With his newfound strength surging through his veins, Erwin let out a guttural roar and surged upward, breaking free from Leighton's hold as if the man were nothing but a shadow.
CRACK!
The ground beneath him fractured as his body radiated sheer, raw force. He stood tall, his chest rising with heavy breaths, and then began laughing, manic and unhinged.
"Haha… HAHAHA! This power… it's incredible!"
Everyone in the room took an instinctive step back. The air turned heavy. Eyes widened. Fear crept into the hearts of the students and survivors alike.
Leighton's expression hardened. He hadn't expected this.
"You… got a skill too?" he asked, tense.
Erwin turned to him with a crazed grin. "Oh, I got one… and it's glorious. I can feel the power of this world flowing through me."
Without warning, Erwin vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Leighton, his knee already rising toward the teacher's chest.
Leighton's instincts kicked in. He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the blow that would've shattered his ribs.
Whoosh!
The sheer force of the missed knee strike split the air like a cannon blast.
Erwin paused, eyes narrowing.
"Fast," he muttered. "Is that your skill? Something to do with speed?"
Leighton remained silent, but a flicker of unease flashed in his eyes.
That was all the confirmation Erwin needed.
"Ohhh… so I was right," he said, his grin growing even wider. "You're fast. But let's see if you're fast enough."
He lunged forward with a flurry of savage punches, each blow strong enough to dent metal. Leighton ducked, weaved, and dodged with inhuman precision, countering with sharp jabs to Erwin's side, neck, and temple, but they barely slowed him down.
Erwin's movements became more aggressive, more relentless. He feinted with a left hook, spun low, then shot upward with an uppercut powered by his whole body.
BAM!
Leighton couldn't dodge in time. The punch connected with his ribs, launching him backward across the room. He crashed into the wall with a sickening crack, and a burst of blood exploded from his mouth as he collapsed to his knees.
Erwin walked forward slowly, eyes glowing with the thrill of dominance.
"Is that it?" he asked, his tone mocking. "All that talk of values and discipline… but you can't even stand now?"
Leighton coughed violently, blood staining his lips. "Erwin… this power, it wasn't meant to be used like this. We're chosen… not to rule, but to protect humanity. To help those who can't help themselves…"
Erwin stood over him and spoke coldly, his voice stripped of empathy.
"I don't want to protect anyone."
He stepped forward, and sat on Leighton's back, crushing him further under his weight. Leighton gasped in pain, his limbs trembling.
"This power is mine," Erwin continued, low and venomous. "And I'll use it however I want."
He raised his head, scanning the terrified faces of everyone in the storage room, students, survivors, all frozen in fear.
Then he smiled.
"Now," he declared, arms outstretched like a king. "Bow down... and welcome your new king.
--------×--------
Clarissa stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open. The dim light of the room greeted her, along with the warm aroma of something surprisingly comforting.
In front of her, Julian stood beside a small table, gently stirring something in a bowl.
"You really do sleep like a rock," he said, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk.
Clarissa sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "I'm... sorry."
Julian chuckled. "I'm just messing with you." He turned and handed her the bowl. "Here. Eat this before your stomach starts yelling at me."
She looked down at it, surprised. "Is this… porridge? Where did you get it?"
Julian sat beside her. "Found it in the cabinet over there. Honestly, I didn't think we'd get lucky enough to find something this decent."
Clarissa smiled faintly, her stomach already growling. "Thank you…"
She took the first spoonful and let out a soft breath of relief. She hadn't realized just how starving she was.
But then, her smile faded. She looked down into the bowl and whispered, "Julian… am I going to turn into a zombie?"
Julian turned serious for a moment. He set his own bowl down and looked her in the eyes. "No. You're safe now. I've already dominated the virus inside you."
Clarissa froze, her spoon halfway to her mouth. And then, tears started to well in her eyes. "So I'm not… dying…"
Julian reached over and gently ruffled her hair. "Eat first. Cry later."
She let out a small laugh, wiping her tears with her wrist. "It's hard to eat when my eyes are full of tears…"
Julian smirked, picked up his spoon, scooped a small portion, and held it up to her lips. "Then let me help."
Clarissa blinked, cheeks flushing red. "Wha—?"
"Open up," he said, lightly.
She hesitated a second… then opened her mouth, letting him feed her. Tears still flowed, but she chewed and swallowed, the warmth of the food somehow sinking deeper than just her stomach.
After she finished eating, Clarissa sat quietly for a moment. Then, she looked down at her bare belly, noticing something that hadn't been there before.
"Julian… what's this tattoo?" she asked, touching the strange, faintly glowing mark just below her navel.
Julian's eyes followed her gesture, and he answered casually, "It's a mark that shows you're mine now."
Her face turned a deep shade of red. "I-I see… so that's… how it works…"
Julian leaned back. "There's a good side to it, though. Because of this connection, it's possible you've awakened a skill too. Try focusing for a moment."
Clarissa blinked, then closed her eyes, unsure what she was even doing. But suddenly, a shimmering panel appeared in front of her.
[Due to influence from the Domination Skill, you have acquired: Telekinesis.]
Julian's own panel appeared as well:
[Slave Clarissa has acquired: Telekinesis.]
Master (Julian) has permission to enable/disable this skill.
Julian grinned at the screen, then looked at Clarissa. "Well, would you look at that. Saving you turned out to be one hell of a blessing."
Clarissa lowered her gaze, her cheeks glowing pink at Julian's words. "I should be the one thanking you… for saving me," she whispered. "I was abandoned by someone who.... admired me."
Julian raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do you want revenge?"
Clarissa was quiet for a moment, her fingers tightening around the edge of the blanket. "I don't know," she said softly. "Maybe I'm not the kind of person who thinks about revenge... or maybe I just don't want to."
Julian nodded slowly. "I do. I want revenge on Erwin's group."
Without even thinking, Clarissa looked up and said, "Then I'll help you."
She bit her lip nervously, then added in a softer, more embarrassed tone, "After all… I'm bound to you now, aren't I?"
Julian turned to her, his eyes warm, and suddenly wrapped his arms around her in a tight, unexpected hug.
Clarissa gasped, surprised. "W-What's wrong?"
Julian chuckled near her ear. "You're just… too cute. I'm starting to want to devour you all over again."
Her face turned crimson, and she whispered shyly, "If… that's what you want… then I don't mind…"
Julian laughed gently but shook his head. "Later," he said. "We've got bigger problems right now."
He tilted his head toward the door of the infirmary. Faint banging could be heard—the groaning of the undead, the rattling of the handle, the growing danger just outside.
"The number of zombies is increasing," Julian muttered. "Maybe all that noise we made lured them in."
Clarissa gave him a soft, embarrassed punch to the chest. "That's your fault for being so rough with me…"
Julian grinned as she kept lightly hitting him. "You're just too beautiful. Can you really blame me?"
Clarissa paused, her fists still against his chest.
She leaned into him and said, "You're unfair…"