The farther they moved through Mirekun City, the less it resembled a city at all.
It was a graveyard wearing the skin of civilization.
The howls of distant Nightmares had begun to fade behind them, but their echoes remained lodged deep within their minds. Every rooftop felt temporary. Every shadow looked alive. Every gust of wind carried the stench of decay and rain-soaked death. Hidden behind a cluster of rusted water tanks atop an abandoned building, the squad finally stopped moving.
For the first time since entering this world—
The fear caught up.
Shiori's strength broke first.
The machete slipped from trembling fingers and struck the concrete with a hollow clang. The sound seemed impossibly loud beneath the ruined sky. Her body slid down the wall until she sat curled against it, shoulders shaking violently as weeks of fear, longing, and exhaustion finally burst free.
"Leon-kun..."
His name emerged broken.
Small.
Human.
Then the tears came.
Not the quiet tears she had hidden in empty rooms or beneath blankets at night.
These were different.
Raw.
Unrestrained.
Her hands clutched the Serum A-7 vial hanging around her neck as if it were the only thing tethering her to reality.
"This world..." she whispered through sobs. "How did you survive this...?"
Her voice cracked completely.
"One mistake kills. One scream summons death. Night after night... alone..."
The thought was unbearable.
Not because Leon had suffered.
Because he had suffered alone.
Her forehead lowered against her knees.
"I miss you..."
The confession disappeared into the rain.
Not spoken to the others.
To him.
Wherever he was.
Whatever battle he fought beneath these same skies.
Haruto knelt beside her first.
The quiet boy who understood loneliness better than most placed a steady hand on her shoulder. There was no awkwardness in the gesture now. Too much had happened for such barriers to remain.
"He survived because he adapted," Haruto said softly. "And because he kept moving forward."
His eyes drifted toward the ruined skyline.
"But surviving isn't the same as living."
He looked back at her.
"That's why he came back to us."
The words struck deeper than comfort.
Because they were true.
Daichi crouched beside them next, rain dripping from his hair. The usual fire in his voice had softened into something gentler.
"Our tank's still out there," he muttered. "And if anyone can survive this hell, it's him."
His jaw tightened.
"But if he carried this alone for years..."
He looked around at the endless ruins.
"...then we carry it with him now."
Airi could no longer hold herself together either.
She threw her arms around Shiori and began crying openly, her own fear finally spilling free after days of pretending to be stronger than she felt.
"We're here together now..." she whispered shakily. "So he isn't alone anymore. None of us are."
The four of them huddled beneath the rain while the ruined city watched in silence.
No powers.
No heroes.
Just frightened people trying to hold each other together.
In the center of their small circle rested Leon's machete.
A symbol.
A promise.
A way home.
Shiori slowly lifted her head.
Her tears had not stopped.
But something else had returned.
Resolve.
She wiped her face with trembling hands and reached for the machete once more.
"You're right."
Her voice remained fragile.
Yet stronger than before.
"He's fighting right now."
Her fingers wrapped around the worn handle.
"And if Leon-kun kept moving through this hell..."
She stood.
Slowly.
Steadily.
"Then we move too."
The moment ended as another distant howl rolled across the city.
Not close.
But close enough.
A reminder.
Mirekun City never slept.
The group resumed moving across the rooftops until they reached the edge of an alleyway below. It offered a shortcut toward the biomarker's faint signal, though in this world, shortcuts often carried their own dangers.
The moment they dropped into the alley, they froze.
Shapes stood ahead.
Not Shades.
Not Nightmares.
Something else.
Pale bodies swayed unsteadily beneath flickering lights. Their forms looked grotesquely unstable, swollen in unnatural ways as though their bodies had been warped by the infection into living weapons. Strange wheezing sounds escaped them with every movement.
Shiori instinctively raised the machete.
"What are those...?"
Even after everything they had seen tonight, unease crawled beneath her skin.
Airi covered her mouth immediately.
"Oh no..."
Her voice shook.
"Those definitely explode. I don't know how—but they explode."
Daichi lowered his stance.
Weapon ready.
Eyes narrowed.
"New type."
