Clatter!
Panic gripped the streets as a mass of people fled in chaos, blocking every escape route. Amidst the terrified crowd, Saeko Busujima held tightly to Eri's small hand, guiding her to a hidden corner.
She wanted to get Eri to safety, but the paths were all blocked. Meanwhile, the servants of death steadily closed in.
"Sister Saeko, let's run!" Eri's voice trembled with fear. She was just a young girl who loves anime—faced with such a terrifying situation, it was only natural for her to be scared.
Saeko shook her head firmly. "There's no way out. I'll hold them off while you escape from the side."
With that, Saeko drew her sword, her expression cold. She was no ordinary woman; she had once been the champion of the National Kendo Tournament and had carved her way through hordes of zombies in her own world.
She charged forward. Her sword gleamed as it sliced through the air toward the nearest servant of death. Fast, precise, and relentless—this was her style.
Clang!
But the expected didn't happen.
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Saeko's eyes widened in disbelief as her sword shattered in two.
"Impossible… How did my blade break?"
She stared at the fragments in shock. Her attack had failed completely, and the creature before her was unlike anything she had ever faced.
In a blur of motion, the servant of death raised its arm—its strike was faster, sharper, and deadlier than her own.
Thud!
Before Saeko could react, the creature's hand was around her neck, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
She gasped for air, her body dangling helplessly. Though she was a skilled fighter in her world, she was no match for these undead, who were no mere zombies but something far more sinister.
"Am I… going to die here?"
The thought echoed in her mind. She felt no fear, only regret.
"This world is so beautiful… but I'm too weak to see more of it."
Memories flashed before her eyes—of a time when she had faced death without hesitation. Once, a hooligan had tried to assault her during a late-night walk. Armed only with a wooden sword, she had shattered his bones one by one. Instead of fear, she had felt exhilaration.
But now, here she was, powerless. Perhaps someone with a dark heart like hers was never meant to survive.
Still, she hadn't expected to die here, in a world so different from her own.
Swish!
A sudden flash of light streaked across the sky, and in the next instant, the undead was cleaved in two.
Bang!
Saeko fell to the ground, gasping as she regained her footing. She had narrowly escaped death, but the shock of what she had witnessed left her speechless.
Before her stood a figure wielding a massive golden sword. The one who had saved her.
"Servants of death? So that old fool Voban isn't gone after all," the man muttered, surveying the scene with calm intensity.
Alexander turned his gaze to the approaching horde. There were so many of them that if they reached the city center, the devastation would be unimaginable.
"Alexander, consider these my gifts to you," a voice echoed from the void—it was Marquis Voban.
As if responding to his command, the servants of death surged toward Alexander.
Saeko watched nervously, fully aware of how terrifying these creatures were. She couldn't even defeat one of them.
"Be careful!" she called out, trying to warn him.
Alexander glanced back at her, his expression unbothered. "Relax. It's just a group of dead bodies."
As his words fell, his golden sword began to radiate an intense light.
"Thunder's Breath… First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Thousandfold!"
Swish!
Alexander's form vanished, replaced by a blur of lightning. He moved like a storm, striking through the horde with lightning-fast precision. Each flash of light dissolved another servant of death into nothingness.
Saeko stood at a distance, watching Alexander carve through the horde with ease. His movements were graceful, his strikes deadly. To her, it was like witnessing an entirely new dimension of combat.
"So this… this is what real swordsmanship looks like," she whispered in awe.