The horde was converging, but Yuki was hardly going to freeze in terror at the sight of those snarling monsters. He spotted Hayasaka Ai running toward him, covered in blood and limping.
Jumping from a speeding vehicle was practically an act of self-mutilation. The girl was covered in injuries, and not only was she moving slowly, that elusive Witch had also set its sights on her.
There was no helping it. The battle had been chaotic and fierce, but Hayasaka Ai had caused the most damage. Without those two collisions, the tunnel would have been flooded by the sea of corpses long ago.
At a time like this, Yuki had no time to think through the details. He simply followed his instincts and picked up the greatsword, his face expressionless.
He shouldn't do it, but he had no choice.
"Your left leg's fractured. You can't outrun the Living Corpses behind you. That Witch is lurking nearby, waiting to strike."
"So I'm going to die?"
The Living Corpses' roars drew closer, and ghostly shadows prowled all around her. Every step sent pain drilling through her. Hayasaka Ai suddenly understood how this would end.
She knew the risks, of course. The battle had been too fierce to weigh the costs and benefits. Now that she had a moment to calm down, she instantly regretted it.
No. I have to survive. There's an idiot who still needs me to look after him. I haven't even properly said goodbye to Mom.
Her desperate will to live carried her into a strange state. She rolled forward, dodging the claw that stabbed at her from behind, then used her last bullet to force it back. The moment she got to her feet, something coiled around her calf.
!?
Her thoughts and heartbeat stopped at once. Hayasaka Ai was yanked off her feet and sent flying along the smooth railway toward the mouth of the Abyss.
She didn't think. She only reacted, drawing her axe and turning around to make one last desperate stand. But the force pulling her suddenly snapped, and then a gunshot rang in her ears. The girl looked up.
She caught only a hurried glimpse, but her clear blue eyes slowly widened. Hayasaka Ai stared ahead in disbelief.
The tunnel was dark and deep, filled with deafening wails. A man came running against the flow of the railway, a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.
How? Why?
Hayasaka Ai didn't feel happy. Instead, she was filled with confusion. A thousand emotions surged through her all at once, yet she couldn't put them into words. Only a few simple images remained:
The man, the greatsword, and a hand clutching the front of her clothes.
"Run!"
Yuki had no time to be gentle with a girl now. He grabbed Hayasaka Ai like a chick and took off running.
Reinforcement Magecraft: Full Power!
Glowing circuits surfaced. Yuki's first step sent him bounding several meters forward, and the tongues shot at him by several Smokers all missed.
At this critical moment, Yuki didn't dare look back. Mutated Living Corpses were pouring through the hole—more than a hundred of them. If he stopped for even a second, they'd tear him to pieces.
Yuki kept his eyes forward, while Hayasaka Ai felt like she was watching a horror movie. Every direction she looked was filled with hideous Living Corpses.
Some leaped onto the train cars, while others chased them along the railway. The closest ones were only ten meters away.
The Boomer's fat jiggled as it ran, while the Smoker extended its long tongue. The enormous Giant Fat Corpse simply picked up one of its own kind and threw it at them, while a Tank tore up the steel rails and hurled them like javelins.
No matter how many questions she had or how grateful she felt, she could only swallow them for now and give brief, rapid warnings:
"Tongue on the left!"
"A javelin's coming at your back!"
"Dodge sideways! Spikes!"
Yuki kept his head down and sprinted, dodging this way and that with the help of his human radar. He leaped onto a train car to avoid the long tongue, listened to the javelin tear through the steel behind him, then dove sideways again as dozens of palm-length spikes whistled past him.
"Witch inside the train car!"
Yuki had just jumped back onto the tracks when he leaped forward again, feeling claws graze his hair. This thing really wouldn't leave him alone. It was hiding inside the train car and waiting to ambush him. Since it was just as fast as he was, it was extremely dangerous.
If it managed to pin him down with the horde closing in, how would he escape?
"Throw the axe."
Hayasaka Ai drew her short-handled axe without hesitation, raised her arm, and hurled the precious Chaos Item away.
Thud.
