EASRS: Zero Z
Chapter 2
A few minutes later…
David crushed the cigarette between his fingers and turned around.
The first thing he saw was a pair of black leather boots.
His gaze slowly traveled upward—long, slender legs hidden beneath black fabric pants, a white shirt neatly tucked under a brown vest, layered beneath a pale coat. Black gloves covered delicate hands. And finally, a small, almost childlike face came into view.
One eye was deep blue, like the ocean at night.
The other was violet, sharp and unnatural, like a blooming poisonous flower.
White hair fell to her shoulders, swaying slightly in the heat-filled air. She didn't look tall—perhaps only around 1.56 to 1.60 meters—but the presence she gave off was far heavier than her body suggested.
At some point—without David even noticing—the members of FDC had appeared around the van, emerging silently from the red glow cast by distant explosions. Men and women alike, all dressed in black suits, stood motionless, watching.
And then—
A voice rang out.
Mocking. Playful. Sharp enough to cut.
The girl sat casually atop David's van, her legs swinging in the air as if this were a playground instead of a battlefield. She looked no older than seventeen, yet the way she spoke was dripping with sarcasm and irritation.
Despair Elena
> "O
Heehee… What's that smell?
Don't tell me you've been on the run for so long you forgot how to take a bath?"
She hopped down from the van.
Her boots landed lightly on the ground, dust rising around her feet. David's face twisted even further, irritation clearly reaching its limit—he looked like he was about to explode.
Elena tilted her head, gazing up at the crimson sky, where missile trails and the burning pillar of light still bled into the night. Then she turned back to David, pinching her nose dramatically as if assaulted by something inhuman.
D. Elena
> "Seriously, Uncle…
How long has it been since you last showered?"
In the next instant—
David lunged forward and grabbed her by the collar.
His large, rough, hair-covered hand lifted her effortlessly off the ground. He glared at her with eyes that carried genuine killing intent.
The sky behind them burned red with sparks and falling debris as his voice—deep, harsh, unmistakably that of an angry middle-aged American—roared out. This wasn't an act. This was real rage.
David
> "Shut the fuck up, you white-haired mutt.
So what if I stink—does it hurt you?
Didn't your bitch of a mother ever teach you some damn manners?"
Elena immediately raised her hands in mock surrender when she saw the fury in his eyes.
But then—
Something changed.
David's expression froze.
His pupils shrank.
In a split second, he pulled Elena into his arms and threw himself sideways, rolling across the hard desert ground—
Just as a long, piercing screech tore through the air.
Those who failed to react in time were struck head-on. The ground exploded upward, dirt and debris scattering violently, engulfing the area in a thick cloud.
Within the smoke and fire, a vehicle burst into flames, metal twisting and flesh tearing apart as it detonated violently.
Amidst the chaos—
A voice laughed.
Calm. Amused. Cruel.
A voice that sounded as if it were enjoying every second of the carnage.
sora
> "Look at that…
Beautiful, just like fireworks on Independence Day.
Well—
A bit more lethal, though."
---
Amid the pitch-black smoke rising from the explosion, Longinus appeared.
A spear, crimson as freshly spilled blood, slowly floated up from the ruins—its surface illuminated by the distant glow of the mysterious pillar of light. Without warning, the spear fractured, splitting into thousands of smaller fragments. Each shard resembled a razor-sharp blade forged from coagulated blood, spinning in perfect orbit around an unseen center—like an angelic halo grotesquely sculpted from melted human flesh and wax.
David's amber-brown eyes slowly shifted toward the center of that infernal circle.
His arms tightened around Despair Elena, who lay unconscious in his grasp—overwhelmed not by her injuries, but by the sheer pressure of the blast. He paid no attention to the torn skin and blood streaking down his knees from sliding across the desert ground.
From within the flames—
A pair of golden-amber eyes emerged.
A girl stepped calmly out of the fire.
Her skin was pale, milk-white. Her hair, sky-blue like a clear summer heaven, fell in a wavy lob cut that framed her face. She stood at roughly 1.62 meters, wearing an outfit both simple and commanding: a white dress shirt neatly tucked into black slacks, a black tie drawn tight at her collar, and a black blazer draped over her shoulders.
