[Day 9, 15 days left]
The sun rose, ushering in a new morning.
They stirred awake one by one, and when their eyes fell upon Leona, laughter immediately followed.
Her hair, hopelessly tangled from sleep, had exploded into a wild, unruly mess—so chaotic it resembled a miniature jungle.
Their laughter came easy and loud. Leona froze for a second before her face flushed crimson, embarrassment burning across her cheeks. Yet the moment passed just as quickly as it came; the teasing dissolved into shared smiles, and soon they were laughing with her, not at her.
Breakfast was brief and simple. With spirits restored, they resumed their journey.
After driving several kilometers across the desert, a small town emerged on the horizon. They reasoned that the people living there might know the quickest route to I City, so Diego steered the buggy toward it.
But as they drew closer, something felt… wrong.
The town was unnervingly quiet.
At its center stood a modest mosque, its minaret rising above the surrounding sandstone buildings. Intricate calligraphy was etched along its base, worn by time yet still dignified. The arched doorways of nearby homes stood ajar, frozen mid-abandonment. The marketplace told a similar story—fallen awnings, scattered spices, and stalls left untouched, as though everyone had vanished at once.
Something had happened here. That much was clear.
Diego parked the buggy near a large house, and they stepped out in silence.
Kael:All right, team, here's the plan. Except Diego, we're searching this place.
Diego: Wha—why me? I can be of great use.
Charlie: We know, but you're the only one who can drive. If anything goes wrong, we'll need you to run the buggy.
Diego: (sigh)Fucking hell. All right. Guess I'll be the getaway driver, then.
With that settled, they split up.
They moved through the streets cautiously, quickly realizing just how badly the town had been torn apart—like its people had acted in blind panic, doing something reckless in their final moments. Before long, they found blood. Not a single trail, but many.
Their alertness sharpened. Anxiety crept in. Whatever had happened here, it had been brutal.
Soon, they reached the heart of the town, where a massive fountain stood in silent witness. Leona was already trembling, her fear plain the moment her eyes swept the area.
Then, without warning, a door to the house on their right creaked open.
Inside were bodies—dead, ripped apart, shredded beyond recognition.
Leona gagged, unable to stop herself as the horror overwhelmed her.
Michael: Hey—look. Someone's there.
Michael said, pointing toward the fountain.
They all turned.
A man sat calmly on its edge.
When he lifted his gaze to meet theirs, they immediately knew he was an enemy—but not like the others. Unlike the Dark Knights they had faced before, his presence radiated something different. From his eyes bled a deep red glow, not black.
Jeffseid: I reckon you kids are Nexus-5. I'm one of the Supreme Dark Knights. Name's Jeffseid—though you can call me MaroonMemory.
His eyes burned brighter as he spoke.
Kael:You killed the people that live here?
Jeffseid: I really wanted not to, but as it stands, they were in my way. So I had to cleanse this place.
As he spoke, the ground began to stir.
Figures crawled out from the earth—faces sunken, flesh decaying, bodies rotting. They looked dead, yet they moved. Undead.
Kael and the others immediately tightened their formation, sticking close together.
There were many of them—far more than their four heroes—but they had faced worse odds before. This time, however, restraint was no longer an option.
Kael: Leona, boost me. Charlie, Michael and I can protect you.
Charlie: (surprised) You can fight in close quarters?
Kael: Sort of.
Leona did as instructed, empowering Kael just as the undead surged forward—some rushing straight at them, others leaping down from higher ground.
Charlie: Let's give them hell.
And then, the three fighters moved as one.
A TrioBarrage erupted.
On the other side of town, Diego was growing bored.
Diego: (sighed)" Wait in the car…" What do they even take me for?
Then he heard it—a faint whimper coming from inside the large house nearby.
Curiosity tugged at him. He stepped out and moved toward the sound.
Inside, the house was unnervingly still, like a frozen painting. The cries were faint but unmistakable, coming from a wardrobe.
Without hesitation, Diego opened it.
Inside were two little girls—twins, no more than four or five years old—huddled together, terrified.Diego tried to speak to them, but both girls only clutched each other and kept repeating—
Twins: Anqay! Anqay! Anqay!
Their voices trembled with raw terror.
He couldn't understand the word, but he understood fear.
Lowering himself to their level, Diego gently gestured, slowly, carefully—showing them he meant no harm. They were just children.
Scared. Alone.
Then he noticed it.
The twins' eyes weren't on him anymore.
They were staring past him.
A low growl crept through the room.
In the instant Diego heard it, he stopped time.
He turned.
It wasn't a man. It wasn't even truly alive.
Its flesh sagged unnaturally, skin grey and torn, eyes vacant yet aware—something that looked like death pretending to breathe.
