A horde!
Upon hearing the situation, Yuriko ran to her room and opened a cabinet where a box containing an SMG and several magazines was stored.
She quickly strapped on the weapon's holster and attached the extra magazines to her belt, preparing to fight. This was her home, and she wouldn't let it fall without a fight.
Yuriko froze when she noticed the trembling in her hand.
"I knew it..."
Even though she was stronger than most women, that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of dying. But she had to be strong — for her daughter, and for all the survivors under her protection.
"I just didn't expect it to happen so soon..."
It was a merciless world, and no matter how well they prepared, they all had to accept the reality that a zombie horde could appear at any moment — one they might not be able to contain. No one was ever truly safe.
She looked around her room — hers alone. Inside were many trophies, awards, memories, and recognitions, along with photographs of her late parents and an old one of Saya and Soichiro. The man never smiled in photos.
"I already forgot what your smile looks like..."
Yuriko sighed as she stared at the picture.
Soichiro had been a politician, and Yuriko had been a stockbroker. After returning to Japan, they met at a party and, before long, married. Their union became a cornerstone of Soichiro's career, but at some point, they both started seeing their marriage as one of convenience. It wasn't until Saya was born that they truly looked like a family — but it didn't last long.
She had always wanted to raise Saya as a normal girl, but Soichiro didn't allow it. He didn't want Saya's talent to go to waste, which caused their relationship to grow colder over the years. For the last decade, they had even been sleeping in separate rooms. In recent years, neither Soichiro nor Yuriko had worn their wedding rings.
"Maybe we gave up too soon?" Yuriko shook her head. There was no point in thinking about what-ifs. Even if their relationship wasn't the best, she knew Soichiro loved Saya deeply and would give his life for her — that much she was certain of.
"You can't give up, Yuriko. If things get bad, at least we'll buy Saya enough time to escape with Allen-kun." Yuriko slapped her own cheek, her eyes turning resolute.
She was about to leave this room — one she might never see again — when she noticed she was still wearing a red dress. Elegant and fitting for a beautiful lady, but not very practical for fighting zombies.
"I would've liked to change into pants, but whatever~" Yuriko muttered and rushed out.
Despite her appearance as a refined high-society woman, she did know how to handle weapons — of course, only at a basic level. After all, in Japan, when would she ever have the chance to become a trained commando? Still, Yuriko knew how to shoot.
The mansion was in danger, but Yuriko never once thought about fleeing. Upon stepping outside, she headed straight for the gate, where the zombie concentration was the heaviest.
"It's your duty to protect us!"
"If you want our votes, you must guarantee our safety!"
On the way, Yuriko saw the survivors panicking — some yelling at Soichiro's men to protect them, while others tried to run away.
The fear the zombies caused was far greater than that caused by the soldiers. Even though armed men were more dangerous in general, they were still human. These creatures, however, had devoured their neighbors, friends, and families right before their eyes.
Yuriko gritted her teeth. This wasn't the time to waste on trying to calm a hysterical crowd.
....
When she reached the gate, the woman was ready to die — ready to give her life for her daughter. However, the scene before her was not what she expected.
"W-what?!" Yuriko gasped.
Everything hit her all at once...
Her sense of reason was shattered the moment she saw Allen tearing through the horde with overwhelming strength.
Each strike killed several zombies...
Each blow destroyed those terrifying creatures.
Each of his steps left dismembered corpses behind.
It was a one-man massacre.
Yuriko stood frozen, staring at the proud back of the young man who, until moments ago, had been teasing her daughter.
....
"Come on!" Allen smirked arrogantly. Perhaps it was the Harran Virus's influence, or maybe just his own nature, but whenever Allen fought, he became far more violent and overwhelming than necessary.
However, this frenzy was interrupted by a shrill roar. Also, from beyond the horde came a rumble — not as heavy as that of a Tank, but more like a stampede.
"Everyone, get your weapons ready!"
Allen's order was obeyed without hesitation. Everyone knew he wouldn't command something like that unless it was necessary.
Pistols, revolvers, automatic rifles, crossbows, and shotguns replaced the melee weapons in Allen's group.
Allen smiled, satisfied with everyone's quick reaction — of course, except for Saeko, who refused to let go of her sword.
The horde split apart, revealing five Chargers sprinting toward them. These mutant zombies were only Tier 2, but their charge strength was immense, and they could run in a straight line with terrifying speed.
Allen smirked and hurled his hammer at the first one. The hammer smashed into the Charger, breaking its arm and knocking it down. Without losing a second, Allen reached into his jacket and pulled out Ivory & Ebony, aiming both guns at the incoming mutants.
A moment later, he pulled the triggers. The bullets traveled at supersonic speed, hitting the Chargers. Both .45-caliber weapons had been upgraded — their shots now powerful enough to tear off flesh and break the Chargers' reinforced bones.
Of course, unlike regular zombies, these ones were tougher — only two died from Allen's shots.
His magazines emptied, and three Chargers were still charging forward. Luckily, he wasn't alone.
"Fire!" Allen shouted, laughing as he stayed within the line of fire.