She radiated authority—pressure so tangible it weighed on the air itself—yet her figure remained elegant, almost delicate.
Behind her, engines roared.
Black-armored MRAP vehicles burst into view, their hardened frames and bulletproof windows reflecting the dying light. Emblazoned on their sides was the unmistakable emblem of the EASRS Foundation.
The engines screamed like demons clawing their way out of hell as the vehicles screeched to a halt.
Soldiers disembarked.
They wore black tactical gear, gas masks, and reinforced helmets. Their eyes were completely hidden behind the lenses—emotionless, unreadable, inhuman.
Then the girl spoke.
Her voice was slow, relaxed—almost playful—as she crouched slightly, looking down at the two figures lying on the ground.
Sora — [Sinner 26]
> "Oh my… look at that…
How pitiful.
It seems we have two little mice here—
Ones who were never meant to scurry into this place."
In the distance, the massive pillar of light began to falter.
Its once-vivid colors—violet, pink, pale blue—faded one by one, bleeding away into nothingness. The structure slowly collapsed back into pure darkness as missiles continued to slam into it relentlessly, as if attempting to snap its very existence in half.
At that exact moment—
The thousands of blades launched toward David in a single, shrill scream.
Time shattered.
The world slowed as if dragged through thick syrup. The blades barely moved. Wheels that had been spinning too fast for the eye to follow froze mid-rotation. Even the drifting dust hung motionless in the air.
And inside David's mind—
A voice echoed.
???
> "If you want to live, listen to me.
Do not ask questions.
Close your eyes. Immediately."
David obeyed without hesitation.
He knew—better than anyone—that true Anomalies were things beyond human comprehension.
The instant his eyes shut, a blinding white light engulfed him. The blades halted completely, suspended in midair. The ground ruptured as rocks and debris lifted violently upward.
Sora took a small step back.
Something was wrong.
Something was uncertain.
Then—the light vanished.
And so did David.
---
Simultaneously
Texas — United States
Inside an apartment that looked ordinary at first glance—yet felt abandoned.
White cloths draped over furniture, the television, the table. Dust lay thick on the floor, untouched for what felt like years. Every window was sealed shut, refusing even a sliver of light entry.
Suddenly—
A beam of white light erupted inside the room.
David crashed onto the wooden floor.
His vision was blurred. His ears rang violently. Blood trickled from his nose. He coughed—hard—and a mouthful of blood splattered across the floorboards.
The light disappeared.
His body trembled uncontrollably, drenched in sweat, every nerve screaming as if pierced by thousands of invisible blades. He staggered upright, clutching the white wall for support as blood continued to drip from his nose.
Dragging himself forward, he reached the bathroom door, gripping the cold metal handle and forcing it open—
The mirror above the sink exploded.
Glass shattered into countless fragments, raining into the basin as a voice thundered inside his skull—urgent, furious, commanding.
???
> "No—you are not allowed to die.
This damn mortal body of yours is far too fragile…
To withstand quantum displacement."
David collapsed onto the bathroom floor.
Consciousness slipped away.
Cold water poured down onto his head—perhaps from the shower, perhaps from a ruptured pipe. He couldn't tell anymore.
Darkness claimed him completely.
---
Meanwhile
Nevada Desert — United States
As the white light faded, Sora turned her gaze toward Despair Elena, still unconscious on the rocky desert ground.
A long, pale white scar suddenly appeared across Elena's wrist—neither a burn nor a cut, but something unknown. Something unnatural.
Sora's blades slowly returned, merging once more into their original form.
Longinus.
The blood-red spear descended and drove itself deep into the earth beside her.
Sora walked forward calmly, her black leather shoes splashing softly against the shallow pools left by fire suppression foam and melted sand.
She lifted Elena effortlessly into her arms.
The EASRS medical personnel at the scene immediately understood. They moved without a word.
Within minutes, a stretcher was brought forward.
---
[To be continued]