THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM-Chapter 62 - 61: Storm Lord Rising

"Director Voss, what’s the status on the Iron-fang units?"

Chairman Ethella’s voice cut through the chaos as emergency reports flooded the Association’s crisis center. Static crackled from damaged communication interface while tactical displays showed red markers spreading across the city like an infection.

The rooftop of the Association headquarters offered Ethella a commanding view of his burning domain. Midnight robes billowed around his tall frame as storm clouds gathered overhead, responding to power he hadn’t unleashed in decades. Lightning danced between his fingers while he identified priority targets through the smoke and chaos below.

Three decades of political leadership had dulled the edge of his combat instincts. But watching trolls crush fleeing civilians awakened something primal in his S-rank soul. The storm magic that made him Chairman stirred like a sleeping dragon recognizing prey.

"Sir, Iron-fang reports seventy percent casualties in the middle district," Director Voss replied through a crackling communicator. "Multiple squad leaders down. Commander Falken is holding position but requesting immediate support."

Ethella’s enhanced senses catalogued the tactical situation with mechanical precision. Five A-rank trolls converged on the Association building, their footsteps shaking the foundation stones. Each creature stood fifteen feet tall, stone-hard skin deflecting conventional weapons while their massive clubs crushed defensive barriers like paper.

Behind them, crystalline golems advanced through residential districts with methodical destruction. Aerial demons circled overhead, poisoning the air with their breath while hunting fleeing families. The coordination suggested intelligence beyond random dungeon breaks.

"All units, this is Chairman Ethella," he spoke into his emergency communicator. "Fall back to secondary positions. Prepare for S-rank intervention."

Static answered him. The communication network was failing under magical interference. His hunters fought blind while creatures that should never escape containment roamed freely through populated areas.

Time for direct action.

Ethella descended from the rooftop like divine judgment. Storm magic crackled around his form as thirty years of accumulated power sought release. The air itself bent to his will, creating pressure waves that cracked windows in nearby buildings.

The first troll noticed his approach and raised its massive club in challenge. Stone and steel collided with S-rank magic in a contest that lasted exactly three seconds.

Ethella’s power crystallized the creature’s stone flesh mid-swing. Lightning coursed through mineral veins. The troll became a perfect statue, its final expression frozen in shock at meeting superior force.

Thunder boomed across the city as Ethella redirected natural lightning through the second troll’s nervous system. The creature’s roar died in its throat as electrical current cooked its brain from the inside out. Its body toppled backward, crushing a damaged building behind it.

Association hunters emerging from defensive positions witnessed impossible displays of S-rank storm magic. New hunters who’d heard legends of the Chairman’s combat abilities watched myth become reality. Hope flickered in darkness consuming their world.

The third troll showed more intelligence than its companions. It circled at maximum range, looking for an opening that would never come. Ethella gestured casually and wind currents gathered into visible streams of compressed air.

The atmospheric pressure differential tore the creature apart at the molecular level. Skin separated from muscle while bones exploded outward in showers of stone fragments. Nothing remained but dust scattered by the same winds that killed it.

The remaining two trolls charged simultaneously. Crude tactics born from desperation rather than strategy. Ethella created a protective barrier around the headquarters using concentrated wind currents that moved at tornado speeds.

Any physical object entering the barrier disintegrated instantly. The trolls struck the defense and simply ceased to exist, their mass converted to energy that fed back into Ethella’s magical reserves.

Silence fell across the government district. Association hunters emerged from cover to find their building surrounded by creature remains and their Chairman standing untouched amid the destruction.

"Perimeter secured," Ethella announced calmly. "Resume evacuation protocols."

But his mental calculations tracked monster positions across the entire city. Iron-fang units engaged crystalline golems in three separate districts. Sanctuary healers struggled with casualty overflow. ARES remnants fought without unified leadership while smaller guilds coordinated desperate evacuation efforts.

