"Major Shuzo, are you alright?"
A few Marines in their navy vests ran up to Shuzo, their faces filled with worry.
They had just finished dealing with the strange zombies and rushed over. Fortunately, while those monsters had uncharacteristic agility, they weren't particularly strong on their own and lacked intelligence, so the Marines easily defeated them with a little strategy.
"I'm fine, but what about Zephyr-sensei…"
Hearing Shuzo's words, the Marines who had just arrived looked toward Zephyr. From their angle, they could just make out Alucard standing in front of Zephyr, who was lying on his back, seemingly waiting for something.
"Ugh… Ugh… AARGH…"
Zephyr let out a low groan of pain. The hole in his head was gradually healing, but the problem now wasn't just the bullet hole—it was his entire body.
In his final desperate struggle, he had bitten Alucard's elbow and drank his blood. Instead of turning into a ghoul, he had been infected with the Blacklight Virus.
There were two states after the initial infection of the Blacklight Virus: one was to be
immediately devoured by the virus and die. The second was for the body's wounds to heal and regenerate. As long as the body wasn't completely pulverized or the heart severely damaged, it could recover.
Clearly, Zephyr had survived, entering the second state.
But his body began to undergo a distinct change. After his wounds healed, his veins started to burst conspicuously, not with a blue color but a deep red. His muscles swelled, expanding his already muscular frame.
"This guy… he just might…"
Alucard observed Zephyr. Although his reaction was similar to that of the animals he had infected in the past with Shiki, Alucard had a feeling this result would be different.
But no matter if it succeeded or failed, once infected, he would immediately become a monster that knew nothing but destruction, regardless of friend or foe. It would be best to move away and see what kind of show would unfold.
With that thought, Alucard vanished from his spot, instantly reappearing on a stone wall about half a mile away.
Shuzo and the other Marines heard Zephyr's pained groans. Worried about his Sensei, Shuzo quickly waved his hand. "Damn it… that cursed pirate broke my bones, and I can't move. You guys, hurry and see if Zephyr-sensei is alright!"
The five or six Marines, hearing this, quickly ran to Zephyr's side. Although they were intimidated by his demonic aura, Zephyr was truly beloved by his students. One of them asked, "Zephyr-sensei! Zephyr-sensei! Are you okay?"
"Are you still alive?! Huh?! Zephyr-sensei! AARGH…"
Suddenly, Zephyr reached out and grabbed the Marine who was speaking. Before everyone's eyes, he threw the man aside. He slammed into a stone wall a hundred meters away, his head bleeding profusely. His fate was unknown!
Shuzo and the other Marines, their nostrils flaring, were so shocked they didn't know what to do.
While Zephyr had used physical punishment on his students during training, it was just "punishment," never "harm."
But what Zephyr had just done was clearly an attempt to kill that Marine! "Ze… Zephyr-sensei… what, what happened to you…"
Another Marine asked with a trembling voice, but before he could finish, Zephyr's body, which was now much larger than before, stood up. He swung his thick arm, sweeping away the other Marines around him.
The Marines who were hit flew into walls and trees before sliding to the ground, either dead or gravely injured!
Shuzo and the others who stayed behind finally got a clear look at Zephyr. His red skin was riddled with bursting red veins. His muscles were swollen beyond description. His purple crew- cut hair now stood up like a crown, and even more shockingly, his eyes had lost their pupils and focus, completely filled with a blood-red color, looking like a wrathful king from hell.
"Wheeew~"
Alucard whistled and laughed. "An Admiral who won't kill… the first person he kills is his own student. If you still had your senses and found out about this, what would you think?"
Zephyr was a different type of infected compared to the ghoulish monsters Alucard had seen before, one who largely maintained a human form. This was the first time Alucard had seen this. It was likely due to complex cellular factors or because Zephyr was the strongest infected person he had ever created.
It seemed, however, that Zephyr couldn't escape the fate of losing control. He would continue to kill until someone put him down for good.
Alucard looked around and suddenly remembered that Sakazuki had been carried away for treatment after taking two hits from Zephyr and one from himself. He had been curious to see what would happen if Sakazuki had been here.
"What… what do we do, Major Shuzo? Zephyr-sensei… he looks like that…" The Marines panicked at the sight of Zephyr.
Although they had just seen Zephyr instantly kill several Marines, normally, they would have been ordered to arrest or even kill him on sight. But this was Zephyr! The top military power in the Marines, their respected Sensei! How could they possibly do such a thing?
"What did that bastard Alucard do to Zephyr-sensei?!" Shuzo snarled. Even a fool could tell that Alucard was behind this.
"Retreat for now! We'll gather our forces and stop Zephyr later…" WHOOSH!
Just as Shuzo was about to give the order to retreat, a dark shadow blocked their way. The other Marines were so frightened their jaws dropped. Shuzo mechanically turned his head and looked ahead, seeing the infected Zephyr glaring at them with his blood-red eyes.
"Ze… Zephyr-sensei… a…" BOOM!!!
Shuzo said with difficulty, but the only answer they got was a heavy punch from Zephyr.