The day of the March had come.
It was early dawn, and the sky wore a soft violet hue as the sun yawned behind the horizon.
At the gates of the Blood Camp stood Leo, his sharp eyes scanning the rows of soldiers behind him.
Two hundred survivors, no longer the frightened, desperate people they once were. Now, they stood in tight formation—ten men per file, their weapons polished and ready, their backs straight. They were soldiers now. Not just survivors.
Commanders like Jack, Anna, Evelyn, Logan, Damien, and Victor took their positions at the head of their respective files.
Leo gave a nod of approval.
There was no fear in their eyes anymore—only a grim acceptance of the world they now lived in.
They had tasted blood in Zone 4 and knew that this conquest would be harsher. Yet they were ready.
Leo didn't give a speech. He raised his hand and let it fall with a single word:
"March."
The army began their journey to Zone 5.
The road was not forgiving. Waves of zombies ambushed them at intervals, rising from broken asphalt, charging from crumbling ruins, or falling from collapsed buildings.
The army's numbers allowed them to handle these threats with discipline and coordination. Commands echoed across the formation—"Push left!"
"Hold ranks!"
"Focus fire!"—as they cleared the road.
When night fell, they set camp by an artificial lake. Fires flickered across the dark landscape, and a massive bonfire burned at the center of the camp.
Around it, soldiers sat quietly, cleaning their weapons, sharing hushed conversations, or staring into the flames. Fear still lingered in their hearts—less visible now, more personal. The fear of dying tomorrow.
They knew that it would a fight to death for each of them. One mistake and death would embrace them.
Still did they have a choice.
Leo didn't speak.
He walked among them, silent as a shadow, reading their moods. Whether they feared death or not, it wouldn't matter come morning.
They would fight.
The sun rose, its rays splashing gold over the battlefield waiting ahead. Zone 5's towering gates loomed in the distance.
But this time, things were different.
Standing at the gates was the leader of Zone 5—Lila Nashik.
With her was a smaller army, eighty soldiers clad in a uniform shade of navy blue.
Her stance was calm, composed, and her icy blue eyes were locked onto Leo. She already knew they were coming.
The system had a feature which allowed to zone leaders to know about the recent wars in the area.
Lila had seen it.
The victory of zone 3. They had thoroughly defeated zone 4. The combined zone was now called the blood camp.
She knew that fighting against such a foe was meaningless. But surrendering without a fight, left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Leo walked forward, flanked by his commanders. The wind carried tension as the two leaders faced each other.
Leo's voice was calm. "Your numbers are smaller. Your army looks less experienced. Surrender now and join us. You will survive."
There was hesitation in the ranks behind Lila. Soldiers exchanged uncertain glances. But Lila stepped forward, her voice steady.
"Maybe I will submit. But not before I see if you're worthy. I won't serve a coward who hides behind numbers."
Leo raised a brow. There was something about her pride that struck a chord in him.
Someone like her would be useful.
He gave a small nod. "Then prove yourself."
The battle began.
Soldiers clashed with furious momentum. The thunder of footsteps and cries of combat filled the air.
Damien charged with a long broadsword in hand, his strikes precise and brutal as he slammed into the opposing front.
Evelyn danced through the chaos with twin daggers, every slash calculated.
Jack, towering and relentless, held the left flank with Logan beside him, both working in sync like gears in a well-oiled machine.
Victoria moved like a phantom, flanking the enemy archers with a group of scouts, her arrows whistling with fatal precision.
Each commander fought with skill honed through fire, their bodies moving instinctively as if the battlefield was an extension of their will.
While the battle raged, Leo and Lila stood apart.
Leo stepped forward, relaxed, his posture open.
"Three minutes," he said. "Attack me with everything you have. I won't strike unless I must."
Lila didn't hesitate.
She unsheathed her slim sword, its steel gleaming under the sun, and lunged.
Her movements were fluid—an upward slash aimed at Leo's neck.
He tilted slightly, letting the blade pass by inches. Her feet pivoted, and she followed up with a spinning slash toward his ribs.
He moved again, one step ahead.
Lila gritted her teeth, thrusting low then high, changing angles with each move. A kick snapped out toward Leo's thigh. A palm-strike followed, aimed at his jaw.
Leo leaned back, parrying nothing, simply shifting, reading her. It was like trying to catch smoke.
She snarled under her breath. This is insane. He's reading me like a book. Not even reacting—just avoiding. How does someone move like this?
She knew he was strong. But this was unreasonable.
She leaped back, her sword glowing faintly. Her core surged, and icy energy traveled up her arms.
Her special technique—Frost Vein—channeled into her blade.
Her strikes gained speed, becoming a blur as she pushed forward with renewed fury. Sword slashes laced with chilling energy aimed to freeze his limbs.
Her left hand caught Leo's shoulder, unleashing a burst of frost, but he twisted out of her grasp like water escaping a dam.
She switched into mixed combat—throwing punches and kicks into her sword rhythm.
A sweep at his legs. A palm to his chest. An elbow to the side. Leo never raised a hand to block. He just weaved through it all.
He's not just faster. He's on another plane.
Her breath grew heavier. Desperation crept into her eyes. But she didn't stop. A last surge of energy, a refined thrust charged with everything she had—aimed for his heart.
Leo stepped aside and pivoted.
Then—
A single kick.
It connected cleanly with her stomach. The force sent her flying backward, crashing into the dirt with a gasp. Her sword fell from her hand, sliding across the ground.
She coughed, kneeling.
But she was not done. She stood again limping, to fight this monster.
But her body knew better. She collasped again.
Leo stood still.
"Do you surrender?"
Lila closed her eyes. Her pride screamed, but her instincts were louder. She had nothing left.
She turned to her army and shouted, "Stand down! We surrender!"
Her soldiers obeyed. Weapons clattered to the ground. Hands rose.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Then—cheers erupted from the Blood Camp ranks.
Victory.
Zone 5 was theirs.
Leo walked past Lila, who now stood shakily by his side. The gates of Zone 5 groaned open.
Survivors inside, those who hadn't fought, watched from alleys and balconies. They saw Leo enter—not like a warlord, but like something else entirely.
He ascended a set of stone steps overlooking the central plaza.
Behind him, Lila limped forward, her expression neutral. The survivors of Zone 5 gathered below, some of Leo's troops joining them. Tension, hope, uncertainty all mingled in the crowd.
Leo raised his hand.
"You may have lost this battle," he said, voice calm but powerful, "but your courage is undeniable."
He paused, scanning their faces.
"From this moment forward, you are part of the Blood Camp. The ones you fought today are your comrades. Learn their names. Share your bread. Watch their backs."
He looked over to Lila.
"She fought me with honor. She could've let her army die, but she surrendered for their sake. That kind of leader deserves respect."
He turned back to the crowd.
"If you follow me, you won't just survive. You'll grow stronger. You'll dominate. This world doesn't belong to the past anymore. It belongs to those who claim it."
He stepped down slowly. The crowd parted for him like the sea.
And as the sun reached its peak above the crimson banners of the Blood Camp now flying from Zone 5's walls, Leo's voice echoed once more.
"Stand with me. Witness the rise of the new era—the new dawn."
Cheers erupted from below. The soldiers from Blood Camp chanted leo's name with reverence.
He had once show them a way to survive and dominate this world.
And now it was coming along. This was their second victory, with many more on the way.