Zombie apocalypse! As if the existing one wasn't enough Chapter - 3

Now, I'm not the most attentive reader, but I knew that Hookwolf, in the stories, was only slightly larger than a car, so there was something strange going on.

The colossal beast made of metal and chains effortlessly shrugged off any attacks that the heroes launched against it, and their efforts seemed to have little impact on its advance.

In a bid to help the heroes, Vicky soared towards the fight and began attacking Hookwolf with her lasers. While she managed to inflict some damage to the outer layer of metal, it was immediately regenerated, and Hookwolf turned his attention to her.

Without warning, the towering metal creature fired out massive chains that looked more like barbed wire and started swinging them around. Vicky had to quickly abandon her attack in order to dodge the incoming chains, evading them with agility and precision.

As I turned to Amy for confirmation, a sense of apprehension gnawed at me. "I might be wrong, but Hookwolf isn't supposed to be that strong or that big, is he?" I asked.

Amy's expression betrayed her disbelief as she nodded in agreement. "You're right. But if my suspicions are correct, then we might be in serious trouble," she replied.

I listened intently as Amy went on to explain, "Have you noticed how the zombies attack anything that moves, regardless of how scary or dangerous it appears?"

"Yes, I have," I replied.

"Well, that's not the case with Hookwolf. The zombies are ignoring him," Amy said, her voice filled with concern.

It takes me a few moments to connect the dots and the conclusion I came to was not a pleasant one. "Oh, shit! Hookwolfs a zombie isn't he??" I exclaimed, hoping that I was wrong.

“I think so” Amy confirmed my fears.

With a sense of dread, I asked Amy, "So you're telling me that zombie parahumans not only retain their powers but are also significantly stronger?"

"It seems like it," Amy confirmed. "It probably has something to do with the fact that the shards no longer need to care about keeping the hosts alive and can break through all the limiters."

As the weight of the situation sank in, I stated, "We are in so much trouble."

Amy nodded in agreement, "Yup."

"Fuck," I muttered, feeling helpless.

Amy's eyes remained fixed on the fight in front of us as she asked, "You think the weapon you were going to summon might be able to put that beast down?"

Realizing that we needed to act fast, I replied urgently, "Right, completely forgot about that. We might have to go do that now. I don't think they are doing any significant damage to Hookwolf."

Amy's expression turned serious, "You might have to go do that on your own. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be needed here to keep them alive soon."

As soon as she said that, Assault was hit by one of the chains that Hookwolf was swinging around after he pushed Battery out of the way. He crashed near to where we were standing, and Battery looked like she wanted to check up on him, but could not afford to get distracted from the hurricane of chains and hooks swinging around.

Amy rushed towards him and began to heal him.

"Thanks, Amy...wait. What are you doing here? It's not safe. You need to go-- Wait, you're not Amy, are you?" Assault asked, clearly confused.

"I am Amy, just not the one you're familiar with," She clarified.

That made him pause.

"…..anyway, I'll deal with this later. I need to go back and help drive Hookwolf away from the city. Your flying friend has been of great help," he said, still looking a bit dazed.

"I can help with that. Do you know where the bank in this town is?" I jump in and ask him.

"What?!" he exclaimed, clearly taken aback.

"I can help, but I need a lot of gold to use my powers," I explained calmly.

Assault looked at me in disbelief for a moment before he shrugged and gave me some general directions.

After leaving the others to their fight, I ran a few blocks and shot a couple of zombies to reach the abandoned bank. My objective was to make my way towards the vault, but I soon realized that I had no way to open it. Initially, I planned to have Vicky break it open for me, but that was no longer an option.

Out of frustration, I attempted to shoot the vault, but the ricochet almost killed me, forcing me to abandon the idea immediately. As I stood there pondering my next move, an idea struck me. I didn't need to open the vault. I could just sacrifice the entire thing.

With this plan in mind, I wasted no time in getting started. I had given a lot of thought to what I was going to summon. While my heart longed to summon the divine weapons wielded by the gods themselves, I knew I couldn't use them properly or summon them for long. Unfortunately, normal weapons would be useless against the threat I was facing. So, I decided to go halfway and summon a weapon that could be wielded by demigods.

I took out the book that I had found in my library, Mahabharata, the greatest war fought in Hindu mythology.

As I placed the book between myself and the vault, I began to perform the familiar process of summoning a weapon. However, this time it was different. A heavy weight pressed down on me, and I saw eldritch runes appearing around me, as well as around the book and the vault. The runes spun in dizzying circles, and I knew that I needed to concentrate harder than ever before.

In my mind's eye, I focused on the weapon I wished to summon - the bow of Karna, son of the sun god. Although he was an antagonist in the story, he was one of my favorite characters. The bow, called Vijaya, which meant 'victory', was a divine creation by Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods, and was originally intended for Indra, the ruler of Heaven.

As I concentrated with all my might, I could feel the power building within me. I envisioned the bow appearing before me.

I saw a scale appearing in my mind, as if weighing the value of my sacrifice and the bow. It took a few moments that felt like an eternity to me until the scales tipped in my favor.

Finally, with a burst of energy, the bow materialized in my hands, just as I had envisioned it. It was made of celestial gold and pure crystal that could only be found in the realms of the gods. The bow was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was exquisitely crafted, with intricate patterns etched into the surface, and its string seemed to hum with divine power.