He didn't like unknown enemies.
Not here.
Not in Leon's world.
Haruto studied them carefully from a safe distance.
"Unstable infection variant," he said quietly. "Observe the swelling and breathing pattern."
His gaze sharpened.
"Assume extreme danger."
One of the creatures suddenly inhaled.
Deeply.
Its chest expanded unnaturally.
The wheezing grew louder.
Every instinct screamed.
Wrong.
Shiori's grip tightened around the machete.
No heroics.
Not here.
Not against the unknown.
She stepped back immediately.
"We avoid them."
Her voice carried quiet authority.
"We find Leon without dying first."
No one argued.
Together, they began carefully retreating into the shadows of Mirekun City's endless nightmare, each step reminding them that survival in this world wasn't earned through courage alone.
Sometimes—
Survival meant knowing when not to fight.
The alley had become too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Never peaceful.
The strange infected swayed beneath the flickering lights, their wheezing breaths echoing against damp walls as acid rain dripped from broken pipes overhead. The creatures moved slowly—almost harmlessly—but nothing in Mirekun City was harmless. The deeper they ventured into Leon's world, the more they learned that the deadliest things often looked weak right before they killed you.
Shiori tightened her grip around the machete.
"Don't engage," she whispered firmly. "We don't know what they—"
The metallic clang cut through the alley.
Everyone froze.
Daichi's eyes widened.
The rusted pipe fragment had already left his hand.
He hadn't thrown it out of bravery.
He had thrown it out of fear.
The jagged metal struck one of the infected squarely in the shoulder.
For a heartbeat—
Nothing happened.
Then the creature convulsed.
Violently.
Its entire body swelled unnaturally as though pressure had been building inside it all along. Strange bulges rippled beneath its pale flesh. The wheezing became a horrific gurgle.
Haruto's eyes widened.
"Move—!"
The explosion swallowed his warning.
A deafening blast erupted through the alley like thunder itself.
The shockwave slammed into the squad, hurling them backward across wet pavement. Heat, debris, and burning liquid sprayed outward in every direction. Windows shattered above them. Rusted signs tore free from walls.
The alley shook.
The city heard.
Shiori hit the ground hard, ears ringing violently as she instinctively shielded her face. Even through the chaos, she caught sight of the crater left behind—blackened concrete steaming beneath the rain.
Airi screamed.
Not from pain.
From realization.
"They explode?!"
Her voice cracked into panic.
"Everything here explodes!"
Nearby, Daichi stared at his own arm where droplets of corrosive fluid had splashed across his sleeve. He gritted his teeth as pain flared across his skin.
"Damn it..."
His voice was low.
Heavy with guilt.
"I thought I could disable it."
But this world didn't reward assumptions.
It punished them.
Haruto was already checking the biomarker with trembling hands. The screen flickered wildly.
Yellow.
Yellow again.
Then briefly red before stabilizing.
His expression darkened instantly.
The explosion hadn't merely drawn attention.
It had announced them.
To the city.
Then they heard it.
One howl.
Distant.
Another answered.
Then another.
And another.
The sound rolled across Mirekun City like a wave.
Nightmares responding.
Dozens.
No—
Hundreds.
The hunt had begun.
Shiori's blood ran cold.
She had heard those howls before.
Not from stories.
Not from memories.
From this city itself.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Hide."
No hesitation.
No debate.
The four of them immediately retreated deeper into the shadows, squeezing behind rusted dumpsters and broken concrete barriers as rain continued to fall overhead. No one moved. No one spoke.
Above them—
Shapes crossed the rooftops.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Lightning flashed across the skyline.
For brief moments, pale figures could be seen leaping from building to building like living nightmares answering a call to feast.
The sound grew closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Shiori clutched Leon's machete so tightly her hands trembled.
This.
This was the world he had survived.
Every night.
Every hunt.
Every impossible escape.
Alone.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Not from fear for herself.
From fear for him.
Because if even one mistake could summon this much death—
How many mistakes had he survived?
How many nights had he run beneath these same skies with entire packs chasing him?
Beside her, Airi silently prayed.
