The groans outside thickened, a sickly chorus swelling in the street. Shadows pressed against the shattered windows, and the first bloody hands clawed at the frames.
The survivors froze.
Kenji whimpered on the floor, clutching his knees. Taro tightened his grip on his knife despite the pain in his ribs. Daichi stood stiff with his spear, sweat rolling down his temple. Rin, jaw clenched, shifted her stance in quiet defiance.
Saya clutched Imura's sleeve, trembling. "I-Imura, they'll break in any second!"
Imura's clones flickered to his sides, crowbars raised. His grin widened, eyes gleaming in the dim light.
"Good," he murmured. "Let's make this interesting."
The windows shattered.
Rotting bodies spilled into the store, eyes glazed white, jaws hanging open in endless hunger. They tripped over one another, falling, crawling, climbing again, all groaning, all reaching. The stench of rot thickened until it was suffocating.
"F-Fuck!" Taro staggered back, knife trembling in his grip.
Imura's voice cut sharp through the chaos. "Don't just stand there. Fight."
Daichi planted his feet, thrusting his spear into the first zombie's chest. The blade sank deep, but the corpse kept moving, clawing at him. He ripped the weapon free with a snarl, sweat dripping from his chin.
Taro swung his knife wildly at another, slashing its throat open, black ichor spraying across his arm. The zombie still staggered forward until he shoved it back into the shelves.
Kenji froze, paralyzed, tears streaming down his face.
Imura didn't move to help him. He watched, expression amused. Let's see who earns their place.
Rin darted forward. Her movements were quick, decisive. She grabbed a broken broom handle and rammed it through a zombie's skull, twisting until it collapsed. Her chest heaved beneath her sweat-soaked blouse, gray eyes burning with grim determination.
She didn't look at Imura—but she knew he was watching.
The system pulsed faintly.
[Bond Progression: Rin → Resistant Survival Instinct ↑]
Imura smirked. Fight harder. Burn yourself out. Eventually, you'll have no choice but to lean on me.
A zombie lunged toward Kenji, its jagged teeth snapping inches from his face.
He screamed.
Imura didn't move. He let the boy flail, falling backward, scrambling uselessly across the floor. The monster's hands clawed at his shirt, tearing fabric, pressing him down.
Kenji shrieked for help. "I-IMURA! PLEASE!"
Saya's hand flew to her mouth, horrified.
Imura tilted his head, crowbar resting casually on his shoulder. "Then fight. Or die."
Kenji's sobs cracked. He fumbled blindly, his hands landing on a broken glass bottle. With a desperate scream, he rammed it into the zombie's eye.
It collapsed, twitching.
Kenji panted, chest heaving, blood and tears staining his face. His wide, terrified eyes flicked up to Imura.
Imura smiled.
The system chimed.
[Bond Progression: Kenji → Fearful Dependency ↑↑]
More zombies poured through the broken entrance, their weight pressing against the counter, their arms reaching, clawing, moaning. The air thickened with rot and death.
Daichi growled, slamming his spear into another skull. "There's too many!"
Taro groaned, clutching his ribs as he staggered back. Rin cursed under her breath, pulling Kenji to his feet just to shove him toward the shelves.
"Then thin them out," Imura said calmly, stepping forward. His clones surged with him, crowbars slamming into heads and joints, cracking bone, sending bodies crashing to the floor. Each swing was efficient, brutal.
The survivors stared as he carved through the horde with surgical precision.
He didn't just fight. He dominated.
Minutes bled into each other. Piles of corpses grew, ichor staining the floor. The survivors were gasping, drenched in sweat, blood streaked across their faces and arms.
But Imura stood tall, crowbar dripping, his grin as sharp as ever.
The last zombie twitched on the ground before a clone stomped its skull to pulp. Silence fell, broken only by ragged breathing.
Kenji collapsed again, sobbing. Taro leaned heavily against the counter, face pale. Daichi lowered his spear, panting. Rin straightened slowly, her chest rising and falling, blouse plastered to her skin. Her gray eyes burned into Imura's back.
Saya clung tighter to him, her voice trembling. "Y-You… you didn't even help until the end…"
Imura chuckled, wiping his crowbar against a corpse's torn shirt. "Of course not. I needed to see what they're worth."
His gaze swept over them, savoring their exhaustion.
"Now I know."
The system pulsed.
[New Bond Progressions Recorded]Rin – Resistant Survival Instinct ↑↑Kenji – Fearful Dependency ↑↑Taro – Obedient Potential Stabilized]Daichi – Respect Potential Active]
Imura's smirk widened. Pieces on a board. And I hold the hand that moves them.
He rested his crowbar on his shoulder, eyes glinting as he looked at Rin.
"You're tougher than you look."
Her lips curled. "And you're worse than the monsters outside."
But her voice wavered.
Imura stepped closer, letting his gaze dip to the damp fabric clinging to her chest before locking onto her eyes again. "Keep saying that. Let's see how long it lasts."
Her jaw tightened. She didn't step back.
The game had only just begun.