The axe sank into the Boomer's chest. The Frontal Lobe Fragment grew out once again, and with a burst of green smoke, the pursuing horde came to a halt.
She threw the Host Object out too. This time, there was no way to recover the Chaos Item, but Hayasaka Ai didn't regret it in the slightest. At last, she had a chance to ask.
"Why are you risking your life to save me?!"
Yuki didn't answer. He kept racing toward the end of the tunnel, where he saw Li Dan, a hundred meters ahead, smile at him and shrug before raising his revolver to aim at the wall.
Bang!
Rubble flew as the wall was blasted open, leaving a gaping hole. Nothing could be seen inside except for a layer of thick, blood-red fog.
It was about time. Even if Yuki gave up resisting, not many Living Corpses would be able to follow them into Eternal Night. His countercharge, along with the Chaos Item he'd thrown away, had done Li Dan a huge favor.
In a few more minutes, all he had to do was pass through the fog and come out the other side. Then the instance would be over.
I knew it. You bastard love selling out your teammates. No matter. You were supposed to go in first anyway.
Seeing that Li Dan had no intention of helping, and hearing the sound of claws cutting through the air again, Yuki suddenly stopped and grabbed Hayasaka Ai's right hand, drawing his arm back—
"Wait, what are you doing..."
"Since you're willing to risk your life—"
Ignoring her cry, Yuki opened his hand and tossed Hayasaka Ai toward Robert, who stood bewildered beside the hole. Then he spun around.
The thicket of blades formed by the Frontal Lobe Fragment wouldn't do much against the thick-skinned Tank. One had already charged over, its body slick with blood, flesh torn deep enough to expose bone.
It raised a fist, not expecting Yuki to suddenly turn around. Caught off guard, all it could do was watch as the Chainsaw Sword swept toward it.
Crash—
Yuki gripped the sword with both hands and nearly cut it in half. As blood gushed out, the man growled like a beast.
"I can hold the line against a hundred too!!"
Chapter 50: You Dare Scheme Against Me!!?? (Revised)
One minute.
Yuki savored the exquisite sensation of flesh and bone coming apart, but when he looked ahead through his faintly reddened vision, the joy of slaughter vanished.
Tens of meters away, the Frontal Lobe Fragment couldn't hold back the horde. Its blades cut into them to no avail, only to be torn out by the roots. More and more Living Corpses pressed forward, with three Tanks right at the front.
He couldn't hold out for a minute—not even thirty seconds. And once the Chainsaw Sword took effect, the raging urge to kill would cloud his judgment. Like now: those three Tanks were charging at him in formation, and his first instinct was to countercharge.
Crush them. Only slaughter could let him survive.
Tap.
His military boot hit the ground. Before Yuki could even start running, bright flames rose in his eyes, followed by a powerful shockwave slamming into him.
Boom—
The Parking Lot exploded. Several fireballs rose into the air. The tunnel shook as chunks of concrete rained down, burying the Frontal Lobe Fragment and splitting the horde in two.
Yuki rolled across the ground several times. The pain cleared his mind for a moment, and only then did he remember Mai Sakurajima, whom almost everyone had forgotten.
If Li Dan doesn't show up, blow open the wall. If he does, plant the explosives in a suitable spot and bring down the tunnel.
Mai Sakurajima had been given her task before the battle began. The fighting had been so fierce that even Yuki had forgotten about it.
"You were really patient, senpai." Yuki quickly got to his feet, his face lighting up with clear excitement.
He couldn't see Mai, but he knew she was beside him. He stepped aside to avoid the falling rocks, his eyes rapidly scanning the area.
The tunnel was blocked off again, this time almost entirely. The Tanks that had charged through looked confused. They didn't know whether to clear the path or keep attacking. The tunnel hadn't been completely sealed, but they would have to climb up and squeeze through the opening, which would take time.
"Wait for me at the entrance!"
Yuki counted silently. The moment he turned around, he heard heavy footsteps and the Witch's shrill pounce. The clever Living Corpses had made their choice.
Forty seconds. There wasn't enough time for them to help their companions. Besides, they had enough strength now to kill all their prey.
Whoosh.
