Apocalypse Transmigration - The Card Captor System

Wave after wave of zombies fell, yet Nina realized something was wrong.

The horde pressing in on her and Aldina showed no signs of thinning. If anything, the sea of rotting flesh had grown. Nina checked the small monitor inside her cockpit. A red warning blinked on the glass.

Ammunition Remaining: 47%

Nina’s jaw tightened. ”If I run out of ammo...”

She stared at the endless wall of undead.

”...we’re going to have a problem.”

Scanning the chaotic battlefield, her gaze locked onto a specific target.

The floating eyeball aliens.

Hovering safely behind their translucent barrier, they orchestrated the zombie horde while holding a defensive wall against Adrian’s relentless attacks.

Nina narrowed her eyes as a desperate idea formed.

”Wait...”

She checked the monitor again. Her breath caught.

”The cannon’s ready!”

The cooldown timer had hit zero. Nina slammed her palm against the flashing control panel.

”Come on!”

Click!

A section of the mech’s back split open. Heavy mechanical components ground together.

Clank! Clank!

A massive energy cannon rose from behind the machine, locking into position over its shoulder.

Nina bared her teeth in a fierce grin. ”Let’s see how you like this!”

The cannon hummed to life.

Bzzzzzt!

Bright blue energy pooled inside the heavy barrel. Nina pivoted the mech. The targeting reticle locked dead center on the formation of eyeball aliens.

The creatures poured all their focus into Adrian, maintaining the barrier and directing the horde. They failed to notice the massive weapon tracking them.

Nina squeezed the trigger. ”Fire!”

Boom!

A blinding beam of energy erupted from the cannon, tearing a burning path across the battlefield. The aliens registered the threat a fraction of a second too late.

The beam slammed into the side of their barrier.

Crack!

The shield shuddered under the impact. Panic rippled through the aliens; they never anticipated a flank attack. Glowing fissures spider-webbed across the translucent wall.

Then—

Shatter!

The barrier exploded into a shower of fading light. Adrian saw the opening. He didn’t hesitate.

”Now!”

Raw electricity flared around his armor.

”AHHHHHHH!”

The gear strapped to his body groaned under the strain, overheating in seconds.

Bzzzzzt!

Red warning lights blared across his machinery. Adrian ignored the alarms, forcing every last ounce of power into a single strike. A blinding torrent of lightning surged forward.

Stripped of their shield, the eyeball aliens had nowhere to hide.

Crack!

Lightning struck the lead alien, sending its body into violent convulsions.

Crack!

Another took a direct hit. Then a third. The electricity arced through their formation in a deadly chain reaction. The floating creatures spasmed helplessly in midair as thick smoke poured from their charred bodies.

Adrian gritted his teeth. ”Die!”

The human soldiers below seized the momentum. Adrian’s voice thundered across the chaotic field.

”NOW!”

For the first time in hours, the military’s heavy artillery roared back to life.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Massive shells tore through the blackened sky. Still paralyzed by the lightning, the eyeball aliens caught the full force of the barrage. High-explosive rounds blew several apart in midair. The rest plummeted to the earth in smoking ruin.

The zombie horde froze in place. Deprived of their commanders, the undead army broke formation, stumbling around like broken puppets. The coordinated assault dissolved into mindless chaos.

A deep mechanical roar broke through the gunfire. Soldiers glanced upward. Attack helicopters breached the low-hanging clouds.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

High-caliber fire rained down on the wandering horde.

Boom!

Missiles streaked from the wing pylons, erupting among the surviving floaters. One by one, the last few eyeball aliens crashed to the ground.

For a fleeting moment, it felt like the humans had finally turned the tide.

Then—an otherworldly shriek tore across the battlefield.

”No!”

The few surviving eyeball aliens drifted toward a central point. A colossal shadow eclipsed the sky above them. A new, massive barrier snapped into existence, shielding the remaining aliens.

The gunfire died down. Something enormous drifted into view.

It was a single, gigantic eyeball, dwarfing the others by several magnitudes. But the sheer size wasn’t the worst part. Hundreds of smaller pupils dotted its colossal surface. Each one twitched and rolled on its own.

Left. Right. Up. Down.

Scanning the ruins.

An icy dread washed over the human forces. The great eye dilated, taking in the slaughter.

Miles away in an abandoned high-rise, the two-horned demon watched the spectacle unfold. He shook his head.

”Truly unreliable.”

A faint smirk touched his lips.

”But it’s fine.”

His golden eyes narrowed in anticipation.

”Perhaps his appearance will finally bring out the Rizen Group.”

Back on the front lines, the massive entity shifted its gaze. The wandering zombies stopped dead in their tracks. When they stepped forward again, the mindless stumbling was gone. They moved with terrifying, unified purpose.

The hundreds of pupils swept across the battlefield. One by one, they passed over Adrian. Bear. Grandpa Jiro. Valentine. Cyrus.

