Soon, the others also recovered from their shock and began nodding in agreement.

"Yes, Captain," Pooja said firmly. "Since Vikram is your nephew, how could he awaken something trash?" From the day Isha had saved her life, Pooja had become one of her most loyal followers. Even when she had heard bad rumors about Vikram in the past, she had never believed them.

"I already knew it," Ayesha said, looking at Vikram with newfound interest. "Vikram was strong from the beginning. He just needed the right path. Now, if he still wants to pursue me... I will allow it."

There was a small story behind those words. When Ayesha had visited Vikram’s home with Isha, she had been struck by his charm. Vikram had tried to win her over, and she had almost fallen for it.

But once she learned he wasn’t an awakener at the time, she had gently told him she needed to focus on making the town completely zombie-free first, a polite but clear way of turning him down, knowing the zombie waves would never truly stop.

"Hah," Sana immediately cut in, breaking Ayesha’s confident attitude. "If you want to cling to him now, just say it directly. Why act like you’re giving him a chance? It’s not like Vikram doesn’t already have other girls."

Ayesha’s face instantly turned red. She looked toward Isha for support.

"Captain, what is she saying...?"

Isha chuckled softly, clearly amused by the exchange.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team also started praising Vikram.

"Seriously, killing an Elite Berserker Zombie that easily is no small feat."

"With that kind of power, the first two waves are going to be a breeze."

"Captain’s nephew really is something else."

After all, effortlessly taking down an Elite zombie in front of everyone was a genuinely impressive achievement.

Vikram stood there with a small, satisfied smile, enjoying the attention while his Warrior Druid puffed out its chest proudly beside him.

---

After the praising and excited talking died down, time had already slipped away. It was now 7:30 pm. Vikram had spent nearly twenty minutes of the first wave simply observing the zombies, and the remaining time had been eaten up by everyone’s shock and the lively bickering between the team.

As the second wave began, the portals flared again. This time, 200 normal zombies emerged alongside 50 mixed Elite Zombies, faster, stronger, and far more dangerous than the first wave.

Seeing the large number of Elites, Isha was about to assign them to her teammates when Vikram raised his hand and stopped her.

"Aunt, today is my day. Let me handle it."

Isha paused for a moment, then nodded without argument. If she hadn’t witnessed the first wave, she might have hesitated, but after seeing what his Warrior Druid could do, she trusted him.

"Okay," she said simply.

Vikram nodded back confidently. His eyes scanned the 50 Elite Zombies approaching and then turned to his two strongest sprouts.

"Both of you can finish them, right?"

"Wawa!" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Gaga!"

Warrior Druid and Guardian Druid nodded instantly, their voices energetic.

Hearing the Guardian Druid speak for the first time, Vikram wasn’t shocked like before. He had already expected that, just like the Warrior Druid, it must have gained the ability to talk after evolving into its Druid form.

With their confirmation, both the Warrior Druid and Guardian Druid leaped straight off the wall, landing gracefully on the battlefield in front of the incoming horde.

"Wawa, Wawa, Wawawa!"

"Gaga, Gagaga!"

The two druids quickly exchanged words in their strange language. No one understood exactly what they were saying, but their intention became clear in the next moment.

The Warrior Druid’s arm stretched out like a whip once again. In one fluid, lightning-fast motion, it swept across the battlefield. All 200 normal zombies lost their heads simultaneously, collapsing to the ground like cut wheat.

The team had already seen this move, so they weren’t too surprised this time.

What truly shocked them was the perfect combination that followed.

The Guardian Druid slammed his hand onto the ground. Thick, powerful vines erupted from ten different spots at once, shooting upward and wrapping tightly around the 10 Elite Leaper Zombies mid-jump. The vines bound their arms, legs, and torsos completely, immobilizing them in the air.

At the exact same moment, the Warrior Druid moved like a chef slicing vegetables. Its blade flashed with incredible speed.

SHHHK! SHHHK! SHHHK! SHHHK!

One after another, the heads of the Elite Zombies were severed cleanly. There was not even the slightest resistance or struggle. The bound Elites could only twitch helplessly before their heads flew off.

Seeing their fellow zombies being slaughtered so easily, the five Screamer Zombies in the second wave turned their attention toward the Guardian Druid and Warrior Druid. Their swollen throats bulged as they prepared to unleash their devastating sonic screams.

