The sun was slowly setting in the distance.
But if you looked closely at that shining ball of light hanging in the sky, any person could tell that something was off.
Instead of the usual yellowish fire that had been cooking humanity for millions of years, this ball thingy looked like a radiant white light.
Like someone had swapped out the sun with a giant LED bulb.
It's just another small change across Earth that made everyone go "what the fuck is happening to our planet?"
*Vrooom!*
Out in the middle of the forest, a truck burst through the treeline.
Well, calling it a truck was being generous.
The upper half had been completely destroyed, looking like a giant can opener had gone to town on it.
Needless to say, it contained Nero and his merry band of monster hunters.
"Well, that was a fucking ride from hell."
Marcus grumbled and jumped down from what used to be the truck bed, brushing debris off his shoulders.
His enhancement abilities were slowly flickering in and out of his arms as if it's a light bulb having a seizure.
"At least we made it in one piece… Mostly."
Jin surveyed their destroyed transportation with the expression of someone who'd just watched their paycheck get shredded.
"The monsters are getting more aggressive the closer we get to the anomaly."
Sarah wiped sweat and soot from her forehead.
Her fire magic had been working overtime, turning every attacking creature into barbecue.
"Good thing Ms. Angel is here to handle the A-tier assholes that showed up."
Rebecca nodded toward the silver-haired angel who looked like she'd just taken a leisurely stroll instead of single-handedly massacring a pack of dire wolves.
"Those shadow bears would've turned us into human confetti without her."
Laura slung her bow over her shoulder, already scanning the treeline for more threats.
"We're almost at the small base where the anomaly is contained. It should be just over that ridge."
Jin pointed toward a hill covered in twisted trees that looked like nature's middle finger to the sky.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
They started walking, boots crunching on leaves that had turned weird colors since the apocalypse started.
Purple, silver, some that seemed to shift colors when you weren't looking directly at them.
"Lord Nero, do you sense anything unusual?"
Aurelia walked beside him, her golden eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.
"You mean besides the fact that everything wants to kill us and the sun looks like it's been replaced by a giant flashlight?"
"I was referring to immediate threats."
"My Greater Instincts aren't screaming yet, so we're probably fine for now."
*Crack!*
A branch snapped somewhere in the distance.
Everyone immediately tensed and reached for their weapons.
*Chirp! Chirp!*
A mutated bird the size of a chicken flew away, its three wings beating frantically.
"Jesus Christ, I almost torched a fucking bird."
Sarah lowered her hands, the flames around her fingers dissipating.
"Stay alert. We're entering the anomaly's influence zone."
Jin checked her map again, comparing it to the landscape around them.
"The closer we get, the weirder things around us are becoming… Just what the hell is going–"
*BOOM! CRASH!*
Suddenly, distant shouts and the sound of destruction echoed through the forest.
"What was that?!"
"That's coming from that direction!"
*WHOOSH!*
Without waiting for orders, the group broke into a sprint.
They charged up the ridge like their asses were on fire, weapons drawn and ready for whatever clusterfuck awaited them.
At the top, they could see smoke and fire rising from a small settlement below.
A bunch of makeshift buildings surrounded by a wooden fence that was currently being torn apart by monsters.
Lots of them.
It's the base of their destination.
And currently, everything around it is going south.
A little more push, and they would have no place to stay for tonight, let alone any person with lives intact to meet, of course.
"Fuck, they're being overrun!"
Sarah shouted with a hint of panic.
Through the chaos, Nero could see at least four people trying to fight back.
Behind them, another five people cowered in terror.
Kids, elderly folks, and civilians who looked like they'd rather be anywhere else on the planet.
"Move! Now!"
Jin barked orders as the group charged down the hill.
***
A small boy pressed himself against his mother's chest, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane.
The woman held him tight, her own body shaking as monsters crashed through their defenses.
"It's okay, Roon. Mommy's here."
Her voice cracked with fear, but she tried to sound brave for her son.
Around them, screams echoed as their makeshift walls crumbled.
The acrid smell of smoke and blood filled the air.
"Are we gonna die, Mommy?"
The boy's innocent question hit her like a punch to the gut.
Hot tears streamed down her face as she kissed the top of his head.
"No, baby. Someone will come help us. Mommy's sure of it."
But even as she said it, hope was slipping away like sand through her fingers.
*CRACK!*
Another section of their barrier splintered.
*ROAR!*
A shadow wolf leaped over their crumbling barricade, eyes glowing red and teeth dripping with saliva.
The thing looked hungry enough to eat a whole family for dinner.
Behind it, two more monsters pushed through the gap.
"AHHH!"
