Back in the universe 8888888888,
A notification appeared in front of Keon.
[Universe 5757]
"Keon, I have secured an additional hundred tons of black curse metal from a newly discovered vein in the deep jungle. Transferring now as you need it urgently. It will be the maximum I can transfer for a while, as the logistical challenges are immense."
Keon silently accepted the transaction and executed the reciprocal transfer of 10,000 tons of sand and 10,000 raw quartz crystals, a mere resource for him, but a near-limitless treasure for Trosso. The influx of hundred tons of Cursed Black Mythril materialized in his storage panel.
With a total of one hundred and ten tons of the raw, high-tier material secured, Keon initiated the high-priority manufacturing sequences. While keeping an eye on the whole planet.
He released all the curse metal from his storage space and stored it beside the unified adaptive composite alloy and other magic materials. The volatile, cursed energy field of the metal instantly dissipated upon entry into UHS1's atmosphere, reverting the material into its True Mythril form: brilliant silver, interlaced with gold filigrees.
Keon then activated his subtalents, material assimilation, micro fabrication and adaptive synthesis and started the manufacturing process of the latest three blueprints.
The process began with the True Mythril, it was atomized and magnetically injected into the molecular structure of the Unified Adaptive Composite Alloy melt. Nanometer-scale shavings of the Obsidian Core Fragment were used to stabilize the hybrid lattice, allowing the material to hold the True Mythril's high-frequency energy-suppressing field.
Within minutes, hundreds of tons of raw Cursed Black Mythril were fused within a thousand tons of Unified adaptive composite alloy along with other magic materials, finally the Aetherial Composite Alloy (ACA) finalized in the process, the foundational material for the planet's ultimate defense.
Keon observed the finished dark obsidian shine on the surface of new ACA alloy, the silver and gold veins flickering on its surface reflecting the light.
'Its color is dark like curse metal now, anyway its not a curse metal. I should proceed with the next Alpha-3 weapon manufacturing, as I don't have much time… the invasion will begin any moment now.'
Keon then immediately redirected the newly synthesized ACA to the fabrication lines for the Alpha-3 Plasma Repeater and the Defensive Orbital Sentry (DOS-1).
Thousands of Mana-Saturated Quartz crystals (now purified and energized to Tier 3/Brilliant Blue levels) were encased in sleek, ACA cores. The Shimmering Lumina-Copper conduits were integrated, and then these cores were dispatched to the ground and orbital installation points.
The construction of the four Defensive Orbital Sentries began with impossible speed. The Adaptive Synthesis talent allowed for massive modular sections of the ACA hull to be fabricated simultaneously and naturally assembled. The colossal Alpha-3 Mega-Cannons (each one a miniaturized, orbital fusion reactor) and the array of Alpha-1 and Alpha-2 Railguns were installed with pinpoint precision.
In less than three hours of continuous, planetary-scale manufacturing, four DOS-1 satellites... each one a hundred-meter-wide fortress... were structurally complete and ready for deployment.
Keon, still observing the planet through the Exoshell 3.0 in the operations center, issued the final command.
[Command: Launch DOS-1 Satellites. Target: Geosynchronous Orbit, Equatorial Distribution]
The four DOS units, each a monument to mechanical power stationed on the ground, their thrusters burst with intense blue plasma, rising them up toward the sky and silently left the atmosphere, accelerating into their programmed high-earth orbits.
As the final DOS-1 locked into position, completing the defensive grid, Keon's Neural Nexus registered a sudden, infinitesimal anomaly on the planetary surface mapping.
At the same time, a notification appeared in front of his vision,
[Critical Alert: Invasion Initiated]
[Invasive Civilization: 546876]
[Invasion Point: Southern Hemisphere]
[Window to First Contact: One Standard Earth Hour]
[T-Minus: 00:59:59]
…
'Finally it began,' Keon thought as he observed the notifications, then he instantly zoomed the spherical display onto the southern hemisphere... a vast, uninhabited ocean of sand.
'So, the invasion portal looks like this.' Keon noticed a tiny golden dot above a sand dune. The dot was not static. It was slowly, steadily expanding each passing second, at the same time its energy signature growing exponentially.
