A passionate time ended.
The man walked out of the room. Imposing.
Anne remained lying on the bed.
The people around looked at him.
Respect, fear, jealousy.
All feelings flashed across the people's faces.
Clearly, it was not a group held by loyalty.
But by fear of power. Fear of the iron fist.
And mutual benefits.
"BROTHERS!"
He roared.
An ecstatic smile crept up his face,
"The military is here!"
The people around stood up and directed their attention at him.
"Isn't this an opportunity to earn well?"
The room erupted in cheers.
"Gather all the brothers! Time to earn our meals!"
"YEAAAAHHH!"
"Let's go!"
"Some action!"
Excited roar tore the air.
A scene unlike any before.
A scene of not people crushed by the apocalypse.
But of men freed from the oppression of society. Fred from the chains of rules.
Barbarians.
Free. Unrestrained.
Only one rule, the iron fist.
Survival of the strongest.
Men rushed out of the building.
They called on their brothers.
Men stormed in.
Soon, the room overflowed with people.
More than a hundred people.
Everyone stood, waiting for their leader's words.
"I FERRON!"
The man roared.
"WILL LEAD YOU TO GLORY! WILL LEAD YOU TO VICTORY!"
The crowd erupted.
"Brothers! Let's tail the military! Help them in need! And then take advantage of them! Let's earn our bread. And search for women while we are at it!"
The cheers shook the building.
Ferron grabbed a massive sword from behind the throne.
He raised it above his head.
He was at the top of the world.
Above everyone, under no one.
The men geared up.
Swords. Spears. Hammers! Axes.
They had an abundance of war gear.
Their morale skyrocketed.
Under his leadership, they departed.
.
.
.
The thousands of zombies dissipated.
Only a few dozen remained, wandering around mindlessly.
A few hours passed.
The group ate, hydrated, and rested.
Silence ruled over the room.
Heavy silence.
A calm before the storm.
The commander carefully observed a man.
Bullets piled before him.
Sweat drenched his face.
He placed his palms on a pack of 30 bullets.
His hands glowed.
And when the light dissipated, he revealed the object.
60 bullets.
He multiplied the bullets.
Thud!
His body fell backward.
Exhaustion took over him.
His chest went up and down. Breathing shallow.
He produced hundreds of bullets.
The commander glanced at his watch.
"Prepare. We'll depart soon."
He broke the silence and glanced at Lucian.
Sweat covered his face.
He still kept the barrier blocking the entrance.
It exhausted him.
But he barely showed a weakness.
A young man, sitting on the ground, trembled.
He trembled in fury.
"What gives you the right?"
He burst.
Unable to bear it anymore.
"Who do you think you are! You force others to labor? And in his exhaustion, you want to march out? Do you want him to die!!"
He pointed at the exhausted young man.
The man who multiplied bullets.
"You are toying with our lives. People died because of you!! YOU ARE INCOMPETENT!"
The soldiers grew restless.
Anger flashed within their eyes.
"YOU!"
But the commander raised his hand.
The soldiers stopped.
A deep frown formed on the commander's face.
'I can't have internal conflict now,'
But the common people did nothing.
The reckless young man spoke what lay on everyone's mind.
"Young man, any complaints you have, you can take them to your superior. But only after the mission ends."
"After it ends?!!"
The young man roared.
"Will we be alive by then? Can you protect us? Can you lead us with your incompetence!"
"That's right!"
"Will we survive?"
The others supported the little rebellion.
Whispers spread among them.
'The group is splitting.'
Urgency filled the commander's heart.
His face flashed cold.
"Abandon the mission! Let us go back!"
The young man demanded boldly.
The people around him supported him.
Murderous intent flashed in the commander's eyes.
His eyes flashed red.
The air grew heavy.
The young man instantly understood.
He crossed a line.
"Young man, do you know what you are doing? Are you aware of the words escaping your lips? This mission must continue. It is directly linked to our future."
The commander walked closer.
Fear struck the young man's heart.
He instantly regretted.
He involuntarily took a step back.
But it was too crowded.
He had nowhere to go.
"We gave you a choice. You decided to join the military on your own. You were aware of the dangers. Now that the difficulties have come, you want to leave? Impossible!"
Cracckle!
Lightning tore the air.