The woman screamed and pulled her son closer.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she realized this was it.
They were going to die in this little camp in the middle of nowhere.
Roon would never grow up, never go to school, never have a normal life.
All because the world decided to go completely insane.
"I'm sorry, baby… I'm so sorry."
She whispered desperately as the shadow wolf's muscles tensed for the killing leap.
When suddenly,
*SLASH!*
A silver light cut through the air like divine judgment.
The shadow wolf's head separated from its body in a spray of blood that painted the nearby wall red.
"Hey. You two okay?"
A laid-back male voice cut through the chaos like a knife through butter.
The boy looked up to see a lean man with dark hair and eyes that looked like they'd seen some shit.
But instead of the cold stare of someone who'd given up, there was warmth there.
Like he actually gave a damn about strangers.
"We're going to get you out of here safely, alright?"
Nero knelt down to the boy's eye level, his voice gentle but confident.
"Name's Nero. What's yours?"
"R-Roon."
"Cool name, Roon. You're going to be fine now."
*WHOOSH!*
Behind Nero, silver wings spread wide as Aurelia descended like an angel of death.
Her blade sang through the air, turning monsters into abstract art.
"Lord Nero, the perimeter is secure."
"Thanks. Keep them safe while we clean up the rest."
*BOOM!*
Sarah's fire magic turned three goblins into crispy critters.
*Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!*
Laura's arrows found their marks with surgical precision.
*CRACK!*
Rebecca manipulated the earth to create barriers and crush enemies.
Meanwhile Nero,
"Alright, fuckers. How about you eat blades instead of flesh?"
He confronted five B-tier monsters with a laid-back demeanor.
*WAPP!*
With an underhand slash, two of the monsters who were busy being shocked turned into sashimi slices.
*SLICE!*
*ROAAARR!!!*
The humanoid looking monster who was about to attack him from the back, was bisected into two by its waist.
"Too noisy."
*STAB!*
Its roar ended by eating the tip of the shortsword.
The last two aimed for a pincer attack.
*Hop!*
With a jump, Nero maneuvered his body, dodging the attacks with tight spaces.
*Slice! Slice!*
He then spun his body midair, easily decapitating the two into beef cubes.
*Thud…*
Landing on his feet, Nero rose with an easy aura, as if he didn't even break a sweat confronting multiple B-tier monsters.
The moves weren't that flashy but rather more practical… But nonetheless, bro was somehow aura farming with that look.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
Meanwhile, Marcus moved like a human wrecking ball, his enhanced fists turning monster skulls into pulp.
His eyes were occasionally glancing at Nero's work.
"Show off."
He muttered under his breath, though he had to admit that Nero made that look easy.
Roon watched with wide eyes as the group systematically destroyed every threat in sight.
These people fought like heroes from the stories his mom used to read him.
Strong, confident, and completely badass.
In less than 10 minutes, the entire monster horde had been reduced to bloody decorations.
"The area is clear."
Jin called out, wiping monster guts off her weapon.
"Everyone gather around! Let's get introductions out of the way."
The four surviving fighters approached, looking like they'd just survived a blender fight.
Three women and one man, but instead of broken survivors, they moved with grateful energy and surprising resilience.
"By the power of love and friendship, thank you for saving us!"
The first woman stepped forward with a dramatic flourish, literally sparkling as rainbow light seemed to dance around her.
She struck an elaborate magical girl pose, one hand on her hip and the other pointing skyward, her eyes shining with that trademark anime sparkle effect.
Despite having just survived a monster attack, she looked ready to deliver a speech about the triumph of good over evil.
"I'm Yuki Kazuri! With your help, we've achieved a miraculous victory against the forces of darkness!"
She did a little twirl, her hair flowing like she was in a transformation sequence.
'What the actual fuck...'
Nero's brain started short-circuiting as he watched a grown woman unironically act like a magical girl from the 90s anime series…
"Ara ara~ Such strong and capable young people came to help us."
The second woman approached with a gentle, motherly smile that radiated pure maternal warmth.
She moved with that distinctly graceful "ideal mother" energy, hands clasped softly in front of her as she gazed at them with fond, caring eyes.
Her voice carried that signature "ara ara" tone that made her sound like she wanted to pinch everyone's cheeks and feed them homemade cookies.
"I'm Haori Naguya. You must be tired after fighting so hard. Shall I make you some tea? You've been such good children."
'She's treating us like we're her kids... and why does this feel weirdly comforting?'
Nero felt an inexplicable urge to accept head pats and snacks.
"Tch! Those monsters were totally weak sauce!"
The third woman crossed her arms and turned her head slightly, doing that classic tsundere pose.