Daichi remained motionless despite the pain in his arm.
Haruto watched the biomarker, eyes fixed on its unstable glow.
And Shiori lowered her head.
Not in surrender.
In determination.
"Please be safe, Leon-kun..."
Her whisper disappeared into the storm.
Above them, the Nightmares continued their hunt.
And somewhere beneath the ruined skies of Mirekun City—
Leon Mercer was still fighting.
The city had heard them.
That realization struck harder than the explosion itself.
Hidden behind shattered dumpsters and rusted metal, the squad barely had time to catch their breath before the night answered. Above them, shadows crossed rooftops with impossible speed. The distant howls that had once echoed across Mirekun City's skyline were no longer distant.
They were coming.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Then fate delivered one final mistake.
A faint glow flickered in the darkness.
Airi's phone.
For less than a second, the screen illuminated her terrified face.
It was enough.
A Nightmare mid-leap froze atop a nearby rooftop.
Its pale head snapped toward the alley.
Its eyes locked onto the light.
Then it screamed.
The sound tore through the night like a blade.
Target acquired.
The city awakened.
One howl became many. Rooftops erupted with movement as Nightmares changed direction all at once, converging toward a single point.
Them.
Shiori's heart nearly stopped.
"No—"
Her whisper vanished beneath the rising chorus of predators.
Above them, concrete shattered beneath clawed feet. Pale figures crossed rooftops with terrifying speed, leaping impossible distances while closing the gap far faster than any human could ever hope to match.
The hunt had begun.
For them.
"RUN!"
Shiori grabbed Airi's wrist before fear rooted her in place. Leon's machete flashed in her other hand as she pulled her friend forward with every ounce of strength she had left.
Behind them came another howl.
Closer.
Much closer.
Airi stumbled, panic overwhelming her as tears blurred her vision.
"They saw us!" she cried. "They saw us!"
Daichi immediately dropped to the rear, grabbing chunks of loose concrete and hurling them behind without even looking.
"Move!" he shouted. "Keep moving!"
The debris barely slowed anything.
One of the Nightmares crashed straight through a broken wall as if it were paper.
Haruto glanced down at the biomarker.
The display flickered violently.
Green.
Yellow.
Yellow.
His eyes widened.
"Keep running!" he said urgently. "They're closing too fast!"
Rain lashed their faces as they sprinted across rooftops they barely understood. Every jump felt uncertain. Every landing threatened disaster. Unlike Leon, they lacked years of survival carved into instinct.
They were ordinary people trying to survive an impossible world.
And Mirekun City punished the ordinary.
The Nightmares adapted.
One pack pursued from behind.
Another moved along the flanks.
A third group leapt across neighboring rooftops.
They weren't chasing randomly.
They were herding.
Shiori realized it first.
Her blood ran cold.
"They're cutting us off."
The words barely left her lips before a massive shape descended ahead.
An alpha Nightmare landed on the rooftop before them.
Concrete cracked beneath its feet.
Its pale eyes glowed beneath the rain.
The path forward was gone.
The squad stopped abruptly.
Behind them—
Howls.
Ahead—
Death.
Below—
The streets writhed with Shades drawn by the noise.
No escape.
No retreat.
The rooftop suddenly felt very small.
The Nightmares gathered around them one by one, pale silhouettes appearing on every surrounding structure. Some crouched low like wolves preparing to pounce. Others watched silently with predatory patience.
They weren't attacking immediately.
They were waiting.
Enjoying the certainty of the hunt.
Shiori slowly stepped in front of the others.
Leon's machete trembled in her grip.
Not from weakness.
From fear.
Real fear.
The kind that stripped away pride and left only instinct.
Her chest tightened painfully.
This—
This was what Leon had faced.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Alone.
Her voice cracked as she looked into the darkness.
"Leon-kun..."
Not a cry for rescue.
A prayer.
Rain fell harder.
The circle tightened.
One Nightmare stepped forward.
Then another.
The city held its breath.
And somewhere beneath the ruined skies of Mirekun City—
A faint green signal on Haruto's biomarker pulsed once.
Then brighter.
