Zeroy walked ahead, her light steps swift as the wind, clearing stray zombies along the way, with the school bus following close behind.
Their pace didn't falter—even on foot, her running speed far exceeded that of normal people, and the lifesteal effect gave her near-infinite stamina, freeing her from any worry of fatigue.
With Zeroy's attention on the zombies, the oppressive atmosphere inside the bus eased slightly.
The students' taut nerves relaxed just enough for hushed whispers to spread.
"So that's what she's really like..."
Saeko Busujima murmured as she stared out the window, her voice tinged with shock and disbelief.
When she first saw Zeroy yesterday, she had been standing atop a mountain of corpses in the schoolyard, her entire body and face concealed beneath crimson gore, like a monster crawling out of a pool of blood.
The fear she brought afterward left only a cold, merciless figure burned into everyone's nightmares.
Today, however, she had washed the blood from herself before reaching the school.
For the first time, they saw her true face… just a girl their age, with exquisitely beautiful features and a calmness far beyond her years.
She wore a military-style dress, the black-and-white fabric hugging her frame, the cinched waistline accentuating her slender waist.
The hem fell three fingers above her knees, revealing shapely legs.
Between skirt and over-knee socks lay that strip of pale skin—an "absolute territory" that caught the eye in shifting light.
Her golden hair danced in the wind as she ran, dazzling like a spirit descending with the morning light.
If not for the black-and-red Striker Unit in her hand radiating cold killing intent, it would have been hard to link this beautiful girl to yesterday's terrifying monster.
The students glanced between Zeroy and the scattered corpses outside.
The stark contrast between beauty and slaughter filled them with both awe and conflicting emotions.
Yet the fear she had instilled in them ran too deep—the image of the corpse mountains still lingered, and no one dared take her lightly.
Within minutes, the view outside dragged their minds from her appearance—
The tires rolled through puddles of blood, the water thick and sticky.
Saeko's fingers tightened against the window frame until her nails bit into her palm.
Through the glass, she saw a nearby corpse mountain—a twisted, blood-red pyramid. The street was entirely dyed red, three or four stories of headless bodies piled high, blood trickling through gaps to pool in dark streams, countless severed heads soaking within.
"You've got to be kidding... what is she? No... is she even human?"
Saya Takagi gripped the seat in front of her, her knuckles white.
As the bus crept along the silent streets, the group saw more of the shocking aftermath Zeroy had left behind.
Mountain after mountain of corpses, fields of rolling heads—silent proof of what hell truly was.
They had already seen her build such a scene at the schoolyard. That alone had shaken them deeply.
Yet, seeing it once didn't prepare them for seeing it again.
Steel and concrete surrounded corpse seas that loomed like something from an apocalypse film.
Every couple of minutes, another bloody spectacle appeared.
Before a department store, a tower of headless corpses reached into the grey sky, flies and crows circling rotting flesh.
At a subway entrance, severed limbs paved the stairs like a crimson carpet, leading to a corpse mountain taller than the office buildings beside it.
The air was thick with the stench of blood.
The third time a corpse mountain blocked their way, Shizuka Marikawa's foot trembled on the brake, cold sweat running down her cheek.
Even someone as air-headed as her couldn't ignore such a sight.
"Less than twenty-four hours..."
Rei Miyamoto swallowed hard.
"One person... how could she possibly..."
Before she finished, the bus jolted violently—it had run over a head.
Sticky brain matter splattered across the road like grotesque graffiti, while the shadow of a three-story corpse mountain gradually engulfed the bus, making the blood-soaked world outside seem even more surreal and horrifying.
Farther ahead, more corpse mountains rose between buildings, an endless forest of death.
"How many has she killed..." Saya's pale face and trembling voice betrayed her shock and fear.
The air inside grew heavier, expressions darkening, an unpleasant scent creeping in—transparent liquid slid down a girl's thigh in silence.
"...They're not human anymore," Saeko said, shaking her head.
"I know!" Saya's voice rose sharply. Tossing her hair, her tone turned irritable. "They're man-eating monsters! Killing them is fine!"
She took a deep breath to calm herself, but fear still filled her eyes.
"But... there are too many..."
Her gaze swept over the heads scattered on the street, her stomach twisting. "Just looking at this… I'll never sleep soundly again."
Whether human or zombie, it was terrifying and absurd.
The bus fell silent, save for the crunch of tires over skulls.
Kohta Hirano huddled in a corner, sweat pouring down his temple.
Shizuka's knuckles stood out against the steering wheel, sweat making it slick in her grip.
Saya bit her nails, muttering, "There's no way a human could do this... maybe she's got a team behind her?"
"No." Saeko's gaze was deep. "Even with a team, she's no ordinary person."
Maybe some corpse mountains were made by her and her allies, but they had seen her build one at the school with their own eyes.
And the blade in her hand appeared and vanished at will—no stage trick.
"Could she be a U.S. bioweapon? Like a supersoldier from the movies, sent to clear zombies... and she's even blonde!"
"I don't know," Saeko said.
Though her instincts told her it wasn't something the U.S. had made—it was too far beyond belief.
Advanced as American technology was, could they really create a supersoldier like that?
She couldn't be sure… she didn't follow U.S. affairs or modern weapons and tech.
...
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