His gaze was sharp, his composure steady, like his every action is calculated.

“I don’t know what you’re betting on, but if you don’t have another golem as big as that guy, you’re going to lose—badly.” Bryan said, pointing toward Titan

Alec raised an eyebrow, caught off guard, as he had believed nothing in this battlefield could rival Titan’s might.

“Oh? And why’s that?” he asked, genuinely intrigued.

“There’s a (Peak) Tier 1 speed demon zombie hiding in the horde,” Bryan replied grimly.

Alec’s expression hardened, a Peak Tier 1 speed-type zombie was a serious threat, especially one that is intelligent enough to stay concealed until the right moment to strike, its specialty made it the perfect assassin for targeting the vulnerable.

“If it gets close to my people, they won’t even see it coming.” Bryan said coldly,

Alec eyes narrowed.

“That’s why I need your cooperation, and if I don’t get it, I’ll leave you all to your fate. I won’t risk my team for the sake of dead weight.”

The younger members of the Lanzt clan froze, Alec’s words, cold and resolute, hit them harder than any spell could, in that moment, they felt Alec looked less like a fellow human and more like a beast sizing them up for survival.

“I’ll make sure my clan cooperates,” Bryan said quickly, hoping to diffuse the tension.

“Good. Then start acting like the mages you’re meant to be, blast those zombies and lighten our load, prove you’re worth something,” Alec snapped, turning his back on them.

Bryan stood frozen, stunned by Alec’s blunt dismissal.

It was clear Alec had no respect for the Lanzt younger generation, especially after witnessing their arrogance despite needing rescue.

Still, Bryan couldn’t blame him entirely, most of his peers had never left the family estate house, they were victims of the clan’s propaganda, raised to believe they were unmatched.

But today was their wake-up call.

Out here, on the battlefield, their titles and ties meant nothing, the monsters didn’t care who their parents were.

And if not for the old retainers shielding them, many of them would’ve died before casting their second spell.

While casting their spells, the Lanzt youths would have likely been the first to fall when the zombies breached the walls If they didn’t have such strong willed enforcers.

Fortunately, their retainers had thrown themselves into the chaos, sacrificing their lives to ensure the younger generation escaped, it was the only reason they were still alive when Alec and the Gordons arrived.

Now, only a few battered retainers remained by their side.

Alec, observing the battle, took quick note of the state of his own group, they had all improved their Stone Bullet skill to level 3. Only Agnes stood out the most, since hers had reached the level 4 stage.

She could now unleash up to ten sharp, high-speed earth bullets at once, and her accuracy was near flawless.

The others paled in comparison.

Even she had to admit how far she’d come, though she hated to acknowledge that it was thanks to instructions she received under her supposed rival, Alec.

Still, the desire to grow stronger outweighed her pride.

“Hey, have you come to an agreement with them?” Arthur asked, firing five earth bullets into the horde.

Three of the five bullets struck true.

“Yeah, just wait for it,” Alec replied calmly.

A moment later, a volley of wind blades whistled through the air, cutting into the zombie horde from behind, the sudden storm of blades looked like a reaper’s scythe, carving through waves of unclassified zombies before dissipating.

“Who would’ve thought those frail-looking kids packed that much firepower?” Arthur remarked in surprise.

“I feel like I’d die if one of those wind blades ever hit me,” Arthur admitted.

“If a wind blade’s coming at you, slash it. If that doesn’t work, raise an earth wall and dodge.”

Even though the Lanzt children had skill, Alec remained unimpressed as he provided a counter to the wind blade instantly to Arthur.

“Doesn’t matter how good they are with spells, once we get up close, they’re nothing but sitting ducks waiting to be slaughtered,” he said, his confidence unwavering.

The Gordon youths’ eyes gleamed with determination, even Brandon who is usually quiet and composed, let out a fierce war cry that echoed across the field.

Alec looked at them and sighed silently. His comrades were still so young, easily swayed by a few bold words.

But in the end, it wasn’t his speeches that earned their respect—it was his strength.

In just a few hours under Alec’s command, they had grown more than they had in weeks of isolated cultivation and meditation, and his words of encouragement had nearly become addictive, pushing them to fight more recklessly, just like he did few minutes ago.

Brandon, in particular, had begun taking the initiative to counterattack instead of merely defending, dispatching zombies with swift, aggressive slashes.

“Arthur, your mana’s running low, stop wasting it on Stone Bullet. Form a metal sword like before and take over for Brandon. His reckless fighting is draining his stamina,” Alec instructed.

“Yes, boss,” Arthur responded without hesitation.

He quickly summoned a sharp, compressed sword of metal using his element manipulation skill, sustaining it with mana as he approached Brandon and motioned for the switch.

“Boss, I can still fight,” Brandon protested as he drew closer.

Alec raised a brow, noting the sudden shift—Brandon was now calling him “boss” too.

He made a mental note to scold Arthur later for spreading the nickname.

“I know, but you’re clearly running out of gas, I don’t want anyone getting hurt unnecessarily, not when it can be avoided, even if we have purification water to heal minor wounds.”

“We’re aiming for a clean, overwhelming win. No reckless mistakes,” Alec added firmly.

Just then, another wave of wind blades tore through the horde, thinning the undead even further.

Alec knew the tide had shifted in their favour now, they’d successfully stopped the zombie advance from the North Gate and protected the civilians that lived in this region.

Now, the only task left was to lure out the peak Tier 1 zombie or finish off the remaining unclassified ones until it could no longer hide.

“Head to the back and join the rest, give Stone Bullet a try. And before you say you’re bad at it, remember practice makes perfect,” Alec said.

“Keep at it till you get the hang of it. We’ve got your back, Brandon. We Gordons don’t leave a genius behind,” he said with a pat on Brandon’s shoulder as the boy joined the rear line.

Alec was confident that with Brandon’s peak earth affinity, he could master Stone Bullet once he properly understood the spell’s mechanics.

From what Alec had observed, Brandon had likely never even attempted it before, his style leaned heavily on physical combat, which explained the absence of the spell in his arsenal.

That was exactly why Alec, as their leader, had stepped in to encourage him.

They needed every available hand in this fight.

And Alec himself was staying sharp, ever since learning about the presence of a (Peak) Tier 1 zombie hiding within the horde, he knew things could shift in an instant.

He had refrained from telling his clan members, as he didn’t want to spark unnecessary panic.

He’d already seen how panic had thrown the Lanzt family into disarray, and he wasn’t about to let that happen to his own squad, Alec’s thoughts drifted to the Level 0 golem that had triggered a notification just before they departed the South Gates.

That golem had been on the cusp of evolving, just one step away from breaking into the Tier One realm, with enough stored mana to push it over the edge.

Now, the golem stood in front of Alec, outwardly identical to the others, but Alec knew the truth: this one was the strongest of them all, second only to Titan.

“Here goes nothing,” he muttered under his breath.

With that, Alec chose the third evolution option.

In that moment, it felt like an ancient, forgotten magic had awakened, as his mana surged through his body all the way to his hands where they came out from and poured into the golem’s core, as light began swirling around its body as its form began to shift.