Keon's core instantly cross-referenced the chaotic energy field against the data gleaned from the global communications feed and Trosso's material analysis. The signature was high-frequency, volatile, and profoundly alien.
'It will fully expand in an hour's duration.'
Keon felt a sudden, cold sense of confirmation. The small dot grew into a visible, shimmering tear in the atmosphere... a colossal, crackling wound in the fabric of space that glowed with a sickening, golden-red light.
The portal of the Invasive Candidate Civilization was opening.
After a while,
Keon remained perfectly still within the command center, the vast spherical display dominating his vision. The timer, visible in the corner of his optical sensors, ticked down with cold, mathematical certainty: T-Minus: 00:00:00.
The shimmering tear in the southern sky, the portal, reached its maximum capacity. It was a massive, perfectly circular vortex of swirling, golden-red energy, easily ten kilometers in diameter, hanging silently above the barren sands. The energy maintaining its stability was immense, a calculated signature enough for the planetary-scale.
Keon watched, his core a steady, focused hum. He did not initiate an attack. The DOS-1 satellites held their firing solutions perfectly, waiting for the central command. He needed data, not a premature engagement that might expose his full capabilities.
The portal, having stabilized, began to discharge its contents.
The first few figures that emerged were two meters tall, vaguely humanoid, but their forms were warped and indistinct shadows against the golden light. They stumbled out, falling onto the sands, and immediately began to crawl away from the light.
'Looks like humanoid lifeforms. I wonder what kind of species these are?' Keon calculated, focusing on his high-powered sensors in order to observe and analyze the invading civilization. He is already expecting unknown forces and is completely prepared for counterattack.
What happened next, however, caused the mechanical equivalent of utter confusion to ripple through his whole nexus network.
Dozens, then hundreds, of new figures poured through the portal. They were undeniably humanoid, standing roughly six feet tall, dressed in tattered, indistinct clothing. They moved with a lurching, chaotic gait, spreading out aimlessly across the dunes.
Keon zoomed his optical display, filtering out the heat haze and sand glare for a pristine view. He isolated a single figure, running a full Material Recognition scan.
The result surprised him, the figures were humans, but not alive… they are simply undead.
Their skins were pale, gray-green, and peeling. Their movements were entirely uncoordinated, driven by nothing more than a primal, staggering momentum. Many were missing limbs, and their jaws hung slack, occasionally emitting a low, guttural moan that the high-powered sensors picked up as low level sound signature.
A full Material Recognition and Neural Nexus cross-reference was executed against the entire database of his memory. He immediately recognized these species from earth media, fiction, and folklore. The match was instantaneous and perfect. These were the chaotic, brainless, ravenous undead of cinematic horror.
Keon's internal processing speed, usually dedicated to complex synthesis and tactical calculus, briefly seized up, overwhelmed by the sheer, absurd irrelevance of the invading force.
'Zombies? It really is a huge surprise. Probably. the player of this universe is born as a zombie… Or a human with undead abilities. Maybe he was born in the apocalypse. Anyway I will find out soon.'
Keon thought of the movies and series based on the apocalypse and end of the world, while observing the invading force from the portal continued to increase.
Hundreds became thousands. A slow, shambling tide of moaning, decaying bodies spread like a necrotic stain across the southern sands. They did not form ranks; they did not seek cover; they did not look for tactical objectives. They simply spread, driven by an unknown, chaotic impulse.
Keon was completely speechless. The cold, mechanical certainty of his preparations met the utter, illogical chaos of reality. He had braced for an existential war machine, a peer civilization armed with plasma cannons and interdimensional defenses. Instead, he was facing an infestation.
'This is not an army, it's an ecological hazard. Anyway, with the current size of UHS1. It will take years for them to reach this northern hemisphere? I just have to find the true controller of these undeads. Also, these undead will yield unexpected research results.'
He immediately initiated a full focused scan, pushing his Neural Nexus to its limit, scanning each and every undead figure… observing their behavior carefully, looking for any sign of command, control, and intelligence.
…