Then, every single pupil locked into place. They all stared straight at one target.

Nina.

The blood drained from Nina’s face. The creature’s voice resonated from deep within its fleshy mass, a sickening screech that grated against the soldiers’ eardrums.

”You...”

”You are responsible...”

”For the deaths of my clansmen.”

Its primary pupil contracted to a pinprick.

”You must die.”

Nina’s breath hitched. ”Huh?”

The metal deck of her mech groaned.

Grrrrr...

”What?”

She gripped the control sticks. ”What’s happening?!”

Her machine lifted off the dirt. It wasn’t hovering or jumping. An invisible force was dragging it into the air. Understanding dawned on her.

”Telekinesis?!”

The giant eyeball had angled a specific cluster of pupils in her direction. The heavy armor of the mech began to warp.

Crack!

Its thick metal legs buckled inward.

Crunch!

The left mechanical arm snapped backward, joints popping like plastic.

”NO!”

Nina wrenched the controls, fighting for balance. The machine offered no resistance. The heavy assault frame crumpled inward, squeezed by a colossal, unseen fist.

Bang!

The right arm sheared completely off.

Crash!

Armor plates popped from the chassis, raining shrapnel over the ground. Then, the invisible grip threw the massive machine straight into the earth.

Boom!

A crater formed under the impact, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Inside the shattered cockpit, Nina slammed hard against her safety restraints. Copper filled her mouth. Her vision swam in dark spots before the protective glass tore away.

The force ejected her from the ruined seat. She hit the dirt hard, tumbling across the rocky ground until her body went limp.

”Nina!”

Aldina sprinted through the dust. She dropped to her knees, frantically checking for a pulse.

”Nina!”

Silence. Aldina’s eyes hardened into ice. Nina was completely unconscious.

A shadow fell over them. A ruined slab of concrete tore itself from the ground, hoisted high by the creature’s telekinesis. The boulder hurled straight down at Nina’s helpless body.

Aldina stepped into its path. Frost crackled over her palms as she braced for the impact.

But—

Zzzzt!

A streak of blue light intercepted the boulder. The electricity blasted the concrete into harmless pebbles that rained over the dirt.

Adrian stood yards away, his armor venting smoke while fresh arcs of lightning danced across his frame. He pointed his weapon right at the giant alien.

”Your opponent is me.”

The massive creature shifted its attention. A dozen erratic pupils locked onto the armored man.

”You...”

”You killed many of my clansmen.”

Adrian clenched his fists. The alien’s screech lowered into a bone-chilling, calm vibration.

”Very well.”

”She is already half-dead.”

”The others will take care of her.”

The horde parted. A gigantic two-headed wolf broke from the frontline clash, pivoting on its huge paws. It charged straight for Nina.

A pack of towering Brutes lumbered right behind the beast. Completely ignoring Atlas, the monsters trampled the earth, closing in on the unconscious girl.

Bear watched the hellhound tear past his position. His heavy muscles coiled, ready to swing his hammer and crush its flank. Then, a memory from the previous day flashed through his mind.

The humiliation he had to go through repeatedly from the Freedom Convoy . His grip loosened, and he let the heavy weapon drop to his side.

Adrian and the rest of the Freedom Convoy saw the deliberate inaction.

”After this...” Grandpa Jiro ground his hand over his katana hilt. ”I’m going to tear him apart.”

”Foolish.” Adrian glared at the big man’s back. ”Can’t even see the bigger picture.”

But time was running out. Cyrus sprang into action, radiant light wrapping around his boots. He prepared to intercept the wolves—

”Blood Blockade.”

A sinister voice carried over the gunfire. A torrential curtain of thick, black blood erupted from the earth, slamming up like a solid wall in Cyrus’s path.

Cyrus halted his charge. His eyes turned deadly cold as a familiar silhouette stepped through the crimson waterfall.

Ars.

The two-horned demon offered a polite, mocking smile. ”Old friend.” He tilted his head. ”Where are you going?”

Cyrus balled his hands into tight fists. Ars spread his arms in a welcoming gesture.

”Let’s finish our previous match.”

”We never got the chance to decide...”

”Who was stronger.”

Cyrus glared in silence, while the demon’s smile stretched wider.

Further down the line, two one-horned demons materialized from the smoke directly in front of Grandpa Jiro. They drew matching long blades, pointing the dark steel at the old man.

”Swordsman.”

”Your opponents are us.”

Grandpa Jiro rested his thumb on the handle of his katana. His gaze sharpened into a lethal glare.

Meanwhile, a ring of one-horned demons boxed Valentine in, severing her only escape routes. She dropped into a low stance, tightening her grip on her twin blades.

She evaluated the crippled battlefield in a split second. Nina was down. Aldina was trapped defending her. Cyrus was blocked. Grandpa Jiro was engaged. And a horde of Brutes was moments away from tearing Nina apart.

The tide of the battle had shifted in the blink of an eye.