“Shit, how many zombies are there going to be!”

“How much longer, Fifi?”

“It shouldn’t be too long until Jude wakes up. Just hold on.”

‘Mei 2, earth magic at 10 o’clock.’

‘Another behind 10 o’clock and one crawling on the ground at 9 o’clock. Watch out for the skies.’

[I turn my attention back towards the outside and begin shooting at Mei 1 and Mei 3’s instructions. Mei 1 was able to point out the position of zombies who were using magic and Mei 3 was able to point out the zombies' position in general.]

[I point my gun at the zombie using earth magic and shoot it in the leg. With its magic being disrupted, backlash occurs and its arms were blown off. Fifi explained that if someone’s magic is interrupted in the middle of chanting then it will explode in front of them. I shoot the leg of the zombie behind the earth magic-using zombie before turning towards the crawling zombie and popped a shot into its head.]

[30 minutes have passed since we first started fighting back but our situation still hasn’t gotten any better. Thanks to Gareth’s expert driving, the tower of zombies was still 200 feet away from us but since it couldn’t get any closer, it threw more zombies at us. We were even starting to have to deal with zombies that could use magic. At this rate, we might have to face off against even stronger zombies.]

[As more time passes, the more our ammunition runs out. Willaim and Gareth had packed quite a lot of ammo for their guns but I’m sure even they didn’t expect that we would have to face off against hundreds of zombies. The worst part was that the tower of zombies was barely taking any damage. All that happened to it was that it got a little bit smaller than when we first saw it. At this rate, the only way we can escape is for Jude to wake up.]

“Professor Jane, hand me another gun!”

“O-ok.”

[There wasn’t any ammo left for the pistols so I throw them into the car before grabbing the gun Professor Jane handed to me. It was a shotgun and I didn’t really know how to use it but I don’t have time to think over it.]

“Gagagagagyaahhhh!!”

“Shit!”

“Kyaaah!!”

[A zombie reaches its hand through the window and grabs onto Professor Jane’s hair. I was thinking about punching the zombie but I had left my gauntlets back at the mansion. I hurry and load the shotgun with ammo but it was quite difficult. I don’t know how Gogo makes it seem so easy but eventually I get the ammunition in. I cock the shotgun and bring it towards the zombie's face and shoot it.]

“Bang.”

[The zombie’s head explodes and Professor Jane was freed.]

“Ahahaha, the recoil was stronger than I expected!”

‘Be careful. Don’t hurt yourself.’

‘Hold it tight. Use your muscles, Mei 2.’

Got it.

[My ears were slightly ringing from the shotgun but it’s not as bad as the screeching that’s been coming from the tower of zombies. I get back into position and watch as the zombies continue to chase us. No matter how much we take down, there’s always more that chase after us.]

‘Let the zombies get closer. Your gun doesn’t seem to have much range.’

‘Stabilize your posture and keep the gun close to your body so it doesn’t knock you back.’

[A zombie jumps at me and I blast it away. I wonder how many zombies I’ve killed in these past 30 minutes or so. I feel like I’ll be gaining the title of Zombie Slayer any time soon. Maybe I’ll level up soon and gain a super special ability like Mei 3’s 5 locks. I’m so jealous that she was the first one to gain a special ability, I want something cool like that.]

‘Watch out, the tower of zombies is doing something!’

[After Mei 3’s warning, I look at the tower of zombies and it was doing something it hasn’t done before. The zombies at the top of the tower were all unnaturally shifting positions. It turned into a giant hand and it was coming straight for us.]

“Gareth, step on the pedal!!!”

[I warn Gareth but I was too late. The giant hand misses us and slams onto the ground. Even though it missed us, the force from it slamming into the ground was strong enough to make the car flip over. I’m thrown against the roof of the car and my entire body was pushed up against it.]

[Gogo, Professor Jane, William, and Goldie were in the same position as me. We couldn’t resist the force pushing us against the roof. Gareth, Jill, Lisa, and Jude had all been strapped down one way or another so they were relatively better than us. Fifi was able to fly so the situation wasn’t terrible for her.]

[The car lands back down and we all are violently thrown against the ground. The wind was knocked right out of me and I couldn’t breathe.]

‘Mei 2, hurry and wake up Gareth. He passed out!’

[I look up and could see that Gareth’s head lying limply over his seatbelt. I try to get my bearings together but it was quite difficult. I lean against the wall and walk on over to Gareth. I could hear the groans of zombies and their pounding on the car. The zombies had caught up with us.]

