Screech—!
The heavy tires of the school minibus left two thick, black skid marks on the asphalt, narrowly avoiding a direct collision with a concrete wall as it swerved violently.
The number of zombies in Tokonosu City was multiplying at a frenzied, exponential rate. At noon, the citizens had been at work or school as usual. By mid-afternoon, a full-scale biohazard crisis had erupted, plunging the civilized world into bloody chaos.
When Koichi Shido had first driven the bus out of the academy gates, he had naively thought the situation outside would be slightly better. But as the survivors peered through the blood-spattered windows, witnessing hordes of rotting corpses swarming the streets and innocent citizens being torn apart, they realized the apocalypse was absolute.
Panic had quickly set in on the bus. The students had splintered into several frantic factions, each demanding that Shido change the destination to their own homes. Even Shido had his own selfish agenda, fully intending to hijack the vehicle and drive it straight to the Shido family's secure political estate.
However, Saeko had simply drawn her live-steel katana and pressed the chilling edge directly against Shido's throat. Instantly, the entire bus had fallen dead silent.
With unanimous, terrified approval, the minibus had smashed through the few wandering zombies blocking its path, rushing directly toward the grand entrance of the Busujima Dojo.
"Saeko-chan, I don't think Masao is here!" Shizuka noted, her voice trembling slightly as she peered out the window.
The dojo had clearly seen a massacre. Massive pools of coagulated blood stained the cobblestone road, and dozens of dismembered, rotting corpses littered the entrance. It was obvious the estate had been besieged by the undead.
"Father will definitely wait for me," Saeko stated with absolute conviction. She grabbed her katana and gracefully jumped off the bus.
Seeing the deadly swordswoman disembark, Shizuka quickly hurried after her. Although the school nurse was notoriously ditzy and possessed absurdly large breasts that hindered her running, her survival instincts were functional. In this terrifying new world, the Busujima father and daughter possessed unparalleled, lethal strength; sticking close to them was the only logical option.
"Should we leave? I want to go home!"
Seeing Saeko and Shizuka enter the dojo courtyard, the remaining students immediately began to whisper among themselves. They had only kept their mouths shut earlier because of Saeko's overwhelming, murderous aura. Now that the terrifying upperclassman was out of earshot, the natural urge to flee to their families returned.
"Masao Busujima is the greatest Grandmaster Swordsman in our country. In this apocalyptic situation, seeking his protection is the absolute wisest choice you could make."
Shido pushed up his glasses, looking at the chattering group of cowardly quails with thinly veiled disdain.
Admittedly, Koichi Shido was a manipulative, detestable narcissist, but surviving as a villain required intelligence. Leading a group of useless, defenseless children across half the infested city was a suicide mission, and Shido knew it. He needed a powerful shield.
Seeing Shido confidently step off the bus, the students exchanged bewildered glances. Left without a driver and terrified of the moans echoing from the streets, they had no choice but to follow him into the compound.
"You have returned."
Adrian was lounging comfortably in a chair in the central courtyard, casually sunbathing amidst the scent of copper and death. He smiled warmly as he saw the two beautiful women—one tall and deadly, the other soft and remarkably top-heavy—walk through the gates.
"Greetings, Father."
Saeko strode forward, planted the tip of her katana into the ground, and dropped to one knee in a deeply respectful, traditional bow.
"Huh? Masao, you're sunbathing?" Shizuka was much more casual, waving at him with a bewildered smile, seemingly unfazed by the severed zombie heads decorating the far wall.
"Let us go inside," Adrian said, standing up.
Honestly, if he hadn't been waiting for Saeko to retrieve the school nurse, he would have already secured the compound's perimeter. Although the zombies were slow and weak, fighting thousands of them in hand-to-hand combat would unnecessarily drain his stamina. As for using firearms to clear the streets? That was a fool's errand. The undead relied heavily on sound to locate prey. A blade was silent; a gunshot would merely summon a fresh horde to replace the ones he killed.
