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That hundred meters vanished in an instant.
The Lickers' exposed brains twitched and pulsed. Blinded by the virus mutation, they relied on hyper-sensitive hearing instead.
Each one had a tiny electronic chip embedded dead-center in its brain—Umbrella's way of controlling them and eliminating their sensory weaknesses.
The first Licker lunged at her, but with her enhanced senses, Saeko could smell the coppery tang of rotting blood in the air and feel the faintest ripple of disturbed wind against her skin.
The heavy Murata blade in her hand felt light as a feather.
She swung for its whipping tongue.
The hum of steel slicing air was clear and sharp.
The katana severed the tongue clean through.
Black-red blood sprayed. Saeko twisted aside to avoid it.
The Licker shrieked, its brain pulsing violently. Saeko didn't waste the opening—her blade flashed, splitting its head in two.
The other two were already scrambling toward her, but she didn't panic.
After that quick kill, she knew their raw combat power wasn't as high as it looked. Fast, sure—but she was faster.
Every stroke of her blade cut through claws and corded muscle as if it were nothing more than soft butter.
The air grew thick with the metallic stench of blood.
Nearby zombies, drawn by the noise and smell, began to swarm, groaning as they closed in.
Saeko didn't slow down. She dove into the horde, each swing taking a head.
She even eased her pace, savoring the jolt that traveled up the blade into her grip with every cut.
The serum had strengthened her body and mind—and reawakened her long-buried thirst for battle.
But then, piercing through the carnage, came several screams from the direction of the shelter.
Saeko Busujima snapped fully awake.
The Lickers were going after her comrades.
There was no time for regret. Drawing on strength far beyond human limits, she launched herself forward, racing back toward the shelter.
But right then—
A ping from the group chat stole a sliver of her focus.
[Group Message: A member has accepted a mission. Do you agree to let the following members enter your world?]
[Member "Shut-in Angel" requests entry to your world]
[Member "Blizzard of Hell" requests entry to your world]
[Member "Old Mage" requests entry to your world]
[Member "Shepherd" requests entry to your world]
The string of prompts left Saeko blinking for a moment.
Then, without hesitation, she approved them all.
In the blink of an eye, a shimmering portal of pale blue opened before her. Saeko's eyes widened as several unfamiliar figures stepped through.
The first was a girl in a school uniform, her silky blonde hair flowing like sunlight down to her waist. With her fair skin and clear eyes, she looked like something out of a myth—an angel. No, scratch that. She was an angel.
"So this is another world? Feels just like booting up a VR game!" she chirped.
Next came a tall, black-haired woman with a mature figure that was the opposite of the angelic girl's youthful charm. She wore a long dark green dress paired with thigh-high heeled boots, her pale skin framed by a pearl necklace that only added to her poised elegance.
"The situation looks grim. Guess it's time to work."
With a wave of her hand, a burst of telekinetic force hurled the zombies swarming around them dozens of meters away.
"Much better," Fubuki muttered.
The third figure emerged: an elf woman with long, snow-white hair tied into twin tails by ribbons. Her blue-green eyes were calm, but up close one could see subtle rings of shifting color—red, blue, green, yellow—blended in her irises.
She wore a white mage's robe trimmed with gold and sturdy brown boots, holding a staff tipped with a ruby orb in one hand, a small suitcase in the other.
"So this is another world... it's nothing like the towns I've visited before," Frieren said, shielding her eyes from the sun as her pointed ears twitched faintly.
Finally, the last arrival stepped out: a black-haired young man in casual clothes. Rosen stood tall on the ruined street of Tokonosu, sweeping the area with sharp eyes before a faint smile touched his lips.
"..."
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