The sun hadn't even risen on the eastern horizon when Azlan already opened his eyes. Waking before dawn had become his ritual for the last thirty days.
For most people, the post-zombie apocalypse world was hell, but for Azlan, who had breathed the air of war since childhood, this environment actually felt like... Utopia.
Those slow and rotting zombies weren't a significant threat compared to occupying soldiers equipped with advanced weapons and immeasurable cruelty.
He stepped into the dark convenience store bathroom and let the cold shower water rain down on his body. The coldness swept away the remnants of his drowsiness, leaving a fresh sensation and clear mind.
"Good morning, Albion. You're awake."
Walking out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist, Azlan took a bottle of mineral water from the shelf and drank it in large gulps, the fresh water flowing to refresh his throat.
[Morning, Azlan. Are you ready to train with Divine Dividing? I'll guide you until you master it.]
Albion's mighty voice sounded directly in Azlan's mind.
"No need to rush. Before that, I have to exercise. You've seen my memories, right? You know how bad my body was 30 days ago."
Indeed, Azlan's body had undergone a transformation. Although his food stock was dominated by instant noodles, he always enriched it with sausages, corned beef, and other nutritious canned foods.
After a week of familiarizing himself with the area around the convenience store, he also began searching for vegetables and fruits still growing wild in the neglected home gardens.
As a result, his once emaciated body was now starting to fill out. His muscles were beginning to form, though still faint, giving the impression of a developing teenager.
[Your diligence is commendable.]
"..."
Azlan only responded with a thin smile while putting on a sports outfit he took from a clothing store when he explored the surrounding area. He felt happy to have a conversation partner with Albion by his side.
Next, he cooked carefully on his portable stove, using limited fuel. A bowl of boiled instant noodles with pieces of sausage, corned beef, and a few strands of mustard greens and tomatoes he picked yesterday.
A simple breakfast, but full of nutrition to start the day.
After his stomach was full, Azlan climbed to the convenience store roof via the stairs. The wide concrete roof became his private gym. Without gym equipment, his exercise method was simple, entirely moving his own body.
He started with warm-ups: jogging in place for five minutes, swinging his arms and legs to circulate blood flow, his breathing regular like what he learned from his past memories in the war zone.
Sweat began to soak his shirt. His breathing sounded heavy, but regular.
In the silence of the world, only the sound of his breathing and the morning wind rustling could be heard. This training wasn't just about building physique, but also disciplining the mind.
Each movement was a reminder that to survive, he had to keep moving, keep becoming stronger.
Azlan finished his routine with a cool-down, gazing at the rising sun, illuminating the dead city with beautiful yet gloomy orange light. A new day had begun, and he was ready to face it, step by step, stronger than the day before.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"My exercise session is complete. Albion, now it's your turn to teach me how to use Divine Dividing."
Thirty minutes of intense exercise had ended. After resting for fifteen minutes to recover his breath and hydrate his body, Azlan was impatient to learn the supernatural power now open to him.
The need to master his new power burned within him, a new tool for survival in a cruel world.
[Good spirit, Azlan. Well then, let's begin.]
[First step, you must freely manifest the Sacred Gear only with your will. Focus your mind on Divine Dividing—imagine those wings as an extension of your will, not something foreign. Say in your heart: Divine Dividing. Don't force it, let the flow come naturally, like breathing.]
Albion's voice echoed calmly in Azlan's mind, like a patient instructor who had trained previous hosts.
Azlan nodded, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to feel the foreign yet familiar presence residing within him.
Behind his eyelids, he imagined pulsing energy, a power yearning to be released. His will, which had been honed by years of living in despair and determination to survive, became the guide.
(Divine Dividing!)
A strange but not painful sensation crept along his spine.
*ZING!*
Two wings made of translucent blue light manifested from his back, spreading gracefully in the morning air. They emitted a faint glow and felt like a natural extension of his own body.
"Success on the first try."
Azlan opened his eyes, turning to see those wings with a feeling of awe and satisfaction.
[You learn quickly.]
[Now, second step: flying. This is Divine Dividing's natural advantage. Unlike Boosted Gear which manifests as a gauntlet and focuses on ground power, Divine Dividing is a pair of wings. Even without Balance Breaker, you have the ability to master the sky.]
[Your fighting style later will center on aerial mobility—attacking from above, easily avoiding ground attacks, and shooting toward enemies at high speed.]
Albion's explanation was clear and straight to the point, easy for Azlan to understand.
(Aerial combat style... that makes sense. In war zones, mastering height means mastering the battlefield.)
[Feel those wings. They are part of you. Control them like you control your arm. Now, try lifting yourself from the ground. Don't be afraid to fall.]
Azlan nodded. Then, he focused his attention on the light wings on his back. Concentrating, he commanded them to flap.
*WHOOSH!*
The wings moved, creating a strong gust of wind. His feet slowly lifted from the concrete rooftop surface. That floating sensation was strange and thrilling. He was unstable, his body swaying in the air.
"Balance... I have to find the balance." He muttered to himself, carefully adjusting the angle of his wings.
Like learning to ride a bicycle, but in the third dimension. He tried again, this time focusing on stability. Slowly, Azlan began to hover several meters above the roof, his body starting to find its new center of gravity.
"Flying! I'm really flying! It feels so incredible that words can't express it!"
Once he managed to master balance, Azlan flapped his wings enthusiastically, shooting up into Tokyo's bright morning sky.
*WHOOSH!*
Those blue light wings pulsed gently, carrying him across the silent skyscrapers, the zombie city ruins that now looked small from height.
The morning wind swept his face, cold and refreshing, making him feel free for the first time—like a bird released from a cage.
He hovered high, approaching the top of an office building. From this height, the sunrise looked more magnificent, spreading golden light over the silent dead city. This view, though gloomy, felt liberating.
Humans have always longed to fly freely like birds, and that's what drove them to create airplanes. But, Azlan flew without external assistance, rather his own supernatural ability!
The sensation was unmatched; an absolute freedom he had never felt before.
However, behind that surge of joy, his critical mind immediately emerged.
"How long can I keep flying?"
Practical concern eroded some of his euphoria. His memory returned to yesterday's Balance Breaker incident, where he was only able to maintain that transformation for ten seconds before his body collapsed.
Azlan didn't want Divine Dividing to suddenly disappear when he was flying. Surely, he would become minced meat falling from hundreds of meters high, crushed on the zombie-filled asphalt below!
However, Albion's answer came calmly, directly easing his fear.
[Divine Dividing's flying ability is just its most basic function, like punching someone while wearing Boosted Gear.]
[That ability hardly drains stamina, and as long as you don't activate Divide or other Sacred Gear abilities, there's no significant energy consumption. Therefore, even if you fly for three days and three nights, it won't be a problem.]
"Is that so? That's great!"
With that concern gone, Azlan could fully focus on his goal: mastering the sky. He realized that although flying was an innate ability, controlling it with precision required practice.
The human body isn't naturally designed to fly; he had to adapt, learn to balance, maneuver, and feel the wind like a bird does.
*WHOOSH!*
Azlan started with the basics. Flying straight at constant speed, then practicing smooth turns—left turn, right turn, forming circles. He tried ascending and descending in a controlled manner, feeling how wing angles affected his movement.
Each movement was an experiment, each correction was learning. Sometimes he wobbled, but those light wings responded quickly, stabilizing him before he lost control.
*WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!*
Gradually, his movements became skilled and smooth. He began flying faster, cruising the city streets, weaving between broken power lines and collapsed billboards. Azlan even tried flying backward for short distances, testing the limits of his control.