"More undead," Saya remarked as took the Ray Gun out. It was humming.
"I just want to go to sleep," Shizuka said as she leaned her heavy chest against James's shoulder and yawned.
"Gerom!" Carlotta said as she turned to an older man who had just sprinted into the hall. He wore the polished silver of a senior knight. His grey hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. "How likely is it that this is a coordinated strike from the Prince?" she asked.
"Unlikely, Captain," Gerom panted. "I believe the rest of the horde reacted to the skirmish we had with the scouts at the end of the sewer line. They followed the scent of blood," he added.
Akitsu stood in her usual stoic silence, hovering like a shadow behind James.
"Sewers?" Saya questioned.
"We use the ancient sewer network to create hidden paths throughout the Capital," Nell explained.
"It's clever, actually," Yuriko added, though she didn't look thrilled about the destination.
"I don't like sewers," Shizuka pouted as she snuggled closer to James's arm. "They're damp, they're dark, and they stink," she added.
"The sanctuary is connected to several lines, but without a map, you'd be lost in the filth forever," Nell added.
"So the undead didn't find us on purpose, they just stumbled onto the right pipe," James remarked. He thought that was unlikely.
"It would be a blessing if we could find the source of these monsters and end them once and for all," Carlotta remarked. She turned to Nell with a look of apology. "I am sorry, Nell, but my knights and I must go to purge the tunnels. As for your followers," she added.
"We're coming too," James stated firmly as he pulled Shizuka a little closer. "We are the faithful followers of the Hero, after all. We don't leave our friends to fight alone," he added.
Carlotta smiled. He was different.
"I'm only going because Nell asked," Shizuka added as she raised a hand lazily while still clinging to James.
"More undead," Saya sighed again.
Yuriko stood beside her. She unlocked the safety lock of her Jackal pistol with a lethal clack.
Carlotta glanced at their strange weaponry. "Follow me!" she commanded.
They descended the stairs and plunged into the gloom of the sewers. The stench of decay hit them instantly. Almost immediately, a massive horde of the undead began shuffling toward them through the muck.
"They're here! Destroy them!" Carlotta roared. She charged ahead. Her silver blade whistled through the air. With a powerful overhead strike, she sliced a zombie clean in half from head to groin. The two halves of the corpse slid apart, spilling black fluids into the sewer water with a wet splash.
Saya didn't hesitate. She raised her Ray Gun and squeezed the trigger rapidly. Pulses of red energy tore through the air. It hitted the front line of the horde. When the beams connected, the zombies erupted. Limbs were vaporized, and torsos burst into sprays of blackened chunks of flesh. It showered the stone walls in rotting viscera.
"Good shot, Saya!" Yuriko complimented her daughter. She raised the Jackal. She saw a particularly bloated zombie rushing them. With a thunderous bang, the heavy round left the chamber. It caught the monster square in the face. Its skull vanished in a cloud of grey matter and bone shards. The headless trunk slumped into the sludge.
"These things are absolutely revolting," Tsukiumi remarked as she took a step forward with a look of pure disgust. "Hydra Blast," she added as she thrusted her palm forward and released a torrent of water at lethal pressure. The jet hit a group of zombies like a solid steel bar and snapped their spines. It peeled the rotted flesh right off their yellowed ribs. They were slammed against the stone wall so hard their bodies simply burst.
Carlotta moved with the grace of a dancer as she decapitated another walker. She looked at Tsukiumi. "Impressive, you are a water mage of incredible power," she remarked.
Tsukiumi smirked, standing tall. "I am Sekirei Number 09, Tsukiumi Everheart!" she proclaimed proudly.
James decided to reward her bravado. He stepped up and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "That you are," he teased as he leaned his chin on her shoulder.
Tsukiumi's face turned red. "G-get off me!" she stammered, though she didn't push him away.
"Pervert," Saya muttered as she fired another ray. The beam hit a zombie's chest. It caused it to inflate and explode in a shower of ribs and bile. "Carlotta, where do these things even come from? They shouldn't just be spawning in the walls." she asked.
"There are many ways to summon the dead, but I suspect a massive magic circle is hidden nearby," Carlotta replied.
"James, do you think it's magic?" Saya asked. She was referring to her home.
"We can't rule anything out," James replied. He had initially suspected a virus, but in this multiverse, magic was just as likely.
"The circle must be close, but the layout of these sewers is a labyrinth," Carlotta said. "They've likely used an illusion to hide the entrance," she added.
"How are we ever going to find it in this maze?" Shizuka asked as she held her shotgun.
"Flying Icicle," Akitsu intervened as she created a jagged shard of ice and launched it. The spike pierced a zombie's eye socket. The tip erupted through the back of its skull in a spray of frozen blood. The creature dropped like a stone.
