Three days had passed since that meeting. I—Sylvia—was still doing the same thing as before hunting.
The mall that used to be full of zombies was now nearly empty. Its floors were clean of the walking dead, leaving only the stench of death clinging to the walls and dark hallways. The flickering, broken neon lights seemed to breathe in the silence. I remained here, alone, in an eerie stillness... as if the world was holding its breath.
I knew they were still watching me. Drones. Shadows. Hidden cameras. Human eyes spying from afar, thinking I hadn't noticed them.
But I didn't attack. I had never hurt them if they don't attack me first.
I just wanted to live. To walk alone through the remnants of this city, waiting... for something. Anything. Hope? Understanding? Or maybe just... a peaceful end?
But this morning... everything changed.
The sky trembled with the roar of helicopters. The floor beneath my feet shook slightly. I turned and saw them—tanks, fully armed soldiers, snipers positioned on nearby buildings. Armored vehicles surrounded the mall from all sides, like a spider's web waiting to crush its prey.
I looked at them from behind the second-floor window. Not challenging. Not hiding. Just... wondering.
What's going on?
Then suddenly... bullets rained down on me.
I dodged in time. Some shots missed, but several hit my arm and thigh. A sharp pain slashed through me, even though this body was no longer like before.
[HP -320]
I took cover behind a concrete wall.Panting.Confused.
"Why...?" I whispered.
Another bullet pierced my shoulder. A burning sensation spread like poison.
[HP -180]
They attacked me. Without reason. Without warning.Even after all this time, I had restrained myself.
My hands trembled. Not from pain but from something erupting inside my chest—Anger ? Heartbreak ? Betrayal ?
I bit my lip. Blood trickled from the corner. My claws scratched the floor, now as sharp as blades. I didn't need to breathe, but... this emotion was real, Burning like an eternal flame.
If that's how it is…
Then I'll fight back.
My body launched forward.
[Phantom Dash Lv 5 Activated]
I moved too fast for human eyes.Bullets flew, but few landed.A squad in front of me—ten men—screamed in surprise.Too late.
My sharp claws slashed. Flesh tore. Blood sprayed.
[Sharp Nails Lv 16 – Corrosion Effect Active]
They screamed and tried to flee but I gave them no chance.
I started to lose control but I didn't care.
A tank fired. I dodged at the last second. The blast shook the ground. I leapt onto it, tearing off the top hatch, ripping the driver inside with a single brutal motion.Blood splattered onto my face, dripping into my eyes. But I no longer felt disgust.
Helicopters fired from above.I hid behind buildings. But bullets came from every direction.They were waiting for me to emerge, like hunters waiting for their tired prey.
[HP -460] [Med-Regeneration Active – +41 HP/sec]
"Why are you doing this... why...?"
I caught a soldier who had fallen. He begged. His eyes trembled. I saw him—there was a human behind that helmet.
I hesitated. That moment stretched endlessly.
Then another bullet struck me from the side. I roared. And without thinking, my hand tore through his throat.
I didn't start this.
Now blood covered my face. Bullets kept coming. My body began to tire. Muscles tensed. My regeneration skill worked overtime just to keep me on my feet.
[HP: 2290/5600]
I swept across the battlefield with an empty gaze. The mall's walls were riddled with holes. Fires were starting in several places. Corpses littered the ground like autumn leaves. Some humans were still alive, crawling away from me, screaming.
I didn't chase them. I just stood there, watching. And for the first time...
I felt hollow.
"Why did you attack me...?" I whispered, but voice just growling.
I killed, slashed, tore. But... they were too many. More or less five hundred people. Tanks, Helicopters, Snipers.
They sent an army like they were facing an S-class monster. But I was just... alone.
I started to stumble. But I didn't give up.
Because if I were going to die here... Then I'd take as many of you down with me as I could.
I leapt onto a rooftop, charging a sniper who had shot me earlier. My hand pierced his body before he could scream. Blood flowed down my fingers, warming my cold flesh.
One more... two more... the gunshots fell silent one by one. But I was also losing focus. Skills kept draining me. HP kept falling. The world spun like an endless nightmare.
Then...
I saw someone.
A girl.
She stood in the middle of the ruins. She have long wavy golden Hair, wearing white military garb and holding a cross-shaped spear. A faint light surrounded her like mist. And... she wasn't afraid
Her eyes met mine. And somehow...
I felt exposed.
As if all my rage, despair, and brutality meant nothing before her calm gaze.
But I was already too far gone to stop now.