Chapter 319

Chapter 319: Oh no! It’s a zombie!

“Hmm, the Chaos Energy was worth it.”

“The System had a good conscience.”

Trilobite felt very satisfied as he checked the newly leveled spawns in the System.

He first focused on the "microorganisms spawn community 2."

"Microorganisms spawn community 2" was the so-called "probiotic conditioning type." According to the System’s display, they were usually tame and peaceful "probiotics."

But when provoked, they could turn into fierce, aggressive bacteria.

“Still, no matter how fierce they are, they’re amateurs.”

“So, I gave them two ‘professional gear.’”

【Microorganisms spawn community 2, multifunctional probiotic conditioning type. (Can transform into Slaughter Type 1 under specific conditions)】

【Equipment: Capsule, high-efficiency respiration enzyme.】

“See!”

“This is my gift to you!”

“‘Capsule’ and ‘high-efficiency respiration enzyme’!”

…

The capsule was a loose, slimy layer on some bacteria’s surface, made mostly from glucose and glucuronic acid polymers. Sometimes it had peptides and lipids too.

It acted as a shield, helping the bacteria fight bad environments and avoid being eaten by other bacteria or immune cells.

“This gives my microorganisms… or my bacteria spawns more toughness.”

“Plus, I got these hardworking, brave little bacteria another thing—the ‘high-efficiency respiration enzyme.’”

Bacteria are prokaryotes, so they don’t have mitochondria.

But inside their cell wall, enzymes handled breathing and made energy, powering them up.

The “respiration enzymes” Trilobite bought for his “microorganisms spawn community 2” boosted their breathing, making them stronger, more powerful, and livelier.

“Respiration enzymes aren’t as good as mitochondria.”

“But at least against those ‘mixed bacteria’ showing red in system vision, they can be more active. With more numbers and better quality, they’ll drown those mixed bacteria!”

Of course, Trilobite didn’t know his bought “accessories” worked very differently in his “microorganism spawn.”

—-

“Great is the Giant God!”

“Praise the Giant God’s generosity!”

The woman who wore a short wedding dress before had now taken it off and thrown it away.

Outside the narrow compartment door hung standard coats and protective suits.

Weapons and engineering shovels were on the wall, tagged with their assigned numbers.

All the while, she sang praises of the Giant God’s greatness as…

"Splash…"

Golden light shimmered as water streamed continuously from the showerhead above.

She spread her arms, feeling the water’s power brush over her slender body.

This was a shower—a required procedure for all "armed civilians" after battle.

Most armed civilians had become refugees during the war’s outbreak, fleeing demon slaughter toward the cities. Then suddenly, they gained extraordinary abilities and won the city’s defense.

Many only received basic weapons, lacking time to claim gear like "protective suits" or "anti-demon coats."

Fighting chaotic demons risked contamination from their flesh and blood, inviting chaos corruption—even without injuries. But this shower’s spray held "Holy Light from the Sun," purging that corruption.

Such shower rooms were built into newly manufactured armored magical vehicles.

Now, dozens of these massive armored magical vehicles advanced across the wasteland-like ground alongside other bipedal or wheeled transports.

After clearing residual enemies in the city, the Valaharl militia and armed civilians pushed beyond its limits, advancing into the wilderness to aid the embattled "Chosen Warriors" still fighting there.

Above, the Crystal Walls kept crumbling. Burning fragments plummeted like meteors, trailing murky firetails toward the earth.

The Valaharl people took orderly turns entering these "shower magical vehicles" to wash away potential chaos corruption.

"Still…"

"With the Giant God’s bestowed power, is this even needed anymore?"

The woman lowered her head, watching water glide over her skin.

Not from vanity—earlier in battle, the Giant God had granted grace to all Valaharl people, even every human under his command.

This grace had not only helped defeat the demon legion but also etched itself onto their bodies.

"Hum… Hum…"

She saw two luminous patterns coiled around her form.

Resembling birthmarks yet far more symmetrical; akin to tattoos but far more organic.

Normally invisible, they only glowed faintly when touching anything infused with "Holy Light from the Sun."

"Two patterns."

"One over the chest generates a shield when struck, saving our lives."

"One flows through my whole body—a new energy source! Granting power beyond our old mortal frames, especially against chaos."

"Watch!"

She snatched a steel pipe from the floor and wrenched it fiercely!

"Screeeech—!"

The arm-thick pipe bent effortlessly in her grip.

…

Just then…

Shouts erupted outside.

"Look!"

"Here…"

After changing her clothes and putting on the respirator, the woman stepped out of the vehicle only to see an endless mountain of corpses!

Demons trudged slowly across that sulfur-smelling mound of bodies.

