"Well, now this is one hell of a 'gift'."
Leo couldn't help but complain. Those two girls had left cleanly and neatly—only to come back dragging a massive disaster behind them. He honestly didn't know what to say anymore.
But there was a very real problem in front of him right now.
"Do we save them?"
Leo gripped the M60 Kelly had looted. The solid weight of the gun undeniably gave him a sense of security—but charging straight down there would basically be suicide.
His hesitation made Kelly, who was also blocking a firing slit, glance at him in curiosity.
"Looks like you want to save them?"
"Yeah. They're strong, and no matter what, the monsters are already here. And this isn't a Blood Moon—who knows if they'll just leave or disappear on their own."
As he spoke, Leo pulled out clothes from storage and tossed them to Kelly. They weren't great, but they could at least block the birds a bit.
"More importantly, they're powerful and can do a lot… but I'll go down myself. You stay here and cover me."
Leo threw on layers of clothing as he walked toward the door. Kelly shook her head and shot back.
"Are you serious? I'm stronger than you. And no matter what, you're special, aren't you?"
Leo nodded. Since he was the one insisting on saving them, there was no reason to put Kelly at risk. And if they moved fast enough, the danger wasn't actually that high.
Dragging it out would be far worse.
"Tsunade needs protection. And if something goes wrong, having you here means we won't be completely helpless."
Kelly snorted and tossed a small bag at him.
"There's a motorcycle inside. You know how to use it."
Leo didn't waste a word. Every second mattered now.
He burst out the door, instantly pulled the motorcycle from the small pack, spun around, and jumped on. Behind him, Kelly opened fire immediately, shooting down the zombie birds above Leo one by one.
Yes—just in that short span of time, zombie birds had already started appearing around their base.
Leo twisted the throttle and sped toward the dirt slope—the steep path they usually used to go in and out of the pit. It was normally treacherous, but with his current strength, controlling the bike was easy.
Down below, Rias and Lux weren't idle either. Though Rias's mana was nearly exhausted, she still forced out a shield, preventing the birds from tearing them apart directly.
Lux struggled to support Rias's voluptuous body, pushing herself to move toward Leo.
She tried her best—but unlike her brother, Lux didn't have a powerful physique. She simply couldn't escape danger fast enough on her own.
Fortunately, Leo arrived.
He reached them just before the dense swarm of zombie birds caught up—but his scalp still went numb.
The monsters were terrifyingly close. If they delayed even a little longer, the birds would tear all of them apart.
But riding back on the motorcycle now was impossible.
Leo glanced at the incoming flock, then at the gasping Lux and Rias, and roared up toward Kelly.
"Kelly! Get back inside! Protect yourself and Tsunade! I've got this!"
Kelly clearly froze for a moment—but still followed the order and retreated inside.
"Don't die! I'll support you as much as I can!"
The floating door slammed shut, and sparks erupted from the firing slits as gunfire resumed.
Leo didn't hesitate. He pulled out his iron shovel and began digging furiously into the ground. Before Rias and Lux's stunned eyes, he carved out a pit deep enough for a person in seconds.
"This…?"
Lux stared in disbelief, her mouth hanging open. Rias, however, immediately understood what Leo was doing.
Leo glanced at the zombie bird swarm now within a hundred meters, listening to their shrill cries that seemed to pierce the sky, and shouted at them.
"Jump in. Now."
Lux supported Rias as they jumped down. The instant they did, Leo recalled the motorcycle, pulled out another small bag, and as he landed, opened it—pulling out a hollow steel block.
With the birds screaming closer and closer, Leo raised the block and jumped into the pit himself.
In an instant, the pit was packed tight with three people. Above them, half of the steel block jutted out of the ground.
"Good thing I maxed Strength back when I was fighting Tsunade…"
Leo, who'd increased his stats just to keep up with Tsunade, struggled to hold the hollow steel block overhead. Even so, it felt like he was holding up a hundred-kilogram man with bare hands.
The absurd weight nearly made him collapse, threatening to drop the block—easily several tons—onto the two girls' heads.
