THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM-Chapter 59 - 58: Mother’s Shield

"Leon! The building’s coming down!"

A voice cut through the chaos as Leon sprinted through the burning Shadow Quarter. His freed system blazed with notifications - skill improvements, power enhancements, everything suppressed during imprisonment flooding back at once. The manna-dampening cuffs were gone. His connection to the undead realm burned bright.

Smoke choked the narrow alleys like poison gas. Buildings collapsed in thunderous crashes while screams echoed from every direction. The air tasted of ash and terror.

Leon’s enhanced speed carried him over debris fields where families had lived just hours before. His mind focused on one target - his mother’s apartment. Everything else was noise.

Three blocks from home, his warrior zombie materialized beside him without summoning. The evolved undead moved with fluid grace, spectral armor gleaming through the smoke. Its mantis blade hummed with contained violence.

"Stay close," Leon commanded. "We’re going home."

The creature nodded. Understanding passed between them without words.

They rounded the corner and Leon’s heart stopped.

Three crystalline golems stood where his neighborhood used to be. Each creature reached one story tall, their translucent bodies carved from pure magical stone. Ancient magic animated them into walking destruction. Every footfall cracked foundation stones and toppled support beams.

One golem raised a massive fist. The blow connected with a residential building, reducing brick and mortar to dust in seconds. Families scattered like insects, dragging injured relatives through the wreckage.

Leon’s tactical mind analyzed their movement patterns while civilians fled in panic. The golems moved methodically, crushing one building before advancing to the next. They weren’t random destroyers - they had orders.

His mage zombie appeared without being called. The evolved undead raised its new Void-star Staff, ice magic crackling around the crystalline tip. Frost Nova charged between its fingers.

"Hit the joints," Leon ordered. "Slow them down."

The mage unleashed concentrated ice magic. Frost spread across the nearest golem’s leg joints, crystallizing into thick barriers. The creature’s movement slowed as magical ice fought magical stone.

But there were three of them. And Leon needed to reach his building.

He sprinted between their massive legs while his undead provided cover. The warrior zombie engaged the rightmost golem, its mantis blade carving deep gouges in crystalline armor. Sparks flew as enhanced metal met magical stone.

Leon’s building stood partially collapsed ahead. The upper floors were gone, crushed under falling debris from neighboring structures. Only the ground level remained intact, buried under tons of rubble.

"Mom!" Leon’s voice echoed through the destruction as he climbed over fallen beams. "Where are you?"

Silence. Then, faintly, a weak voice responded from beneath the wreckage.

"Leon? Is that you?"

Relief flooded through him. She was alive. But her voice came from deep within what used to be the kitchen area. Trapped under collapsed ceiling beams and broken masonry.

Leon’s hands shook as he realized the scope of the rescue. She was buried under at least three feet of debris. Moving the wrong piece could bring down more weight. One mistake would crush her.

His assassin zombie phased through solid matter, appearing beside him like smoke given form. The spectral undead could move through debris without disturbing it.

"Find her exact position," Leon commanded. "Mark the safe approach."

The assassin vanished into the rubble. Seconds later, it reappeared and pointed to a specific section where kitchen tiles were still visible.

"Here," it whispered. "She’s conscious. Broken leg. Internal injuries. But stable."

Leon’s system interface blazed with information as he assessed the situation. His mother needed immediate medical attention. Again. Just days after recovering from the tournament elixir then recovering from the ARES guild assault, she was fighting for her life in different circumstances.

The irony burned worse than the smoke in his lungs.

Behind him, his warrior zombie’s battle cry echoed through the chaos. The mantis blade connected with crystalline armor in showers of sparks. But the golem was adapting, its movements becoming more coordinated.

Leon accessed his system map. Elise’s location showed two districts away at a medical center. She’d be treating casualties from the invasion. But getting there meant abandoning his mother or somehow moving her through active combat zones.

"Leon." His mother’s voice was weaker now. "Go save others. I’ll be fine here."

"No." Leon’s voice carried absolute authority. "I’m not leaving you again."

He pulled up his system notifications. Power flooded back through his consciousness as suppressed abilities returned. New skills unlocked during imprisonment flickered across his interface.

[Undead Commander - Advanced]

[Spectral Army - Unlocked]

[Battlefield Coordination - Enhanced]

The notification that made him stop breathing:

[Raise Warrior Undead - New Ability Unlocked]

[Create permanent undead defenders from fallen enemies]

[Cost: 100 Mana per summon ]

[Duration: ten minutes]

Leon had never been able to raise additional undead before. His three zombies were evolved versions of basic summons. But this was different. This created entirely new defenders from scratch.

The sound of massive footsteps shook the ground. One of the crystalline golems had finished with a distant building and was turning toward Leon’s position. Its faceted eyes focused on him with predatory intelligence.

Leon’s mage zombie launched another Frost Nova, but the golem shrugged off the ice magic. These creatures were adapting to his tactics. Learning from each attack.

"Time to test new abilities," Leon muttered.

He raised both hands and channeled power through his system interface. Mana flowed out of him like a river breaking through a dam. The cost was enormous, but desperation fueled his magic.

The air around him shimmered. Spectral energy coalesced into solid forms. Five warrior undead materialized in defensive positions around the collapsed building - not evolved zombies, but entirely new creations born from raw magical power.

Each defender wore different armor styles, carried unique weapons, and moved with individual fighting techniques. They were permanent additions to his forces, not temporary summons.

The approaching golem paused as it detected multiple undead signatures. Its crystalline head turned left and right, calculating threat levels.

