Caught in a tight grip, the cat struggled to pry itself from Leon's hands but failed. While it might be a third level mutated beast, its forte wasn't physical strength. Its only power turned useless on him.
Crash!
Chairs were sent flying as the Old Granny barreled towards him, growling in rage. Leon already expected this.
Before she even reached him, he snapped the neck of the cat, killing it.
'Wow. A third level beast died that easily.'
The charging zombie froze, realizing her companion was dead.
Raising her head, she uttered a heartbreaking cry.
"Uwuuuuuu..."
Leon didn't attack, letting it mourn. He tossed the cat's body away and prepared to face a frenzied zombie.
His blood pumped in anticipation, thrumming against his veins like sea waves against the beach.
After an entire minute of mourning, the old zombie finally lowered her head and glared at him.
Leon felt a palpable killing intent envelope him, making him utterly serious. The zombie was about to go all-out.
Crack!
Surprisingly, the zombie swelled in size, becoming a two meter giant. Her eyes turned pure red and she released a howl that shook the whole building.
!!!
Sensing danger, Leon crossed his blades before himself.
BAM!
The zombie's massive punch struck his crossed swords, sending him flying.
Crash!
The glass walls shattered and Leon fell out of the building. In pursuit, the zombie also followed, shattering the glass and jumping after him like a raging hulk.
ROAR!
Leon cursed inwardly, feeling his insides mushed up from the injury. That blow alone could have killed him if he hadn't blocked with his swords.
'Again, I need to remind myself not to get complacent. Damn!'
He winced as he spun to land on his feet, stomping two zombies in the process.
Boom!
Obviously, the Old Granny's descent made a larger impact and sent the first level zombies around her flying.
Leon didn't say a word and took a stance, ready to fight. He wouldn't hold back any longer and was going to give it his true 'all'.
With her claws flexed, the Old granny slashed downwards.
Doing a backflip, he moved out of the attack's range.
Five deep gashes were carved onto the ground, a testament to the zombie's attack.
Immediately the claw swipe landed, Leon launched his own attack. The steel blades flashed, cutting deep gashes into the zombie's outstretched arm.
Growling, she recoiled, her arm bleeding. Ignoring the pain, she attacked again, her massive arms moving like heavy guillotines.
Everytime she attacked, deep cuts were left on the ground while the unfortunate zombies caught in the aftermath were shredded into pieces.
'This is probably a special skill. Perhaps something like a berserk mode. Still, it's impressive.'
Leon thought as he narrowly dodged a swipe that would have claimed his head. Instead of panicking, he calmly directed the enraged zombie deeper into its horde to increase its manpower losses. Or is it zombiepower losses? He wasn't given the luxury to find out.
'Compared to it, I'm lacking in strength and speed. The only difference is my personal experience with zombies. Those at the lower levels of evolution are always predictable.'
His rational mind spun, thinking of the most efficient method of killing an opponent that outclassed him. Wasting its energy was probable, but inefficient. Zombies at this level could last for days fighting. Although they could feel pain, stamina wasn't a problem for them.
Searching for a weakness? He didn't think that was possible too. Even before Old Granny's increase in size, her muscles were dense. Dreaming about cutting through them in this state was a bit farfetched.
'I guess I can only confront it with my zombie self.'
He sighed, resigning to his fate. He was sure he wasn't going to emerge unscathed.
"Oh, well~"
The zombie's large palm loomed above him. His body relaxed, eyes closed. Time seemed to slow into a crawl, then—
Boom!
The zombie's palm slammed into the ground, shaking the nearby buildings like a mini earthquake. Dust rose from the impact, obscuring the view of others.
From afar, Scarface's eyes narrowed. He felt fear when looking at the clash between Leon and the giant Third Level Zombie. Now, he couldn't see anything except the silhouette of the zombie's hulking frame.
'Did he... get killed?'
From within the dust, two orbs of purple light shone, then moved like a blur, leaving lines of afterimages behind. Silver light flashed, and the dust cleared.
GAHH!!!
The zombie howled in pain as it stumbled back, holding its bleeding wrist. Scarface's eyes widened. Leon had actually severed the zombie's hand.
Right before everyone's eyes, he stabbed the sword into the severed hand, brought it to his mouth, and took a delightful bite.
Crunch!
Bob winced, "W-what the hell? He's eating it?"
His distraction almost cost him his life as a claw raked close to his neck. Thankfully, the one-eyed Johnson saved him by bashing his shield against the zombie.
"Fuck it, Bob! You're making my job harder! Focus!"
Still, their banter didn't stop Leon from consuming the hand. Once he had finished eating most of the meat on it, he shook it off his blade and released a howl.
Although not booming, something about it sent a shiver through everyone—humans and zombies alike. It felt like the announcement of a higher existence.
Right before Leon, his system interface flickered to life.
[You have emerged as a new race, Undead Devourer]
Leon's glowing eyes flicked to the interface for a moment, but ignored it immediately. Instead, those predatory eyes locked on the zombie who rushed at him, its jagged teeth dripping with hot saliva.
Leon bared his own fangs in retaliation, then attacked.
Whenever the zombie struck, Leon was always one step ahead. He would dodge, the blow, then leave bleeding slashes on the zombie's body. At a point, a claw grazed him. However, his skin held, turning a sheen of silver before returning to its usual pale color. This was a manifestation of the passive skill Silver Hide.
While the zombie was confused about the failed attack, Leon's blades carved four deep slashes onto its torso, spilling more of its dark blood. Hissing in pain, the zombie swatted him aside.
Already expecting this, Leon abandoned thoughts of pointless dodging and instead crossed his arms before himself. The arms turned silver a second before the blow hit.
BANG!
His body flew across the street and crashed into a building, collapsing the walls. Silence reigned for a few seconds before sounds of rubbles shifting attracted the zombie's gaze. It seemed to be astonished by Leon's seemingly endless stamina. If it had enough intelligence, it'd have asked 'Why isn't he dead already?'
From within the darkness, those orbs of purple light glowed.
The fight hadn't ended. If anything, it had just started.