Rias's voice was filled with unwavering confidence. And when she stepped out of that steel shelter, walking straight into the monster-infested wilderness, that confidence radiated from her like burning flames.
All Ryuji could hear from inside the shelter was the roar of explosions and the deafening shockwaves that followed. Then came the crackling of flames devouring everything in their path, the sharp scent of charred flesh filling the air.
Everywhere he could see through the small window — everything was fire.
The undead birds that had been swarming outside were now nothing more than fuel for the raging inferno. Their burning bodies crashed to the ground one after another, feeding the ever-growing sea of flames.
If it wasn't for the protective barrier Rias had set up around the steel shelter, he was sure that both he and Kiri would've already been roasted alive by the sheer heat outside.
And this brutal scene… went on for a full twenty minutes.
Only after the waves of monsters began to thin out could Ryuji finally catch a clear glimpse of Rias herself.
She stood calmly at the edge of the cliff, a wall of flame swirling protectively around her like a living creature. Every time one of the undead birds tried to dive at her, it would be instantly engulfed and incinerated the moment it touched her barrier.
And when Rias casually swung her arm through the air — a whip formed of pure fire lashed out, tearing through swarms of monsters at once, sending their charred remains plummeting to the earth below.
Her crimson hair fluttered wildly amidst the rising heatwaves — so much so that he found it hard to tell where her hair ended and the flames began.
Countless charred monster birds rained down from the sky, their blackened bodies littering the ground below. And amidst this hellish scene, Rias — with her crimson hair blazing like fire — exuded a dangerously seductive beauty.
Bathed in rising black smoke, wings unfurled, this devilish woman wielded fire and a flaming whip like they were part of her very soul. Death and destruction danced at her fingertips — and yet, instead of fear, he found himself utterly captivated.
By her power.
By her beauty.
By the dark allure that only a true devil could possess.
"…She's stunning," he couldn't help but murmur in genuine admiration.
"But… Miss Rias…" Lux, standing beside him, hesitated to speak her mind.
Her upbringing told her that devils were evil creatures — monsters to be feared, not admired. And yet… Rias had been nothing but kind to her. In their darkest moment, when all seemed lost, Rias hadn't abandoned them. She'd fought for them — even gotten hurt protecting them.
And because of that… Lux couldn't bring herself to speak ill of Rias.
"Yeah… she's a devil alright," Ryuji let out a long breath.
He had refused Rias's offer before, without hesitation. But now… watching her command such overwhelming power, could he really say he didn't envy her even a little?
"Oi, don't go getting any stupid ideas."
A familiar, teasing voice came from behind him.
Kiri strolled over, a lollipop lazily tucked between her lips — something she'd looted from a vending machine earlier. She casually slung an arm around his shoulders, pressing her chest against the back of his head, and rested her chin atop his hair like an older sister scolding her little brother.
"Power's tempting, sure. But lemme give you some advice — in our world, anyone who makes deals with devils? Never ends well for them."
Her tone was light, but the warning in her words was real.
"Sure, even I gotta admit I'm kinda jealous of her power…" Kiri said, lazily twirling her lollipop. "But there's no way in hell I'm trusting someone who calls themselves a devil. Who knows — maybe she brought all these monsters here on purpose?"
It was clear Kiri wasn't exactly thrilled about Rias showing up with an army of monsters hot on her heels.
Maybe the future version of Kiri— the one living peacefully in Arad — wouldn't care so much. But the Kiri standing here now? The one who had just escaped years of brutal battlefield life? She didn't like this situation one bit.
And the fact that Rias was now casually displaying this overwhelming combat power… yeah, that only made her more suspicious.
Sure, Rias had the perfect excuse — claiming that her powers were being suppressed in this world. But Kiri wasn't buying it completely. After all, even someone like Tsunade, when placed in a world that limited her chakra, might have weaker recovery speed and attack strength — but her overall power reserve didn't just magically shrink.
At worst, where she could once punch a mountain in half, maybe now she'd only destroy a tenth of it.