Diego: (thought)A corpse… moving? No. Zombies are fiction. Unless...
No time.
He grabbed the twins.
The moment time resumed, the creature froze in confusion—its prey gone. It staggered forward, searching, unaware that Diego and the girls were already gone.
They reappeared in the corridor, Diego crouched low, one hand gently covering each girl's mouth to silence their panicked breaths.
He pointed toward the buggy outside.
Then to them.
He gestures to them by putting his finger against his lips—stayquiet.
The twins nodded, understanding without words.
Following his lead, they moved carefully toward the exit.
Halfway there—
The ground shifted.
A hand burst through the floor and seized Diego's leg, yanking him down hard.
Before he could react, another undead figure charged straight toward them.
Diego had no choice.
Time stopped again.
Diego shoved the twins as far back as he could and drew his bow in a single, fluid motion, placing himself squarely between them and the undead.
Time resumed.
Diego: Run, NOW!!!
The twins staggered toward the buggy—
—and five more corpses burst into motion, sprinting straight for them.
The girls froze.
Terror rooted them to the ground. They couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Only scream.
Diego: Damn it—!
Diego didn't hesitate.
One arrow.
One breath.
He used the arrow as a rapier, tore through the skulls of two charging zombies in a single strike, dropping them instantly. Diego sprinted forward—but stopped short.
The remaining five had turned to stone.
Mid-stride. Mid-snarl.
Frozen statues of death.
The twins collapsed into each other, clinging desperately, sobbing in relief.
Diego didn't have time to question it.
More were coming.
Too many.
He scooped the twins up, vaulted into the buggy, and shoved them into the back seat. His hands flew to the ignition—
Too slow.
They were already too close.
Diego: (thought)I won't make it far… damn it. Guess I don't have a choice.
His thumb pressed a hidden yellow switch on the quiver.
Time stopped.
Diego moved with surgical calm, drew two arrows, and fired them point-blank into the clustered undead.
Diego: This should buy me time.
Time resumed.
The arrows struck.
And detonated.
A concussive blast ripped outward, tearing through the zombies in a controlled explosion—bone, dust, and fragments scattering across the street. The shockwave cracked stone and hurled bodies aside, leaving a brief, precious silence behind.
Diego slammed the accelerator.
The buggy roared to life and tore forward.
———————————————————
Explosive Titanium Arrow
A reinforced titanium shaft housing a compact black-powder core.
Detonates on impact, producing a controlled explosion within a 2–3 meter radius, capable of inflicting severe damage—or outright annihilation—on clustered targets.
———————————————————
The explosive arrows bought Diego precious seconds.
He gunned the engine, the buggy roaring to life as he recalled the three arrows he had discharged, the shafts snapping back into his quiver as if summoned by instinct. Without looking back, he sped away.
Elsewhere—
Kael and the others were still holding the line.
The undead swarmed relentlessly, piling onto them in numbers that should have been overwhelming. Jeffseid watched from the fountain's edge, convinced the outcome was already decided.
Then—
Leona moved.
She released a barrier larger than anything she had ever produced before, a radiant wall that slammed into the horde and forced them back. But the cost was immediate and brutal. The sheer amount of energy drained her in an instant—on top of the boost she was already feeding into Kael.
Her knees buckled.
She fell.
The moment Leona collapsed, Charlie stopped holding back.
She didn't hesitate. Didn't think. She took the opening Leona had carved with her sacrifice and vanished in a burst of speed, tearing through the horde at full throttle.
Jeffseid barely had time to register her movement.
Charlie's fist connected.
There was no block. No deflection. No counter.
Just impact.
Jeffseid was launched backward like a missile, crashing into the massive fountain behind him. Stone shattered. Water exploded skyward. The entire structure collapsed under the force, reduced to rubble in a heartbeat.
For a fraction of a second, silence reigned.
Then—
Jeffseid stood up.
Not slowly.
Not staggered.
He rose as if nothing had happened.
Charlie's eyes widened.
Charlie: I can't believe it… That was almost half of my full strength. He should've been down by now.
Jeffseid dusted himself off, his expression cold, almost bored.
Jeffseid: Have you ever heard of CongenitalInsensitivitytoPain? CIP. It means I can't feel pain—no matter how much you try to hurt me. So go on. Break your hands if you want.
Charlie clenched her fists, fury burning in her eyes.
Charlie: That doesn't make you invincible, that just means you won't know when you're already dead, dumbass.
Charlie lunged forward, preparing to strike again—
Kael: Charlie!
Kael's voice cut through the chaos from a distance.
Kael: We'll deal with him later. Right now—we need you.
Charlie turned back.
