Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System - Chapter 84: Battle Against Zombie Leader
Chapter 84: Battle Against Zombie Leader
As his Sprout Team stood locked in formation, the Zombie Leader reacted instantly.
“ROAR—!”
A thunderous roar burst from its throat, foul saliva spraying in all directions as its massive body surged forward. The ground trembled under each step as it charged straight toward the Guardian Sprout.
Despite the overwhelming size difference, the Guardian Sprout did not retreat.
The moment it closed the distance, the Zombie Leader raised its massive hammer high above its head. The muscles of its bloated arm bulged grotesquely, and with a savage roar, it brought the weapon crashing down with terrifying force, aiming to completely crush the Guardian Sprout in one blow.
The Guardian Sprout raised its shield to meet the attack. At the same time, thick vines burst from beneath its feet, coiling rapidly toward the Zombie Leader’s arm, attempting to bind and slow the incoming strike.
For a fraction of a second, it worked. The hammer’s descent slowed.
But only slightly. The next moment—
“BOOM!!”
The hammer slammed into the shield. The force was overwhelming.
The vines snapped apart instantly under the pressure. The shield trembled violently, unable to fully absorb the impact, and the Guardian Sprout was blasted backward.
Its body skidded across the metal floor, leaving deep scrape marks before crashing heavily into the wall.
At that exact moment, the two Archer Sprouts released their arrows.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
The arrows streaked through the air with precision, aimed directly at the Zombie Leader’s head. But the timing was off. The monster’s body had shifted slightly after the impact, causing both arrows to miss their intended target.
Instead of piercing the head, they struck its shoulders. The result was almost nothing.
The arrows barely sank into its thick, bloated flesh, unable to penetrate deeply.
No fatal damage. No real impact. Instead, it only enraged the monster.
“ROOOAR!!”
The Zombie Leader paused for a split second, then reached up with its free hand. With a rough, almost careless motion, it grabbed both arrows lodged in its shoulders and yanked them out violently. Rotten flesh tore slightly, but it showed no sign of pain. The arrows were thrown aside as if they were nothing.
Then its hollow eyes locked onto the Archer Sprouts.
It roared again, louder this time, its entire body radiating killing intent.
Then, it charged again.
Seeing this, the Warrior Sprout moved.
Like a shadow, it dashed forward and slashed at the Zombie Leader’s leg.
“Slash!”
A cut appeared. But it was shallow. Too shallow.
Barely enough to slow it.
The Zombie Leader didn’t even flinch. Its head turned slowly toward the Warrior Sprout, its hollow eyes staring directly at it. Then, with a furious roar, it lifted its massive leg.
“BOOM!”
It kicked.
The Warrior Sprout was sent flying like a broken doll, crashing violently into the wall beside the Guardian Sprout.
Both frontliners were down.
Vikram’s eyes narrowed slightly. His calculation went wrong.
Before he could adjust, the Zombie Leader had already reached one of the Archer Sprouts. The hammer rose high again, casting a massive shadow, and came crashing down with unstoppable force.
At that exact moment, a shimmering water barrier appeared between them.
“BOOM!”
The hammer struck the barrier and rebounded, the impact sending ripples across the water surface.
The Archer Sprout was saved.
For a brief moment, everything seemed under control.
But then, the barrier faded. And in that tiny gap, the Zombie Leader moved again. Faster than expected.
Its massive leg shot forward.
“BANG!”
A brutal kick landed directly on the Archer Sprout, sending it flying across the room and crashing into the same area where the Guardian and Warrior Sprouts had fallen.
Without pause, the Zombie Leader turned its massive body. Its hollow eyes locked onto the Water Mage Sprout—the one who had interfered.
“ROAR—!!”
Rage. Pure, uncontrollable rage.
It charged again, each step shaking the ground, the massive hammer dragging slightly before being lifted once more, ready to crush everything in its path.
At this moment, the battlefield had completely shifted.
Vikram stood still, watching, calculating. But for the first time, his confidence wavered.
His plan was collapsing. The coordination was still there. The formation still existed. But the overwhelming difference in raw power was breaking everything apart. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
His grip on the M416 tightened slightly.
Because if this continued, they wouldn’t win.
The Zombie Leader surged forward, its massive body shaking the ground as it closed in on the Water Mage Sprout. With a furious roar, it lifted the tungsten hammer high, veins bulging beneath its swollen flesh, and brought it down with terrifying force.
“BOOOOM!!”
The impact exploded across the room, but the barrier held.
A translucent sphere of water enveloped the Water Mage Sprout, rippling violently as the hammer struck. Waves surged across its surface, distorting the light, yet not a single crack appeared.
For a brief moment, everything stilled.
“ROOOOAAARRRR!!!”
The Zombie Leader erupted in rage. It struck again. And again.
Each blow is heavier than the last. Each strike filled with brute, mindless fury.
“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”
The barrier trembled violently under the barrage, water splashing outward in surging currents, but it refused to collapse.
The more it failed, the more the monster lost control.