A storm of gunfire erupted from all sides, hitting the three remaining Chargers. The barrage was so intense that they were forced to stop — though not for long, because within three seconds, the mutants dropped dead, along with dozens of zombies behind them, all shredded to pieces.
Allen raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop shooting. He observed the battlefield — zombie corpses everywhere.
There were many bullet holes in the walls and on the ground; nearly half of the shots hadn't hit anything.
"Still, not bad," Allen thought. He knew most of his group had never even held a gun before. The fact that they managed to aim and shoot at all was already a miracle.
"Don't be reckless," Saeko said angrily — She and the other girls were worried.
Allen had been standing between everyone and the zombies when he gave the order to fire. Yet, he hadn't moved, fully trusting that none of their bullets would hit him. And they hadn't — but it was still a reckless move.
That trust in his teammates moved them deeply, even surprising Soichiro and Yuriko.
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"You..." Saeko sighed. She knew Allen was just appeasing her by apologizing, but she didn't mind. It was part of his personality and charm.
RAAAAAAHHH!
"...?" Allen's expression turned serious. It was the second time he'd heard that roar, and it definitely wasn't from an ordinary zombie.
He dropped the empty magazines and tossed his pistols upward, then threw two fresh magazines after them. But the impressive part wasn't that — it was that the magazines slid perfectly into the guns midair, locking into place with absurd precision, leaving everyone speechless.
....
– Is that even possible?!
– Holy shit!
– What the hell?!
While the local spectators were left in disbelief, the external ones already knew Allen well.
Gwen – He did that on purpose, didn't he?
MJ – You know how he is. If Allen doesn't farm aura every now and then, he gets grumpy~
Erza – That was unnecessary... but I'll admit, it looked amazing. He definitely did it on purpose.
Rias – Do you even doubt it? Just look at the faces of the girls in his group — even his mother-in-law's. His intentions couldn't be more obvious.
Akeno – Ufufufu, my dear little brother always says he doesn't go looking for women, but he just can't help himself when there's a pretty girl nearby~
....
Allen caught his Ivory & Ebony and stood still, staring at the horde slowly advancing.
"Well, let me see what you're capable of... heh"
The rest continued cutting down the approaching zombies, something made easier by the pile of corpses and dismembered remains blocking the horde's advance.
Allen stayed perfectly still — no one questioned him, because they all knew he was waiting for the creature behind that roar to show itself.
Meanwhile, Saya approached her father, who had stayed on the sidelines of the events.
"The gate is deformed; it'll be difficult to repair. You can use a truck to block that entrance and pile sandbags at the bottom..."
She didn't look him in the eyes, her attention fixed on the new drone flying above the sky, scanning the horde for the mutant that had roared. Saya also knew how terrifying a Tank could be and wanted to avoid facing another one if possible.
"That's true..."
Hearing her father's words, Saya stopped what she was doing. For a brief moment, her eyes grew misty, but she quickly composed herself — this wasn't the time for sentimentality.
Seeing that, a faint smile crossed Soichiro's face before he turned around.
"Saya, you and the others handle the gate. I'll take care of the little rebellion some people are trying to stir up in my territory..."
Soichiro's voice carried a cold edge. If not for the horde crisis, he would have already executed several people who took advantage of the situation to cause trouble.
Saya watched her father's back before sighing.
"Ara ara, Soichiro-san really isn't honest," said Yuriko, who had somehow appeared beside her daughter.
"Mom?!"
"Saya, you'd better focus on finding that 'mutant zombie.' Otherwise, those other girls will get ahead of you~" Yuriko teased, glancing at Saeko and Rei as they slaughtered zombies left and right.
"I know," Saya blushed, she also wanted to be useful to Allen.
Yuriko laughed at her daughter, embarrassing her even more.
"Mom!"
Meanwhile.
Yuuki was also fighting, but she did so as part of a team with the other girls from Fujimi — the safest and most effective way to survive.
"Ha!" She hit a zombie's knee with a bokken and it fell to the ground.
"Nice, Yuuki-san!" In that moment, Kawamoto swung a wooden bat at the zombie's head.
Seeing this, the rest of the girls didn't want to be left behind.
"Me too!" Taniuchi Yui, though the weakest girl in the group, struck a zombie with a police baton, knocking it down. Then Misuzu drove a knife through its eye and into its brain. She nearly vomited but forced herself to stay calm — she needed to become stronger. They all did. None of them wanted to be a burden to Allen.
Kazu swung a katana, splitting a zombie's head in half, but the blade got stuck in the skull, and Kazu almost lost his balance. Tsunoda, the former delinquent with dyed hair, quickly supported him from behind.
"You okay?!" Tsunoda shouted.
"Yeah, thanks," Kazu replied with a strained smile. "But I think I prefer a metal rod or a bat. Sharp weapons aren't really my thing."
Tsunoda shook his head, laughing as he handed over his metal bat in exchange for the katana. Allen had told them not to stick with weapons that didn't suit them and to experiment until they found the one they liked most.