James smiled. He didn't have a tracking spell. He thought maybe there was an alien that could help. At that moment, he looked down as the Ultimatrix began to pulse with a faint green glow. He thought it was reacting to magic. "Carlotta, I think I've got a lead," James said. "I'm not 100% sure, but I have a gut feeling," he said. He knew where it was.
"Then lead the way," Carlotta responded.
"I will clear the path," Akitsu said.
James walked to where he knew the circle was. He noticed the Ultimaxtrix was glowing green. As they rounded a corner, the glow became blinding. "It's right here," he said as he stopped in front of a seemingly solid stone wall.
"So it is here," Carlotta whispered. "The magic is so dense I can feel the pressure on my skin," she added.
"I don't feel anything," Shizuka said. Tsukiumi nodded in agreement; as Sekirei, they weren't tuned to this world's specific magic.
"The trace stops right at this brickwork," James noted.
"Then it's time to get to work," Carlotta said. She stepped forward. Her muscles tensed. With a powerful swing of her heavy blade, she smashed the wall. The stone shattered and crumbled. It revealed a hidden chamber beyond.
"She just demolished the wall," Saya whispered.
As the dust settled, a wave of heat and a foul, metallic stench wafted out. Carlotta immediately covered her nose and mouth with her hand. "The smell... it's unbearable," she added.
"Gerom you guys, stay here and secure an escape route," Carlotta ordered.
"Nell, are you and your followers good to go?" she asked.
"I am fine," Nell replied.
"We are as well," James confirmed.
"This might be our chance to stop this infection or slow it down," Yuriko added.
"We must not lose this chance," Tsukiumi agreed.
They walked down and saw a horde of zombies. They had wide-eyed expressions, sunken facial features, and tattered peasant-style clothing. A female zombie had wild, stringy hair and a visible ribcage. Others behind her groaned and lurched forward.
"Ah!" Nell cried out.
Saya narrowed her eyes. Her Ray Gun hummed as she scanned the group. "These are fresh zombies," she noted.
"Yes," James said as he stepped forward. "The corpses must have drifted here with the current, and the magic turned them almost instantly," he added.
"Where is the magic circle?" Nell asked as her eyes darted around the room. "Wait, could it be those?" she asked as she pointed toward several large, blackened wooden stakes driven into the floor, forming a wide perimeter in the water.
"Those are stakes," Shizuka said as she leaned into James and squinted at them.
"A Hexagram Magic Circle," Carlotta realised. "Look at the placement. To break the spell, we must destroy the two interlocking triangles made by those six stakes. That means we have to pull at least two of the stakes," she added.
"Can we really do that in the middle of all these things?" Nell questioned.
"Of course we can," Tsukiumi responded. She stepped in front of James. "I'll clear a path for you. Water Festival," she added as she thrusted her arms forward. The water at her feet swirled violently and rose into the shape of a massive, roaring dragon. The beast of liquid plummeted into the horde. Its sheer weight crushed the ribcages and snapped limbs like dry twigs. The force sent zombies flying in every direction. Their bodies slammed against the stone walls with sickening, wet thuds.
"Impressive," Carlotta shouted over the roar of the water. She didn't waste a second. "Nell, charge in! I'll handle the left side; you take the right," she added.
"I'm with you!" Nell yelled.
"Flying Icicle: Expand," Akitsu called out from James's other side. She launched a jagged shard of ice that spun through the air. Mid-flight, it shattered into five smaller, razor-sharp missiles that curved through the air. Each shard found its mark and pierced through rotted skulls and erupted out the back in a spray of grey matter and blackened ice.
While the girls kept the horde back, Carlotta and Nell reached the primary stakes. With a coordinated grunt of effort, they heaved. The wood groaned and then snapped free of the stone.
"We did it," Nell cheered as she breathed hard.
"Yeah, I never thought it would end this easily," Carlotta added as the magical pressure in the room suddenly evaporated.
"You both were amazing," Shizuka cheered.
Saya, however, didn't lower her weapon. She watched the fallen zombies carefully. "Wait! Why are some of them still moving?" she questioned.
A few of the more bloated, distorted corpses were beginning to twitch.
"I believe those are the ones that have been dead for far longer," Carlotta explained. "The circle's destruction stopped the creation of new undead, but these have already mutated into something else, true monsters," she elaborated.
"How interesting," Saya remarked.
"Well, now that we've dealt with the source, we can finish these off and get back to the mission," Carlotta said.
"We need to move fast," James added. "They will know their circle has been broken. They'll be expecting us now," he said.
Meanwhile, in the Prince's Castle, a figure shrouded in a heavy, dark cloak stood overlooking a pool of blood "Well, it matters little," the figure whispered. "Those corpses have served their purpose as a distraction. Now, it is time for the final act," he shouted. He looked down at the corpse lying in front of him. He reached out a gloved hand and let out a low, dark chuckle. "The stage is set," he said.