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POV Isao Tsumugi
I landed on the ground with a faint crunch as I stepped out of the Humvee. Other vehicles began pulling up at a distance behind me, and people started filing out.
At the same time, I scanned our surroundings. My gut was telling me there was no way in hell we were staying here for just a day, as we had originally planned back at the Takagi Estate.
It's just damn well impossible! We're going to have to hunker down here for a few days, if not a week. As I was driving here, I remembered one thing...
It's not going to be easy to just waltz into the Port, hop on a ferry, and sail straight to the island—not if what the System said this morning is real. And I don't doubt the truth of its words for a second, considering we already encountered a mutated zombie that flipped a passenger car like it was nothing and nearly killed the people inside. If it wasn't for Yuriko, they'd be dead. This means there will be several, if not a dozen, mutated zombies in that damn port.
And that's not even mentioning the School full of kids and others, or the Airport, which also has people—less than half of whom are military—who might just tell me to go screw myself.
So, I think staying in the Shopping Mall for at least a few days is a solid choice. I wouldn't have dared to do it if it weren't for what my own eyes... well, okay, what the eyes of my Crow witnessed regarding just how powerful Yuriko's ability is. It allows me to leave her here to protect everyone while I head to the School. As for the Airport, I'll need to send my Crow... hm, I don't want to just call him "Crow" anymore.
Using my mental link, I connected with the Crow soaring above us and gave him a name: Corvus! Yes, yes! A simple name, but very fitting. Heh-heh. Feeling a sensation from Corvus that felt suspiciously like a mental eye-roll, I watched as the men gathered in front of me. I caught Takuzo's eye and beckoned him over with a wave while the men continued to form up into ranks.
Takuzo ran over quickly. I could see by his face that he already sensed what kind of task I was about to give him.
"Yes, Isao-san?" He stood before me, holding his bat at his hip and giving a slight nod.
"Listen, Takuzo. Build walls around this specific parking zone. Make them two meters high, and it would be great if they were thick. Got it?" I gave him the task, and just as I was about to send him off to work, I remembered something else. "And also, afterward—you know there are three main entrances here, including this one?"
"Yes, Isao-san. I take it I should close off the other two?" He tilted his head slightly, questioning me.
"Exactly!" I nodded with a wide grin. "By the time you're done here, there will be people stationed at the east and west entrances, so don't worry. Now go, shoo-shoo, work doesn't wait!" The boy smiled carefreely and ran toward the mall to start his job. Meanwhile, I sighed and looked at all the men standing before me.
"Break into groups of four! Then, have one team go to each exit of the mall and block them, while the rest of you thoroughly sweep the entire shopping center to clear it of zombies and find any survivors if there are any!" The men all struck their chests with their fists and marched toward the mall in unison. I was confident they'd be fine, considering I didn't sense any zombie life-force signatures, though there were about a dozen human signatures inside, maybe a few more.
Most of the non-combatants—the ordinary people—got out of the cars and gathered in their respective groups. They talked quietly among themselves, watching Takuzo perform his work, creating walls out of asphalt, soil, and whatever else was in the ground.
Overall, it was surprising. Everyone was relaxed and calm. People didn't look like they were in the middle of an apocalypse... they were just being themselves, as if nothing bad could happen to them. It was strange, to be honest.
"This is all thanks to you, Isao-sama." Beside me, I heard Oegi's voice. It was the voice of a man who deeply believed in and revered the person he was addressing. I turned to see his eyes filled with worship. "These people know you will protect and guard them. And the especially loyal ones will be gifted with abilities like some of us have. That is why they are so calm. Who wouldn't be, knowing that a God walks among them as their protector?" He smiled as he looked at me.
Honestly... I knew his words were true. Soon enough, I'll cease to be human. Once I gain a strong enough Trait or Ability, I'll be on par with semi-mythical characters. Hell, Creation and Metal Control alone already make me that!
I just don't feel great about it. I never expected something like this to happen; my mind just couldn't prepare for such unexpected events. And yeah... honestly, I'm still clinging to my moral values. Anyone else in my position would have already started doing whatever it took to get more Gacha tickets, but... it's just damn hard!
You can't just start doing whatever comes into your head in an instant! It's impossible to just toss aside all your moral values like trash for the sake of more power... but I need more power.