"Wait for us, Master Busujima!"
Shido rushed into the courtyard, calling out to Adrian with an oily, ingratiating tone. Following closely behind the teacher was a flock of completely terrified, obedient students.
'Oh? Quite a haul,' Adrian thought, his eyes lighting up with dark amusement.
He had only instructed Saeko to bring back the "Milk Cow," Shizuka. Sleeping with such a perfectly proportioned, lactating beauty would be an excellent distraction. He hadn't expected a buy-one-get-ten-free deal.
Shido had inadvertently delivered the core cast of the original storyline—Takashi Komuro, Rei Miyamoto, Saya Takagi, and Kohta Hirano—along with a dozen random, trembling schoolgirls. While those background girls were far less impressive than the main heroines, they were certainly pretty enough to serve as obedient maids and playthings in his new sanctuary.
"Master Busujima, please help us! If you can escort us to a military safe zone, we will be eternally grateful!" Shido prostrated himself on the wooden veranda before Adrian, putting on a masterful display of humble pleading.
"And what exactly would I do with your gratitude?" Adrian asked, looking down at the bespectacled man with a chilling, predatory smile.
"Master, you are an idol in the hearts of all Japanese citizens! You are a pillar of martial virtue!" Shido stood up, gesturing dramatically to the group of trembling students behind him. "A man of your legendary reputation cannot simply stand by and watch these young, innocent students die!"
Shido was attempting moral blackmail. He knew that different targets required different manipulation tactics. He believed that Masao Busujima, a traditionalist obsessed with honor and martial pride, would never allow his pristine reputation to be tarnished by abandoning children to monsters. For a public figure, reputation was their greatest asset.
"You make a very compelling point," Adrian nodded slowly.
If he were the real Masao Busujima, he certainly wouldn't have turned these students away. The real Sword Saint would have died protecting them.
But unfortunately for Shido, the soul inside this body was entirely different.
Originally, Adrian had considered sparing Shido's life. The man was a cunning, sociopathic snake who could be useful for managing the lesser slaves in the future. But trying to manipulate him using 'honor' and 'morality'? Shido was practically begging for death. There was no need to keep a rabid, scheming dog alive.
Shido was just about to offer another humble smile and a few more flattering words when he looked up.
A fist, moving with the speed and density of a fired cannonball, was hurtling directly toward his face.
What is happening? Who is this man?
Masao Busujima was indeed a Grandmaster of swordsmanship. But Shido had completely forgotten that a Sword Saint without a blade was still a superhuman apex predator.
CRACK—!
The impact sounded like a dry log snapping in half. Shido was violently launched through the air, flying seven or eight meters backward. His neck twisted at a sickening, physically impossible angle mid-flight.
Thud!
Shido's head hit the cobblestones first, bouncing slightly before his limp body collapsed on top of it, folding into a bizarre, grotesque heap. Anyone with even a modicum of common sense could see that his cervical spine had been utterly pulverized. He was dead before he hit the ground.
"Ahhhhh—!"
The students who witnessed the brutal, unprovoked execution shrieked in absolute terror. The illusion of safety shattered instantly. Several of the boys at the back of the group turned on their heels, sprinting desperately back toward the open gates to escape the murderous Grandmaster.
"Saeko," Adrian commanded, his voice perfectly calm, barely raising above a whisper.
"Hai!"
The purple-haired girl didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. She moved like a loosed arrow, her uniform blurring as she closed the distance, easily catching up to the fastest fleeing boy.
Clang—!
Her katana flashed in the sunlight. A thick jet of bright red arterial blood spurted high into the air as the boy's severed head rolled across the courtyard.
Standing over the headless, twitching corpse, Saeko let out a soft, shuddering breath. A wave of incredibly satisfying, euphoric heat washed over her body, cementing her absolute loyalty to her Father's new world order.
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