The young man panicked.
He attacked.
Cracckle-pufff!
The lighting blasted like fireworks.
It hit an invisible barrier before the commander.
Swoosh!
The air trembled.
"AGHHH!"
The young man's body stiffened.
Something pressed on his body from all four sides.
Invisible barriers.
His body was in anguish.
He felt it would burst.
Lucian took action.
The commander glanced at him and nodded.
Lucian knew.
At this time, the people must stay united.
The dangers haven't even started.
If they were not united, only death awaited them.
"I-I'm sorry..."
Tears streamed down the young man's face.
He barely spoke.
Breaths grew shallow.
Air was running out from within the barriers.
"Today, I warn you once. There won't be a second time. Once you board the boat, you can't leave."
The commander looked around the people.
The supporters lowered their heads.
Their bodies trembled.
Not daring to look up.
"If anyone escapes today, treat them as deserters. Kill on the spot!"
The command echoed in the room.
"Depart! NOW!"
The people stood up.
The barriers surrounding the man disappeared.
He fell on his knees.
Gasping for air.
But no one paid him attention.
He was betrayed by the people he stood up for.
Anger rooted in his heart.
He loathed them!
In his heart, he swore revenge.
Two soldiers supported the man who multiplied bullets.
The commander walked to Lucian.
"Thank you,"
He whispered.
Lucian nodded.
Swish!
The barrier fell.
"Remember, don't use the guns. Take care of the zombies quietly. That way, we can move longer without encountering a siege like before."
"Yes,"
They replied in unison.
The commander tightened the group around his axe.
Swoosh!
And charged out.
He led.
Splash!
A head split open.
Black brain matter splattered around.
The commander didn't hesitate.
He cleared the way.
They continued moving.
But unbeknownst to them, a group observed them from a distance.
Ready to take action.
Waiting for an opportunity.
.
.
.
The hours passed.
The group moved relentlessly.
They cut zombies.
But they didn't encounter a situation like before.
They didn't use guns.
So they didn't attract a massive number of zombies.
They still faced hundreds of zombies.
But they eat with them.
With the failure from before as a lesson, they used their abilities carefully.
They learned.
They combined.
They grew through battle.
"Clear out the remaining zombies and focus on finding a shelter."
The commander ordered.
The skies darkened.
They were already deep into the city.
It's too dangerous to travel at night.
Especially here, especially with such a large group.
The order got passed down.
The group obeyed.
They carefully eliminated the zombies and moved away.
Lucian found a perfect shelter.
Enough to accommodate them.
They entered, and he sealed the entrances.
Once again, it all depended on him.
He sat on the ground and focused.
Focused on maintaining the barriers throughout the night.
While the other man started multiplying bullets again.
.
.
.
Rooooar!
Roars tore the skies.
A figure flew in the darkening sky.
The elder.
His face sweaty. Exhausted.
He searched all day yet found no trace of the monster.
Below him, the roars of the demon hounds echoed.
As night approached, they became active.
But the elder couldn't last much longer.
He had to rest. He had to land.
He silently descended.
Vigilant.
Haert pounded.
He landed on a mountain of rubble.
Fear shrouded his heart.
Fear he wouldn't make it. He would die before he met the monster.
'I must avenge Darvin! I must end this monster! For the future of my children,'
He glanced around.
Nothing but rubble peaks surrounded him.
No streets. No passages. Nothing.
The deepest part of the city was just rubble.
Rubble from the massive, collapsed skyscrapers.
One couldn't tell what those mountains of rubble hid.
But determination flashed in the elder's eyes.
Yet something left.
All will to live vanished.
No, all hope to continue living after this. He abandoned it.
He bit his finger.
An alchemy circle appeared underneath him.
"Instant Alchemy,"
He grew a year older.
The elder hunted the monster with everything he had—even his life.
The circle glowed.
A blinding light.
And as it dissipated, it revealed a stone hut.
A stone hut formed from the rubble.
The elder sat inside.
Thud!
His body collapsed.
Eyes weighed down.
He couldn't keep them open.
He fell asleep.
Darkness engulfed the city.
Not far away, in a mountain of rubble.
A nest existed.
Swoosh!
Blood eyes opened.
Blood eyes promising nightmares.
And a long night.