And that was exactly what made me feel like I was at a crossroads. On one side was the fact that I had to throw away most of my morality, and on the other, the necessity for strength. After all, in just two days, two mutated zombies have already appeared! What the hell will happen if not just humans, but animals and every other creature gets infected with the zombie virus and starts mutating?
All the weak people will start dying—men, women, the elderly, old ladies, children, and infants will die if even one thing goes wrong. To prevent that, I have to stop thinking like a human, because those thoughts limit me like heavy chains dragging a person into the depths of the ocean.
"...Thanks for the kind words, Oegi." I nodded to him, and his eyes shone at my words.
"You are welcome, my Lord. I merely pointed out the obvious." He finished and looked like he wanted to continue the conversation, but Yuriko approached us. Her husband was nowhere to be seen—likely went into the mall to set things up. Takashi and the other guys weren't on the parking lot either, which meant they had gone inside too.
"What are our further actions, Isao-san?" Yuriko tried her best to hide the excitement in her voice, but I could still catch it. It was clearly very difficult for her to hide that thrill—who wouldn't be excited after receiving a destructive ability like hers?
Her question was the right one. What are our next steps?
"Plans are shifting slightly. We'll have to stay here for at least a week." Now that I knew Mutated Zombies wouldn't be that much of a problem, I wasn't as afraid of everyone here dying. "We need to get people out of one location, and even more people from another." From her confused expression, I realized she had no idea which locations I was talking about, so I decided to tell her about the School where Rei's father is, and the Airport with Shizuka's friend. "Rei's mother said there's an evacuation point in the city that the police set up at the Elementary School, not to mention another point at the Tokonosu International Airport outside the city." Her eyes turned thoughtful, and she seemed to come to a few conclusions of her own.
"...And there are also zombies around the Port and on the Island as well." She looked at me with an expression that said she finally grasped the full scale of the problem.
"Yeah. So we're going to have a lot of tedious problems that will take a lot of time to solve." She nodded, and for a moment, we both just stood there watching the people interact.
"..." Yuriko hesitated slightly. It was obvious she wanted to ask me for something, so I just turned my head toward her.
"Do you have a request?" It's best to hear what she wants. Any ideas, especially from an experienced woman like her—who was likely her husband's right hand—are valuable.
"..." She sighed and turned to look at me. I could see her gathering her resolve, and when she finally did, her eyes lit up. "Yes. I would like to ask you to awaken the powers of even more people. I know it might sound dangerous, as you still might not trust my people, but the more people with powers, the better the chance of safety in the short term. And in the future, I'm sure you'll be able to take the powers back..." Toward the end, I saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, as if she feared I might take her powers away just for making the suggestion. It made me feel a bit awkward.
The thing is, I wasn't even sure I could take their powers back. Gacha?
[The User cannot take back an Ability and Trait awakened in others through the Gacha.]
[While you are the conduit, the individuals are the masters of their own powers.]
[The User will only be able to "take" or "block" the Abilities and Traits of others if they obtain an Ability or Skill that specifically allows for it.]
Just as I thought. I can't take their powers for myself. Generally... it wasn't too problematic. Even if someone awakened a power that was too strong, they couldn't do anything harmful to me.
But to others...? Power can go to people's heads; they might start asserting dominance and bullying others, which isn't exactly a great turn of events... but right now? I don't give a damn.
I just don't care. The most important thing right now is for all of us to reach that damn island easily and finally start recovering properly. I can't risk the lives of a huge number of children and adults just because of the "possibility" that people might use their powers to humiliate others... because if they start doing that, I'll just kill them.
No exile like I did with those two bastards from the bus who were worshipping Shido—they're probably dead somewhere by now anyway. Only execution for anyone who thinks they are above other people, and me by extension.
"Fine." She lifted her head, which she had lowered to look at the ground while I was thinking. "I agree to give Abilities to only five people of your choosing. Choose only those who will be unconditionally loyal to you... and consequently, to me." Her dilated pupils stared straight into mine through her glasses. She was silent for a moment, then bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Isao-sama." She almost shouted it, and many people looked our way because of how loud she was, making me sigh wearily.
"Alright, alright..." I waved the back of my hand at her, telling her to go about her business. I looked around and noticed that the entire parking area was now enclosed by walls. No entrance, no exit. It was the right move.
