Takagi Residence
That afternoon, Soichiro Takagi stood in front of his home, watching the reinforced fences and the line of shipping containers surrounding the Takagi estate. Even though he wasn't sure if it would be enough to stop the approaching zombie horde, he felt a small sense of relief.
It was already too late to go to the police station for weapons. Most people were still relying on wooden sticks—only around fifteen had actual firearms.
Today, he saw strange-looking aircraft flying overhead. In the distance, the sounds of explosions echoed through the air. He knew what that meant—zombies were on their way.
From dawn until dusk, the city outskirts had been bombarded. Artillery fire and tank engines roared, and aircraft dropped bombs relentlessly, hammering the advancing undead.
For the survivors inside the Takagi estate, the entire scene was terrifying. No one knew who the soldiers out there were, or what side they were on.
Would they come to help?
Or would they just pass them by and leave them to fend for themselves?
"WHUUMM—WHUUMM—WHUUMM—WHUUMM…"
Suddenly, a familiar sound echoed across the sky—the strange aircraft from Kenthelion. This was the third time these aircraft had arrived at the Takagi estate.
Four Valkyrie Sky Talon Transports flew above the compound, each carrying a large container suspended beneath them. One by one, they began carefully lowering the containers into the main courtyard of the estate.
These strange aircraft—functioning much like modern helicopters—began to land. One descended slowly, while the other three turned around and flew back toward Haneda Airport.
The survivors hiding within the estate panicked and retreated in fear of the unknown machines. However, Soichiro Takagi remained calm. He led his men toward the landing zone to observe what was happening.
As soon as the aircraft touched down and its door opened, Saya Takagi jumped out. Upon spotting her father, she immediately ran toward him.
"Father!"
"Saya? Why did you come back? This place is dangerous! What are you doing here?" Soichiro Takagi stared at his daughter sternly. In truth, he was overjoyed to see her safe, but he didn't show it. The estate was no longer safe—not just because of zombies, but also because of people.
Just yesterday, someone had attempted to steal weapons. The thief was executed, and a few troublemakers had been exiled. But Soichiro knew this was only a temporary solution. The survivors might rebel one day—especially as their numbers kept growing.
Even though he had some weapons, there were only 15 firearms and a limited supply of ammunition. That ammunition was a parting gift from his wife. This visit—Yuriko Takagi coming to take Saya away—he knew it would be the last.
Eventually, Soichiro realized he couldn't guarantee his daughter's safety here. He began to persuade Saya Takagi to leave. After all, Kenthelion had a large military force, and her safety would be far more secure with them.
"Father! I brought you weapons—I brought you weapons!" Saya Takagi exclaimed excitedly, not noticing the subtle change in Soichiro Takagi's expression. She grabbed his hand happily and led him toward the freshly delivered containers.
Soichiro signaled his men to open the containers. They were still locked, so one of his subordinates brought out a cutting tool and soon broke the locks on all four containers simultaneously.
When Soichiro saw what was inside—an arsenal full of weapons and ammunition—he felt a slight relief. But before he could say anything, Saya eagerly began explaining.
"Father, look! There are 3,500 rifles and pistols—standard U.S. military issue—plus 20 flamethrowers and five million rounds of ammo for the rifles and pistols. I also secretly brought dozens of machine guns. And last, I brought you a sword—a chainsword, which is standard issue for Kenthelion's soldiers."
Saya beamed with pride as she showed the weapons. It was the first time she felt she was truly helping her father. She even tried lifting a chainsword—a heavy weapon weighing 5 kilograms—with both hands. Though it was clearly heavy for a high school girl, she did her best and handed it to her father.
Soichiro accepted the case but didn't open it right away. He looked at Saya seriously and asked,
"All this… did Kenthelion approve?" He was happy at first but worried if his daughter had taken all these without permission, it could cause problems.
"Lord Kenthelion approved, Father. Mother helped me pick out the weapons too," Saya answered proudly.
"Kenthelion approved it."
"Saya, did Kenthelion also send those aircraft to bomb the zombies today?" Soichiro Takagi asked, wanting confirmation of what he had witnessed earlier.
"Yes, Kenthelion deployed the aircraft today. I even watched the whole battle unfold on the big screen at the command center," Saya answered confidently, recalling what she had seen.
"To summarize, there are about 50,000 zombies left in Tokyo—and more may arrive tonight. But even so, not many of them will make it here. Tokyo is a huge city after all—it's Japan's capital," Saya explained calmly.
Soichiro Takagi felt a sense of relief after hearing that the remaining number of zombies was manageable.
"Father, please hurry and get these weapons unloaded. We can use the containers to reinforce the Takagi estate's defenses. Mother is waiting for me for dinner," Saya added, noticing her father still deep in thought. She wanted to leave soon but also needed to see the defenses with her own eyes before she could feel at ease.
"Yoshioka, get someone to move these weapons and begin distributing them to the survivors for tonight's defense!" Soichiro ordered sharply.
After the weapons were unloaded and distributed, Saya bid farewell to her father, boarded the aircraft, and left. She had inspected the perimeter carefully to see the defenses her father had built—only then did she feel reassured enough to leave the Takagi estate.
The survivors at the Takagi family residence watched as soldiers delivered weapons to Soichiro Takagi—sent personally by his daughter.
Soichiro felt a mix of relief and sadness. His wife was still with Kenthelion, and he didn't know what was happening to her there. Seeing all these weapons made him wonder: had his wife sacrificed herself to Kenthelion just to send these supplies to him? This thought weighed heavily on his mind.
