[Notice]
[Worldline Distortion Detected!]
• [Singularity Event: Confirmed...]
• [World will: Recorded Inactive.]
• [Singularity Merge: Complete....]
[All Previous "Records" Are Now Obsolete]
[World End Event has been strengthend.]
Fujimi High School.
It appeared to be an ordinary day. Classes proceeded as they typically do, and everything seemed to follow the usual routine.
Nevertheless,
For Takashi Komuro, today was just another frustrating day.
He leaned against the railing by the stairs, brooding as was his custom.
Several factors had contributed to his current state.
His childhood friend had unexpectedly begun a relationship with one of his friends, leaving him perplexed, and her disregard for him only made things worse.
To be truthful, he would be deceiving himself if he claimed it didn't bother him; deep down, he was aware of his feelings.
However, he was determined not to confront them.
"What a load of bull."
He muttered under his breath as a figure crossed his mind. It was the figure of that same childhood friend.
So, the more he thought about her, the more annoying those muddled thoughts became.
But eventually, he pushed it all aside, wallowing in his own gloom, until suddenly…
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A loud noise caught his attention, and he turned to see where it was coming from. It was from the schools front gate.
Squinting, he saw about ten people around the gate, their bodies recklessly hitting the barred gate which was an odd behavior.
"Hey, what's with that noise."
"Beats me?"
"What are they doing?"
"People mindlessly banging the gate, is this some sort of drama?"
As it turned out, it wasn't only him who noticed, but other students whose classroom windows faced the gates.
The noise was so loud they couldn't concentrate in class if they wanted to.
From there it would escalate to the point where a female teacher, joined by their P.E. instructor, would go to the gates.
"Just who are you people? Stop this unusual behaviour this instant."
The female teacher said, however,
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
they didn't stop. The ten of them, with blank, lifeless expressions, kept hitting the gates relentlessly, their arms slack and skin pallid.
Growls escaped their parted lips, guttural and inhuman. "Grrrr—"
Despite the unnatural behavior of the crowd in front of the school gate, the students were half-amused, half-confused.
For some reason, the male on the rooftop, however, felt an inexplicable chill..
«If you don't make a run for it….. you'll die»
He seemed to hear such a voice in his mind. Cold, yet… for some reason, he felt those words were true.
Their unusual behavior said a lot.
"Rei…."
The boy muttered as he dashed away from the rooftop.
The same could be said for another student, a female, inside the kendo club room.
Kendo club.
Seated in seiza style with her sword resting on the ground beside her was a female student.
Her long, dark purple hair was casually draped over her shoulders; with a voluptuous figure that most high school students of her age would envy.
As usual she had been practicing, however, today, there had been a nagging feeling that has been nagging at her.
It was now the feeling had gotten stronger as well with—
«Do your best… stay alive»
A voice which she heard loud and clear.
From her meditation, her eyes snapped open, her hand tightening around the wooden sword at her side as her brows furrowed.
'Something feels…. Off.'
And it would happen according to both their gut feelings.
Even though the teacher had warned them, her words went unheard as one of the mindless intruders climbed over the school gate and lunged at her.
She hardly had a moment to react before it bit into her neck.
"Gah! He's—he's… GYAHHH!"
Her scream echoed through the air.
For a brief moment, the two male teachers stood frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening.
But that moment of hesitation proved costly. It was all the zombies needed. One by one, they began to scale the gate.
The gym teacher was the first to regain his senses.
"I'm sorry!"
He shouted, stumbling back before he turned and sprinted toward the academic building.
'What's happening? Their behavior…. they're not human,' he thought, fear pushing him to run even faster.
But just as he reached the entrance, two zombies blocked his path, leaping at him and biting into his flesh.
He screamed, fighting against the inevitable as they tore into him.
"Gahhhh!"
Crunch! Crunch!
A terrifying tearing noise echoed through the air, and blood splattered onto the pavement.
The students watching from the windows felt a chill run down their spines. To them, it was like a scene straight out of a horror film, but this was all too real.
Time seemed to stretch as they remained frozen in shock—until the piercing screams of female students broke the silence…
"Kyaaaaa!"
The high-pitched scream of one girl snapped everyone out of their trance, and chaos ensued.
At that moment, the school intercom crackled to life, amplifying the panic:
["Attention all students, please evacuate the school immediately. I repeat, please—"]
["Wait! Don't come any closer! Help—!"]
["Help me! GYAH!"]
The announcement ended with a blood-curdling scream, heightening the fear that swept across the campus.
Panic erupted as students fled for their lives.
This wasn't just a typical panic attack that might leave some unharmed.
No, this… was ruthless.
No one was left untouched.
Even a minor scratch from their teeth or claws could lead to infection, and in no time, it spread like wildfire.
A few minutes later—
"Over here!"
A guy shouted as he sprinted up the stairs, with another guy and a girl hot on his heels.
"Hisashi, wait for us!"
"Rei, Takashi, keep up!"
Hisashi called back, glancing over his shoulder at the zombies chasing them—faster and more aggressive than anything they had ever imagined.
"These things are not normal…"
Takashi gasped, almost to himself, recalling what a classmate, who fancied himself a "zombie expert—Otaku," had said just before getting bitten.
"Haah. Haah."
THWACK!
"Up the stairs!"
Hisashi pointed to the staircase leading to the rooftop, where another fight seemed to be happening.
"There are survivors over there."
"Let's go help them."
Without a second thought, Hisashi charged toward a zombie that was staggering near the staircase landing.
Just as he closed in, the zombie's head snapped around to face him with terrifying speed.
"Damn it!"
"Hisashi!"
