An Understated Dominance Novel (Dahlia & Dustin) by Marina Vittori updated 2025-26 - An Understated Dominance Chapter 2612

Chapter 2612

The ancient city walls of Linche glowed with a cold, blue-black hue under the fading twilight. Deep within the cracks of the bricks, rust from century-old arrowheads still lingered, silent witnesses to forgotten wars.

Matthias paced atop the battlements, his heavy boots crunching over frozen scabs of blood.

The sword at his waist had just tasted flesh. Blood still dripped from the blade, freezing into crimson crystals the instant it touched the stone.

“Roll every last barrel of kerosene into a pile!” Matthias bellowed, his voice filled with ferocity. “Gunners, hold your fire until they’re within a hundred meters—then unload everything!”

The zombies surged below like a black tide, their bluish-gray arms clawing upward in the dimming light.

The creatures in the front had already worn their nails down to the bone, but they still scratched frantically at the city wall, sending chunks of stone and mortar tumbling.

A few towering zombies had begun climbing atop the corpses of their own kind, their rotted feet slipping on icy bloodstains and producing a sickening screech as they dragged up the wall.

“Dad, I’m scared!”

Children’s cries rang out from behind the wall. Dozens of civilians, mostly elderly and young, were huddled behind a line of soldiers. A middle-aged woman clasped her child’s face tightly, muffling his sobs with trembling fingers.

These were the unlucky ones—those who hadn’t evacuated in time. Now, they were trapped between the city wall and a sea of death.

Matthias turned and glanced at the group. His eyes were colder than the blood freezing on the stones. “Anyone who makes another sound gets thrown out to feed the zombies!”

Before the last word had left his mouth, a shout erupted from the west wall. A half-limp zombie had scrambled to the top of a corpse pile and seized a young soldier’s ankle with skeletal claws.

The soldier fell, his helmet flying off—and in seconds, a deep bite had been carved into his leg, exposing bone.

Bang!

Matthias’s sword flashed, cleaving through the soldier’s calf with a single, brutal strike. Blood sprayed across his face—but he didn’t even blink.

The soldier let out a piercing scream. The sound drove the zombies into a frenzy, their howls echoing up the wall.

“Get him to the infirmary. If he shows even a hint of turning, burn him on the spot,” Matthias ordered coldly.

“Yes, sir!”

Two bodyguards immediately dragged the injured soldier away without hesitation.

Everyone knew the rules—anyone bitten or scratched could be infected. And once the corpse poison took hold, there was no turning back.

Matthias’s ruthless strike, though brutal, might have saved the boy’s life.

“Everyone stay sharp! If you get bitten—cut it off yourself if you want to live!” he shouted, holding his blood-soaked blade aloft.

The soldiers went pale, their hands trembling around their weapons.

But no one dared speak out. The scene they’d just witnessed was burned into their minds.

Just then, several strong civilians shoved their way past the soldiers, ignoring attempts to block them. The man in front carried a hoe over one shoulder, his arms corded with muscle beneath his tattered clothes.

“Your Highness! Let us help too!”

Matthias opened his mouth to bark an order—but the man had already swung his hoe, smashing a climbing zombie’s skull with brutal precision.

Black ichor splattered his chest, but he didn’t flinch. He shoved the corpse back over the wall and braced for another attack.

More civilians followed his lead. Some tossed rocks, others passed Molotov cocktails, and even an elderly woman limped forward to toss firewood into a burning barrel.

For a moment, the defense line grew stronger. But it also created chaos—and hidden danger.

A woman clutching a baby stumbled back in fear, knocking over a barrel of kerosene in the process.

The thick liquid seeped through the cracks in the wall… and soaked into the mound of corpses below.

Then came a spark—from who knows where.

Whoosh!

Flames shot up ten feet high. The wall of fire temporarily halted the zombie advance, but it also engulfed a section of the west wall, forcing the defenders to retreat.

“Hold the line!” Matthias roared, slicing down a zombie that had leapt through the smoke—only to feel sharp claws rake across his ribs.

Before he could react, another zombie lunged, snapping its jaws toward his neck.

“Your Highness!”

Kyle’s voice rang out as he darted forward like a shadow, slashing clean through the zombie’s head. Its body crumpled—but not before its claws tore a jagged wound across Kyle’s arm.

Dark veins immediately spread from the scratch, the corpse poison surging through his bloodstream.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kyle grit his teeth, unsheathed his dagger, and severed his own arm just below the shoulder.

“Ten thousand!” Matthias’s eyes went wide.

His most loyal, most capable general had just sacrificed an arm to protect him.

“My Lord! Forget me—kill those beasts!” Kyle shouted, sealing his pressure points with trembling hands to stop the bleeding.

There was no time for mercy. One slip meant death—or worse.

The flames on the wall slowly died, leaving behind nothing but blackened corpses—and a fresh wave of undead surging in.

Cracks had formed in the wall section that burned. Several enormous zombies slammed themselves against it, heads first. The sound of crumbling brick was like a death knell.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the southwest corner gave way.

A black tide of zombies poured through the breach.

The first dozen soldiers were overrun before they could even scream.

“It’s over…” one soldier collapsed onto the stone, his weapon falling from his numb hands.

Matthias clenched his jaw. He tore off his cloak, wrapped it around his bleeding torso, and prepared to make a final stand.

But before he could move—

A golden crack split the sky.

Blinding light poured from the heavens, and a white-robed figure descended like a comet—crashing into the heart of the zombie horde with earth-shaking force.