She had spiky, messy hair and moved with aggressive confidence, like she was ready to challenge anyone to a fight at any moment.
Her entire demeanor screamed "tomboyish anime protagonist who secretly has a soft side."
"I'm Mina Shizuure! I could've handled those losers myself, but... I guess you guys did okay too."
She kicked a pebble while trying to look nonchalant, clearly embarrassed about needing help.
'Is she... is she actually blushing while pretending to be tough? What is happening here?'
"Fascinating. Based on your combat efficiency and tactical approach, I calculate your group's power level to be approximately 300% above the baseline survivor average."
The man stepped forward, adjusting invisible glasses while speaking in that distinctly analytical tone.
He had neat hair and carried himself with the confident air of someone who'd memorized every strategy guide ever written.
His entire presence screamed "genius strategist character who overanalyzes everything."
"I'm Juno Naguya. According to my calculations, your arrival timing had a 0.03% probability of occurring naturally, suggesting either exceptional luck or divine intervention. Most intriguing."
'Did... did he just try to calculate the probability of us showing up? Are these people for real?'
Nero felt like he'd been dropped into the middle of an anime convention where everyone was method acting their favorite character types.
Nero nodded at each introduction, filing away their names and roles.
'But their names… Why are they all Japanese?'
Nero even thought they were bogus or alias… or maybe these guys were crazy and have 8th graders syndrome…
But upon closer inspection, they all have eastern features.
And when his eyes landed on Haori again, something clicked in his brain.
… The facial structure, the way she carried herself, even her voice.
Now that he thought about it… they do have the same last name…
But looking upon closer inspection, this woman looked like Yui's older sister rather than her mother.
She had the same bright eyes, the same delicate bone structure, but where Yui carried herself with nervous energy, Haori radiated that almost otherworldly confidence of someone who belonged in a slice of life shoujo anime series…
The woman standing in front of him looked like she should be worrying about her love life, not raising a daughter in the apocalypse…
Needless to say, the people in front of him… were all giving him the same youthful energies.
'No shit…'
And so he asked,
"... Wait, do you perhaps know Yui? Yui Naguya?" He paused, still processing their youthful appearances.
"Don't tell me… you're her mother, right?"
Nero felt insane if they confirmed that, and well…
"Ara ara~? You know our little Yui-chan?"
Haori's motherly smile widened with a bit of shock as she practically radiated maternal energy of worry and concern.
Her voice took on that impossibly gentle tone that made everyone want to confess their problems and accept warm hugs.
"That dear child... Have you perhaps seen her? If so, she must be with Kaito-kun and Haru-kun, right? Tell me, are they doing fine?"
She moved closer with that graceful "concerned mother" approach, looking ready to start fussing over everyone's health.
"No fucking way…"
Nero felt his eyes widened in disbelief.
'... Also why do I suddenly want to tell her about all my problems and ask for life advice?'
Meanwhile,
"OH MY GOSH! The power of destiny has brought us together! This must be fate!"
Yuki's eyes exploded with sparkles as she struck an even more dramatic pose.
She literally glowed with rainbow energy while spinning in place.
"Do you know my precious Kaito?! Please tell me he's been eating his vegetables and training his body to become stronger! The bonds of family transcend all obstacles!"
'She's... she's actually glowing. How is she glowing?! And why is there background music?!'
Nero could swear he heard faint magical girl theme music coming from nowhere.
"Tch! So you know that idiot Haru, huh?"
Mina crossed her arms and looked away, doing that classic anime tsundere head-turn.
"I-It's not like I'm worried about him or anything! But if he's been causing trouble for you guys, just say the word and I'll kick his ass when I see him!"
Her cheeks were definitely pink now, and she was fidgeting like she wanted to punch something out of embarrassment.
'... She's actually blushing while threatening to beat up her own son. This is surreal.'
"Interesting. The statistical probability of encountering individuals connected to our offspring in this vast post-apocalyptic landscape is approximately 0.0001%."
Juno adjusted his invisible glasses again, his brain clearly running calculations at light speed.
"This suggests either: A) Extraordinary coincidence, B) Subconscious navigation patterns influenced by familial bonds, or C) Narrative convenience typical of manga plot structures."
He paused dramatically.
"Given the current reality parameters, option C seems most likely. Fascinating."
'Did... did he just break the fourth wall? Are these people aware they're acting like anime characters?'
Nero felt his grip on reality loosening as he stared at this bizarre family that seemed to have collectively decided that acting like anime archetypes was totally normal behavior.
'They have severe cases of 8th grader syndrome…'
It's quite a surprise the trio would be happy about… or not.
***
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