The Ghoul could clearly sense a shift in the atmosphere.
The prey that had been screaming moments ago had stopped, now gazing at him with an odd expression.
It was as if she were looking at an ant on the roadside, a bug she could crush at any moment.
This infuriated him.
He had seen that look in the eyes of many, especially those relentless "Doves" who hunted him.
It was one thing for them to look down on him, but now even his food dared to do the same?
Utterly outrageous.
With a sinister grin, he decided to devour her slowly, bite by bite, letting this prey experience the agony of being eaten piece by piece.
But at that moment, the prey raised a hand, whipping it toward his head like a lash.
The speed was so fast he couldn't even react.
Smack!
Her hand struck his face with brutal force.
The impact was like a landslide or a tsunami, forcing him to release his grip on his prey. His body flew backward like a cannonball, crashing into the wall with a resounding thud.
For a moment, his head spun, and his limbs felt weak.
The Ghoul could hardly believe it. A mere human had unleashed such immense power.
She had sent him flying.
Was this even a human anymore?
Since when did humans have such strength?
If she had this kind of power earlier, why didn't she just knock him away instead of letting him tear a chunk of her flesh?
What had happened? What was going on?
The Ghoul was utterly bewildered.
Meanwhile, Saeko, having sent the Ghoul flying, landed on the ground and quickly got to her feet.
She glanced at her right hand. Though she had used controlled force in her strike, her hand had inevitably swollen, with faint cracks in the bones.
It couldn't be helped—she had just been reborn from the future to this moment, and her body hadn't yet been strengthened.
Using the Kure's Removal Secret technique had pushed her body beyond its limits.
But the pain was within a tolerable range.
Saeko adjusted her breathing.
Ripple Breathing.
This was a supernatural technique she had learned in that future where lives were as cheap as ants, taught to her by the Commander she followed.
By altering her breathing, she could achieve incredible feats.
As Saeko breathed, the blood flowing from her shoulder wound stopped, and the injury began to scab over at a visible rate.
Her swollen right hand began to deflate, and the minor bone fractures started to heal.
Removal - Fifty Percent.
This was the limit her body could withstand. Beyond this, her body would inevitably collapse, and not even Ripple Breathing could save her.
But against a single Ghoul, it was more than enough.
In the next instant, Saeko charged at the Ghoul with astonishing speed. Before he could react, she grabbed his neck and twisted with force.
Crack!
The Ghoul's neck snapped instantly, twisting a full seven hundred twenty degrees.
His body swayed a few times before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Even with a Ghoul's remarkable vitality, such an injury was fatal.
Then, before the Ghoul hunters could arrive, Saeko left the scene.
…
Back to the present.
Totsuki Academy, Gourmet Workshop.
Saeko recounted everything—her rebirth, the zombie outbreak, and Japan's fall—to Erina in full detail.
She shared this with Erina because this peer of hers had once turned the tide in that catastrophic future, protecting countless lives single-handedly.
Including her own.
She had even taught Saeko numerous techniques, including the Removal and Ripple, among others.
Because of this, Saeko felt a natural trust in Erina.
That was why, on the first day of her rebirth, she sought out Erina to warn her about the horrific events of the future.
To ensure she was fully prepared.
Erina and Hisako exchanged a glance after hearing Saeko's story, both seeing deep disbelief and incredulity in each other's eyes.
A biochemical crisis, Japan's fall, a rebirth from the future…
No matter how you looked at it, this sounded like something out of a novel.
"Are you sure everything you're saying is true?" Erina couldn't help but ask.
Saeko replied solemnly, "It may sound unbelievable, but I swear to you, every word I've said is true. Not a single lie."
Erina frowned. "Why tell me something this important?"
"Because you're my Commander."
"Commander?"
Saeko nodded. "In the future I experienced, though Japan fell, humanity didn't go extinct. Several major factions took root in Japan, constantly fighting against this disaster."
"They aimed to combat the devil zombies and restore humanity's glory."
"You, Commander, were one of them."
"Me? You're sure?" Erina was taken aback. Could she really accomplish such a thing?
Saeko nodded. "In the future crisis, you somehow acquired vast amounts of food, sustaining hundreds of thousands of people."
"Those foods contained powerful energy. Many who ate them awakened Gourmet Cells, gaining immense power."
"I was one of them."
"Because of that, we were able to use Totsuki Academy as a base, collaborating with Mahora Academy, Academy City, the Onmyoryo Bureau, and other factions to fight this crisis."
Hearing Saeko's words, Erina immediately realized.
It had to be the Gourmet World.
Only the Gourmet World could provide enough food to sustain hundreds of thousands and awaken Gourmet Cells in so many, making them stronger.
Her future self must have found a way to bring food back from the Gourmet World.
She just didn't know how she'd done it.
But speaking of which, what about Lord Morpheus?
Why hadn't Saeko mentioned Lord Morpheus at all in her account of the future?
This piqued Erina's curiosity.
With Lord Morpheus's strength, handling this crisis shouldn't be difficult.
Why hadn't Saeko said a word about him?
Unable to hold back, Erina asked, "What about Lord Morpheus? You've said so much, but why haven't you mentioned him? Didn't Lord Morpheus intervene in this crisis?"
Saeko froze, then asked, "Morpheus? Who's that?"
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Hi guys, Elenea here! I just want to announce that starting now I'll be trying to focus on my own original fanfic, which I've been thinking about for the past few days (lol I really mulled this over briefly for a few days and decided I'm going to make it a full novel).
[Worse Than the Devil (DxD)]
Synopsis:
Devil.
An evil and chaotic creature, born from hell, which are often a scapegoat for humans. Blamed for the atrocities they themselves commit.
"The devil made me do it."
A phrase always uttered by humans after committing crimes, casting blame and responsibility for their wrongdoings onto the devil.
But not all humans are like that, for there is one man who would gleefully commit atrocities that would be condemned by all of human history and accept the blame and responsibility for those wrongs with open arms.
His name is Michael, but in stark contrast to the meaning of his name 'Who is like God' he is not a devout man who draws near to God's embrace. Instead… he is the one who sends lost sheep to meet God's embrace much faster.
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Btw, a quick note before you decide to read, if you have a heart as pure as glass, I suggest you don't read this because it REALLY gets dark to early. The first chapter will give you a little idea of what I might explore later on in this fanservice harem-themed world like DxD.
Adios!