This helped them realize that Teshima was most comfortable using axes, while Takeshi seemed born to swing a baseball bat. Needless to say, Saeko's ideal weapon was a katana, and Rei's was a spear — or at least a long staff.
"Die!" Morita yelled before smashing a zombie with a metal pipe.
Hisashi laughed. "Morita-kun, don't forget they're already dead, haha!"
Morita, the blond guy and Takashi's good friend, scratched his head. "Oh, come on, man. You know I just like to get into character!"
"Don't get distracted!" Saya's voice echoed through another drone's speaker. This one was a regular commercial model from an electronics store — it lacked the advanced sensors of the other drone but was perfect for her purpose: monitoring the battlefield.
"Sorry!"
Hisashi and Morita, having already experienced Allen's punishment firsthand, knew that annoying Saya was just as bad as provoking Allen — and neither wanted more forced labor.
Anemone casually stabbed a knife into a zombie's skull with one hand while smoking with the other. She killed several zombies with ease, all while keeping Asami protected.
"Take this!" Asami shouted as she hit a zombie with her tonfa.
Anemone sighed as she watched her. "Girl, don't overdo it. You'll burn out before we even get out of here."
"Ugh, I know," Asami muttered, lowering her gaze. She still remembered how powerless she'd felt when the police station fell. Then she looked toward the brown-haired girl fighting near Allen with a spear. "Anemone-san..."
"Yeah, we'll have to talk to her sooner or later."
It was impossible not to know who Rei Miyamoto was. Even Anemone had seen plenty of photos of the girl in Tadashi's office, so her face was more than familiar. And of course, they had to tell Rei about her father.
"It's better to leave that to Allen," Anemone said while kicking away a zombie trying to bite her.
"I... see..." Asami clenched her teeth but decided Allen was the best person to handle it. When she thought that, she looked toward him — Allen stood at the center of everything, his expression serious.
...
Back with Allen, he quietly pulled out his metal pipe. He could feel it getting closer and closer.
[Host, there are signs of a mutant zombie nearby.]
Inside the store, Allen had taken the chance to upgrade his system, spending many Tier 2 hearts to enhance a few features.
Thanks to everyone's strength, the horde began to dwindle, and this gave the brief feeling that it was a total victory...
But the world is cruel.
Out of nowhere, the atmosphere changed. A strange mist began to rise faintly beneath the horde's feet.
This fog was odd — there was no cold, so something or someone had to be creating it.
"A new type of zombie?"
Something moved within the horde — a ghostly figure, barely visible through the fog.
Saeko's smile froze as she sensed the threat.
"Be careful!" she shouted, warning everyone.
"Taka—"
Takashi, being the closest, didn't notice the danger until it was too late. A humanoid creature appeared beside him, ready to kill.
RAAAAAAAHHHH!
Everyone froze in horror. A crimson claw was about to slash Takashi apart, but it was blocked by a metal pipe.
"Allen!" Takashi shouted.
However, Allen immediately threw him backward and prepared to fight the creature.
It was roughly human-sized but skinless, its entire body a grotesque red mass of muscle. Its hands were unnaturally large, with claw-like fingers.
[Chimera: Special-Class Zombie. Name: Mist. Origin: Advanced mutation of the Harran Virus.]
Allen smirked, tightening his grip on the pipe as he charged forward.
The Chimera lunged, slashing at him, but Allen dodged and smashed its face, sending it flying across the ground.
"I didn't feel much effect..."
This zombie wasn't massive like a Tank or even as big as a Volatile, but its endurance was incredible — Allen's strike, strong enough to split an ordinary zombie in half, barely hurt it.
RAAAAAHHH!
The creature roared, causing the surrounding zombies to grow more frenzied. Then, in the next instant, it escaped, sprinting away at incredible speed.
"Shit!" Allen chased after it. "You guys handle the gate!"
The Chimera was fast and could emit a fog-like substance that worked as a smokescreen, making it hard for Allen to see.
This zombie's behavior was different; it didn't attack him with savagery as expected, and this caught him off guard.
"No way!" Allen exclaimed when he saw where the zombie was going.
It reached the survivors before he could catch up.
"What is that?!–"
The people barely had time to react before they were brutally slaughtered.
"Ahhh!–"
A man was cut in half.
"Help!–"
A woman was beheaded.
"Arrrg!–"
A teenager lost his arm.
The Mist tore through them like a wolf among sheep, killing several in seconds.
"Stop!" Allen shouted, throwing his metal pipe with all his strength. It struck the Chimera's back, piercing its shoulder and knocking it down.
"You bastard!"
The zombie stood up, growling at Allen, who didn't hesitate — he grabbed it by the face and hurled it toward an empty area.
It got back up, only to receive a punch so strong it was sent crashing through one of the mansion's walls.
Allen glanced at the dead civilians nearby. His lack of knowledge about this new type had worked against him — it seemed like the creature had initially wanted to attack him but suddenly turned on others instead.
One thing was certain: this zombie was dangerous.
RAAAAH!
"Shut up!" Allen felt anger rising within him, not so much because of the deaths of the civilians, but because he had been underestimated by a zombie.
===
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