A slick tongue wrapped around Yuki's waist. The moment the Living Corpse pulled, the long blade he had drawn sliced through it. He then crouched down and held the greatsword upright.
Crash—
The Jockey that leaped at him landed right on the Chainsaw Sword and was cut into a pile of minced meat. Its blood drenched the man, making his reflexes and speed even faster.
Two dark objects flew straight at him. They were chunks of concrete. Yuki stepped back half a pace and plunged the sword's edge into the ground.
Overload Mode: Storm Cut!
Bang!
The 'sword energy' that spilled out blew the chunks of concrete apart midair. Dust scattered, and black claws soon pierced through it, coming straight for his chest.
Clang.
Yuki raised his long blade to block the claws. He felt a talon pierce his bulletproof vest and dig into his flesh.
"Get lost."
He fell backward and kicked hard, sending the Witch flying. From his prone position, he swept the Chainsaw Sword sideways.
Thud!
The sword struck the Tank's right leg, and its body shuddered. Its fist slammed down, passing just inches from Yuki's cheek and gouging a shallow pit in the ground. Before it could pull its arm back, the long blade in his left hand pierced its eye socket and plunged into its brain, twisting viciously.
The Tank immediately 'powered down.' Yuki kicked it hard in the chest, sending its several-hundred-pound body flying. It landed right in the path of the second Tank's charge.
Yuki nimbly scrambled to his feet and quickly took out a vial of Quiet Dew, tipping it back to drink.
Only a few drops had formed, but they were enough to clear his raging mind considerably.
The entrance was close. Yuki had counted forty seconds, and the Chainsaw Sword had fully warmed up.
Even as heavy footsteps rapidly approached, Yuki didn't look back this time. He knew the two Tanks had caught up, and the Witch's claws were within reach.
Just a little farther!
He saw Hayasaka Ai raise her fists in front of the entrance, ready to shield him with her own body. He saw Li Dan's indifferent face, as though he were watching a show, and Robert slowly raise his gun.
Thud.
Yuki brought his right foot down hard, cracking the concrete beneath him. He abruptly turned around, ignoring the Witch swooping down from overhead. Tensing his abdomen, he swung the greatsword in a brilliant arc.
Overload Mode: Storm Slash!
Whoosh—
With a shrill burst of air, a ring of currents shot out from the blade. It carved a palm-deep slash into the ground, leaving behind two pairs of sturdy lower legs.
The Tanks had charged to within a meter of him. Now legless, their bodies pitched forward from the momentum, blocking the Witch's path as it lunged. The force of his swing sent Yuki flying backward.
Four seconds.
Time slowed in Yuki's eyes. He saw the Witch retract its claws, plant both feet on the backs of its kind, then launch its petite body toward him like a double jump.
Three seconds.
It was too fast. He couldn't pull the Chainsaw Sword back in time. Those yellow-brown eyes were drawing closer by the moment. He had no intention of blocking, instead swinging his blade at its slender neck.
Two seconds.
Clang!
The Witch raised its right claw in midair, stopping the blade with perfect accuracy. Leaning forward, it stabbed its other claw at Yuki's head.
Its five fingers spread like long blades. No matter how he dodged, one of them would pierce his skull.
Time was up.
The black blade grew larger in his vision. At the same time, Yuki's back hit the wall. There was nowhere to retreat and nothing to block with, but then, as if someone had erased it with an eraser, something miraculous happened.
The claw, the forearm, and the Witch's eyes, filled with bitter resentment, all vanished without a trace. Not even a scrap of flesh remained.
The sun rose and the moon fell. The Witch that belonged to the night disappeared. Even though it had been only ten centimeters away from ending its prey's life, the rules wouldn't change by a hair.
[Player Yuki, you survived the second night.]
Hah... hah...
Yuki leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. For the first time, that strange sound was music to his ears. The Witch was gone, the Tanks were gone, and the countless Living Corpses were gone too.
The entire tunnel was in ruins, filled with twisted steel and blasted holes. But the strangest thing was that there were no bodies—not even a drop of blood. The desperate battle to the death that had lasted less than half an hour felt like nothing more than a dream.
Before you continue