"What does it mean to cleanse the world?"
Saeko Busujima and the others didn't quite understand. Zeroy's powers had certainly seemed extraordinary before; even so, not to the level of cleansing the entire world.
Zeroy noticed their doubt but didn't bother explaining. They would understand soon enough. Explaining it would only complicate things—after all, to suddenly claim she could scour the globe in just a few days was far too unbelievable.
Just as Zeroy was about to leave, Saeko softly called out to her.
"Um… may I… hug you?"
Saeko's voice trembled ever so slightly, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. Shyness and unease intertwined, yet she still gathered the courage to look up and meet Zeroy's eyes.
"Of course."
The corners of Zeroy's lips lifted into a warm smile. She gently spread her arms, her posture natural and inviting.
Saeko stepped forward and embraced her.
It was just a simple, pure hug, yet fueled by the intensity of her feelings, she held on tighter than she intended—like she wanted to freeze this moment forever.
After such difficulty, finally reuniting, Zeroy was once again about to depart, to fight zombies and villains.
Saeko's heart ached with reluctance, her longing crashing like waves, wishing she could make Zeroy stay, even for just a moment longer.
Albeit in the end, she didn't voice it.
As a proper wife—or rather, as a partner—she knew she couldn't let her own selfishness interfere with what Zeroy had to do.
Even if, right now, they weren't exactly lovers.
At least… at least she could be selfish just this once.
To take solace in this brief embrace, to turn her yearning into warmth, easing the tide of emotions within.
"..."
Patchouli, watching from the side, furrowed her brow.
As a friend, hugging after a long absence out of longing—that was normal.
But a hug was one thing… what was with the touching?
Her gaze calmly dropped to Saeko's hands.
They weren't just holding Zeroy tightly. They were also gently stroking along her back and waist.
Look me in the eyes! Tell me, what exactly are you touching?! And why are you touching?! Hm↑?!
"..."
Patchouli's eyes shifted back to Saeko's face.
Wrong! Something was definitely off!
"..."
The Magician of the Seven Luminaries let her gaze grow cold.
This wasn't the expression of someone simply embracing a friend out of longing…
…
Driven by curiosity about zombie evolution and interest in testing her own growth, Zeroy didn't immediately begin her purge.
She went into the forest and, by habit, unleashed a thunderous roar—like muffled thunder splitting the silence apart.
In an instant, the forest boiled with chaos.
Low growls echoed from every direction, chilling howls blending with snapping branches.
Countless black shapes darted between the trees, their monstrous forms hidden by leaves, though the heavy steps and tearing foliage betrayed their approach.
The zombies surged toward Zeroy like a tidal wave.
Within just five minutes, a mountain of corpses had risen in the forest's center.
Blood soaked the earth, severed limbs and heads gleamed a grotesque dark red under the sun, the air thick with the stench of iron.
"These are the evolved zombies?"
Zeroy stood atop the corpse pile, golden hair swaying in the wind, emerald eyes scanning the bloody scene with cold depth.
Over a thousand zombies had already fallen to her blade, yet more shadows stirred in the distance, their roars growing ever more frenzied.
These were no longer mere walking corpses.
They had grown stronger, muscles bulging, movements swift, and over thirty percent displayed special abilities—some with skin as hard as steel, some spewing corrosive mist, others leaping through treetops like panthers.
In simple terms… it felt less like Resident Evil and more like Left 4 Dead.
Not that it mattered to her—in fact, their faster gathering made it easier for her to decapitate them.
Nevertheless, for humanity in this world, the worsening environment was obvious.
And this was why Zeroy studied zombie evolution so keenly—she wanted a method to quickly and widely empower ordinary people.
Ideally, one that would let her raise an army of her own.
Her experiences in Highschool of the Dead and Black Bullet had already shown her how crippling a lack of manpower could be.
For now, she didn't need soldiers to fight wars in her place.
That said, if she truly wanted to save the world, she at least needed a force to maintain order.
And once there were multiple worlds to save, if every small crisis required her direct intervention, she'd never keep up.
She needed an army. She needed law enforcement tools.
This tied directly to her ultimate dream.
In her vision, the ideal world would be one governed by a powerful artificial intelligence, monitoring every individual under its care.
It might sound frightening, like the cyberpunk dystopias where the masses suffer and live in misery.
Despite that, Zeroy firmly believed that was only because in those stories, the rulers above chose not to be human, unwilling to let people live decent lives.
Just as AI could serve both workers and criminals, it was a tool—it only depended on how people used it.
Killing was the same. Killing the good was evil, killing the wicked was justice.
As long as those at the top weren't corrupt, the world could be beautiful.
A world where AI provided one-to-one monitoring and protection could ensure no crime, no injury, and thus create true paradise.
—A utopia!
Anyhow, Zeroy lacked the expertise or talents to build such an AI.
So, for now, she would settle for creating a security force of her own—a unit that would carry out her commands without question, pushing the world closer to utopia.
The Gastrea Virus she'd obtained in the Black Bullet world was a promising start. It could quickly raise a powerful army.
Of course, only if stripped of its negative effects, leaving behind only the enhancements to physical ability.
Yet, even that felt insufficient—too weak.
So she continued to seek methods of building her army. And the zombie virus before her… might just prove useful.
...
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