But before the first Screamer could open its mouth, the Guardian Druid, still holding its massive wooden shield, stretched its arm exactly like the Warrior Druid had done earlier. With tremendous force, it slammed the shield directly into the Screamer’s face, sending it flying backward.

The same swift motion repeated with the remaining four. One by one, the Guardian Druid knocked them off their feet before they could scream.

The moment the Screamers hit the ground, the Warrior Druid was already waiting for them like the God of Death, blade raised and ready.

SHHHK! SHHHK! SHHHK! SHHHK! SHHHK!

In clean, merciless strikes, all five Screamer Zombies lost their heads and became lifeless corpses.

Now only a handful remained: 7 Armored Zombies, 15 Berserker Zombies, 2 remaining Screamers, and 6 Leaper Zombies.

The moment the Screamers and Leapers fell so effortlessly, the 7 Armored Zombies roared and charged together toward the Guardian Druid. One of them got dangerously close and threw a powerful punch.

The Guardian Druid easily blocked the blow with its shield, then immediately counter-attacked. It slammed the edge of its shield into the Armored Zombie’s face while its vines shot out and tightly restrained the zombie’s arms.

The Warrior Druid didn’t even need a signal. With raw force, it swung its blade at the Armored Zombie’s neck.

CLANG!

This time, the blade didn’t cut through in one strike — the thick bone armor proved tougher than the others. But the Warrior Druid didn’t panic for even a second. It had faced this situation before.

Without a word, it relentlessly attacked the exact same spot on the neck. One strike. Two. Three. Four. On the fifth powerful blow —

SHHHHK!

The Armored Zombie’s head finally flew off.

Seeing that the Armored Zombies were significantly tougher, the Guardian Druid and Warrior Druid quickly decided to prioritize them. It wasn’t difficult.

The Guardian Druid would catch one with its vines, bash it with its shield to knock it off balance, and the Warrior Druid would immediately finish the job with repeated precise strikes.

The remaining Berserker Zombies, the last two Screamers, and the six Leaper Zombies met the same fate.

From beginning to end, despite having 50 dangerous Elite Zombies in total, none of them managed to gain even the slightest upper hand.

They were nothing more than meat on a chopping board for the Guardian and Warrior Druids.

The two sprouts moved in perfect sync, one controlling and restraining, the other cutting down with ruthless efficiency. The entire second wave was annihilated in under a minute.

When the last zombie fell, both druids calmly jumped back onto the wall and returned to Vikram’s side.

Once again, the entire defense team stood in stunned silence.

The ease with which Vikram’s two druids had handled a wave that should have required coordinated effort from multiple awakeners left everyone speechless.

Isha watched with quiet pride, while Carol’s golden eyes behind her purple mask gleamed with clear interest and evaluation.

Vikram stood tall on the wall, gently patting both the Warrior Druid and Guardian Druid on their heads. The two sprouts looked up at him expectantly, clearly seeking praise.

In the first wave, the team had been shocked.

In this second wave, they were literally frozen, completely speechless from the sheer display of power.

Raghav, Imran, and Neha stared at the battlefield, remembering how much they had struggled against Armored Zombies in the past. Right now, they couldn’t find a single word to say.

Rohit and Vikrant exchanged glances. Both of them had already realized the truth, Vikram was going to become the next powerhouse of Cameron Town, or even Singapore City.

Meanwhile, Sana, Ayesha, and Kavya had literal stars in their eyes as they looked at Vikram. They couldn’t stop themselves from stepping forward and gently patting the Warrior Druid and Guardian Druid as well.

"Waaaa~"

"Gaaaa~"

Both sprouts made pleased, happy sounds, clearly enjoying the attention.

Pooja stood a little further away, arms crossed, watching the battlefield with an impressed expression. As an S-rank awakener herself, she didn’t show too much excitement, but she was genuinely happy that Vikram had awakened such powerful abilities. She was especially curious to see what the rest of his Plant Sprouts could do.

Deepak, James, and Arjun remained quiet, but their amazed expressions said everything.

Carol, however, was now looking at Vikram with completely different eyes, eyes full of genuine interest.

At first, she had simply been glad that the Captain’s nephew had finally awakened. But after watching his Plant Team perform so dominantly, she had become truly mesmerized. She was eager to see what he would do in the third wave, especially since six more Plant Sprouts hadn’t even shown their abilities yet.

Her gaze particularly lingered on the one sprout wearing a pure white dress, the one that looked like a delicate little girl. She was very curious about that one.