"Was that transformation one of your abilities?" Mirabel asked, looking at Elias's current form with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Although she had suspected that the towering, muscular manly figure was the result of one of his abilities because she had never seen or heard of anyone like Elias in the university until now. Seeing her assumptions confirmed, she couldn't help but feel astonished.
'Such a powerful ability! With the arrival of the apocalypse, things are no longer as simple as they seemed,' Mirabel thought.
"Check if anyone has been infected and remove them from the group," Elias said. With the Black Claw Crow, he shifted his focus to the group, who had been forced to fend for themselves.
He was slightly doubtful that some might have been careless in the chaos and become infected.
After a brief hesitation, Mirabel nodded in understanding and quickly relayed the message to the rest of the lecturers and students.
They seemed more than willing to carry out the command, which wasn't unreasonable, as an infected individual in the group could spell death for any of them.
Within a few minutes, those who had been infected were immediately brought out and separated from the group.
There were four in total: three male students and one male lecturer.
"Get your hands off me!! It's only a bruise... I'm not infected!!!"
"Wait! Please stop! I thought we were friends!!"
"Hey! Didn't I rescue you? Is this how you repay my kindness… by snitching on me?"
Elias stepped forward and addressed the group of four.
"You four are on your own from henceforth. Don't think about following us, or else I won't hesitate to eliminate you," Elias said, staring at them with a stern expression.
"If you truly want to do the right thing, I advise you to end yourselves before you transform into one of those zombies and cause more harm to your fellow humans. If you're uncertain about how, you can step forward, and I'll give you a painless death."
The group immediately fell silent, trembling at Elias's words, especially since they were all aware of his strength.
They took a step back, afraid to approach the rest of the group.
Elias nodded at them, then turned and walked away.
He remained aware that one of the students had already levelled up. Even if he wanted to kill them to stop the infection from spreading, he couldn't bring himself to eliminate his fellow humans.
"What a shame," Queen Anna said, clicking her tongue in dissapointed. "You just let valuable kills walk away like that."
Whether she admitted it or not, she was becoming increasingly intrigued by the mysterious man before her. Whether it was because he was somewhat different or a similar race as other humans, or because of his absurd talents and skills, or because of Elias himself and how he wielded them, he left her completely fascinated.
It was as though an anomaly stood right before her, and she couldn't help but want to pry it open.
"Why are you still following?" Elias muttered under his breath.
He couldn't understand why the unknown woman was still trailing behind him. Even though he appreciated the information she had shared, he couldn't help but feel that her presence would only bring him more harm than good.
"Because you're interesting," Queen Anna muttered, observing his actions in amusement.
Elias couldn't help but feel a little angst, knowing someone was watching his every movement from behind. Would she also follow him to the toilet to relieve himself?
No! he couldn't allow that to happen. He needed to understand her true intentions.
"Among the worthless bunch I've seen, you're the only one who has grabbed my attention. Or do you know anyone else with a race like yours or a unique talent like that? Don't get too full of yourself," Queen Anna added in an amused tone.
"Of course, for giving me something interesting to spend my time on, this Queen will help you by answering several pieces of information about the apocalypse that you don't understand. To the best of my limited capabilities, of course. It would be problematic if the Akashic Records were to learn of my presence."
Elias led the group forward, making their way past the dead Black Crow Claw.
"What would the Akashic Records do once they sense your presence?" he asked quietly, his tone filled with curiosity.
"Ask another question," Queen Anna responded with a snort.
"You just said that you'd answer whatever question I asked. Are you going back on your word? You aren't acting like a Queen," Elias frowned, sensing that the woman beside him was too unreliable.
Queen Anna didn't respond, making it clear she didn't want to continue the conversation.
Elias didn't say another word. He was already sure that the woman before him was an unreliable queen.
The thought of depending on someone vanished the moment it appeared. He focused his eyes back on the task at hand, leading the group toward the gymnasium.
From another section of the boys' dormitory, another group of about twenty people was being led through the gruesome apocalypse by two individuals.
Two Split-Mouth Zombie Dogs appeared from within a building, charging at them. Their speed was fast, indicating that they were higher-level than the weaker ones they had just faced.
Witnessing this scene, the survivors screamed in terror. But before the zombie dogs could get any closer, two arrows covered in ice shot toward them.
They pierced their heads, freezing them instantly before exploding into shards of ice. Their bodies fell lifeless to the ground.
"Keep moving forward! Don't stop for anything!" a young man wearing black shorts, tight black spandex with sleeves over his torso, and a sports shirt with a number on it shouted at the terrified group.
A quiver was strapped to his back, and a wooden bow with mysterious engravings hung in his hand. He was the one who had shot the arrows, swiftly killing the two Split-Mouth Zombie Dogs.
As the group overcame their fear after witnessing the deaths of the two dogs and continued on, the young man raced to the fallen creatures' positions. Using a piece of cloth torn from a fallen student, he carefully wiped the arrows clean before placing them back in his quiver.
Suddenly, a bigger dog, about 1.5 meters tall, burst out from the corner of the cafeteria and charged toward the group. It leapt into the air, its terrifying split mouth resembling a Venus flytrap, widening to reveal sharp fangs aiming to tear off a young man's head.
BANNGG!!
However, before its terrifying attack could land, a man whose entire body was covered in a metallic shine emerged from the crowd and slammed his fist into the dog's head.
The head exploded into a gory mess of flesh and blood. The Split-Mouth Zombie Dog gave one last whimper before collapsing lifelessly on the ground.
"JAJAJA!! You see that? Nothing can harm me, not even the zombies. If they get too close, I just have to punch them straight in the head without fear of getting infected… I'm invincible!" the man said with a chuckle as the young man with the bow and quiver regrouped with the advancing group.
The archer exhaled tiredly at his companion's words. He didn't say a word and simply continued leading the group forward.
Facing the boys' dormitory was the girls' dormitory. A group of fifteen, composed of female students and both female and male teachers, advanced forward under the leadership of a woman.
She was dressed in ripped black jeans and a blue hoodie, with a face cap covering her head. She held a wooden staff, seemingly made of twisted dark brown wood, as she walked forward, cautiously surveying the surroundings.
Suddenly, a group of four mutated zombie rats stumbled upon the group and rushed toward them.
The female students immediately screamed in fear. However, they bowed their heads as they continued advancing, knowing they couldn't stop, yet terrified of raising their heads to witness their impending doom.
Upon witnessing the approaching threat, the woman, however, showed no signs of panic. Her expression remained stern and serene as the zombies charged toward them. Instead, she raised her staff forward.
"Shock," she muttered, as though casting a spell.
Instantly, the staff lit up with countless greenish sparks. The lightning surged out of her staff, striking all four mutated zombie rats.
CRACCKLLEE!! SWISSSH!!
"SHRIEEKKK!" they all shrieked in pain, their bodies convulsing under the devastating lightning strike. While some fell lifeless to the ground, a few remained alive, struggling to rise.
"Professor," the woman uttered.
"Got it," a man in his mid thirties responded. He swiftly charged forward with a longsword in hand.
He struck down each mutated zombie rat that still clung to life, beheading them with ease as he weaved through them with dazzling speed, his movements difficult for anyone to track.
As the last mutated rat fell, the man swiftly returned to his position.