But he held on. With the aid of the Seven Days to Die system, he managed to support something he should never have been able to.
Outside, zombie birds screeched endlessly, mingled with Kelly's nonstop gunfire. In the darkness, Leo didn't stop moving—because the thin layer of dirt above them wouldn't hold. They needed to go deeper.
Holding the steel block with one hand, Leo quickly pulled out his shovel and dug beneath their feet. The three of them dropped slightly, forcing Leo to raise his right hand immediately to steady the block again.
Even so, he couldn't help complaining.
"You two really know how to cause trouble! Squat down—now!"
He took a deep breath. Once Lux and Rias obediently crouched, Leo quickly adjusted the framework in his inventory, pulled out a horizontal beam, and installed it above them. The hollow steel block settled onto the system frame at last, allowing him to release his grip.
But he wasn't done.
Leo dug further down, then horizontally, sealing the tunnel with another steel block. Only then did he finally relax, confident that the birds couldn't reach them directly.
After finishing all that, Leo lit a torch made from materials they'd bought from the trader, illuminating the pitch-black space.
The torch had no duration and wouldn't go out no matter how he waved it—standard nuclear-powered torch behavior. Even down here, it worked perfectly.
Only then did Leo get a good look at the two of them.
Rias was gasping for breath, her face pale. Her massive chest rose and fell like a bellows, causing an earthquake of terrifying magnitude that inevitably stirred unhelpful thoughts.
But her condition was clearly bad. Her clothes and cheeks were damaged, and even sitting down, she looked like she might collapse at any moment.
Lux was in better shape. She was pale too, but still mobile—though her body bore several wounds.
It was obvious they'd been driven to the brink by the seemingly endless zombie birds. This wasn't intentional at all.
"You two really are…"
Leo took a deep breath, planted the torch in the ground, and pulled out a medkit and bandages, preparing to treat their wounds.
As for blame—that could wait until they were stabilized.
Interestingly enough, once the medkit was materialized, it contained not just gauze but even basic surgical tools and morphine. It was surprisingly comprehensive.
But just as Leo took out the gauze and crouched beside Rias, she spoke.
"I'm sorry… We brought trouble and danger to you. Once I recover, I'll resolve this mess myself."
As she spoke, Rias coughed. Mana exhaustion clearly left her miserable.
She really had been arrogant. She thought that after flying back with Lux, she'd still have enough power to deal with the pursuing birds.
She'd underestimated this world.
She thought she understood the rate at which the birds appeared—that even if more came, it would only be this many.
But this world didn't play fair.
The number of zombie birds grew exponentially. Eventually, she couldn't cope and had to burn her last reserves of mana just to accelerate and escape their encirclement.
"Hah. An apology alone won't cut it. You'll have to repay this with real action. Oh, right—iodine is okay for a demon body, right?"
Leo pulled out iodine. Earlier, they'd only had alcohol and had no choice—but now iodine was the better option.
Rias shook her head and lifted her delicate face. Her blue eyes looked at Leo with absolute seriousness.
"I know. I will repay you with real action. So, Leo—but can you grant me one request?"
Her tone made Leo wary, but he still carefully took her hand and began disinfecting the wound.
"Say it. But don't forget the situation you're in."
"Yes. I understand."
Rias nodded, took a deep breath, and her expression grew solemn. Then—without hesitation—she said:
"Please… kiss me."
"Oh."
Leo nodded reflexively—then froze.
"…You're trying to seduce me?!"
Rias's face instantly turned red. At the same time, Lux finally processed what had just been said and slapped a hand over her mouth, staring at Rias in shock.
Rias hurriedly explained.
"N-not like that! I just—I need your vital energy to recover my mana… I can't bring disaster here and not deal with it myself."
As she spoke, Rias looked at Leo with complete sincerity—and pulled out a strangely shaped chess piece from her cleavage.
"As compensation, I can give you one of my pieces. I can turn you into a devil, granting you immense power and a long lifespan!"
Leo nodded. Just as Rias thought he'd agreed, he spoke.
"I refuse."