THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM-Chapter 27: Boss Fight: The Demon Lord’s Champion

Leon barely had time to breathe before the Hunter Association agents swarmed him, demanding answers. The B-Rank Dungeon should have been cleared, yet the system classified it as an anomaly. That wasn't normal.

He ignored them. He needed to go back.

That thing in the dungeon—the whisper, the figure, the gate. It wasn't over. If anything, it was just beginning.

"I'm going back in," Leon said flatly.

The lead agent, a middle-aged man in silver-plated armor, stepped forward. "Not happening. That dungeon needs to be evaluated by the Association first."

Leon's patience was thin. "Then move faster."

The agent scowled. "Listen, kid, I don't know what you saw in there, but protocol—"

A notification flashed across every adventurer's system.

[WARNING: DUNGEON CORE DESTABILIZED]

[EMERGENCY RAID IMMINENT]

Then, before anyone could react, the dungeon portal rippled.

A figure stepped through.

Tall. Cloaked in deep black armor, edged with molten-red veins that pulsed with infernal energy. A greatsword rested on his back, its jagged edges dripping with dark mana.

The Demon Lord's Champion.

The moment his boots touched the ground, a wave of pressure crashed through the outpost. Every weaker adventurer dropped to their knees, gasping for air.

Leon's eyes locked onto him.

The figure didn't speak. Didn't move. Just stood there, watching.

Then—

He was gone.

Leon barely had time to blink before the Champion appeared in front of him. A blur of motion, faster than anything he had ever seen.

Steel flashed.

Leon twisted his body, barely avoiding the blade that would have split him in half. The shockwave alone sent him skidding backward, boots scraping against the stone floor.

Too fast.

Leon gritted his teeth. This wasn't some mindless dungeon boss. This was a warrior. A real one.

His sorcerer reacted instantly, launching a barrage of necrotic energy, green flames spiraling toward the Champion.

The demon barely acknowledged it. With a single motion, he swung his sword—and the flames were sliced apart, dissipating like mist.

Then he was moving again—straight for Leon.

Leon didn't hesitate. He raised his gun, fired.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The bullets raced forward, infused with piercing mana—

—but the Champion tilted his head slightly. The shots whizzed past him.

Leon's mind raced. Not just fast. Predictive. The Champion wasn't dodging randomly—he was reading Leon's attacks before they even landed.

Shit.

Leon's warrior undead charged, greatsword clashing against the demon's blade. Sparks flew. The impact shook the ground.

For a split second, Leon saw it—an opening.

His sorcerer fired another blast, this time aiming behind the Champion, forcing him to either block or evade.

Leon moved. Fast.

He darted to the right, raising his gun mid-step, charging a high-density mana shot.

The Champion noticed. His head turned slightly—but it was too late.

Leon fired.

BOOM.

The shot exploded on impact, blasting the Champion backward through a stone wall. Dust and debris filled the air.

Leon didn't wait. He rushed forward, reloading on the move. His warrior followed, blade raised. His sorcerer gathered another spell, energy crackling.

The dust settled.

The Champion stood from the rubble. His armor was cracked, smoldering from the blast.

And for the first time—

He grinned.

"Good," the Champion said, his voice like grinding metal. "It would have been boring if you died so quickly."

Leon's stomach tightened.

He was holding back.

Then—the real fight began.

The Champion exploded forward, sword swinging with devastating force. Leon dodged left, barely avoiding the arc that carved through the stone floor like butter.

His warrior intercepted, locking blades again.

His sorcerer fired a bolt of withering magic.

The Champion tanked it, unfazed.

Leon adjusted. He couldn't rely on distance—the demon was too fast. Close combat wasn't an option—the demon was too strong.

Then—

He had an idea.

He gritted his teeth, activating his undead's special ability.

[Deathbound Link – Initiated.]

His warrior shuddered. Its body twisted. Changed.

Its armor blackened. Its blade cracked, leaking dark mana.

The warrior let out a hollow, distorted roar.

Leon grinned. "Let's see how you handle this."

The Champion paused. A flicker of curiosity—maybe even amusement.

Then—

They clashed again.

Steel sang.

Mana exploded.

The ground shattered beneath them.

Leon moved, adapted, calculated.

His undead evolved.

And piece by piece—

He turned the tide.

The Champion lunged, his greatsword carving through the air with a force that sent a deep tremor through the ground. Leon's warrior undead barely met the strike in time, their blades colliding in a brutal clash that sent sparks flying. The impact forced Leon to shift his footing, his gun already aimed.

He pulled the trigger.

The mana-infused bullet exploded forward, streaking past the battlefield like a comet. But the Champion saw it coming. With unnatural reflexes, he twisted his body just enough for the shot to scrape past his shoulder, searing a shallow wound into his black armor.

Leon cursed under his breath. He needed to do more than just graze him.

His sorcerer undead raised both hands, green flames gathering between skeletal fingers before erupting in a wave of scorching necrotic energy. The air shimmered with heat, the magic crashing over the Champion like a raging tide.

But instead of retreating, the demon charged through it.

His armor cracked, his skin seared, yet he didn't falter. His sword swung low, catching Leon's warrior in the side. The undead staggered, the force behind the blow leaving a deep fissure in its ribcage.

