Location: Inside the Humvee - Moving towards the Takagi Estate
The Humvee roared down the bridge, crushing the skulls of the undead beneath its reinforced tires. Ren drove with one hand, his eyes scanning the road.
In the back, Saya Takagi was looking at Maggie, Andrea, and Amy with disbelief.
"Okay, stop," Takagi pushed her glasses up. "I can accept him," she pointed at Ren. "He's clearly... something else. Genetic engineering? Cyborg? Magic? Whatever. But you three..."
She looked at Amy, who was casually reloading a pistol.
"That drop was six meters. You landed on asphalt. You should have shattered your ankles. How are you not screaming in pain?"
Amy looked at Ren.
Ren watched the road, but he pulled up his interface. He had been hoarding points, and it was time to cash in to bridge the gap between his god-like stats and his harem's human limits.
[System Balance: 11,350 Points.] (10,000 from Governor + 1,350 rollover).
"I haven't been honest about our 'training regimen'," Ren said, glancing at Takagi in the mirror. "But since you're part of the crew now, I'll show you."
Ren focused on the System Shop. He needed to make his squad durable enough to survive the wars to come.
"System," Ren thought. "Purchase 'Squadron Link: Valkyrie Protocol (Tier 1)'."
[Item Purchased: Valkyrie Protocol (Tier 1).]
[Cost: 5,000 Points.]
[Effect: Grants all Party Members (Harem/Followers) a permanent +10 to Strength, Agility, and Vitality. Grants passive 'Impact Absorption' (Reduced fall damage/blunt trauma).]
"And let's spend the rest," Ren decided. "I need more control over my magnetism if I'm going to fight modern armies."
"Purchase 'Skill Upgrade: Electro-Magnetism (Level 2)'."
[Cost: 3,000 Points.]
[Effect: Finer control over metals. Can jam guns, pull pins on grenades remotely, and magnetize Titan Hardening.]
"Purchase 'Inventory: High-Frequency Blade (Murasame)' for Saeko."
[Cost: 2,000 Points.]
[Remaining Balance: 1,350 Points.]
Ren felt the points drain, and simultaneously, a wave of energy washed over the passengers in the Humvee.
Maggie gasped, flexing her hand. "Ren? What was that?"
"An upgrade," Ren said. "Takagi asked how you survived the fall? The truth is, my 'aura' protects my own. You're faster now. Tougher. You can take a hit that would kill a normal human."
He looked at Saeko.
"Busujima. Open the glove box."
Saeko opened it. Inside, instead of maps, lay a sword. But not a katana. A high-frequency blade, glowing with a faint red energy on the edge.
"A gift," Ren said. "It vibrates at a frequency that destabilizes molecular bonds. It can cut through a tank."
Saeko picked it up. Her eyes went wide. The weight was nonexistent. "It... hums."
"Use it wisely," Ren said.
Takagi slumped back in her seat. "Upgrades? Auras? Vibrating swords? I'm traveling with a video game character." She felt like her worldview is overturned but now she doesn't want to think.
"Best way to survive the apocalypse, genius," Ren smirked.He doesn't care if his secret is leaked because he is a simply too stong.
They reached the outskirts of the Takagi Estate. It was a fortress—high walls, electrified fences (powered by independent generators), and watchtowers.
The road was blocked by a massive steel gate and a line of cars. Armed men in nationalist uniforms stood guard.
"That's my house," Takagi said, her voice small. "My father... he's the leader of the local Nationalist party. He won't let strangers in."
"He'll let us in," Ren said. "Or I'll remove the gate."
Ren stopped the Humvee ten yards from the blockade.
A guard stepped forward, raising an assault rifle. "Halt! Private property! Turn around or we fire!"
Takagi leaned out the window. "It's me! Saya!"
The guard paused. "Miss Saya?"
"Let us in!"
"Open the gate!" the guard shouted to the tower.
The steel gates groaned open. Ren drove through.
The Courtyard of Wolves
The estate courtyard was filled with refugees, but they were segregated. The "useful" ones were working. The elderly and weak were huddled in a corner, looking fearful.
Souichiro Takagi, a broad-shouldered man with a katana at his hip and a stern, authoritarian face, stood on the main porch. Beside him was his wife, Yuriko, holding a sniper rifle.
Ren parked the Humvee. The group stepped out.
Ren's team looked like a special ops unit. Black gear, exotic weapons, perfect posture (thanks to the new Valkyrie Protocol stats).