As though someone, somewhere in the darkness—
Was moving toward them.
The rooftop had become a cage.
Nightmares stood across neighboring buildings like pale kings ruling over a dead kingdom, their eyes reflecting faint moonlight beneath the acid rain. Below, the streets churned with restless Shades drawn by the chaos above. Behind them came more howls—closer now, coordinated with terrifying precision.
The hunt had become personal.
Shiori's breathing grew ragged as she scanned desperately for anything—any path, any escape.
Then she saw it.
A maintenance hut.
Old.
Rusted.
Barely standing.
Its metal walls leaned with age, half-hidden behind scattered debris and abandoned equipment.
Not safe.
But safer than open air.
"There!" Shiori shouted, pointing with Leon's machete. "Move!"
No one hesitated.
The four of them sprinted.
Rain lashed their faces. Their shoes slipped across wet concrete. Behind them, the lead Nightmare launched forward, its claws gouging deep trenches into the rooftop as it accelerated.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Shiori reached the hut first.
She threw herself through the doorway.
Airi stumbled in after her, followed immediately by Daichi and Haruto.
The moment Haruto crossed the threshold—
Impact.
The world shook.
A Nightmare crashed into the entrance with enough force to buckle metal. The rusted gate tore from its hinges and flew across the cramped interior, slamming into the far wall with a deafening bang.
The hut trembled violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Silence followed.
Not peace.
Hunting silence.
Shiori immediately slid behind a cluster of old barrels near the corner. Her body curled instinctively into the narrow gap as she pulled Leon's machete close against her chest. Every breath felt too loud. Every heartbeat seemed capable of betraying them.
Across the room, Airi had squeezed herself into a broken storage cupboard barely large enough to hide inside. Her entire body shook uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face, but she made no sound.
Daichi crouched behind a rusted generator, muscles coiled tightly despite knowing strength meant little against what hunted outside.
Haruto disappeared beneath an old tarp draped over abandoned machinery. His hand gripped the biomarker so tightly his fingers had gone pale.
The device flickered.
Yellow.
Yellow.
Red.
His eyes widened.
No.
Not now.
Outside the hut, heavy footsteps circled slowly.
Deliberately.
A shadow passed the broken doorway.
Then came the sound.
Scratch.
Metal screamed softly.
A claw slid across the doorframe.
Long.
Sharp.
Effortless.
The steel peeled beneath it like paper.
Shiori's breath caught.
One strike.
That was all it would take.
One swipe.
The barrels protecting her wouldn't matter.
Nothing here would.
The Nightmare inhaled.
Slowly.
Hunting.
Searching.
Its breathing echoed through the hut like distant thunder.
The smell of blood lingered everywhere.
Rain.
Fear.
Humans.
Its tail struck something outside.
A stack of debris collapsed.
The impact rattled the barrels beside Shiori, nearly making her flinch.
Nearly.
But she stayed still.
Because in Mirekun City—
Movement meant death.
Airi pressed both hands over her mouth. Her entire body trembled so violently she feared the cupboard itself would shake. Her eyes remained shut tight as if refusing to see reality might somehow change it.
Daichi's fists remained clenched.
Not because he believed he could win.
Because if the creature found them—
He would fight anyway.
Even if it lasted one second.
Even if it changed nothing.
Haruto stared at the biomarker.
The red warning continued flashing.
Not stable.
Not normal.
His chest tightened.
The signal wasn't random.
Somewhere nearby—
Leon.
Or perhaps something connected to him.
Outside, the Nightmare snarled softly.
Unsatisfied.
Its footsteps moved again.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Then—
A powerful leap.
The roof above them shook violently.
Metal groaned.
Claws scraped overhead.
Another howl answered from the distance.
Then another.
The pack was coordinating.
Communicating.
Waiting.
Inside the maintenance hut, four frightened people sat motionless in absolute silence while monsters prowled just beyond thin sheets of rusted metal.
Seconds stretched into minutes.
Minutes into eternity.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
No one even dared breathe too loudly.
Because everyone understood the same truth:
In Mirekun City—
One sound was enough to die.