Leon fired again. This time, he wasn't aiming for the Champion's body—he was aiming for his feet.

The shot hit the stone beneath him, shattering the ground.

The Champion's footing slipped for an instant—a fraction of a second.

That was all Leon needed.

"Now!" he commanded.

His warrior undead lunged, its corrupted greatsword slicing in a diagonal arc. The Champion twisted, raising his own blade in defense, but the attack was a feint.

Leon's sorcerer struck at the same time, a concentrated blast of dark energy slamming into the Champion's exposed side. The force drove him backward, his feet scraping against the ruined dungeon floor.

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Leon had him off balance.

He reloaded in one fluid motion, pouring everything he had into a final shot. The mana inside his gun surged, the barrel glowing with raw energy as he lined up the shot. The Champion locked eyes with him, his molten gaze burning with defiance.

Leon fired.

The bullet pierced through the Champion's chest, detonating on impact. A shockwave tore through the chamber, and for a moment, time stood still. The Champion's body jerked, the force lifting him off the ground before slamming him back down.

His sword clattered to the floor.

Silence.

Then—the system notification rang out.

[Dungeon Boss Eliminated.]

The tension in Leon's shoulders uncoiled. He exhaled, his grip loosening around his gun. His undead minions stood motionless, awaiting further orders, but the fight was over.

He stepped forward cautiously, watching the Champion's fallen form. The demon's breath was shallow, his body broken, yet there was no hatred in his gaze.

Only acceptance.

"You fight well," the Champion rasped. His lips curled into something resembling a smirk. "But the true war has yet to begin."

Leon narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The Champion's body began to dissolve, dark energy rising from his form like smoke. His armor crumbled, his sword disintegrating into ash. But before he vanished completely, he uttered one final warning:

"The Abyss is watching."

The demon's body lay still on the battlefield, dark energy slowly evaporating from its form. The ground was cracked, the very air tinged with the remnants of their brutal clash. Leon kept his gun raised, his breath heavy, sweat trickling down the side of his face.

For a few moments, nothing moved. Then the system notification rang.

[Boss Defeated – Rewards Calculating...]

Leon exhaled sharply, lowering his weapon. It was finally over.

The battlefield—once filled with bloodthirsty demonic beasts—was now eerily silent. His undead minions stood still, awaiting further orders, their hollow eyes fixed on the corpse of the Champion. The demon's blade, once brimming with dark energy, had lost its glow, now nothing more than a lifeless hunk of metal embedded in the dirt.

And then, the dungeon reacted.

A deep rumbling shook the earth. The air shifted, growing heavier, as if the very fabric of space was collapsing in on itself.

Leon turned toward the distant entrance of the dungeon. The massive, jagged portal that had stood open for days began to shrink. Swirling dark energy imploded, the gateway's edges folding inward, like a wound trying to heal itself.

The dungeon was closing.

Nearby, the gathered adventurers and Hunter Association agents stumbled back, their faces filled with a mixture of relief and awe. Some shouted, others just stood frozen, watching as the forbidden dungeon that had threatened the region was finally being sealed away.

Leon didn't move. He simply watched.

The last traces of the portal collapsed inward, vanishing with a faint shimmer. The once-dominant dungeon that had loomed over the landscape was gone, erased from existence as if it had never been there.

Silence settled over the battlefield.

Leon finally allowed himself to relax.

The fight had taken everything out of him. His mana reserves were drained, his undead warriors had suffered damage, and his body was sore from dodging, blocking, and firing non-stop. But even with the exhaustion weighing on him, a strange calm settled in his chest.

He had won.

Not just against the dungeon's Champion, but against everything the System had thrown at him up until now. He was still standing.

Then, the system messages flooded in.

[B-Rank Dungeon Clear Confirmed.]

[Exceptional Performance Bonus Applied.]

[Calculating Rewards...]

Leon forced himself upright, pushing past the fatigue as a faint glow formed in front of him. A pedestal materialized out of thin air, shimmering with system-bound energy. Atop it sat his rewards.

He stepped forward, eyes scanning over them:

A Mana-Infused Core – A condensed sphere of magical energy, radiating with a soft, pulsating glow. It could be used to enhance weapons or craft high-grade magical artifacts.

The Abyss-Touched Sigil – A black emblem etched with shifting, runic markings, exuding an unsettling aura. Whatever it was, it wasn't ordinary.

An Epic-Grade Skill Book: 'Summon Undead Knight' – A spell far beyond what most necromancers could dream of acquiring.

Leon's breath caught.

An Epic-grade summoning skill? That was practically unheard of. If he could master it, his undead army would reach a whole new level.

Without hesitation, he claimed everything. The rewards vanished into his inventory, neatly stored for when he had the time to process them.

He clenched his fist, his mind already working through his next steps. He needed time—time to rest, to recover, and to study these new assets.

His stomach twisted slightly as the exhaustion finally caught up to him. He had been running on pure adrenaline for too long.

Turning, he cast a glance toward the gathered hunters. Some were staring at him, whispering among themselves. He ignored them. There would be questions, rumors, speculation. That was inevitable.

But right now?

Leon just wanted to get paid and go home.