In my hands, the bow felt weighty and solid, yet imbued with an otherworldly energy that made it seem almost alive.

As I wielded the weapon, I felt a sense of awe and reverence, knowing that I held in my hands a divine artifact, one that had been created by the gods themselves. And with the bow at my disposal, I felt empowered, knowing that I could wield the power of the gods in my battles against mortal foes.

As I marveled at its beauty and strength I couldn't help but think about Karna's tragic fate. But I was determined to make sure that his weapon would be used to its full potential.

With the bow in my hands, I felt invincible. Its elegant design and perfect balance made it a weapon of unmatched accuracy. But I couldn't afford to get lost in its beauty now. I had a job to do, and I had to do it fast.

I ran back towards the fight and my eyes scanned the scene before me. The heroes seemed to be on their last legs.

Vicky and Miss Militia were holding their own, bombarding Hookwolf with a relentless barrage of ranged attacks. But their efforts were not really doing anything more than cosmetic damage. Hookwolf seemed unbothered by their futile attempts to bring him down, and he continued to advance towards them with a menacing growl.

Armsmaster was struggling to close the distance to Hookwolf. His face was etched with frustration as he tried to do something to stop the beast. But with each passing second, Hookwolf seemed to grow stronger; he now resembled a meat shredder, his blades tearing through the air with lethal precision.

The rest were on the side, battered and tense, waiting with Amy.

I caught up to them and asked, "Did I miss anything?"

"No, just everyone being tossed around like ragdolls. Have you finished your part?" Amy asked, her voice sounding weary.

"Yes, I'm ready. You just need to tell them to back away from Hookwolf. I have no idea how big the explosion is going to be."

That's when Battery said incredulously, “You have something that can stop that hulking mass of steel that we haven't been able to scratch for hours?”

“Yup,” I replied, completely confident. I wouldn't have been that confident if I hadn't held the bow before I came back, but now it was insulting to even think about.

Battery looked like she didn't believe me, but Assault convinced her. “Let him try at least. Armsmaster and Miss Militia cannot go on delaying the beast forever.”

“Ugh, fine,” she replied, and then spoke into an earpiece. “You guys need to back off on my signal. We might have a way to put down Hookwolf, but you need to be out of the blast radius.”

“He's asking what the range is,” she tells me.

“Tell them to get as far as they possibly can.”

Seeing that everything was ready, I walked a few steps away from the exhausted group because I myself wasn't sure what effect firing the bow would have on me.

I closed my eyes and removed the bow from my subspace. Instantly, I could feel the world go silent. The awe and reverence from it was making me stronger, strong enough to actually use the divine artifact.

I told Battery to give the signal, and everyone fighting Hookwolf immediately ran in the opposite direction.

I held the bow and drew its string with all my strength, aiming at the hulking mass of chains and metal. I saw the arrow materialize in the bow and paid it no heed, even though it had the potential to be as destructive as a nuclear warhead. I put my full concentration on the beast in front of me, which seemed to have sensed what I was going to do and was charging straight at me.

I would have normally panicked at this point, but holding Vijaya in my hand, I knew no fear.

I already knew what the outcome was going to be, and there was absolutely no doubt in my mind.

I let out the breath I was holding and softly released the arrow while whispering...

“Suryastra”

As the arrow soared through the air, it began to glow with an intense, blinding light. Its surface crackled and sparked with energy, and a low rumbling sound filled the air as it neared its target.

With a sudden burst of energy, the arrow collided with its intended mark, unleashing a massive explosion that shook the ground beneath my feet. The force of the blast was so powerful that it sent shockwaves rippling out in all directions, shattering windows and knocking over trees.

A searing wave of heat washed over me, and I shielded my eyes as the world was engulfed in a blinding white light. The explosion seemed to go on forever, a never-ending burst of pure energy that lit up the entire sky.

When the smoke finally cleared, I was left standing in a wasteland of destruction. The once abandoned city had been obliterated, reduced to a charred, blackened waste of twisted metal and ash. The air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke, and the only sound that could be heard was the distant crackling of flames.

Where Hookwolf used to be, a massive crater had been carved out of the ground by the force of the explosion. It was an eerie sight to behold, with its steep, jagged edges and deep, gaping center. The walls of the crater were blackened and scorched, as if seared by the intense heat of the blast. At the bottom of the pit, a swirling mass of smoke and ash rose up, obscuring whatever lay beneath. It was impossible to tell what might be hidden within the smoldering depths of the crater, but it was clear that nothing could have survived the devastating force of the attack.

As I surveyed the chaotic aftermath of my destructive display, a sudden jolt of excruciating pain shot through my hand, jarring me out of my reverie. The bow had disappeared into the depths of my subspace, leaving behind a mangled, charred mess where my hand used to be.

I gritted my teeth, fighting back the urge to scream as I struggled to maintain my composure. The pain was almost too much to bear, but somehow, I managed to keep myself from collapsing in agony, probably because the nerves in my hand had been seared off, leaving me with a numb, lifeless appendage.

I turned my attention to the stunned onlookers, their faces frozen in shock and horror. Ignoring most of them, I focused on Amy and spoke in a strained, painful voice.

"Some help would be greatly appreciated," I said, gesturing to my ruined arm.