"Alright, everyone. Get ready. Tomorrow morning, we move out—we'll be crossing the river," Kenthelion said firmly, his sharp eyes scanning the small group in front of him: Shizuka Marikawa, Saeko Busujima, and little Alice holding her puppy.
"Okay!" the three of them replied in perfect sync.
"I'll go pack my clothes!" Saeko added quickly as they all started preparing for the journey ahead.
Morning arrived.
"We're leaving now. Everyone ready?" Kenthelion asked as they stood outside, the sun just starting to rise.
"Shizuka, you can drive your friend's vehicle. I've checked it—it's good to go."
"Alright! I'll drive!" Shizuka said, bursting with energy as she ran to the driver's seat like an excited kid. Alice's puppy barked cheerfully in her arms, sharing the enthusiasm.
Once everyone had boarded, Shizuka started the engine and began pulling out of Rika Minami's house. But the moment they exited the property, a horrifying sight awaited them.
A massive horde of zombies—uncountable—covered the street like a living tide of death.
Shizuka froze at the wheel, her hands trembling. "W-what do I do!?"
"Drive straight! Don't stop, don't swerve, and whatever you do—don't turn around!" Kenthelion shouted from atop the Humvee.
"I don't care anymore—everyone sit down and buckle up!" Shizuka yelled as she floored the gas pedal.
The vehicle surged forward like a rocket. Zombie bodies flew left and right, thudding against the armored chassis. But the vehicle held steady, completely unfazed.
Thanks to modifications made by the Mechanicus, not even an army of corpses could slow it down.
"Wait a second, Mr. Kenthelion!" Saeko Busujima called out, gripping her wooden sword. "We forgot one important question—how exactly are we going to cross the river?"
Kenthelion turned to the group and answered calmly, "This Humvee has been modified to drive through water. Besides, that river isn't too deep."
Shizuka Marikawa spotted an access ramp ahead. Without hesitation, she clenched her teeth and drove straight for it. The Humvee roared down the embankment and plunged into the river, prompting a startled scream from little Alice inside.
The vehicle moved steadily through the current, partially submerged but unfazed. Slowly, steadily—it began to cross the river.
"If you want to reach the other side, you better move fast," Kenthelion said with a cool smirk.
With a determined cry, Shizuka slammed the accelerator. The Humvee surged forward and leapt out of the water like a beast breaking free, crashing onto the opposite bank with a loud thud, engine roaring.
Silence.
The other side was eerily calm—no zombies in sight. The road stretched out before them, empty and quiet.
"We need to head into the area and check for any survivors," Kenthelion said as he re-entered the Humvee. "But first, let's find a secure place to regroup."
In the heart of Tokyo, the Humvee sped down the road like a predator on the hunt. The deeper they drove into the city, the more zombies appeared—lumbering, groaning, drawn by the sound.
But no matter how many came, their slow, shuffling movements couldn't keep up with the heavily modified vehicle.
However, the further they went, the trickier the roads became. Some intersections were completely blocked by wrecked cars and debris, making it impossible to pass.
"We'll need to find another route," Kenthelion muttered, his eyes scanning the chaotic landscape ahead.
The Humvee rumbled steadily down the abandoned streets of Tokyo. As they turned into a new intersection, something felt… off.
"Hey… look at this," Kenthelion muttered, narrowing his eyes. "No zombies. No bodies. It's like someone cleaned this place up."
Even the usually scatterbrained Shizuka Marikawa noticed the strange quiet.
"Stop the car."
Shizuka hit the brakes. Kenthelion stepped out, crouching down to inspect the pavement. His fingers touched faint traces—tire marks and blood smears that hadn't fully dried.
"There's been vehicle traffic here. The roads were clearly cleared. But the blood and tire tracks… they're fresh," he said, rising to his feet. "Looks like someone has set up a safe zone not far from here."
They continued driving cautiously down the road until they spotted signs of heavy fortification.
Makeshift roadblocks made from abandoned cars and coils of barbed wire blocked the path ahead. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter—some in tactical gear wielding 20th-century firearms, others in traditional samurai armor holding katanas, eyes sharp and alert.
As the Humvee approached, two of the guards stepped forward and signaled them to stop.
Shizuka obeyed, pulling the vehicle to a halt.
Kenthelion climbed out calmly, hands slightly raised to show he meant no harm. He walked toward the guards, his tone level and composed.
"We're fleeing from the inner city," he said. "Can you tell us where we are?"
One of the guards eyed him suspiciously and raised his rifle. "You're at the Takagi Estate safe zone. Anyone in your group been bitten by a zombie?" he asked coldly.
Another guard leveled a handgun, watching Kenthelion's every move.
"No, none of us have been bitten by zombies," Kenthelion said calmly. "You can check us yourself—if someone had been bitten, they'd have turned by now. As you can see, we're all still human."
"Fine. Enter. But don't cause any trouble," the guard warned, lowering his weapon slightly.
"Thank you," Kenthelion replied with a nod.
The guards opened the gate, shifting the concrete blocks and moving the vehicles that had been used to block the road. Shizuka Marikawa started driving the Humvee forward, carefully steering through the entrance to the Takagi estate with everyone else inside.
As they drove deeper, Kenthelion observed the area closely.
In the days following the outbreak, the Takagi family had wasted no time establishing a defensive perimeter. Barbed wire lined the outer edges, and wrecked cars had been stacked high across the roads, reinforced with concrete barriers. All of this added to the natural protection provided by the Takagi family's mansion walls—their final line of defense.
It was exactly as Kenthelion remembered from the manga, before he transmigrated.
But he knew one thing for certain: these defenses, no matter how solid they appeared, wouldn't last.
If the storyline continued as it had originally, the nations of the world would eventually launch electromagnetic pulse bombs—EMPs. The resulting shockwaves would disable all electrically based systems. Blackouts would spread, communications would die, and chaos would worsen. This so-called "safe zone" would crumble in no time.
Fortunately, Kenthelion had already taken precautions. He had sent his Inquisitors to seize control of every nation's nuclear arsenal. There was no way he'd let panicked world leaders destroy the Earth with radioactive fallout. After all, he planned to rule this version of Earth—this "Highschool of the Dead" universe—not see it turned into a glowing crater.
They had finally arrived at the Takagi family residence.
Shizuka Marikawa parked the Humvee and looked at Kenthelion with a puzzled expression, as if she wanted to ask something but decided to keep silent. Meanwhile, Saeko Busujima stepped out, carrying little Alice in her arms, her eyes scanning the small courtyard of the Takagi family — a peaceful spot in the midst of chaos.
There were many people here, survivors.
But their skin looked pale and their bodies thin, clear signs that food supplies were scarce. Yet despite their hardships, their faces showed relief — at least they still had a safe place to stay, if only temporarily.
At that moment, Kenthelion spotted someone familiar.
Takashi Komuro.
It seemed Komuro's group had also managed to reach this place safely, just as Kenthelion had hoped — the protagonist of Highschool of the Dead was certainly not someone who would die easily.
Their eyes met. No words were exchanged. Just a long, meaningful gaze.
Komuro's face, which had once lit up with joy at seeing a familiar face... slowly darkened with complex emotions. They had lost contact long ago. They had once been friends. Now, their reunion brought nothing but emptiness.
Behind them, Shizuka Marikawa and Saeko Busujima watched quietly, not wanting to disturb the moment. Little Alice looked around with innocent curiosity, unaware of the tension hanging in the air.
Komuro looked back at Kenthelion and Saeko once more. Shadows of the past flickered in his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, then without a word, turned and walked away.