Takagi ran to her mother. "Mom!"
Yuriko hugged her daughter, but Souichiro stared at Ren.
"You brought my daughter back," Souichiro said, his voice booming. "For that, you have my thanks. You may rest here for one night. Then, you leave. I do not tolerate armed groups on my land that I do not command."
Ren walked forward. He stood a head taller than Souichiro.
"I don't remember asking for permission to stay," Ren said calmly.
The guards—about thirty of them—tensed, hands drifting to their guns.
Souichiro's eyes narrowed. "Insolence. You are in the Wolf's Den, boy. Surrender your weapons."
"No," Ren said.
Souichiro drew his katana. It was a masterwork blade. "Then I will teach you respect. A duel. First blood. If you win, you stay on your terms. If I win, you serve me."
"Ren, don't!" Saya shouted. "He's a master swordsman!"
Ren looked at Saeko. "Saeko, you want this one?"
Saeko stepped forward, holding the Murasame. She looked at Souichiro—a man she respected as a fellow swordsman.
"No," Ren changed his mind. "He's too proud. He needs to be broken by a god, not a student."
Ren stepped forward, empty-handed.
"I accept," Ren said. "But put away the toothpick, old man. I'll use this."
Ren held out his hand.
[Titan Hardening: Partial.]
His right arm was instantly encased in white, crystalline armor. He formed the Warhammer—a massive, brutal maul made of Titan crystal.
The crowd gasped. Souichiro froze.
"What... is that?"
"The future," Ren said. "Come on."
The Duel
Souichiro was fast. He lunged, his katana aiming for the gaps in Ren's armor.
Clang.
Ren didn't dodge. He caught the blade with his armored forearm. The steel sparked against the Titan crystal.
Ren swung the hammer.
He held back 90% of his strength. Even so, the wind pressure from the swing knocked two guards over.
Souichiro ducked, sweat pouring down his face. This speed... this weight... it's impossible.
Souichiro tried a iaido strike—a rapid draw cut.
Ren activated Electro-Magnetism (Level 2).
Just as Souichiro swung, Ren magnetized his armor to repel the steel.
The katana veered off course, missing Ren entirely.
Ren swept his leg.
[Agility 25].
Souichiro hit the ground hard. Before he could rise, the head of the Titan Warhammer hovered inches from his face.
"Yield," Ren said.
Souichiro looked at the hammer. He looked at the glowing blue eyes of the man holding it. He realized he wasn't fighting a man. He was fighting a calamity.
"I yield," Souichiro gritted out.
Ren dissolved the hammer into steam.
"Good choice," Ren said. He offered a hand to pull the older man up.
"We need supplies," Ren listed. "Fuel. Food. Ammo. And I'm taking your bus."
"The bus?" Yuriko asked, stepping forward.
"I have a lot of passengers," Ren said, gesturing to his group. "And this Humvee is getting crowded."
That night, the Takagi Estate was safe, but tense.
Ren sat on the roof of the main house, looking at the moon.
Saeko joined him. She was cleaning the Murasame.
"You humiliated him," Saeko said.
"I humbled him," Ren corrected. "A leader who thinks he's invincible gets his people killed. Now he knows there are bigger fish."
"Ren," Saeko sat closer. "Where do we go after this? You mentioned a Kingdom."
"We have one more stop," Ren said. "A shopping mall near the airport. Then... we leave this world."
"Leave the world?" Saeko tilted her head.
"Literally," Ren said. "I'm taking you to a place where giants eat people. And I'm the King of the Giants."
Saeko smiled, that dangerous, lustful smile. "That sounds... entertaining."
[Harem Progress: Saeko Busujima (Submissive/Devoted).]
Ren stood up.
"Get the team ready. We leave at dawn. The EMP blast is coming tomorrow."
"EMP?"
"Nuclear detonation in the upper atmosphere," Ren explained casually. "All electronics will fry. That's why I wanted the Humvee. It's shielded. But this place?" He pointed to the electrified fences. "These go dark tomorrow. And then the horde comes."
"We should warn them," Saeko said.
"I just did," Ren said. "Whether they listen is up to them."
[Quest Generated: The Nuclear Exit.]
[Objective: Reach the Dimensional extraction point before the EMP strikes.]
[Time Limit: 12 Hours.]
Ren looked at his balance. 1,350 Points.
He was ready to go back to Attack on Titan. He had the skills. He had the gear. And now, he had the Valkyries.