The abandoned factory sprawled across an enormous area, surrounded by overgrown weeds and crumbling ruins.
Arthur slowly pushed open a rust-covered, yellowing iron door. The squeaking hinge echoed eerily inside the structure.
"Ugh… ahhh…"
Inside, a horde of zombies shuffled slowly forward, their steps stiff and awkward, bodies clad in tattered clothing.
Hearing the creaking door, all the zombies turned in unison toward Arthur and Hayakawa Aki, letting out low, eerie groans. Their hollow eyes locked on the two, revealing jagged, crooked teeth as they howled and lunged forward.
Cold sweat slid down Aki's tense temple. She swiftly drew the katana strapped to her back.
With a graceful twist of her slender waist, Aki nimbly evaded a zombie lunging from the side. Almost simultaneously, her katana sliced through the air in a brilliant arc and cleanly severed the creature's head, sending crimson blood spraying.
The scent of blood stirred the horde further. More zombies turned and charged at Aki like a tidal wave.
Aki raised her fingers and formed a fox-shaped hand sign.
"Knock!"
With a sharp crack, a massive fox's head materialized out of thin air. Its giant mouth opened wide and swallowed the charging zombies whole.
The fox's head had seven swirling orange eyes that locked onto Aki.
> "Aki, your injuries are severe. You can only summon me two more times at most. You'd better leave now. I can sense the Zombie Devil's true body nearby. You're in no condition to fight it."
The voice of the Fox Devil echoed in Aki's mind, tinged with concern and helplessness.
Still, Aki slashed through the incoming zombies with her katana. Each swing was accompanied by a spray of gore.
"I can't leave yet. The mission isn't over. If absolutely necessary, I can still use that blade."
She carried two swords on her back. One was her regular katana — the one she now wielded. The other, still sheathed, was not a traditional sword but a long nail.
This "blade" was actually a cursed weapon named Kars, forged under contract with a Curse Devil. It had the terrifying ability to curse enemies to death — but only under strict conditions.
The cost was lifespan, and a very long one at that.
> "What a pity…"
The Fox Devil sighed before fading away.
Aki continued cutting down wave after wave of zombies. Gradually, their numbers dwindled until she finally beheaded the last one, which collapsed with a thud.
"Is… it over?"
Panting heavily, Aki scanned her surroundings in disbelief — every last zombie had been annihilated.
Corpses lay piled high, severed limbs scattered across the floor. A nauseating stench of rot and blood choked the air.
No… Something's not right.
She clearly remembered killing only around thirty zombies herself. But the number of bodies far exceeded that.
Who killed the rest?
A terrible thought struck her. She looked around in panic.
"Arthur? Arthur, where are you?!"
"Up here."
The voice came from above. Aki looked up to see Arthur already on the factory's second level, casually slicing through zombies as if he were peeling fruit.
In his hands, the Monohoshizao danced like a sea dragon, each elegant motion sending a zombie's head flying through the air like a freshly picked fruit.
Arthur's expression was calm, unbothered — as if he stood in a world untouched by fear.
The zombies, on the other hand, were filled with terror. They scrambled over one another to escape, some even stepping on their comrades' heads and bursting them open in their frenzy, turning the scene into utter chaos.
"They're… scared of him?" Aki stared in disbelief.
Arthur held the Monohoshizao firmly. With a flick of his wrist, a cold flash shimmered, and another zombie's head flew into the sky like a kite cut from its string.
> "Zonge's Insight... truly amazing."
The zombies' fear stemmed from something they had never encountered — an opponent so alien and overwhelming.
They watched countless comrades fall to Arthur's blade. Each slash, each attack…
And when some attempted to strike during the "gaps" between his swings, the sword would unpredictably meet them mid-lunge — as if it had foreseen their every move.
No matter how many times they studied his rhythm or thought they had cracked his patterns, once they charged forward, they were forced back into a hopeless, one-sided slaughter.
They simply could not adapt. That was the terrifying effect of Zonge's Insight — the innate skill of Sasaki Kojirō.
Eventually, every zombie within sight had been wiped out by Arthur alone.
Aki climbed to the second floor, stunned by the bloody battlefield littered with heads and limbs. Was she dreaming?
As a member of the Anti-Demon Special Division, she had barely done anything — Arthur had taken care of everything.
> [Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's shocked emotion. System rewards 10 points.]
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's doubtful emotion. System rewards 20 points.]
Arthur gently flicked the Monohoshizao, shaking off the blood, then gave Aki a slight nod to signal they could move forward.
"Let's go."
"Y-Yeah."
Aki followed closely behind as they continued deeper into the factory.
Then, they both heard a strange noise — the roar of a chainsaw, mixed with crazed, feminine laughter.
"There's someone else?!" Alarmed, Aki ran ahead to the railing and looked down into the central area of the factory.
Arthur stepped up beside her.
Down below, a woman stood at the center of the chaos. Her head had transformed into that of a devil, resembling a shark-like orange helmet. From both arms extended long, spinning chainsaws.
The roar was deafening.
"Denji?" Arthur recognized her at once.
Denji was laughing maniacally, completely unhinged, immersed in a glorious bloodbath. Her chainsaws ripped zombies apart like paper, piling up their shredded bodies. The air reeked of blood and burning gasoline.
Arthur's eyes drifted to her bouncing chest, now soaked with blood, forming a small, dark red C-shape.
"…Where are her clothes?"
His gaze trailed lower.
> "I haven't even touched a man yet! THERE'S NO WAY I'M DYING HERE!!!"
Denji roared wildly.
> [Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's jealous emotion. System rewards 20 points.]