The Resurrection of a Formidable Foe: Zakajz

Outside the main burial chamber, the rested allied forces awaited orders.

Jarod was filled with emotion as he looked at the assembled forces. He did not know how many would die in this war, but the allies showed no fear.

"Push open the doors. This is a battle full of glory," Apophis said as he walked over to Jarod.

"Mm. Prepare for battle!" Jarod nodded in agreement, then ordered the warriors to ready themselves.

With a series of swishes, blades were drawn. The warriors were ready.

With a thud, Jarod pushed open the tomb doors, and the sight within startled everyone.

There was no army of Faceless Ones inside, only the corpse of a slain minion of the Old Gods and a silver fist set up as an object of worship.

But the dense shadow energy made everyone frown.

"Stay alert!" Apophis shouted, tightening his grip on his sword. His warrior's instincts told him this place was not as simple as it looked.

Shadow energy was steadily mending Zakajz's dead body, while the light radiating from the silver fist was being suppressed bit by bit.

The allies slowly approached Zakajz's corpse, every one of them tense.

Jarod signaled the caster contingent to begin attacking with spells.

Arcane energy and elemental power began gathering around the casters' staves.

Seeing that the spells had nearly finished gathering, Jarod ordered them to fire.

Powerful energy slammed into Zakajz's not-yet-fully-restored body.

The powerful attack exploded against Zakajz, inflicting fresh wounds on his still-healing body.

Blood filled with shadow dripped onto the ground with a sizzling sound, corroding holes into the earth.

The intense pain also woke the Old Gods' warlord as he recovered from his injuries.

Roar! Jolted awake, Zakajz let out a deafening bellow. He immediately unleashed a barrage of Shadow Bolts at everyone.

"Get out of the way!" Jarod roared as the Shadow Bolts drew closer.

Everyone present was an elite, so these Shadow Bolts were nothing much, especially since they were not very powerful.

While everyone was still puzzled, Zakajz seized the precious moment and rose to his feet, his massive body nearly reaching the ceiling. He released a surge of shadow energy and absorbed the Legion of Faceless Ones that had died outside.

Vast amounts of shadow energy and the corpses of the Faceless Ones began mending Zakajz's injured body and strengthening him.

"Damn it, we should have burned those cursed things to ashes," Apophis cursed.

"There's no use complaining now. Stay alert and prepare to fight."

"Casters, attack him with spells! Don't let him recover!"

The casters began casting spells at the recovering Zakajz.

The casters' spells struck Zakajz one after another, as they tried to interrupt his recovery.

Zakajz was growing a little tired of these insects' attacks. But instead of retaliating, he cast Shadow Shield to withstand them all and sped up his recovery.

"Quick! Go burn all the Faceless Ones' corpses outside! Then he won't be able to absorb them to recover!" Seeing that directly stopping him was useless, Jarod decided to destroy the source of his recovery instead.

Upon receiving the order, the casters hurriedly turned and cast fire spells on the Faceless Ones' corpses.

When Zakajz saw the insects burning the energy he needed to recover, he flew into a rage. He fired a barrage of Shadow Bolts at the casters. Unlike the ones from before, these Shadow Bolts were immensely powerful.

The powerful Shadow Bolts forced the casters to cast energy shields to protect themselves.

Seeing this, Zakajz quickly absorbed the remaining Faceless Ones' corpses.

Roar! Zakajz, warlord of the Old Gods, had returned.

"The Black Empire will rise again! Victory belongs to the Old Gods!" the fully restored Zakajz roared.

"Damn it, he still managed to come back to life completely," Jarod said.

"Casters, attack! Warriors, draw Zakajz's attention."

The casters began chanting spells, while the warriors approached Zakhari and began drawing his attention.

"Your actions are meaningless. This world will be claimed by shadow!" Zakhari roared, then swung his two pincers to drive away the soldiers approaching him.

Zakajz's two pincers could rival the finest weapons. The allies avoided direct contact with them and could only rely on their superior speed to maneuver around him.

The casters unleashed a combination of spells, attempting to injure Zakajz.

Frost energy froze Zakajz, and lightning spells blasted his frozen body. The warriors also seized the chance to attack him.

But this tried-and-true tactic did not have the effect they had expected. The combination of skills left only a few marks on Zakajz's shell.

Zakhari quickly broke free of the ice. Though the attacks had not done him much harm, they had roused his anger.

Zakajz charged into the center of the allied forces, swinging both pincers.

"Get out of the way!" Jarod called out when he saw Zakajz charging through the ranks. He leaped clear of the charge, then began casting a freezing spell in an attempt to slow Zakajz down.

Frost energy gathered around Zakajz's legs, trying to bring him to a halt, but he stopped only briefly before breaking free.

A few soldiers were sent flying by the charge. Seeing this, the Shamans hurriedly cast healing spells on them, while the warriors used Charge to catch them.

"Your power is insignificant before mine. Embracing shadow is your destiny."

Zakajz began thinking of recruiting them. He needed followers to help him restore the Black Empire, and since the Faceless Ones were all dead, these insects could take their place.

"We will never compromise! For Tyr!" Apophis roared.

The Vrykul were stirred by their chieftain and charged at Zakajz alongside him.

"Tyr? You actually worship that bastard Tyr! Die!" Apophis's words enraged Zakajz. He could still feel the pain of the wounds that enemy had inflicted on him years ago.

Zakajz summoned countless tentacles. They burst from the ground and attacked Apophis and his companions.

"Casters! Clear out those tentacles. Warriors, follow me and support Apophis!"

After giving his orders, Jarod joined the battle.

His blade slashed into the spot on Zakajz's shell that bore the most marks from their attacks.

With a bang, the blade broke through Zakhari's shell.

Jarod's action greatly boosted the allies' morale, while Zakajz was once again filled with rage.