Its movements became wilder. More reckless.
Behind them, the Fire Mage Sprout had already begun gathering flames, a burning sphere forming in its hands, ready to launch.
“Stop.”
Vikram’s voice was calm—but absolute.
The fire instantly dimmed. The Fire Mage Sprout halted mid-cast.
Vikram’s eyes were locked onto the battlefield.
He found that the Zombie Leader can’t break the barrier…
Then this is the moment.
His gaze shifted sharply toward one of the Archer Sprouts. He pointed at the Zombie Leader’s eyes.
The intent was clear. Blind it.
The Archer Sprout adjusted instantly, stepping onto a broken metal desk for elevation. It drew the bow slowly, the string tightening with a faint creak.
Aiming at the Zombie Leader’s eyes.
Meanwhile, the Zombie Leader had completely lost its composure. Realizing brute force wasn’t working, it suddenly stopped its barrage and grabbed the hammer with both hands.
Its entire body tensed. Muscles swelled. It raised the weapon high above its head, gathering all its strength for one devastating strike.
The air itself seemed to compress under that power, and even the water barrier rippled violently. That moment was the opening.
With a sharp whoosh, the arrow flew—fast, silent, and deadly—piercing straight into the Zombie Leader’s left eye.
“AARRRRGGGHHHH!!!”
A horrifying scream erupted as thick, dark fluid burst outward. The monster staggered, its body swaying violently as its grip on the hammer faltered for a split second—but it didn’t fall.
Instead, it went berserk.
With a thunderous boom, the hammer smashed into the ground beside the barrier, shattering metal tiles and sending debris flying in all directions. The shockwave pushed the Water Mage Sprout slightly back, the barrier flickering for a moment—but still holding.
The Zombie Leader clawed at its face, grabbing the arrow lodged in its eye and ripping it out violently, splattering blackened blood across its chest.
But that was its fatal distraction.
Because the Archer Sprout had already drawn again. With another whoosh, the second arrow tore through the air and buried itself deep into the right eye.
“RAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!”
This time, the scream was even more ferocious.
The Zombie Leader staggered backward, its massive body losing balance for the first time. Its hammer slipped from its grip for a moment before it caught it again, swinging wildly in blind fury.
For the Zombie Leader, the world had fallen into darkness.
Blind, enraged, and disoriented, it began smashing everything around it. Its massive hammer swung wildly, crashing into walls, desks, and metal structures, turning the entire office area into ruins within seconds. Every strike echoed like thunder, debris flying in all directions.
“BOOM! CRASH! BANG!”
Metal shattered, debris flew, and the entire office trembled under its blind destruction. But it could no longer find its target.
Behind the chaos, Vikram stood still, watching. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Now… it’s ours.
Behind him, Sunil was completely stunned, his mind blank. The monster that had terrified him to the point of collapse was now stumbling blindly like a beast that had lost its senses.
This… this was control.
Meanwhile, Alex clenched his fists, his eyes shining with excitement. Chandan and the others exchanged looks, their fear replaced by rising confidence. They wanted to cheer, to shout—but they held it in.
Because the battle wasn’t over yet.
During this brief window, both the Healer Sprout and Light Mage Sprout moved efficiently. Soft light and gentle energy spread across the battlefield, restoring the Guardian Sprout, Warrior Sprout, and Archer Sprout back to full condition.
The formation was restored—but then something changed.
The Zombie Leader suddenly stopped. Its massive body straightened slightly, its movements slowing as its large, grotesque ears began to twitch and wriggle rapidly on both sides of its head. It had adapted. If it couldn’t see, it would hear.
Vikram noticed instantly.
Then he laughed—a calm, mocking laugh.
“Hey, you dead pig… I’m over here.”
His voice echoed clearly through the ruined office. The Zombie Leader’s head snapped toward him, locking onto the sound—target acquired.
The next second, its massive arm swung sideways, the hammer following with brutal force as it tore through the air toward Vikram’s position.
“BOOM!”
The strike landed—but was blocked.
The Water Barrier appeared once again, absorbing the impact in violent ripples. The hammer rebounded, and in that very moment, Vikram moved.
He stepped forward, out of the safety of the barrier—a reckless, dangerous move that made Alex and the others’ hearts jump.
But Vikram didn’t hesitate.
He raised his hand and casually patted the Zombie Leader’s head. Despite the height difference, the creature had leaned forward during its attack, making the contact possible.
The moment his hand touched it, time seemed to freeze.
“Don’t worry, pig,” Vikram said calmly, his tone laced with cold mockery. “Today will be the most memorable day of your life… because it’s your last.”
For a split second, silence fell.
Then—
“ROOOOOOOOOOAAARRRRR!!!”
The Zombie Leader exploded in rage. Its entire body trembled violently, muscles swelling and veins bulging as it roared in pure fury. Being mocked, touched, humiliated—it had completely lost control.
It raised its remaining arm, ready to smash Vikram into pieces.
But before the attack could land, the Guardian Sprout moved.
