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―Bang!

Friede’s pistol roared as a 9mm bullet punched through the zombie’s forehead, but the new heroes scattered to the sides as the grotesque horde of zombies charged forward.

Wisdom, bending backward to dodge the claws of a pursuing zombie, swung her blade with a sharp arc.

―Crack!

Even with her neck nearly severed, the zombie still wobbled around like a drunken fool.

As she tripped the stumbling zombie and jammed her knife into its nape, she clicked her tongue in frustration.

“Tsk!”

Was it because it was just a knife? It hardly dealt satisfying damage, causing her to frown.

Though she had a pistol, the weapon felt inadequate, so she scanned her surroundings for better targets when a glimmer caught her eye.

There, up ahead… a zombie limped toward her, a longsword embedded in its gut.

Not too far away, but with the wall of corpses blocking the way, time was running out to break through with just a knife.

“Friede!”

At Wisdom’s shout, Friede, who had just taken down the zombie in front of her, nodded immediately.

Their eyes crossed briefly, connecting their intentions.

“…Got it!”

―Click!

With her magazine swapped and reloaded, Friede charged through the zombie horde.

All of the zombies closest detected their prey and turned to rush her.

Normally, she’d be overwhelmed and quickly taken down by the zombie onslaught.

Everyone watching the broadcast recalled those scenarios, tension gripping them as they couldn’t take their eyes off the screen.

And then….

―Bang, bang!

The gunfire erupted in succession, as the golden-haired woman danced, shattering their expectations with her performance.

As bullets pierced the zombie’s forehead while she elbowed away its clawing hands, her brilliant blonde hair flowed as she pulled the trigger again and again.

First, one shot aimed at the claw, followed by another at an incoming head, then bending low to shoot under the jaw.

With a spin, she sent the body of a flying zombie crashing down with another bullet, then knocked the leg out from under a rushing one with a shot to the knee.

Feeling a threat behind her, she windmilled, losing her balance, and fired forward for one last shot.

A dance that ended with six shots fired in a single breath.

[What the hell is that?]

[Those who said Friede would suck without Soul Warfare, come out!]

[Have they all hidden away? Got exposed by the game’s skills? Disgusting, right?]

[Wow, Friede’s position shift is crazy.]

[A zombie grabbed one leg, but with a quick turn, she got into an angle where the zombie couldn’t bite.]

[And then, she headshotted every one charging at her. How do you get a kill streak like that with a pistol?]

There were still zombies remaining behind, but who cares?

Maybe she was dripping with oil like a newly manufactured product from the factory. Her movements were precise and fluid, almost mechanical.

Without a single miscalculation, it seemed like Friede predicted the zombies’ movements, creating an illusion of afterimages.

And then, like a black leopard taking advantage of the gap Friede created, Wisdom’s long black hair spread out in all directions.

Though it was a virtual reality where Hero’s Power was limited, and she couldn’t use it to the fullest…

‘This should be easy enough.’

Wisdom’s new style moved gracefully like a river swaying under the moonlight.

Advancing forward as she retreated, retreating as she advanced—the swordsmanship of the hero.

Hoonshin’s Technique

Moon Shadow Step

Though she had no inner strength, her supreme techniques engraved in her soul knew no boundary in a virtual realm.

Even if her power was weaker, it didn’t matter.

Like the waves of a river swaying under the moonlight, for a brief moment, Wisdom evaded all of the zombies’ grasp with a feeling of non-existence.

No matter how much they tried to catch her, the zombies, who had lost their wits, couldn’t grab hold of the currents of the Yangtze River.

Before long, Wisdom reached the familiar hilt of the sword in front of her.

An Eastern-style longsword.

The familiar grip brought a smile to Wisdom’s face, reminiscent of past memories.

“Oh, this cool, heavy feeling.”

It’s been a year, huh?

―Whoosh!

With eyes blazing like they were on fire, her arms exploded with immense strength as she seized the handle.

Wisdom cleaved the zombie clean in two with the sword embedded in its body, skillfully wiping the blood from the blade into the air.

[Wow, this game is trash.]

[Friede’s insane, but this girl is on another level.]

[Isn’t that Mutl-Dakk being all cartilaginous?]

[Friede’s friend is keeping up. Damn lol.]

[For real, if those kinds of girls keep getting kill streaks in the middle, zombies might just rage-quit.]