The scale exceeded random dungeon failures. This attack showed planning and coordination that suggested intelligence beyond simple creature instincts. Someone had orchestrated continental-scale disaster while Leon’s trial occupied Association leadership.

Ethella activated his hunter interface and connected to other continental leaders reporting similar attacks. Chairman Valeris from the Eastern Confederation. Guild Leader Torres from the Southern Alliance. Director Kassick from the Northern Territories.

The communication network buzzed with urgent reports. Synchronized breaches across three continents. Timing coordinated to the minute. Creatures emerging from locations that should have been absolutely secure.

"Ethella, we’re seeing ritualistic breach patterns," Chairman Valeris reported through encrypted channels. "The monster emergence points form geometric symbols when mapped across our territory."

Ethella’s interface displayed breach data streaming from multiple sources. Red markers appeared on a continental map as reports arrived from distant locations. The pattern became clear as more information accumulated.

Summoning circles. Ancient binding runes. Magical symbols that spanned thousands of miles, drawn in monster blood and human suffering. The timing coincided perfectly with Leon’s trial, suggesting enemy surveillance of Association activities.

"This isn’t random," Ethella spoke into his communicator. "Someone’s been watching us. Planning this for months, possibly years."

His enhanced perception noticed something else troubling. Communication logs showed orders issued in his name during the early stages of the attack. Commands he never gave. Emergency protocols activated by officials who claimed direct authorization from his office.

Shape-shifter infiltration. The enemy hadn’t just orchestrated external attacks - they’d compromised Association command structure from within. Someone wearing his face had misdirected defensive responses while creatures broke through dimensional barriers.

The realization sent ice through his veins. How long had they been compromised? Which orders were genuine and which came from infiltrators? The attack coordination became more sinister when viewed through the lens of internal sabotage.

"Director Voss," Ethella commanded. "Immediate security sweep of all command personnel. Authentication protocols for any orders issued in the last six hours. Someone’s been impersonating Association leadership."

The response crackled with static interference. "Sir, we’re detecting magical jamming across multiple frequencies. External communication is compromised."

Perfect timing. External attacks coordinated with internal sabotage while communication networks failed during the crisis. The enemy had anticipated every aspect of Association response protocols.

Ethella’s storm magic gathered around him as he processed the implications. This wasn’t just an invasion - it was a calculated dismantling of hunter civilization. The attack on Leon’s trial had been bait, drawing leadership attention while the real assault prepared to begin. freewebnσvel.cѳm

His hunter tab chimed with an emergency priority message. Chairman Valeris again, his transmission barely penetrating the magical interference.

"Ethella, we’re reading massive dimensional instability in your region. Something’s opening that shouldn’t exist. Energy signature beyond anything in our databases."

Through the smoke and chaos, Ethella’s enhanced senses detected it. Reality warping in the city center. The air itself screamed as dimensional barriers stretched beyond breaking points. Whatever portal was opening there dwarfed the creature breaches that had preceded it.

The trolls and golems weren’t the real attack. They were preparation. Clearing defenders and establishing control before something far worse arrived.

"All units, priority evacuation of the central district," Ethella commanded. "Dimensional breach imminent. This is not a drill."

His storm magic reached toward the disturbance, probing the edges of whatever was manifesting. The feedback nearly dropped him to his knees. Power that made S-rank abilities seem like children’s tricks pressed against dimensional barriers designed to contain lesser threats.

The shape-shifter evidence suddenly made perfect sense. Years of preparation. Infiltration of multiple continental governments. Coordination across impossible distances. This wasn’t opportunistic invasion - it was the opening phase of something that had been planned for decades.

Thunder rolled overhead as storm clouds concentrated above the dimensional disturbance. Ethella’s magic automatically responded to threats beyond normal classification. Whatever emerged from that portal would face the full power of an S-rank Storm Caller.

But as energy readings climbed beyond his measurement capabilities, Ethella wondered if even legendary abilities would prove sufficient against what was coming.

In the distance, reality tore like fabric.

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