Tokonosu City was peaceful today.
If one could ignore the zombies currently wandering the streets...
Just then.
The roar of an engine echoed from the distance.
The wandering zombies stopped their aimless trekking. Like predators sensing prey, they turned toward the source of the sound.
Inarticulate growls escaped their throats.
They began to shuffle slowly toward the noise.
Unfortunately, their eyesight had deteriorated significantly compared to when they were alive.
Consequently, they couldn't see that the engine's roar came from a motorcycle cruising slowly ahead.
Behind the motorcycle, a literal tide of zombies followed in pursuit.
Otherwise, they would have known that there were too many mouths for too little meat, and given up early to save their lives.
The people riding the motorcycle were none other than Su Yan and Busujima Saeko, who had come out specifically to hunt zombies.
Busujima Saeko sat behind Su Yan, her arms wrapped around his waist. She glanced back at the dense swarm of zombies.
Calculating the distance they had traveled, she said to Su Yan, "Su Yan-kun, this distance should be enough, shouldn't it?"
"I understand."
Su Yan nodded.
He revved the engine hard. The mechanical beast beneath them let out a violent roar before surging forward.
After putting a significant gap between them and the zombies, he finally brought the vehicle to a halt.
Su Yan turned the bike around. Watching the zombie swarm approaching like a dark cloud, he turned to Saeko. "Well then, I'll leave these monsters to you."
At his words, Saeko's gaze sharpened. "Leave it to me. Every last one of them!"
But soon, the violet-haired girl seemed to think of something. She tapped her cheek lightly with her finger in front of Su Yan. "However, shouldn't Su Yan-kun give his senior a little encouragement before the battle?"
Su Yan pressed a hand to his forehead.
A look of 'I'm really no match for you' crossed his face.
Under Saeko's expectant gaze, he leaned in and kissed her soft, youthful cheek.
Su Yan asked awkwardly, "Is that enough?"
"More than enough."
With that, Busujima Saeko reached out her hand.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly.
As if breaking through the dimensional wall, a long blade wreathed in purple aura suddenly materialized in her hand.
This was her exclusive Conjuration-type weapon—Ling Zhan!
Stroking the manifested blade, she said calmly, "With Su Yan-kun supporting me from behind, I am invincible!"
She looked at Su Yan again, emphasizing every word. "Su Yan-kun, please keep your eyes on me. Watch the sword dance I am about to perform for you!"
"Alright."
Su Yan replied, "I look forward to seeing your dance, Senpai."
"I certainly won't disappoint you."
With that, she moved as if drawing a sword from its scabbard.
She gripped Ling Zhan tightly as the purple aura surrounding the blade suddenly condensed.
With a light tap of her foot, she launched herself like an arrow from a bow, charging toward the impenetrable wall of zombies.
The zombies didn't understand why their food had stopped running and was now charging at them.
But as their meal drew closer, these creatures that should have been devoid of emotion seemed to emit a faint sense of longing.
They surged toward Saeko like a tide. Even those knocked down by the press behind them continued to crawl forward like worms.
It was a terrifying sight.
Any normal person watching this would have felt their skin crawl.
One against thousands.
No matter the era, anyone would think this was destined to be a one-sided slaughter.
Never mind fighting a thousand enemies; even slaughtering a line of a thousand unresisting pigs would be an exhausting feat.
Blades go dull, and people grow weary.
Such a thing was impossible for a human, unless...
That person was Busujima Saeko!
Saeko swung Ling Zhan, tracing a semi-circular arc through the air.
Silence!
An eerie silence!
The blade passed through the zombies' bodies like a hot knife through butter.
It was incredibly smooth.
Not a single sound was made.
It was as if Ling Zhan hadn't cut through flesh, but merely through paper drawings of zombies.
Even after her strike concluded, the zombies at the very front remained frozen in their initial poses.
They stood motionless, as if frozen in time.
Not until the zombies behind them surged forward and knocked them over did anything change.
A thin red line suddenly appeared on the bodies of the struck zombies.
Their bodies began to separate.
Each body had been sliced perfectly in half, yet not a single drop of blood spilled from the wounds.
It was as if the corpses were simply meant to look that way.
Saeko lifted her head, the corners of her mouth curling upward. A bewitching light flickered in her violet eyes.
Her movements were elegant and beautiful.
Like a tiger among sheep, she plunged into the swarm, her blade dancing without pause.
She never stopped for a second, behaving like a tireless killing machine.
It was like a scythe harvesting wheat, clearing row after row.
Every second, several—even a dozen—zombies fell.
Yet, the most miraculous thing was that no matter how many she killed...
not a single drop of blood stained the girl's clothes.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
Superb swordsmanship, a weapon that grew sharper with every kill, and the constant replenishment of Nen feedback from the weapon—all of these combined to give her endless stamina.
This was her!
The bewitching, battle-crazed beauty—Busujima Saeko!
Watching Saeko's dance-like swordplay from a distance, Su Yan couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "It seems Saeko-senpai's swordsmanship has improved again."
Perhaps it was her state of mind, or maybe something else entirely.
Although the situation was similar to last night, and her blade had been fast and sharp then, it still felt like something had been missing compared to now.
One could tell just by looking at her current state.
Last night, after the battle, Saeko's clothes had been completely dyed red by zombie blood.
This time, however, aside from her boots inevitably stepping in the blood on the ground...
there wasn't a single bloodstain on her clothes.
Even her movements in battle seemed more fluid and natural.
The implications of these two vastly different outcomes were self-evident.
Feeling the Nen constantly surging within him, Su Yan watched Saeko as she went on a rampage through the zombies. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He began to ponder a rather philosophical question: did zombies count as living beings?
They possessed basic mobility and the fundamental biological urge to feed.
Aside from acting purely on instinct and lacking any sign of intelligence, they seemed like living organisms by most definitions.
However, Su Yan had previously tried using the 'Ren' technique on them.
Specifically, releasing his Nen to produce an effect similar to Conqueror's Haki from One Piece.
The result had been unexpected.
Against zombies, this ability had absolutely no intimidating effect.
"Well, Su Yan-kun? How was it?"
After an unknown amount of time, Saeko stood before him, asking with a look of deep satisfaction.
Su Yan smiled and replied, "Perfect. I don't think I'll ever forget the way you looked while fighting, Senpai."
"Is that so?"
Delighted by his answer, Saeko beamed. Then, like a child asking an adult for candy, she said, "Since I did so well, shouldn't my junior give me a little reward?"
"For example..."
She winked at him, her violet eyes full of life and playfulness.
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