To get out, I'll just break the walls, and Takuzo will build them back up. Yeah... it sounds a bit "out there," but who the hell cares?
"Isao-san, I've finished the task you gave me. Is there anything else I should do?" Takuzo gave me a salute, trying to keep his back straight even though he looked a bit winded. Sweat was trickling down his forehead and neck.
Yeah, it's harder for other people to use their powers due to low stamina and "energy" capacity. Yes, I should study this energy more deeply, but not right now.
"Yes, Takuzo. Go into the shopping mall. There are three more main entrances there; you must close them off completely." After my words, he sighed but nodded and trudged toward the mall. I watched him until he was a fair distance away, then I sighed myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my mother looking my way. Seeing her, I smiled and started walking toward her.
As I walked, I saw Takashi looking at me while Hisashi stood nearby. Rei and her mother were discussing something. Yuuki Miku was there with Saki Yoshida; the former was looking at me like a piece of meat, while the latter had eyes full of absolute worship, as if I were a Living Deity. I sighed and kept walking toward Mom and my little sister, who was standing next to her with a swaying tail.
"Isao-chan..." Mom started to speak, but I just hugged her, breathing in her scent, feeling just how exhausted she was.
The energy in her—a different energy than Life Energy—was slowly replenishing, but the recovery rate was too slow compared to mine, and that's what bothered me.
I realized once again that my Traits and Abilities were many times stronger than those of other people, not to mention that my amount of Life Energy was dozens of times greater than that of anyone else I had awakened.
"I'm glad you're both okay..." My arms tightened around her. After a few long minutes, I felt her arms around me too, hugging me back just as tightly.
"I'm glad you're okay too... I was still worried, even though I was sure you'd be fine." Her quiet, warm voice was a release—so incredibly cozy that it was just nice to hug her with all my heart.
We stood like that for at least a full minute until I felt her pat my back and slowly release her embrace, letting me go.
"There, there, Isao. You're not a little boy anymore to be clinging to me like that." She smiled at me with that warm smile of hers, making me feel at peace.
"Sorry, I just... it's like I switched off my worry about your condition once I saw you were okay, but once we finally arrived and I saw you, Mom, all those feelings just hit me like a truck going full speed." Chuckling slightly, I scratched my head and looked away, catching Kimoto's indifferent gaze, her eyes narrowed like a cat's. "Uh..."
"Hm..." She squinted slightly, then huffed and walked over to me with an indifferent expression. "So, what are we going to do, Ani?"
"What do you mean?" I didn't get the point of her question, and I felt awkward because I had ignored her instead of pulling her into the hug too. I froze up a bit.
"I mean, are we staying here like you told Yuriko-san? Or are we doing something else?" Her cat ears on her head flickered a few times, letting me know she had definitely heard everything I discussed with Yuriko, which made me sigh.
"Yes, we'll have to stay here for a while. Possibly even a whole week." Kimoto stared into space, thinking about something, then sighed tiredly. She flicked her tail and walked off somewhere. Mom and I could only watch her go, as it was clear Kimoto didn't really want to talk right now.
"Eh, she seems offended by me..." Mom looked at me and just shrugged, as if to say, well, yeah, that was obvious.
We stood there for a while until I saw Yuriko come out of the Shopping Mall and head toward me, accompanied by her husband.
Judging by the fact that Souichiro didn't look out of breath, there weren't too many zombies in the mall—perhaps there weren't any at all.
[Establish a Safe Zone within the Mall.]
[Silver Ticket.]
Well, at least thanks for the ticket. Now, what am I going to get out of it?
[Nichirin Ingots]
|Common Item|
Demon Slayer - Ingots made of Scarlet Ore that have absorbed a lot of natural sunlight and changed in composition. Nichirin is a very durable metal that has anti-demon properties and amplifies the power of Fire-based abilities, and is capable of reaching extreme temperatures without deforming. You get 3 5kg ingots. Restock timer: 120 Hours.
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Not exactly impressive… although… wait. For a split second, I actually thought zombies might fall under the "Anti-demon" category, but then I remembered that zombies are more like undead… but hold on, aren't the Demons from Demon Slayer basically just some kind of advanced undead anyway?
Whatever, setting that aside, weapons made from these ingots will still be useful. I just need to learn how to use them properly.
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