Black Shadow

By the time they reached the edge of the bridge, the sky had begun to brighten slightly. The sun in the east had already risen halfway. A breeze blew past, but it no longer carried the usual clean air tinged with the scent of grass.

The stench of blood around Choujyu Bridge was simply too overpowering! God knew how many people had died here! There were even more vehicles than there had been last night, but not a single survivor remained...

A gap had long since been torn through the blockade. Even the police armored vehicles were still parked nearby, motionless. The situation must have been too urgent at the time for anyone to drive them away. Standing atop the vehicle and looking into the distance, they could still see scattered Dead Bodies on the bridge. As for the rest...

Even so, the modified Hummer still could not cross the bridge. Shizuka Marikawa could only drive upstream, where the water was shallow. It should be enough for this "beast" to ford the river!

After all, the vehicle was completely waterproof! Just as she had expected, the water level was at its lowest in the morning. It only submerged the wheels and came close to the windows. The azure sky and river reflected one another from afar.

If the Dead Bodies had not broken out, it would have been another wonderful day for an outing. But now... everything had changed. Even the opposite bank could not have fared much better after a night of Dead Body rampage.

"La la la la~ drifting downstream~..."

With so many people keeping her company, Shiri Alice seemed to have emerged from the shadow of her father's death. As for whether she was truly happy or merely forcing herself to forget her sorrow, it was far too much for a child her age to bear.

Even the concept of "death" was still vague to her. She only believed that Daddy and Mommy had gone somewhere very far away and would never return. Perhaps only after she experienced the same thing herself would she be able to see them again...

A crisp little girl's voice rang through the cabin, accompanied by Hirono Toda, the loli lover, singing along. To him, bratty kids were annoying, but such an obedient little loli seemed to awaken something deep inside him.

An indescribable thing known as the "Soul of the Otaku."

Kurumi lay on the roof, staring at the sky. Only her two slender, pale calves remained inside the cabin, swaying lightly. Even though the sun had risen quite a bit by then, it was not dazzling.

The gentler light scattered over the earth, as if offering a sliver of comfort to this land that had endured so much suffering. She raised a small hand to shield herself slightly. The Black Gold Gloves had long been removed, and the joints of her fingers on that mutton-fat jade-like hand were faintly red, making one unable to help but feel pity for her.

Her twin ponytails also trailed behind her. Her golden eyes flickered faintly beneath her bangs. With her heterochromatic eyes and nearly flawless pretty face, any normal man would probably fall for her at first sight.

The quiet Kurumi possessed a different kind of charm. The vulnerability she displayed unintentionally made her even more perfect. Her cherry lips glistened with moisture, rosy and supple, making one want to steal a kiss. However, in this world, everyone who had such thoughts... was probably already dead.

As the crisp little girl's voice drifted by her ears, Kurumi rubbed her messy hair and could not help complaining, "Why are they so energetic? Didn't they all stay up all night too?"

"Maybe you're just too tired, Kurumi~" Busujima Saeko raised her head slightly and looked at her with a gentle smile. "Aren't you the same? You fought so many battles against Dead Bodies and still didn't rest."

Busujima Saeko turned her head toward the river. The breeze lifted the ends of her purple hair as though she were reminiscing. "I remember when I used to practice kendo, I would get up at three or four in the morning and often could not sleep until very late the next day. But I really did feel fulfilled!"

"Deep sleep?" Kurumi was a little curious. She had always envied that ability when she had been weak. But aside from some Reincarnators who could "meditate," or those born with the talent, even the Main God did not offer anything corresponding for exchange.

It was not quite right to say there was none. The "meditation" required by those cultivation methods and abilities counted as well. It was just that few people would honestly sit cross-legged and absorb the free-floating energy.

Tasks were usually hectic, with all sorts of plans to make. Who had time for such things? They would instead use high-energy substances for rapid absorption, reaching the threshold of advancement.

Only those who spent centuries or millennia on a single mission, bored to death without high-energy substances, or who had reached the limits of their current realm and could not break through for a long time, would calm down and slowly absorb energy, building up a foundation for their strength.

They could not be like Kurumi, exchanging all sorts of things during missions. Even Reincarnation Points were only settled at the end, let alone attribute points. Until the settlement, the Main God would not give you a single point!

"Mm—probably. I've maintained it ever since I started practicing kendo. I only need three or four hours of sleep a day to stay full of energy, and I can even go without sleep occasionally."

"Ah~ I'm so jealous." After saying that, Kurumi lay back down. Her little head tilted slightly to one side as she saw ripples spreading not far away, with several small fish swimming merrily beneath them.

Busujima Saeko followed Kurumi's gaze. "It seems this virus only infects humans for now. Those animals don't seem to have mutated at all."

"Ha, ha, Saeko, don't joke like that, okay? If animals mutated too, what would those unknown things in the sea become? Humanity might really have to carpet-bomb the earth with nuclear weapons then~"

Hearing Busujima Saeko's words, the previously lazy Kurumi became slightly more alert. She knew very well that this was not the anime world, the world where only humans turned into Dead Bodies. Now that the Main God had interfered, everything had become unpredictable.

What if... animals really did mutate? Thinking of the rulers of the land, then the enormous creatures of the ocean... Oh my god! Don't tell me this is going to get turned into a low-budget version of Swallowed Star's Earth arc! In that, the island nation seemed to get directly...

For the first time, Kurumi felt just how dangerous the world she was in was. She only hoped the Main God still had at least a little integrity left.

Kurumi had also kept the "Reach the Opposite Bank" mission in mind. After all, those were tangible Reincarnation Points. At first, she had guessed there might be something in the river, but the water was so shallow that it gave her many doubts. Perhaps they would only be attacked after reaching the shore?

But whatever it was, it was better to stay alert. Her attributes had clearly improved in every aspect... so why was she still so sleepy?

Looking at the group of protagonists in the cabin, even the little loli showed no trace of sleepiness. Kurumi felt the world's deep malice toward her.

"Oh, right." Busujima Saeko's voice rang out again, and Kurumi sat up as well. "Kurumi, did you ever... um... practice kendo or anything else?" Looking at the slender, fair-skinned Kurumi before her, who resembled a young lady, Busujima Saeko could not help voicing her doubts.

"Me?" Kurumi revealed a strange expression, then her usual smile bloomed across her face. "I practiced sanda, freestyle fighting, joint locks, military hand-to-hand combat. Oh, and I can handle most firearms proficiently... Kendo is my first time."

Though she felt that the elf-like girl before her would not lie to her, Busujima Saeko was still somewhat stunned. Before she could think, the words slipped out, "Just how did you live before, Kurumi?"

"Hehe, take a guess~"

That sweet, charming smile bloomed before her eyes, and for the first time, Busujima Saeko felt that days like these were not so bad.

But neither of them noticed the black shadow slowly approaching beneath the water's surface not far away...