“GARETH, WAKE UP!!!”

“...”

[He wasn’t responding. The only thing I can do is slap him awake. I can only hope the pain will wake him up.]

“W-what...what happened?”

“Drive, just drive! The situation is at it’s worse now!”

[Gareth was still confused but he steps on the gas. The car begins to accelerate but it was definitely slower than it was earlier. The zombies must be holding onto the car.]

“MOMMY!!!! COME HOME!!!”

[This was the loudest the voice has ever been. It sounded like it was just outside of the car.]

“No! Don’t come near me! I’m not your Mommy! You’re not real!! You’re dead already!!!”

[I look for my gun but I couldn’t find it. It must have fallen out of the window when the car flipped over. Professor Jane was off in a corner muttering to herself. William had recovered himself and began shooting out of his window while Gogo was also shooting out the window. His gun had changed but it was still another shotgun. Jill was working on providing all of us ammunition and reloading our weapons. It seems like this entire thing didn’t faze Lisa or Fifi at all. The two of them were intently concentrating on Jude.]

[I grab another gun and look for its ammo but I can’t find any. In fact, I couldn’t find any ammo at all.]

“Jill, grab me another clip!”

“T-there’s no more. We’re out of ammo!!”

“Shit! Mako, look under the bench on Jude’s side. Grab whatever you can.”

[I go on over and was about to lift the bench up but I hesitate. What if I interrupt Lisa’s process of waking Jude up.]

“Master, can I open this up?”

“Go ahead.”

[I lift it up but I couldn’t open it very much. Lisa and Jude were still on the bench so it was too heavy for me. I’m sure Mei 3 could open it but I couldn’t. Gogo comes over and helps me lift the bench up.]

“Thanks.”

“Let’s hurry.”

[Under this bench wasn’t guns but instead other things. There were what looked to be spying tools but there were also weapons. There was a club-like weapon, a knife, a sword, and what looked like to be grenades. Gogo and I grab whatever seemed useful in this situation.]

“William we got the stuff.”

“Good, give me those grenades.”

[I hand over the grenades and William immediately begins chucking them out into the crowd of zombies. A few seconds later, the grenades explode but it wasn’t a regular explosion. You would expect a fiery explosion but water comes out instead. Water was sent all over the zombies and some of it had even gotten into the car.]

[I didn’t think it would be effective but the next thing I heard was the intense groans and cries of the zombies. I’m sure they weren’t supposed to feel pain but now they were screaming like they were in so much pain.]

“What was that?”

“Holy water grenades.”

“Holy water grenades?”

“Yep, it works great on supernatural beings, and I guess zombies.”

“GAAAHHHHH!!!! IT HURTS, MOMMY!!!”

“M-Mary!!”

[Professor Jane gets up and walks toward the back door but stops herself. It really seems like she knows whose voice this was.]

“Profes…”

[Before I could even finish my sentence, I was thrown against the side of the car. The entire car was hit by something and we only stopped when the car slammed into the wall.]

[The back doors were now wide open and I could see so many zombies surrounding our car. The doors were hanging on their very last hinges so our situation wouldn’t change even if I tried to close the doors. The zombies were still writhing in pain but once they recover all of their attention would be on us. If no one does anything then we’ll all die.]

[I look at Jude and Fifi for help but neither of them was in a position to save anyone. Jude was still unconscious and Fifi was trying to wake him up. My eyes drift towards William and Gareth but the two of them were still rattled from the tower of zombies attack.]

[I can’t depend on anyone else to save us, I’ll be the one to save everyone!]

[I grabbed the sword that had fallen onto the ground and head on out of the car. There were hundreds of zombies in front of me and it is terrifying but a raging surge of power was flowing inside of me. My fear was being replaced with pure adrenaline. I have to protect everyone!]

“Hahaha, come at me! I’ll show all of you my “Dragon Slaying Sword Techniques.”

‘We’ll provide support. Go all out, Mei 2.’

‘Go for it! You’re my big sister after all!’

[As the middle sister, I can’t disappoint either of them. I’ll show Mei 1 that I can be a competent older sister and I’ll show Mei 3 all of her older sister’s cool side. I drew the sword from its scabbard and its blade was really thin. It was only about two fingers in width and very flat for a sword but it was quite pretty. The blade shined a blue hue and seemed magical.]