He turned and looked at the expressions of the survivors around him. He knew they were all good and honest people—that's what kept Soichiro's spirits up, preventing him from falling into despair. Without the soldiers' help, with so many people gathering, chaos and power struggles would surely break out here in the near future.
Soichiro didn't know what to feel about Kenthelion. Should he be grateful or resentful? On one hand, he and the Takagi family had treated Kenthelion harshly and cruelly, yet Kenthelion still sent weapons and food. On the other hand, Kenthelion had taken his wife.
"Uncle, did Kenthelion send these weapons?" Takashi Komuro asked, eyeing the weapons. He had also seen the strange aircraft earlier but hadn't dared to leave until the helicopters flew away.
"Yes," Soichiro replied, looking at Takashi. At first, he felt hopeful about Takashi—after all, Takashi had managed to escape here with his daughter from school.
But after Kenthelion's warnings, Takashi looked a bit gloomy. He didn't like people like them and often encountered similar folks.
"With these weapons, can we hold out?" Takashi asked.
"Yes, we can," Soichiro answered confidently.
"That's good... well, I mean, I can't hold it in anymore... Umm, what I mean is, I believe we can hold out now." Takashi smiled awkwardly, accidentally stumbling over his words despite trying to sound optimistic.
Soichiro stopped paying attention to Takashi and turned his focus to distributing the weapons among his men to prepare for the approaching zombies.
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That night, in a hidden place shrouded in darkness, the Inquisitors and Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas gathered.
> "How are the preparations for sending these abominable creatures to the heretics' den? Have the hordes of zombies been assembled?"
A cold, commanding voice echoed from one of the Inquisitors as he aimed his bolter at the Death Trooper kneeling before him.
> "We have gathered approximately 150,000 zombies from across the city, Your Excellency," the Death Trooper replied. "They are ready to be herded toward the Takagi estate—but..."
> "But?" the Inquisitor hissed. "Choose your next words carefully, or your head shall be an offering to the Machine Spirit."
The Death Trooper bowed even lower.
> "We discovered... a school bus. The same one once used by His Majesty, the Emperor."
Suddenly, a Sister of Battle stood and slammed the table, splitting it in two.
> "Did you just say... they're still alive!? Didn't we already send the horde to ambush them at the bridge?!"
> "Calm down," another Inquisitor said with a cold smile. "I have a plan. Among those heretics is a self-righteous boy. If we mark the path to the Takagi estate—the place where the heretics now gather—that bus will lead them straight there. Two birds with one stone."
> "And the sound of the school bus will lure thousands of zombies, like a bell for the damned. We won't even need to expend much effort."
The Sister crossed her arms and nodded.
> "An elegant plan. After all, His Majesty won't mind if the heretics in the Takagi residence perish as well... They've already brought disgrace upon him."
The Inquisitor raised his weapon toward the Death Trooper once again.
> "Carry out this order. Do not let His Majesty know of this plan. Understood?"
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Night fell.
The wails of the undead echoed from every direction, merging with the eerie stillness of the night. At the main gate of the Takagi estate, heavy machine guns had been mounted. Armed personnel stood in silence, ready to face the oncoming horde of the dead.
Suddenly, a group of people appeared in the distance—running frantically toward the gate. Behind them, hundreds of zombies gave relentless chase.
> "Fire! Wipe out the ones in front!"
BRAKKA-BRAKKA!
The roar of machine guns shattered the silence. Bullets rained down from atop the containers. The survivors ran for their lives, while the zombies behind them dropped one by one.
Explosions and gunfire erupted from all directions. The guards stationed on top of the containers encircling the Takagi estate opened fire on the approaching undead.
> "Open the gate! Save us! Please!"
the survivors screamed, banging on the gate.
But Soichiro Takagi watched them with cold eyes. There were no more than 15 of them—while inside, nearly 5,000 lives still needed protection. The decision was clear.
> "Keep firing! Don't let them get close!"
he commanded without hesitation.
The zombies kept coming in endless waves. They were mowed down mercilessly, then incinerated with flamethrowers. Not a single one reached the gate.
Soichiro shifted his attention to the southern flank, where the horde was thickest. The front, for now, remained secure.
Yet behind the gate, the desperate cries continued:
> "Please! Open the gate!"
"We're begging you! Save us!!"
But there was no answer.
Only the thunder of gunfire... and the cold decision of a leader.
Takashi Komuro gripped his baseball bat tightly, eyes fixed on the group of desperate survivors approaching the gate. As he stepped closer, his breath caught in his throat—he recognized them.
His teacher… and his classmates.
Among them was Koichi Wisteria, who immediately locked eyes with him.
> "Takashi Komuro! Save us! Please, help my friends!"
"Senpai, we don't want to die! Save us, please!"
"Komuro, open the gate! Hurry!"
The cries pierced through the night, desperate and raw.
Takashi's hands trembled as he looked at their bloodied faces—the people he once saw every day at school. A part of him screamed to act, to swing the gate open, to let them in.
But just as he reached for the gate mechanism, a soldier beside him raised his rifle and blocked the way.
> "Stand down," the guard ordered firmly. "You're not allowed to open the gate without direct orders from Soichiro Takagi."
Takashi froze.
His heart waged war with his orders.
Outside, his teacher pounded on the gate, eyes pleading.
But inside, the law was clear—and the consequences, deadly.