Kocho Shinobu and the others watched solemnly as the blood-red World Gate flickered and twisted.
No one dared to blink. Not a single detail could be missed.
Because what they saw wasn't just some distant spectacle—this was the shadow of their own possible future.
The day might come when their world too would be invaded. When disaster wouldn't spare them.
If that happened… then every second of what they witnessed now might be the very experience that allowed them to protect their own home.
And they weren't the only ones.
All across the globe, apocalypse survivors stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before them.
The moment the unspoken truth hung heavy in the air
Boom!
The World Gate suddenly erupted, unleashing a colossal beam of dazzling light that pierced down toward the earth.
Curtains of light spread across the horizon, shrouding everything in blinding white.
When it finally dissipated… silence fell.
And then—horror.
Buildings, streets, entire districts of the city were reduced to smoldering ash. A thriving metropolis cut clean away, leaving behind nothing but a scorched wasteland.
And that wasteland crawled with abominations.
Zombies. Mummies. Skeletons. A countless tide of monsters stretched out like a legion awaiting orders.
Among them, four black giant beasts towered above all, each as massive as a hundred-meter building.
"There really is… an army of monsters…" someone whispered.
Saya Takagi's face was pale, her palms slick with sweat.
Beside her, little Alice trembled and clutched her clothes. She had already been killed once by monsters in another vision her fear was etched too deep.
"With so many… can we really win?" a soldier muttered, voice shaking.
Even hardened men felt their morale crack under the overwhelming pressure. The sheer presence of the hundred-meter shadow beasts crushed the air around them.
"At this point, there's no retreat!"
The commander's roar cut through the despair like a blade. His voice thundered through the comms:
"Soldiers! Prepare to die if you must! We will win!"
"Victory!"
His defiance spread like fire. The frontline soldiers lifted their weapons high and shouted together.
For the first time, their voices rose above fear.
And strangely enough… this scene stirred something in the hearts of countless survivors watching from afar.
Excitement. Hope. A spark that maybe...just maybe humanity wasn't doomed after all.
Marikawa Shizuka weakly raised her hand, her voice soft.
"So… what should we do?"
Without hesitation, Rika Minami volunteered.
"I'm going to the front line."
"I'll go too!" Miyamoto Rei quickly raised her hand as well.
The two girls were determined. If they were going to fight, they would fight hard—even if it meant death. There was no meaning in sitting at the back.
Before Takagi Saya or the others could respond, the commander frowned.
"Can you even use guns?"
It wasn't arrogance—he simply couldn't believe these young women had any real training.
Clang!
A flash of steel cut through the air.
Before the commander even realized what had happened, Busujima Saeko was already sheathing her blade.
Whoosh—
A few strands of the commander's hair drifted down.
His eyes widened, catching sight of the concrete wall behind him.
"...!"
A deep slash mark was carved clean across its surface.
Gulp.
There was no mistaking it—Saeko's katana had just cut through reinforced concrete as if it were paper. It felt less like reality and more like something out of a movie.
"Please prepare vehicles to take us to the front lines," Saeko said calmly, as if nothing unusual had happened.
She and Rei turned and walked out of the base together.
"Take me with you. I don't want to sit back like a coward," Rika added casually as she followed.
"Rika… wait for me! I want to go too!" Shizuka cried, hurrying after them.
"That… umm…"
Alice hesitated, unable to decide as she watched all her friends leave.
"Honestly… these idiots." Saya sighed, then looked at her mother. "Mom, let's go too."
Takagi Yuriko smiled faintly. "Of course. We came here together. Naturally, we fight together too."
They followed the others, leaving behind only the commander, who stood frozen, completely bewildered.
---
Ella stood atop the shell of a massive shadow leatherback turtle. Her voice was quiet, almost reverent.
"Master, shall we begin?"
"Let's start."
The answer came as a whisper in her ears, its source Yami Tsukishiro.
Ella turned her gaze toward the military base and lifted her tiny hand.
"Undead Legion… charge!"
ROAR!!!
The earth trembled. Roars and hisses exploded as the undead surged forward like a black tide.
At the same time, Ella released a strange, eerie power. White mist poured up from the ground, spreading like a blanket until it swallowed the entire city.
"Wh-What's happening? I can't see anything!"
On the light curtain, the city vanished under a sea of fog. Only the hulking silhouettes of four massive beasts loomed through the haze, their towering forms partially exposed.
Nothing else of the city could be seen.
Takagi Saya and the others, who had just reached the front line, stiffened in alarm.
"This mist… feels familiar…" Rika muttered uneasily, her instincts prickling.
Inside Tokyo's ruined buildings, survivors clutched one another and shivered.
The suffocating silence was broken only by the clank, clank, clank of countless chaotic footsteps echoing through the mist, punctuated by inhuman roars.
No one dared to make a sound.
Something terrifying was unfolding within that white shroud.
Far away, Yami Tsukishiro sat upon his throne, observing the world with narrowed eyes.
"…Strange."
This world seemed to be nothing more than Earth itself. And yet—he could sense there was an entire universe attached to Busujima's world.
Why was it different?
For now, no answer revealed itself. With a faint frown, he turned his focus back to the invasion. It was almost time to release more monsters.
Just then, a glowing white crystal manifested before him.
[Crystal of the Origin of the World] – Highschool of the Dead
[Source Pollution Level]: 1%
Yami's brows furrowed.
"…Already?"
Ella hadn't even unleashed her full might, and yet the pollution had risen.
"Why?"
A mechanical chime answered.
[Ding. The pollution at the world's origin is determined by the despair of the world's civilization.]
"…I see."
Realization settled in.
He had assumed Takagi Saya's call to resist would bolster humanity's morale. If it truly inspired global courage, it could even slow the world's fall.
But if their resistance failed, if they were crushed before everyone's eyes then the despair would only deepen.
And as despair grew, pollution levels spiked… accelerating his invasion.
Yami's lips twisted. The world itself was handing itself over to him.
"It seems humans have nothing left to gamble with…"
On the outside, Jade Chan normally lighthearted and careless bit her lip as she watched the scene unfold.
"Will they really win?" she whispered, worry creeping into her voice.
These were her friends. Companions who had braved dungeons with her. And now, facing this suffocating mist and overwhelming army…
No one could answer her question.
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