The undead were closing in fast, swarming Kael and the others from every direction. She clenched her teeth, fury flashing across her face. She couldn't be in two places at once.
With one last venomous glare at Jeffseid, she withdrew.
Jeffseid watched her retreat and chuckled.
Jeffseid: That's fine, nowthe dead can eat.
At his command, the zombies shifted their attention, redirecting their charge toward Kael and the others.
Michael hoisted Leona onto his shoulder, supporting her weakened body as Kael carved a path forward—entire clusters of undead vanishing into nothingness at his touch. Charlie stayed at the rear, intercepting anything that slipped past, guarding their backs as they fought their way toward a two-storey house at the edge of the street.
They reached it just in time.
Up the stairs.
Onto the roof.
From there, Kael spotted Diego below—racing through the streets in the buggy, the undead pouring after him like a tidal wave.
Charlie's eyes narrowed. She calculated distance, angle, velocity.
Charlie: Twenty houses. That'll do.
Charlie and Michael positioned themselves on either side of Kael and Leona, lending their support as they began sprinting across rooftops—leaping from building to building in rapid succession.
As they ran, Michael unraveled a single strand from his body. The thread sliced cleanly through the air and gently brushed against Diego's ear.
Michael: Diego, head for the edge of town. We're jumping onto the buggy.
Diego: That'll throw off the buggy's center of gravity.
Michael: Exactly. So ready your rope arrow. The moment we land, shoot the post. I'll rebalance the buggy from my end.
Charlie inhaled sharply as they reached the final rooftop.
Charlie: On my mark.
They jumped.
The town fell away beneath them as gravity seized hold—four figures descending toward a speeding vehicle, the dead snapping at its heels.
Michael: Now!
And everything hinged on that single second.
Diego assessed every variable at once—his own speed, Michael's reach, Charlie's trajectory. Timing aligned. He pushed the buggy harder.
By the time they reached the eighteenth rooftop, Charlie and Michael moved in perfect sync.
They leapt.
At the instant their feet left the edge, Diego swapped arrows mid-motion. Rope arrow.
He halted time.
The world froze.
From his perspective, he adjusted his aim—twelve o'clock, slightly left—and released.
Time snapped back into motion.
The arrow screamed across the street, burying itself deep into the ground with brutal force, the cable locking tight and refusing to budge.
Charlie and Michael struck the buggy exactly as predicted.
The impact sent it lurching violently to the right—its center of gravity collapsing in an instant.
Michael: Got it!
He unleashed CordBreaker, his arm shooting outward as he seized the rope. Muscles tensed. Strings screamed under strain. With raw force, he hauled the buggy back into alignment, wrenching its balance into place just before it could flip.
Diego recalled the arrow and vaulted fully into the driver's seat.
Only then did Kael notice the twins.
Kael: Diego, who are they?
Diego glanced at the twins huddled in the back, still trembling.
Diego: Found them hiding in a wardrobe. Probably their parents hid them last night. I couldn't leave them. They don't understand English—but they trusted me.
Kael: That's… heroic, even for their parents...
The ground split open.
More bodies clawed their way out of the earth, groaning as they rose.
Michael: That bastard, that kind of range explains everything. No wonder he erased the entire place overnight.
Far ahead, Diego spotted it—a widening chasm, its far edge rising like a final insult.
He knew the truth instantly.
If he slowed down, the dead would tear them apart.
So he did the only thing left.
He slammed the buggy into a higher gear.
The engine screamed as he drove straight toward the edge, aiming for the butte beyond, trusting momentum, instinct—anything—to carry them through.
The others saw it too.
Kael: Wait—wait, wait! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind? We're not going to make it!
Diego: We're gonna make it.
Charlie: We're not gonna make it.
Diego: WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!
The buggy surged forward, Diego utterly convinced—certain—that they would clear the gap.
They didn't.
The chasm was just a little too wide.
The far edge slipped past them.
Diego: (calmly)We're not gonna make it.
They screamed as the buggy plunged into the abyss.
Michael wrapped himself around Leona.
Charlie shielded the twins with her body.
Kael and Diego braced for impact.
It never came.
The buggy didn't hit the ground.
Instead, they felt weightlessness.
Air rushed past them—not downward, but upward.
When they dared to look, they saw her.
A woman suspended in the sky, massive falcon wings unfurled behind her, feathers catching the light as she carried both them and the vehicle effortlessly toward solid ground.
She set them down atop a high ridge, safely beyond the reach of the dead.
Woman: I spotted you while surveying from afar.
She said, folding her wings with practiced ease.
Angela: Nice to finally meet you, Nexus-5. My name's Angela. S-Class. Rank Two. You can call me LunarValkyrie.