Chapter 10 – Nemesis Showdown
The skies over Raccoon City cracked with thunder that wasn't from a storm. The air itself felt heavier, saturated with dread. Kuro and Yumi stood at the outskirts of the hospital district, staring down the growing plumes of smoke in the distance.
The system had only one thing to say:
[System Notification: Nemesis Detected – City Center Hospital District]
Kuro drew his sword, lightning dancing along the blade.
Yumi, now more confident in her role, adjusted her gloves. "You ready for this?"
"Nope," Kuro replied. "But I'm not running either."
They moved through half-destroyed buildings, using back alleys and rooftops to avoid hordes. The closer they got to the hospital, the fewer zombies they encountered — and that was more unsettling than comforting.
A sudden explosion ahead sent them ducking behind an ambulance. When the dust settled, they saw a figure flying through the air and slamming into a streetlight with a crunch.
"Alice," Kuro muttered, eyes widening.
She got up. Bruised, bloodied, but alive.
Nemesis stepped out of the smoke. Towering. Armored. The mini-gun on his arm spun up with a metallic whirr.
"Time to work," Kuro said.
Kuro rushed in with lightning-boosted speed, narrowly dodging the first barrage of bullets. He fired a concentrated bolt into Nemesis's shoulder, forcing the beast to stagger. Yumi provided rapid healing pulses to both Kuro and Alice from the side, each cast draining her.
Nemesis retaliated with shocking speed. His tendrils lashed out, nearly impaling Alice, but Kuro intercepted them with a glowing sword strike, sacrificing his shoulder. Blood splattered.
Yumi screamed. "You're insane!"
"I've been called worse!" Kuro yelled back, using Slayer Mode.
[Slayer Mode Activated – Duration: 90 Seconds]
Kuro's body surged with lightning. His speed doubled, and every strike left burns on Nemesis's hide. Alice joined in with her guns and acrobatics, landing precise shots.
Still, Nemesis adapted. His wounds closed. He started predicting attacks.
"Yumi, get him off balance!" Kuro called.
She threw an explosive she'd scavenged. The blast stunned Nemesis for a second — just enough.
Kuro screamed, leaping high, sword glowing white-blue.
"THIS. IS. FOR. MY. SANITY!"
He slammed the blade into Nemesis's chest, releasing a massive arc of energy that exploded outward.
Silence followed.
Nemesis stumbled... then fell.
[System Notification: Boss Defeated – Nemesis Destroyed]+15,000 IP / +15,000 AP / +15,000 EP / +5,000 SPTitle Unlocked: Juggernaut Slayer – +10% Damage to Massive Boss Enemies
Kuro collapsed onto the pavement, panting.
Yumi dropped beside him, healing him while sobbing from exhaustion.
Alice walked over and simply said, "Thanks. I would've died without you two."
Kuro smirked. "You're welcome. You owe me a drink. And maybe a kiss on the cheek."
Alice rolled her eyes but smirked. "We'll see."
Kuro looked up at the sky. "System… tell me we're done."
[Fragment Quest 2 – COMPLETE] ✔ Objective: Eliminate Nemesis with Alice's assistance ✔ Reward: Advanced Blueprint – 'Alice Combat Style' (Stored in Inventory)
Yumi smiled. "We made it."
Kuro nodded.
But the screen didn't fade.
Instead, it blinked again.
[Fragment Quest 3 – UNLOCKED] ❓ Objective: ??? 🕒 Time Remaining: ??? ⚠ Note: This quest must be completed to fully clear the Resident Evil fragment.
Kuro sat upright. "Oh no. Not again. Not even a hint?"
The system was silent.
Yumi looked around. "Then this isn't over."
As the adrenaline ebbed, a deeper fatigue hit all three of them. Yumi leaned back, hands trembling from overuse of her healing pulses.
Kuro glanced at her. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she said weakly. "I just… never pushed myself that far before."
"Welcome to my world," Kuro muttered. Then chuckled. "You did good. Better than good."
Flashback
As Kuro cleaned his blade, his mind wandered — back to a dark alley from another life. A man had collapsed there. Kuro, still human then, had hesitated. No power. No way to save him. That helplessness lit the fuse of rage burning in him now.
He blinked back to the present. "Never again," he muttered.
Alice approached. "Where'd you learn that kind of sword work?"
"Assassin school," Kuro grinned. "They had an express course: 'Survive or die.'"
She smirked. "We made a good team. Let's keep it that way."
He nodded. "Deal."
Later That Night…
They camped out in a looted pharmacy. Yumi finally passed out. Alice kept watch. Kuro sat up, inspecting Nemesis's remains.
A chunk of its armor core pulsed faintly.
[Loot Acquired: Nemesis Bio-Core Fragment – Contains unstable residual life energy]
Kuro smirked. "Now this… this could be useful."
He opened his inventory and checked conversion options.
[Sell Item: Nemesis Bio-Core Fragment – Value: 120,000 SP]
"Holy—!" Kuro nearly dropped the core. "System… I'm not gonna ask where you store this stuff, but can I get an extra reward if I sing you a love song?"
[Please refrain. Your singing has been flagged as a weapon of mass irritation.]
He grinned, sold the item, and watched the SP meter jump.
[SP: +120,000]
"Oh baby, the harem budget just got a serious upgrade!" he whispered. "Yumi's getting premium robes. Alice gets… a chainsaw? Yeah. Chainsaw girl vibes."
He chuckled into the night, his laughter echoing under the blood-red moon