Someone—anyone—please help me!
Nieza screamed inside her heart.
"…Kira," she whispered.
"KIRA RAINHARDDDD! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU IDIOT?!?!" Nieza shouted in panic.
Suddenly, the sound of a blade slicing through the air rang out from the entrance of Class 3-D. A massive knife—its size comparable to a chainsaw—shot forward and pierced straight into the giant zombie's body as it restrained Nieza. The force of the throw was tremendous, pushing the giant zombie back nearly three meters, almost out of the classroom.
The impact instantly loosened the elongated fingers binding Nieza. She fell lightly to the floor and struggled to steady herself.
Reacting with frightening speed, the giant zombie extended all the fingers of its hands, stabbing them into walls, floors—anything it could grab—to keep itself from being hurled out of Class 3-D. Every stretched finger clung desperately to the surroundings to counter the pressure of the embedded blade.
The giant zombie now stood dangerously close to the edge of the ruined classroom wall—barely thirty centimeters from the drop. One strong push would send it falling out.
Roaring in pain and fury, the monster searched for the one who dared stab it. Its gaze snapped toward the classroom entrance.
There, a young man in a fur jacket and blue jeans came running straight at it.
In one fluid motion, the man leaped and unleashed a flying kick directly at the hilt of the massive blade lodged in the zombie's abdomen.
It was Kira.
"HAH!"
Kira's powerful kick drove the blade deeper, punching clean through the giant zombie's body. The monster let out a deafening roar. Its fingers lost their strength, releasing their grip.
The giant zombie fell—from the third floor—down into Neopjevan School's sports field below.
Silence returned to Class 3-D after the chaos.
Realizing what had happened, Kira immediately ran to his partner.
"Nieza! Are you alright?" Kira asked anxiously.
"You're late! You're so annoying!" Nieza snapped, lightly pounding her fists against Kira's shoulder.
"Hey—ow! Sorry, sorry! On my way here from the rooftop, dozens of zombies kept getting in my way," Kira said while blocking her weak blows.
"Oh… I see," Nieza murmured. Her hands stopped. The fear on her face faded into calm the moment she saw Kira.
"Are you hurt anywhere? I can heal you," Kira said gently.
"N-No! I'm fine! Really! Thank you!" Nieza said hurriedly as she stood up and turned her back to him.
"…I-it looks like you've got new equipment," Nieza added nervously, glancing at Kira's feet. He was wearing black boots trimmed with white fur along the opening.
"Oh? You noticed?" Kira said lightly. "These are Valkyrie Boots—Aigis's Tier-Two equipment. They boost speed and kicking power. Pretty effective, I'd say."
"Hmph! If that's all, I'll definitely get something even better!" Nieza replied with a pout.
"Yeah. I believe you will," Kira said sincerely.
"There you go again… with those sweet words," Nieza muttered irritably.
"Huh?"
"Sir Kira. The Avenger-class Monster is still alive. It is located 108 meters southeast of our current position—on the school field," Aigis reported.
"…It's still alive? That giant zombie really is tough," Kira said as crimson flames spread across his body. He gripped both Valiant Blades, which materialized instantly near his hands.
"Nieza. Let's go," Kira said quietly.
Blue flames enveloped Nieza's body once more.
"Yeah. I'm ready!"
Kira and Nieza moved toward the massive hole in Class 3-D, looking down at the school field below.
The giant zombie was there—running while clutching its wounded abdomen, heading straight for Neopjevan School's front gate.
"It's escaping! Let's chase it!" Kira shouted as he jumped.
Nieza could only stare as her partner leaped from a height of over a hundred meters and landed smoothly on the ground below. The Valhalla Boots were clearly doing their job.
Seeing Kira sprint after the monster at incredible speed snapped Nieza back to reality. She immediately activated her levitation ability and shot forward, forming a blue fireball in her hands as she chased after the giant zombie.
"Sir Kira, Konets Sveta will end in two minutes," Aigis warned.
"Two minutes?!" Kira exclaimed.
In the middle of the chase, Nieza noticed several zombies emerging from the first floor of Neopjevan School. They were carrying the remaining zombie corpses and fleeing the premises.
"Kira! I see other zombies escaping the school!" Nieza shouted.
"So that's their strategy, huh? Then I'll bet everything on this final attack!" Kira said, hurling one of his Valiant Blades toward the fleeing giant zombie. The blade sliced through the air, rapidly closing the distance.
"Konets Sveta is ending, Sir Kira," Aigis announced.
Slowly, the dark sky above Neopjevan School brightened. The giant zombie mid-run reverted into a tall human man. The Valiant Blade Kira had thrown vanished like a dying flame.
Nieza was forced to land abruptly as her levitation ability faded away.
Everything returned to normal.
There were no zombies. No battle damage. No ruins.
Only panicked screams echoed through the school as people noticed several Neopjevan students afflicted with Apathy Syndrome.
Kira, who had continued the pursuit, was forced to stop when the man vanished from sight.
Gone—without a trace.