Just as Durandal finished explaining the most crucial part, there was a knock at the door, and Connie stepped in.
"The security system's picked up something. Coordinates are in Zone A, Sector 13."
Connie entered holding an electronic map linked to Nagazora's security network.
Durandal took it, glanced over, and nodded. She then turned to Elysia.
"Let's wrap up the meeting here. I'll take Emile and Sakura to handle the zombie. You all stay here."
"If Connie reports a second zombie incident, you can lead Ato and Kevyn to deal with it directly. Also, keep the comms open at all times. We might get another incident before we even make it back."
"Understood!"
Elysia nodded, then stood up and planted a light kiss on Durandal's lips. "Stay safe, alright~?"
A faint blush colored Durandal's cheeks. She glanced at the others in the room and found everyone suddenly fascinated by either the ceiling, the floor, or the view outside the window.
She knew it was an act, but it still eased her slight embarrassment. She cleared her throat softly. "Ahem, you too."
With just a brief hug for Elysia, Durandal led Emile and Sakura out the door.
Just as the three of them were about to board the business van, a fully automated delivery robot pulled up.
The robot's eyes flashed red, and Durandal heard Vill-V's voice come through.
"Looks like I made it just in time."
Durandal walked over and opened the robot's cargo compartment. Inside were five sets of combat suits.
"Boss, you've got several sets of armor already, so I didn't make one for you."
"These five are just basic versions—they only offer some protection, but they'll be more than enough for dealing with zombies early on."
"I've tagged each suit with a name. Sizes are different, so don't grab the wrong one!"
Vill-V's explanation continued through the robot's comms.
Durandal picked out the two suits tagged for Emile and Sakura and tossed them to the pair. "Change into these in the back. I'll drive."
Although Durandal had a poor sense of direction and no driver's license in this world, the van had a navigation system to prevent getting lost.
Besides, these were extraordinary times—who cared about a license? With Nagazora's special transit permit displayed, no one would dare stop them.
Emile and Sakura didn't hesitate. Shedding their jackets in the back, they slipped into the protective combat suits.
Even though Vill-V called them basic, both the comfort and the level of protection, at least in Emile's view, were a clear step up from the standard-issue gear he'd used back in Fire Moth.
Weapons came with the suits as well.
Due to time constraints, the weapons were just modified versions of Fire Moth's standard-issue gear. Emile found his fairly easy to handle, but Sakura looked completely lost.
As an ordinary high school girl, she had some skill with a blade due to hobby and talent, but she'd never handled a gun before.
Durandal, who was driving, obviously noticed this.
After a moment's thought, she directly materialized the Holy Sword Durandal and passed it back to Sakura.
"Use this weapon for now. It's a Western-style sword, and you won't be able to tap into its full power, but it should feel more natural in your hands than that submachine gun. I'll have Vill-V forge a proper katana for you later."
"Thank you."
Sakura took the exquisitely crafted sacred sword. For some reason, it felt weighty in her hands, as if it carried many untold stories.
However, she didn't ask. She didn't know that the name 'Durandal' was intrinsically linked to this very sword.
She simply focused on familiarizing herself with the Western blade, thinking about how she could adapt her swordsmanship to wield it effectively.
Nagazora had already implemented traffic controls, restricting private vehicles.
Only buses and the subway were allowed to operate. Therefore, Durandal's drive to the incident location, guided by the navigation system, was completely unobstructed.
Coupled with the special transit permit on the van, she could speed without issue.
In less than ten minutes, Durandal arrived at the scene.
"Zone A, Sector 13. This is the place."
Parking haphazardly by the roadside, Durandal didn't immediately point out the zombie's location to Emile and Sakura.
Instead, she issued an order: "Now, you need to locate the zombie nearby and eliminate it. Time limit: five minutes. Move out!"
Hearing Durandal's command, Emile and Sakura instantly understood: their practical combat training had begun.
Exchanging a glance, they each chose a direction and began searching for the zombie's trail.
Durandal didn't wait idly in the van either.
She summoned her Bright Knight Battlesuit, donning the armor, and then ascended into the air. From her vantage point, she immediately spotted the zombie—right in the direction Sakura had chosen.
Hard to say if that was good luck or bad luck for Sakura.
Durandal kept a close watch on Sakura's progress and the zombie's movements, ready to intervene immediately if anything went wrong.
Of course, once the five minutes were up, she would act regardless of whether Sakura was in danger.
Sakura discovered the zombie not long after Durandal did.
Years of practicing kendo had given her a level of acute perception far beyond that of an ordinary person.
No subtle, unusual sound could escape her ears when she focused.
Perhaps this was also one of the reasons her ears had mutated after undergoing the Honkai Beast gene surgery.
After using her hearing to pinpoint the general direction of the strange noise, Sakura didn't rush in.
She slowed her breathing and her footsteps, just as she had done countless times in kendo practice, preparing to draw her blade.
Sakura originally practiced Iaido, which emphasized a single, decisive strike.
Later, she had studied video materials on the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style provided by Durandal. Now, her swordsmanship focused entirely on speed.
It was an extreme approach: if she couldn't resolve the threat with that one strike, the enemy would resolve her.
Perhaps in the future she would master more offensive and defensive techniques, but for now, she clearly had only one chance.
Closing her eyes to steady her breathing, Sakura suddenly snapped them open. She took a large step forward, clearing a low wall, and came face-to-face with the zombie, which had also detected her.
Confronted with the zombie's pallid face and the scythe it wielded, reminiscent of the Grim Reaper from myth, Sakura saw nothing at all.
In her mind, it made no difference whether the opponent was a zombie, a sparring partner, or even a practice post.
Gripping the sacred sword in her hands—skipping the act of drawing it from a sheath—she swiftly raised it overhead, her left hand shifting to join her right on the hilt.
In the same instant, she stepped forward with her right foot and brought the sword down in a vertical slash.
Thwump. Against the Holy Sword Durandal, the zombie's body offered as much resistance as tofu, instantly cleaved in two.
--+--