Rei's voice wavered as she rushed forward, clutching a spear she'd quickly made from a broken broomstick.
The trio attacked together, with Takashi joining in—
His bat slammed into the zombie's head with a gruesome crack.
At the same moment, Rei's spear pierced its chest, knocking it back.
They hardly had a moment to breathe before plunging back into the chaos, fighting off a small group of zombies that had gathered near the stairs.
After a few more swings and frantic thrusts, the area finally fell quiet.
"Haah. Haah."
Breathing heavily, they scanned their surroundings, checking on the few survivors they had gathered with.
Luckily, most of the other students had attempted to escape through the main entrance, leaving the upper floors less crowded.
Because of that, there were fewer zombies upstairs than expected.
"Haah. Haah. Thanks a lot…"
A girl with purple hair panted, leaning on a shattered wooden sword to steady herself.
Even someone as talented as Saeko Busujima appeared exhausted after battling such relentless zombies.
"Hold on, you're… Busujima-senpai and Marikawa-sensei!"
Rei exclaimed as Saeko offered a faint, weary smile. "Shh, let's get to the rooftop first."
The group quietly ascended the stairs, finally making it to the rooftop.
Once they arrived—
They stacked everything they could find against the door to create a makeshift barricade before slumping against the wall to catch their breath.
"Phew… Finally, a moment to relax."
Saeko leaned against the wall, her shoulders rising and falling as she tried to regain her composure.
Marikawa knelt next to her.
"Are you okay, Saeko?"
"Yeah, I just—"
Saeko's words faded as her gaze drifted towards the city, her eyes slowly widening.
Dark smoke billowed into the sky, and unsettling screams echoed through the streets.
"What's happening—"
Before Rei could finish her thought, Takashi appeared behind her and covered her mouth with his hand.
"Shh. Keep it down," he said, frowning and clearly irritated.
"Nurse Marikawa, what do you think is going on?"
Hisashi asked, glancing at her as she knelt next to Saeko, who was trying to catch her breath.
Marikawa paused for a moment before replying, "It could be some sort of infection… I think?"
She tapped her finger against her lips, deep in thought. It was clear from her tone that she wasn't entirely convinced.
"Infection? Like a virus?" Saeko interjected, and Marikawa slowly shook her head.
"I can't say for certain. But that seems likely."
"Zombies, huh?" Hisashi muttered under his breath.
Takashi, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly realized he was still covering Rei's mouth.
That's when she swatted his hand away, pushing it from her face.
"Hey! You don't need to handle me like that!" she snapped.
Takashi shot her a glare, rubbing his side. "You didn't have to elbow me!"
"Hey!" Hisashi interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "Keep it down—"
He attempted to warn them, but it was already too late.
BANG—!
BANG—!
The rooftop door shook violently as the zombies slammed against it, the heavy metal reverberating with each hit.
Then—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The relentless pounding continued. "Takashi, come on!" Hisashi yelled, pressing his shoulder against the barricade.
BANG!
"It's useless! They are too strong!" Takashi grunted, struggling to keep it shut.
"Just keep pushing! We can't let them in!"
While Takashi and Hisashi fought to hold the door, Saeko rose, gripping her shattered wooden sword with determination.
'Is this how it ends?'
But instead of despair, a smile began to form on her lips.
At least she wouldn't go down without a fight. This was her—no, this was the bushido spirit.
"We can't—!"
CRACK!
The barricade splintered.
The door flew open, and zombies surged in, lunging hungrily at the nearest targets—Takashi and Hisashi.
"Hisashi!" Rei screamed.
"Oh no…" Marikawa gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Saeko's eyes widened, her grip on the wooden sword tightening as she tried to move forward, but deep down, she knew—it was too late.
'Damn it.'
She wouldn't make it in time.
But then—
C-CRICK—!
"Freeze over."
The air instantly turned icy, causing the zombies to stop mid-lunge.
A silvery frost spread across their bodies, solidifying flesh and bone, effectively freezing them in place.
Moments later, they shattered like glass, their pieces scattering across the rooftop.
"Oh. Looks like you made it."
A chilling voice echoed from behind them. They turned slowly, eyes wide, to find a figure casually perched on the guard rail.
A young man, not much older than they were. His attention seemed to be fixed on Saeko, his gaze locked on her before slowly sweeping all of them.
"You are–?"
He raised a hand, cutting her off.
"I'm not here for a conversation. At least, not yet."
He said this while drawing the sword from its sheath, hung by his side, the blade glinting in the light as he lifted it.
Pointing the blade downward in front of their gazes, he then spoke.
"Forth, O Dragon, who has submitted to the Calamity at the end of the frosted world. Devour the world with your iron fangs."
The sword began to glow, a brilliant light enveloping him.
"Nidhogg."
The light expanded, surrounding him entirely, slowly expanding spherically. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the light vanished, and he was gone.
"Eh…. Where… where did he go?"
Hisashi murmured, blinking at the empty spot where the stranger had just stood.
"Huh—? Look… the school grounds… it's… empty." Marikawa whispered, pointing below.
Saeko, Rei, and Marikawa leaned over the edge of the rooftop. The chaos that had just erupted was now gone.
The zombies that once filled the grounds were reduced to sparkling shards, the air filled with drifting, shimmering crystals.
They spotted survivors—some clinging to each other in fear, while others wept in relief.
"Now that I think about it, that voice sounds familiar."
Saeko furrowed her brows, tightening her grip on her broken sword. Her voice was barely audible, lost in her thoughts.
"Yes. I heard it…"
She confirmed to herself.
[Do your best… stay alive.]
"That voice...… was his?"
Saeko spoke with a frown, leaving everyone even more puzzled than before.