresolved. Continental invasion threatening all hunter society. Personal stakes clashing with larger implications.

Unknown enemies orchestrated events from shadows. Their master plan finally revealing itself through coordinated destruction.

Leon’s choices would determine both family survival and continental fate. The weight of responsibility pressed down like physical force.

But he’d carried heavier burdens before. Survived impossible odds. Defeated enemies that should have crushed him.

One more battle. One more test of will against overwhelming power.

The apocalypse could wait. His mother needed him now.

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