"Roar…"
"Ha…"
Clang! Clang! Clang!!! Thud! Thud! Thud!!!
…
In a corner of the city that had turned into a hellish landscape overrun by monsters, a chaotic battle between humans and the dead was unfolding.
Fighting against these dead bodies were not soldiers from any country, nor were they strong and powerful men, but a group of teenage girls, high school girls around seventeen or eighteen years old!
The girls were dressed in purple and red combat uniforms, each holding a gleaming katana. They were youthful, beautiful, and full of vigor, showing no fear even when surrounded by hundreds of dead bodies, unlike the fragility of ordinary girls.
With continuous shouts, the girls' figures kept flashing among the monsters. With each arc of their katanas, one or several monsters would fall. No matter how the monsters roared or struggled, they couldn't stop the girls in the slightest!
And now, in the middle of the battlefield—
A tall girl stood like a peerless Valkyrie. Her long, smooth hair fluttered in the wind, and a precious sword hung at her waist. With her arms crossed in front of her chest, a cold and bloodthirsty smile appeared on her beautiful face.
Standing opposite the girl was a dead body, a somewhat peculiar dead body.
It had no skin, nor did it drip with disgusting fluids like other dead bodies. Its entire body seemed to be made of bright red and robust muscles. It could barely be recognized as a human shape, crouching on all fours, emitting low growls like a beast towards the girl in front of it, but it didn't charge forward like other dead bodies.
Clearly, this peculiar dead body had a hint of intelligence. Although the girl in front of it seemed fragile, it felt an unusually dangerous aura from her.
The two remained in a stalemate. The girl was very patient, obviously not in a hurry to act, but rather curiously observing this unique dead body, as if trying to discern something from it. However, as more and more of its kind were slain by the girls around, the dead body became increasingly agitated.
"Roar!!!"
Finally, at a certain moment, the dead body could no longer restrain itself and began to move!
Its strong limbs forcefully kicked off the ground, causing the concrete to crack and even creating a large crater! Turning into a blur, the peculiar dead body shot towards the girl like a cannonball!
A glint flashed in the girl's eyes as she lightly licked her lips with a hint of anticipation, placing her right hand on the hilt of her sword.
Clang!!! Boom!!!
Like the clash of swords, a white shockwave erupted instantly with the girl and the peculiar dead body at its center. The girl blocked with her sword in front of her, and the dead body's iron-hard claws could no longer advance.
"Roar!!!"
As if thoroughly enraged, the dead body erupted with an even more violent aura, retreating and continuously flashing on the surrounding walls and ground, attacking the girl again and again like a beast pouncing on its prey.
Standing still, the girl didn't move an inch. No matter the direction, speed, or strength of the attacks, she merely blocked with her sword, accurately and flawlessly.
"Strength, speed, attack power—almost all ten times that of ordinary monsters!"
While blocking the monster's attacks, the girl professionally evaluated.
"Then, let's test its defense."
With a bloodthirsty smile, although this dead body was somewhat novel, it was merely an experimental subject in the girl's eyes. When the dead body attacked again, the girl didn't block but casually swung her sword.
Without a sound, the peculiar dead body in front of her ceased to move.
"Twenty times, huh…"
Looking at the corpse split in two on the ground, the girl murmured.
With a wave of her hand, a crystal-clear pearl the size of an egg flew from the ground into her hand.
"So amazing, Saeko-sama!"
"Saeko-sama, is this the energy pearl from that dead body? It's so big!"
"Wow, I want to see it too…"
…
The girls chattered as they gathered around, curiously looking at the large energy pearl in the hands of the girl in the middle, Busujima Saeko.
"Alright, since you've finished, let's call it a day."
Seeing that Sora had just left and these energetic swordswomen were already restless, Busujima Saeko shook her head helplessly, tossing the energy pearl to them as she spoke.
"Yes, Saeko-sama…"
Answering absentmindedly, the girls then ran off to fight over the energy pearl.
…
"Hahaha… My strength really increased! So good! So good!!"
"Me too! So what the boss said was true, it's amazing!"
"Damn, I didn't know these monsters had such good stuff in their heads. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have suffered so much, I'd have turned into a superman and killed these bastards long ago!"
…
On the streets, a group of bald men wielding clubs were shouting excitedly.
They smashed the heads of one dead body after another with their weapons, not caring about the disgusting mess, extracting one energy pearl after another and absorbing them.
"Alright, don't absorb too many, or your bodies won't be able to handle it."
This is the voice of a young man in his twenties, carrying a faint but undeniable of authority.
Sitting on the roof of an abandoned car, unlike the other dirty, bald men, this man is dressed in a suit, neat and tidy, with his black hair meticulously groomed to a glossy shine. Coupled with his strikingly handsome face, he is the epitome of a tall, rich, and handsome man, the prince charming in the hearts of countless young women!
It can be said that in this post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce and people shave their heads to avoid lice, everything about this man is exceptionally luxurious!
At first, when they encountered this man, the group of bald men were filled with anger and jealousy.
Damn it, they were chased by monsters day and night, risking their lives for a moldy piece of bread and an expired bottle of soda. Why should this pretty boy live better than them?
In this lawless apocalypse, whether out of robbery or jealousy, these bald men were determined not to let this suited pretty boy go!
However, to their utter astonishment, they were no match for this man! With just one hand, he effortlessly defeated them all!
Moreover, to their dismay, they were forced to become his subordinates!
Though they harbored resentment, in this world, the one with the strongest fist makes the rules, and the bald men had no choice but to submit.
But what excited the bald men was that the suited man, finding them too weak to even be his subordinates, casually revealed a secret to them—a secret to becoming stronger!
There is an energy bead inside the brains of the dead, and absorbing it can make one stronger!
Now, the bald men were completely loyal to the suited man. They didn't think that absorbing a few energy beads would make them equal to him; his strength was simply too terrifying!
Moreover, they felt it was worth following such a leader. Imagining the future where they would conquer the world alongside him, the bald men couldn't help but smile in their dreams.
"Boss, you should absorb a couple too, hehe…"
One of the bald men obsequiously picked up two energy beads and offered them to the man. After all, he was their boss now; how could they not curry favor?
Nodding, the man showed a hint of satisfaction.
He was a smart man. The secret of the energy beads wasn't something that could be kept hidden forever, but he used it to win the loyalty of these bald men.
Although he was one of the first to discover the secret of the energy beads and had already become incredibly strong, living a comfortable life even in this apocalypse, subordinates were always necessary—a symbol of a strong man.
"Hehe, boss, I'll go get some more. Even though I can't absorb any more now, I'll save them for later!"
The feeling of becoming stronger was addictive for the bald man. Although he was already bloated from absorbing two energy beads, such a good thing was worth collecting more of.
"No, those things disappear quickly when exposed to air; they can't be stored."
"Gather everyone, we're heading back to camp!"
The suited man's eyes also showed a hint of regret as he gave the order to the bald man.
"Ah? Alright…"
Hearing the suited man's words, the bald man felt a bit disappointed but didn't dwell on it. After all, those monsters were everywhere, and now that they had strength, wouldn't they be able to get more in the future?
Following the suited man's order, the bald man prepared to gather everyone, but then noticed his boss standing on the car roof, staring blankly in one direction.
Curious, the bald man also looked in that direction.
Utterly shocked, his thick mouth gaping open, drool began to pour out…