The nearest demon stretched out its claws, clutching half a corpse of a "Chosen Warrior!"

"How could it be…"

Like the other Valaharl, she stumbled backward in shock.

"The Chosen Warriors were defeated!?"

—-

"Alright…"

Trilobite flipped through the spawn panel, refocusing on "Microorganisms Spawn Group 1."

"As for you,"

"You’re already strong enough."

He suspected his "Microorganisms Spawn Group 1" had outgrown being mere bacteria. His mental image of them showed they dwarfed "Microorganisms Spawn Group 2" in size!

They even gave off an immune-cell vibe.

"Professional warriors."

"And fewer in number."

"So losing any of you would pain me."

"Got you two things to cut down on battle losses."

"Hope you like them."

—-

Though the Chaos Demon God’s city assault plan faced setbacks, with entire demon legions wiped out, Walifer—the figurehead behind this offensive—only got angry for a moment.

After all, flooding the city’s civilian districts with demons was just a minor hobby of Walifer’s.

He figured demons slaughtering civilians and militia was inevitable, right?

So while the demon legions thrown at the city were vast, true elites were scarce.

Most were ordinary demons, somewhere between cannon fodder and elite troops.

The Chaos Demon God’s real priority remained shattering the Crystal Walls and hunting down the Chosen Warriors.

That plan proved effective.

Small-scale collapses had begun in the Crystal Walls.

As for the Chosen Warriors…

…

"Huff… huff… huff…"

"Exhausted…"

"These canned ones are really troublesome!"

On a blood-soaked battlefield resembling a slaughterhouse, a chaotic demon slowly rose.

It wasn’t a frontline commander like the "Despair Demon," but a mighty "Demon Lord"—a demon touching the "divine threshold," akin to Hell Battleships and Hell Warships yet devoid of divine spark.

A so-called "quasi-god."

Of course, in raw power, they paled before Hell Battleships and Hell Warships.

Unlike battleships battling etheric worms or warships fighting newborn Outer Gods’ larvae, these could only combat the eggs of Outer Gods.

Still, they were beings who "grazed the edge of godhood."

These terrors awakened short-range teleportation spells, moving unpredictably across battlefields. They shrouded their massive, searing forms in crimson cloaks, wielding keen scythes to harvest lives relentlessly.

Whether militia, armed civilians, or Chosen Warriors.

Yet even elite demon legions led by Demon Lords suffered devastating losses against Chosen Warriors.

"Heh…"

"Five hundred Demon Lords slain."

"Twenty thousand other mid-to-high-ranking demons dead or wounded…"

Here alone, eight in ten Demon Lords perished.

Other elite demon forces faced total annihilation.

As for their gains…

This Demon Lord stared at the occasional "canned ones" among corpse piles.

Most lay mutilated and motionless.

Nearly every "canned" corpse was encircled by demon dead.

"We bled so much for just one thousand slain."

"This casualty ratio…"

Recalling the battle, the Demon Lord shuddered.

That thousand-strong force operated like a meat grinder—divided into two hundred squads coordinating with lethal precision.

They feared no death, fighting to die.

Demons withered like fire-scorched leaves under their silent assault, howling as they fell.

Yet these warriors grew fiercer with every wound, more frenzied with each injury.

Not even death could halt their slaughter!

"Thank hell they’re all dead."

The Demon Lord shoved corpses aside, vengefully hauling up a canned body.

The remains were gruesome.

Its lower half had been violently ripped away, leaving only the relatively intact torso.

Intestines hung loosely beneath.

Blood no longer flowed—likely dead for hours.

Spotting the "respirator skull" on the shoulder armor, it shuddered anew.

These warriors’ madness and tenacity had etched terror into its very soul.

This mighty Demon Lord had fled screaming and scrambling from Chosen Warriors.

Had reinforcements not shattered the warriors’ formation, it would’ve joined its fallen kin.

"Damn it!"

Memory-fueled fear curdled into rage.

The Demon Lord glared at the lifeless goggles—once flashing cruel crimson mid-battle.

"We won!"

"Look at your pathetic carcass!"

"Ah—!"

As if purging dread, it bellowed at the corpse.

"This is the price of defying us!"

"Where’s your godhood now!?"

"Come kill me again!"

"Hah!?"

While sneering, it pressed a hand against the warrior’s head, ready to tear off helmet, skull and spine as a trophy—

"Buzz—!"

The Chosen Warrior’s dimmed eyes blazed anew behind the goggles.

"Eh!?"

It recoiled, trying to fling the "corpse" down.

But then—

"Squelch—!"

Twin iron hands speared through the Demon Lord’s torso!