To them, this was a new challenge.
Kenji and Tanaka were trying their best, but their attacks were having little effect. It was like trying to chop down a sequoia tree with a hatchet.
They were only succeeding in making it angrier.
Tysone watched, his expression unreadable. He could have ended it in a heartbeat, but that would defeat the purpose of this exercise. They needed to learn. They needed to adapt. To overcome.
Saeko, however, was not as patient. "We should intervene."
Tysone shook his head. "Not yet. Let them handle it."
Saeko's eyes narrowed. "They're going to get themselves killed."
"Then we'll step in. But not until then."
She nodded, once. She deferred to what Tysone said; especially since, as of late, she couldn't be considered the strongest in the group anymore. While there had always been a gap in technique between them, Tysone's physical prowess wasn't something Saeko could overcome with some fancy pirouetting and footwork.
Now, though? Tysone's technique had improved—not to the point where he was 'equal' to her. However, with Tysone's 'second' evolution, as they came to call it, Saeko felt like she was standing next to a different type of lifeform, neither zombie nor human. Something that had barely but surely transcended the mortal plane. Something more. Something... beyond.
And it was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
Saeko's eyes drifted to Tysone. She studied his profile, the set of his jaw, the leisurely confidence in his posture. He was a leader. A king, in his own right. A king she was willing to serve, to follow, to die for. She would give him her all, just as she'd always done. Perhaps more.
The big zombie swatted at Kenji, who managed to dodge, but just barely. He stumbled, falling to the ground.
Tanaka tried to capitalize on the opening, thrusting his spear at the zombie's chest. The point of the spear glanced off its thick pectoral muscles, not even breaking the skin. The zombie roared, about to bring its massive fist down on Tanaka's head.
Marin swept in and tried to help, though her attacks were also ineffective. "It's too hard! Like hitting a rock!"
Rei took advantage of the fact that the monster was temporarily distracted by Marin and moved behind it to stab its back with her spear. She aimed at its spine. However, her spear didn't go through as deep as she wanted it to.
She let out a grunt of frustration as she tried to push it in deeper, but it was no use. The monster's hide was too thick.
"Kenji, Tanaka, Yumi! Fall back! Formation!" Tysone's voice cut through the chaos. "Haruta, get your shit together and support them! Don't just stand there!"
Haruto was still frozen, his eyes wide with fear. The near-death experience had shaken him to his core. He was useless, at the moment. A liability.
Saeko's hand tightened on the hilt of her katana.
The survivors, despite their fear, formed a loose circle around the big zombie. They were scared, but they were not running. They were standing their ground. That was a good sign.
Kohta, from his perch atop the truck, was looking for an opening. He had his rifle trained on the zombie's head, but he knew that a headshot was unlikely to do much good, not after his first attempt failed. He needed to find a weak spot. A chink in its armor.
"Rei, on your left!" Mai's voice rang out. She had been watching from the sidelines, thinning down the growing horde of zombies along with Takashi. "Its movements are sluggish! Aim for its joints!"
Rei nodded, a look of determination on her face. She barely managed to parry a clumsy swipe from the big zombie, the recoil making her skid back on the ground. Her spear scraped along its arm, but it did little more than leave a shallow scratch.
"It's too strong!" She grunted, her arms trembling from the effort.
"Just keep it busy! I'll go for its eyes!" Kohta yelled back, his rifle already pointed at its face.
The big zombie roared, its frustration mounting. It was being harassed, annoyed by these insignificant insects. It wanted to smash them, to crush them, to feel their bones break under its fists. It swung its massive arms in a wide arc, forcing the survivors to scatter.
Mai continued to slash at its side. The zombie, for some reason, didn't target her anywhere as much as the others. In fact, she was relatively unscathed. Only a couple of bruises from having to roll away.
The zombie swiped again, the residual momentum kicking up dust and wind.
Marin managed to duck under its swing, her daggers flashing as she aimed for its hamstrings. The blades glanced off, leaving a shallow cut.
"Damn it!" She cursed, jumping back to avoid a retaliatory swipe.
The battle was a stalemate. The survivors were holding their own, but they weren't making any progress. They were just chipping away at its defenses, slowly but surely. But their stamina was finite, while the zombie's seemed limitless.
"Kohta, can you get a clear shot?" Tysone's voice was calm, his eyes fixed on the battle.
"I'm trying! But it keeps moving! And its skull is too thick!" Kohta replied, his frustration evident in his voice.
"Hmm..."
Tysone tilted his head. Unlike the first evolved zombie they met, this one seemed to be almost impervious to bullet wounds. The bullets themselves managed to penetrate its hide, but not deep enough to cause any significant damage. It was like trying to shoot through a wall of solid muscle.
"Saeko."
"Yes?"
"Take a swing at it; don't kill it. Just... test it."
Saeko nodded. "Understood."
She moved with a fluid grace, her katana a silver blur in the dim light. She closed the distance between her and the big zombie in a few short strides.
The zombie, sensing a new threat, turned its attention to her. It roared, its massive fist swinging towards her.
Saeko smoothly ducked under its swing, her hair fluttering in the wind. She came up behind it, her katana singing as she drew it from its sheath. She didn't aim for its head or its heart. Instead, she aimed for its back.
She swung her katana in a graceful arc, the blade biting into the zombie's thick hide.
A spray of infected blood erupted from the wound. Unlike the survivors' shallow, negligible cuts, Saeko's attack had easily carved out a gash.
It wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but had Saeko continued, the zombie would have been felled within a minute.
The zombie roared, stumbling forward. It turned around, its eyes burning with a primal rage. It was now fully focused on Saeko.
Except that Saeko was now standing right beside Tysone, as if she had never left his side.
The evolved zombie whipped towards Tysone. When eye contact was made, it stilled. Its rage was still there, burning within its red eyes, but it didn't attack. It seemed to recognize, to vaguely sense, the power emanating from a being on a higher evolution scale than its own.
Tysone was really curious to test his own strength against something that was more than mere cannon fodder, but the rest of his group had to test their mettle without his or Saeko's direct intervention. He needed an elite squad capable of functioning as a cohesive unit even when he was not around. Saeko couldn't be everywhere at once. And he... well, he couldn't be either.
"So, how was it?"
"A little tough." Saeko admitted, furrowing her brows. "The muscle tissue is incredibly dense. Not like a normal human's. It would take some effort, but it's not insurmountable. My blade went through easily enough, but the sheer thickness of its hide is like a natural armor. A normal weapon would probably just bounce off."
Meanwhile, Kohta, seeing the zombie standing completely still, seized the opportunity, aimed, and took a shot.
The bullet flew out, too fast for the zombie to react. The bullet managed to get through its eye socket, bursting the decayed flesh into an explosion of blood. The big zombie staggered, swayed, and then fell to its knees, before it was swarmed by the remaining members. Rei, Takashi, Marin, Yumi, Tanaka, Kenji, and even Haruto, who had finally snapped out of his stupor, all descended upon it with a renewed fervor, their weapons raining down blows upon its head and neck.
It didn't take long before the powerful creature was overwhelmed completely.
"Good job, Kohta." Tysone said, glancing at the chubby marksman.
"The king of destruction has claimed another victim!" Kohta yelled, a gleeful, almost maniacal grin spreading across his face as he pushed the bridge of his glasses up.
Tysone chuckled softly.
"Good job, everyone. Better than expected, I must admit."
The survivors were breathing heavily, their bodies covered in black blood and grime. They were exhausted, but they were alive. And they had just taken down their first evolved zombie. As a team.
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.