Limits or not, monsters like these? They were still cannon fodder against that level of power.
"…But right now, she's undeniably stronger than us, isn't she?" Ryuji said calmly. "And it's not like she's attacked us directly either. A few days from now, this probably won't even matter."
As he spoke, he casually accepted the candy Kiri offered him — and noticed she handed one to Lux as well.
"What about you though?" Kiri raised an eyebrow. "Without me and Tsunade around, how exactly are you planning to survive in this world, huh?"
He chuckled softly.
Kiri knew his situation better than anyone.
"I'll manage somehow," he replied with a deep exhale, a small, helpless smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
He knew Kiri was worried about him — worried because the difficulty of surviving in this world was only getting higher. Everyone could see it. If things kept escalating like this, it was only a matter of time before he'd end up trapped inside that little steel hut of his, completely surrounded by endless waves of zombies.
And if it ever came to that... there were only two words to describe his fate.
Game Over.
"…You idiot."
Kiri let out an annoyed grunt, gave him a light shove, then slung her gun over her shoulder and stepped outside.
"For the record, I don't believe in this whole 'endless monsters' crap," she called over her shoulder. "That Rias girl — while you were passed out, she told me something pretty interesting. She found a factory. One that's still running… and apparently producing zombies non-stop."
Kiri paused, glancing back at him.
"That place might hold the truth behind this whole damn world. When you're ready, we'll check it out together."
He didn't have any reason to refuse. Especially since Kiri knew how to fix cars — they could probably scavenge something decent that hadn't been torched yet. And if there really was a factory churning out monsters… then investigating it was the smart move.
"Alright," Ryuji nodded.
He grabbed his own gun and followed Kiri out of the steel hut, ready to resume the hunt — this time, targeting the few remaining zombie birds.
But this time… things were a lot more troublesome.
With how rare the zombie birds had become, there was no way they could just fire blindly anymore. It took them nearly half an hour — working together with Rias — just to clear out the last of the flock.
By then, the sky was already starting to darken, and the ground was littered with the corpses of zombie birds. Although Ryuji and the others had survived this crisis, there really wasn't much else they could do for the rest of the day.
They grabbed a quick meal — simple, tasteless survival food.
During the meal, he found a moment to quietly use pure system blocks to build an extra shelter right next to their steel hut — one for Rias and Lux. Only after making sure everything was settled did he finally return to his bed, ready to get some rest.
However…
In the dead of night, he suddenly felt something straddling him.
Still half-asleep, he blinked groggily — only to come face-to-face with Tsunade and the complicated, turbulent expression on her face.
Just as he was about to speak, Tsunade's low voice cut through the darkness.
"…Why are you always trying to play the hero?"
In the dim flicker of distant firelight, her eyes were hard to make out clearly — but Ryuji could still see it.
The anger. The frustration. The unwillingness blazing within them.
"Because…" he started slowly, "we need their strength. If we want to survive better… sometimes, it's necessary."
But before he could even finish his explanation, Tsunade grabbed him by the collar, her voice shaking with fury as she practically growled in his face.
"Is my strength... still not enough for you?!"
Ryuji was left speechless.
Because before he could even answer, he noticed the tears already streaming down Tsunade's face. And in the next moment, she threw herself into his arms, her whole body trembling.
What he didn't know… was that there was one thing Kiri had deliberately kept from him.
When he had recklessly charged out into the horde of zombie birds, Tsunade had actually regained enough strength to move. She had seen everything — seen him swallowed by that terrifying tide of monsters with her own eyes.
Originally, he wanted to say "Yeah, it's not enough."But Tsunade didn't give him the chance.
The distance between them vanished completely — anger, worry, relief, heartbreak — all tangled together. And soon, so were they.
Meanwhile, outside...
Knock knock.
With red, slightly swollen eyes, Kiri stood at the door of the small house Ryuji had built for Rias and Lux.
"Hey... mind if I crash here tonight?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter target: 400 PS