Leon’s new warriors spread out in coordinated formation. Two took positions between the golem and the building. Two more flanked from the sides. The fifth moved to high ground on partially collapsed stairs.

"Protect this position," Leon commanded. "Nothing gets through."

His original warrior zombie fell back from its individual battle to join the defensive line. Six undead defenders now stood between the golems and Leon’s trapped mother.

The mage zombie positioned itself for maximum spell coverage. Ice magic and frost barriers could control battlefield positioning even if they couldn’t destroy the golems outright.

Leon turned back to the rubble pile. His hands were steady now, purpose replacing panic. His mother was trapped but alive. His undead army would hold the line. He had the tools needed to save her.

But time was running short.

The nearest golem raised both fists and brought them down in synchronized strikes. The ground shook as magical force met undead steel. Sparks flew in brilliant cascades as enhanced weapons clashed with crystalline armor.

Leon’s assassin zombie marked safe passages through the debris while he began moving stones and broken beams. Each piece had to be lifted carefully, weight redistributed to avoid cave-ins.

"Stay with me, Mom," he called down. "I’m coming."

"I’m not going anywhere," she replied, though her voice carried pain she was trying to hide.

Sweat dripped down Leon’s face as he worked. The physical effort was manageable thanks to his enhanced strength stats, but the mental pressure was crushing. Every second of delay meant more internal bleeding, more damage that even healing magic might not reverse.

Behind him, the battle escalated. His warrior undead moved with perfect coordination, striking at joint vulnerabilities while avoiding devastating counterattacks. But the golems were learning their patterns, adapting their defense with each exchange.

Leon pulled away a heavy support beam and saw his mother clearly for the first time. She lay pinned under a fallen cabinet, her left leg bent at an unnatural angle. Blood soaked through her dress from injuries he couldn’t see.

But she was conscious. Alert. Her eyes met his with the same fierce determination that had carried her through months of terminal illness.

"Almost there," Leon promised.

The cabinet was heavy but not impossible. Leon positioned himself for maximum leverage and lifted with legs and back together. The furniture rose slowly, revealing the full extent of her injuries.

Broken leg. Definitely. Possible internal bleeding from impact trauma. Cuts and bruises from falling debris. But nothing immediately life-threatening if he could get her proper medical attention.

"Can you move your arms?" Leon asked.

She tested careful movements. "Yes. Everything works except the leg."

Leon’s assassin zombie materialized beside him. "Safe extraction path identified. Move northwest to avoid structural collapse."

Perfect. Leon gathered his mother carefully, supporting her weight while avoiding pressure on the injured leg. She was lighter than he remembered, still recovering from her recent illness despite the healing elixir.

They emerged from the collapsed building as his undead army held their defensive line. The six warriors fought with mechanical precision, each filling tactical roles in perfect coordination.

But the golems were adapting faster than expected.

The lead creature had learned to predict their attack patterns. Its crystalline fists moved in devastating combinations that forced Leon’s defenders into reactive positions. Two warriors showed significant damage from direct impacts.

Leon assessed the tactical situation as he carried his mother toward relative safety. His undead could hold the position, but not indefinitely. The golems’ magical resilience was slowly overwhelming his forces’ enhanced weaponry.

He needed a new strategy. Or an escape route. Or both.

That’s when he heard it. Heavy footsteps approaching from the east. Not golem footsteps - these were organic, purposeful, coordinated.

A massive troll appeared at the building’s main entrance. Eight feet tall, covered in thick hide that resembled living armor. Tusks protruded from its lower jaw like ivory daggers. Its eyes burned with intelligence and hunger.

But it wasn’t random monster behavior. The troll’s attention focused directly on Leon’s magical signature. It had been drawn here specifically by his undead summoning.

"Put me down," his mother whispered. "Run while you can."

Leon’s grip tightened protectively. "Not happening."

The troll stepped closer, its massive hands flexing as it evaluated threats. Behind it, Leon could see more shapes moving through the smoke. More trolls. An entire pack drawn by concentrated magic use.

His undead army was fully committed to fighting the golems. His mana reserves were depleted from creating six new warriors. And now a pack of hungry trolls wanted to add him to their menu.

Leon’s system interface flashed with urgent warnings:

[Mana: 45/930]

[Multiple hostile signatures detected]

[Tactical retreat recommended]

But retreat meant abandoning their defensive position. Abandoning the injured civilians hiding in partially collapsed buildings. Abandoning his neighborhood to complete destruction.

Leon looked down at his mother’s face. She was trying to hide her pain, but her breathing was shallow and irregular. Internal injuries were worsening despite her brave front.

Two districts away, Elise was treating casualties at a medical center. Professional healing magic that could save his mother’s life. But getting there meant fighting through active combat zones while carrying an injured person.

Unless he made a different choice.

Leon’s fingers moved across his system interface, accessing the new abilities unlocked during his imprisonment. Power flowed through channels he’d never used before. Dangerous power that came with dangerous costs.

[Spectral Army - Advanced Deployment]

[Create mobile undead force]

[Cost: All remaining mana]

[Warning: Severe physical backlash]

"Mom," Leon said quietly. "Trust me one more time."

His hands began to glow with spectral energy as he prepared to gamble everything on a desperate rescue.

The troll’s roar echoed through the Shadow Quarter as it charged toward them, massive claws extended.

Leon smiled grimly and activated his most dangerous ability.

The world exploded into ghostly light as twenty warrior undead materialized around them in perfect defensive formation, ready to carve a path through hell itself.

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