I thought the nickname Mutl-Dakk referred to someone resembling Friede.

But seeing Wisdom wielding her sword was like hitting the jackpot, causing a wave of cheers in the chat.

―Kiyyyy!

Whether it was the scream of the zombie cut in half or the furious growl of the fellow zombies lamenting their friend’s demise, it was hard to tell.

With shut eyes, Wisdom sharpened her senses to catch the movements of the zombies closing in from all sides.

“True Immortal….”

With a whisper barely audible to herself, she swung her sword with the intention of unleashing all her strength.

Plum Blossom Fist.

From the worn-out longsword soaring through the air, a remarkable swordplay unfurling that shouldn’t be witnessed by the world.

For just a moment, the blade transformed into many petals swirling in the air, as the necks of five surrounded zombies fell to the ground.

At that moment, there was a click indicating the bullet was loaded, and Wisdom threw the heavy object she held with all her might.

“Friede!”

Without a need to turn her body dramatically, Friede merely extended her hand toward the source of the voice.

She felt the magazine smoothly glide into her palm.

“Nice.”

Immediately reloading, Friede elbowed an incoming zombie, driving a bullet into its exposed throat.

“Is that all of them left?”

“Seems so.”

For just a moment, both exchanged smiles.

Then they charged toward the remaining pack of zombies ahead.

* * *

Despite the grand name of an encounter, the zombie horde disbanded in an instant like sheep slaughtered by lions.

[God Friede is invincible! God Mutl-Dakk is a deity!]

[For real!]

[Hey, why not make a Soul Warfare team with these two as the heroes?]

[This pro team would be unstoppable.]

[A top-tier team made up entirely of women? Can’t resist that!]

The chat erupted like an earthquake, flooding in with so many texts it was hard to keep track.

One player wielding a basic firearm—a pistol—while the other wielded a longsword hastily taken from a zombie, yet they laid waste to the horde.

If seasoned veterans who had long played this game were witness to the battle today, they would’ve shaken their heads in disbelief.

It surely took ample firepower and an army of competent allies to overcome such hordes.

Setting up the encounter was the game’s intent.

A total of two minutes.

Time it took for just two players to handle nearly a hundred zombies.

While “Zombie Ruins” isn’t a game with a long history, today’s performance was something hard to come by.

“Friede.”

“Yeah?”

Snap!

The two women’s palms slapped against each other with a cheerful sound.

“It’s funny to say this in a game, but don’t you think we work well together?”

“Well, it wasn’t bad. You’ve really hidden this skill well.”

“Friede, you’d be fun to square off against in Soul Warfare later.”

A true duel with Wisdom in Soul Warfare.

The swordsmanship she’d just displayed, mercilessly slaughtering zombies, lingered in her mind.

Compared to anyone she had seen before, Wisdom displayed immaculate sword skills.

She didn’t feel like she would lose. Like the stars, she had confidence that she could win anytime.

But, yeah. This could be interesting.

“It could be fun.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing. Let’s go, everyone will be waiting.”

Well, that’s a story for another time. A future that might not even happen.

For now, let’s stay true to the present.

* * *

“What do we do? Should we take Yuri with us?”

“Well, that’s true.”

I felt a little uneasy, like a fly was buzzing around.

Though I didn’t know how they were cooked up, the four men Yuri was with seemed adequately armed and skilled.

Having allies in a confined space where an encounter had just occurred would surely be a strong asset. Yuri’s handling of them wasn’t bad.

The problem was that they couldn’t keep trailing behind. The crucial point now is when to shake them off.

“Should we attack them from behind?”

“And if the zombies break through and rush at Yuri, what then?”

“Yuri will probably manage just fine.”

That’s a pretty reckless assumption.

With a frown, Dayoung stood up.

“I’m not leaving her behind. She’s still in danger.”

Just as Dayoung lifted her sniper rifle and began to select a threatening zombie to aim at…

“…?”

At that bizarre gaze piercing her neck, she turned her scope, spotting Yuri’s eyes below.

Clearly, Yuri noticed her and was conscious of her presence.

As Yuri’s finger slowly rose up, eventually resting over her red lips in the center,

“Shhh!”

With her finger pressed against her lips, Yuri was clearly signaling for quiet…

Dayoung’s eyes lingered in confusion.

 

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