“From now on, your name is Blue Light.”

[I take a deep breath and ready myself. Until Jude wakes up I’ll protect everyone.]

“My name is Mako Mei or you can call me magical swordswoman Mei 2! This is my debut as a magical swordswoman and as such, I won’t let any of you defeat me since losing is uncool after all! So come at me...”

‘Mei 2, 3 o’clock.’

“Got it. You dumb zombies didn’t even let me finish my speech.”

[I slash at the zombie that Mei 3 warned me about and its head comes clean off. Even though its blade was so thin, Blue Light was really sharp. After killing that one zombie all the other zombies begin to attack. One by one, I slice each and every one of their heads off.]

“Don’t you dare underestimate my legendary “Dragon Slaying Sword Techniques.” It may not seem strong against normal humans but that’s because it was made to slay dragons and dragons are way cooler than zombies. One of these days I’ll go slay a dragon and become a legend that is passed throughout the generations! My kids and my kids' kids will know the legend of Mei 2, the dragon slayer.”

‘Watch out, behind you.’

“Ahaha, thanks Mei 3.”

[I turn my body and slice the head off of the zombie that tried to attack me from behind.]

‘Stop narrating to yourself, Mei 2. Concentrate on the fight.’

“I am fighting seriously! Don’t underestimate me. Right Wing Rising from Horse Shoe Mountain.”

[I hold the blade with both hands and slice towards the zombies heading for me from the right. Ten heads come clean off as ten bodies fall to the ground. Even I didn’t expect this much power from my attack.]

“Right Wing Rising from HorseShoe mountain is a technique that resembles the wings of a dragon blowing everything away. With a single slice, I was able to decapitate ten zombies. Next, I’ll aim to slice off a hundred heads! Hahahaha!”

‘Stop playing around! You’re going to get yourself killed!’

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I feel incredibly strong right now. I can defeat all of these zombies with my eyes closed.”

‘Mei 2, please listen to Mei 1. You’re acting really weird right now, this isn’t you. Please be careful.’

[Why are my sisters so worried? Do I look like I’m struggling right now? None of these zombies can even withstand a single slash from Blue Light.]

‘You may feel strong right now but don’t let it get to your head. This strength you are feeling is only temporary. If we’re to take Fifi’s explanation of experience into account then right now you’re feeling a slight high from gaining so much experience from killing all of these zombies. You’ve gotten so much stronger in a short time span so you feel invincible, but you aren’t. Remember, you’re objective isn’t to kill these zombies, it’s to protect everyone in the car.’

“It’s fine, if I kill every zombie then that means I have saved everyone.”

‘That’s not what I’m talking about!’

‘Mei 2, watch out!’

[A wall made of earth suddenly appears before me but I easily cut it down. The wall falls down but behind it was a blast of ice. My body freezes up and I could feel my fingertips go numb but this wasn’t going to be enough to stop me. I tighten my grip on Blue Light and break through the frost with my burning energy.]

“Shit!”

[Behind that ice magic was another type of magic. Looking at the color and viscosity, it was exactly like that attack from that green goo zombie from campus. If I let it touch me at all then my body will instantly dissolve into bones. I jump back and was able to avoid the majority of it but some of it splashed onto my legs. It went straight through my pants and I could feel my skin being burnt.]

‘It’s not over! Concentrate!’

[Hearing Mei 3’s voice, my body automatically reacts to the incoming attack. My sword slices three of the five projectiles while I grab the one aiming for my face with my left hand. The last one I was barely able to dodge by contorting my body but it still grazed the side of my stomach. Within my hand was some sort of sharp bone-like object and reminded me of that other zombie from campus with the spiky spine. It’s like I’m facing every special zombie I’ve seen on campus.]

“Speak of the devil.”

[A giant pillar of earth magic comes straight at me and there wasn’t any way for me to dodge. This was the same magic that had broken through the library's basement. These consecutive attacks were wearing away at my energy.]

‘Jump off it and land on the wall behind you.’

[Hearing Mei 1’s instructions I run towards the pillar on jump on its flat surface and ride it. Before it slams into the wall, I jump off of it and plant my feet on the wall as I hold onto my sword which I stabbed into the wall.]

“Gaahh!!”

[I was too careless. After evading that pillar of earth, I relaxed a little bit and the zombies took advantage of that. There was currently a bone spike stabbed into my stomach. The pain was more than anything I’ve ever felt before. Did I really think I could defeat all of these zombies by myself? Invincible? No, I’m just an idiot.]

“I’m sorry, Mei 1 and Mei 2. I let this power get into my head. I should have listened to both of your advice.”

‘It’s fine and don’t take that spike out of your body. We wouldn’t want to bleed out after all.’

‘Alright, now that your back to normal, let’s continue this battle. We still have zombies to defeat and people to protect.’

“Thank you.”

[I don’t know what overcame me earlier but I won’t let that happen again. I take a deep breath and pull Blue Light out of the wall. The first one I have to kill right now is that green goo spitting zombie. That’s the only magic that is truly dangerous to me if I’m not careful.]

[I kick off the wall and begin running down the pillar of earth. This time I’m heading back into battle with a clear head. With the help of my sister, I’m sure we can overcome this ordeal.]

……

“Stop struggling and die already.”

“Gyyaaahhhh!”

[I had planned to kill the green goo spitting zombie first but he was the last one, out of those who attack me, to die. He kept on hiding behind the other magic-using zombies that I had to kill all the others before I could corner him. As soon as I cut his head I jump back because his head exploded into green goo. I already expected it so I wasn’t caught off guard this time, but magic-using zombies are really intelligent, aren’t they? Well, I guess if they can use magic then they must have some sort of intelligence.]

[I wonder how long I’ve been fighting? I cut off one head, two heads, three heads, but I don’t think I’m making a dent in their numbers. Dozens of bodies lay before me but more and more zombies continue to come after me. Blue Light has already broken in half so I’ve just been using the half with the handle. My range has definitely dropped and that made my battles that much harder. At this rate, they’re going to overwhelm me if I don’t do something.]

[If that does happen then everyone will die but I won’t let that happen. I stab Blue Light into another zombie’s head and the last piece of the blade breaks off of the handle. I let go of the blade and prepare myself for hand to hand combat but the zombies begin to run away from me. They were congregating in one spot and it didn’t take long for the tower of zombies to be built back up again. All I could do was watch, it was smaller now but that still didn’t mean it lost its imposing aura.]

“How dare you hurt my friends!”

[The little girl’s voice screams out and I cover my ears. Looking at the tower of zombies, it was turning into a hand again. It was trying to squash me.]

‘How long is Fifi going to take!?’

‘That bastard Jude better wake up!’

[The two of them were panicking but somehow I felt completely calm in front of this tower. Power was flowing through me again but it wasn’t the same kind that took over my body earlier. Unlike that raging river of power, this time it was a calm stream of strength filling my body. It didn’t feel invasive and it naturally flowed through me. I remember this feeling, it’s the feeling of mana.]

[Ever since Tod’s death it’s been blocked but now it was flowing again. Images of Tod were flashing through my mind. The time when we first met, the time when he was killed by the prison monster, the time he came back covered in golden flames, and the time when he said his farewell. This wasn’t the first time this has happened. Every single time I’ve tried to use magic, Tod would pop up into my mind. It goes smoothly as the mana begins to fill my body but I’m always stopped by the image of Tod’s lifeless body lying in a pool of his own blood.]

[It was my job to save anyone if they were in danger but I wasn’t able to save you. I’m sorry, Tod. It’s been the biggest regret of my entire life but I can’t let it hold me back forever. I have people I have to protect. I won’t fail this time, I won’t let them suffer the same fate as you did. Please, become my strength and let me save everyone.]

‘Mei 2, are you going to use magic?’

‘Go, Mei 2! Defeat that monster!’

[The images were different this time. Tod is covered in golden flames and he overwhelms that prison monster. That prison monster wasn’t able to touch him at all and it even tried to run away. In his final moments, he says his farewells with a gentle smile. Even though we had only known each other for a short time, I’ll never forget you, Tod.]

[The blockade in my body disappears and I can feel the mana flowing through my entire body. It was a gentle white color. As I raise my hand, the white mana begins to gather around my hand and turns a golden color.]

“Burn! Burn!! Burn!!! BURN!!! Burn everything away. All my doubts and all my fears. Become the hottest flame to ever exist. Hotter than the flames of a dragon and everlasting like the flames of a phoenix. I order you to burn for me!!!”

[The tower of zombies had already transformed into a giant hand and it was coming to squash me like a bug, but I’m no ordinary bug. I’m the hottest and strongest bug around!]

“Golden Flames of the Infinite Sun!!!”