"I... Will die?... No! No! No! I don't want to! How can I possibly die here?"
The teenage boy screamed hysterically, his eyes widening in fear as he realized his bite wound was starting to swell, black veins spreading like creeping poison. His body trembled violently on the building rooftop, tears and snot mixing on his pale face.
"Hey, you're an angel! Do something! In anime, manga, and games, angels are often depicted with healing attributes? Hurry and save me!"
He crawled closer to Azlan, his hands trembling reaching for those blue light wings.
"It's an angel's duty to save humans!"
Experiencing full hysteria, he even prostrated on the rough concrete roof, his knees scraping until they bled, so that the "angel" before him would be willing to heal him.
There were still so many anime he hadn't watched—the latest episodes, favorite manga, and games waiting on his shelf!
"Stand up, don't degrade your own dignity. In the last moments of your life, show your brilliance."
Azlan sighed deeply. There was a glimmer of sympathy in his heart, but reality couldn't be changed. As he had said, he truly had no ability to help.
"LIES! That's all lies! You're just lazy, selfish, and don't want the trouble!"
"You have such amazing power, but won't extend a hand to save one life? You don't deserve to be called an angel at all! You're a monster! You deliberately let me die! This is all your fault! If you had come faster, this wouldn't have happened!"
"You're a murderer! You bastard!"
The teenage boy lost his sanity, his words shooting out like poisoned arrows, accusing Azlan with a selfish attitude.
He blamed Azlan for everything—his bite wound, the delayed rescue, even the zombie outbreak itself—as if Azlan was the main cause of his suffering, not the zombies that bit him first.
"This person..."
Ignoring all the other party's curses and slander, Azlan furrowed his brow, his gaze cold but not angry.
Ignoring all the other party's curses and slander, Azlan furrowed his brow. It didn't matter that the other party wasn't grateful for saving his life, but to shift all the blame and misfortune onto him?
That crossed the line of reason!
[No need to be surprised, Azlan. This is the normal response of most humans facing death. Conversely, people who accept death with open hearts like you are only a minority.]
Albion reminded him of the dark side of human nature.
"Of course I know that, Albion. I'm not naive. It's just been a long time since I experienced it directly. Besides, civilians in war zones are brave people. The cowards have long since betrayed to the enemy's side."
Shrugging, Azlan was unmoved by all the teenage boy's insults before him, his posture remaining firm on the wind-swept roof.
"What are you babbling about! Since you won't save me, don't blame me if I drag you to die with me!"
The teenage boy's mind was filled with darkness and madness. With a hoarse scream, he lunged at Azlan, trying to bite him so the zombie virus within him would spread.
*BAM!*
Without hesitation, Azlan kicked his opponent's stomach hard. The teenage boy's body was flung several meters back and fell rolling on the floor.
"Guh...!"
Vomiting fresh blood, the teenage boy curled up like a shrimp while holding his stomach, his face reddening in pain.
"I shouldn't have saved an ungrateful person like you."
There was no mercy in his eyes, Azlan believed in the theory of retaliation: if someone commits murder, they must be prepared to be killed in return. If they hurt others, they shouldn't complain when others retaliate.
"Angh... Ugh... Ngh..."
The teenage boy's body began to shiver uncontrollably. His muscles spasmed, and groaning sounds came from his throat that was starting to turn blue. In just seconds, he rose again with staggering steps, his eyes now empty and full of darkness. A rough roaring sound replaced his groans.
"Not even two minutes have passed, and this person has already completed his zombification process. This speed is somewhat frightening. I must be more careful not to get infected." Azlan muttered, stepping back as the zombie approached.
Before the new zombie could attack, Azlan had already taken the initiative.
*BANG!*
His punch landed on the zombie's head and shattered it, bones cracking and rotten brain scattering on the roof.
*BAM!*
The headless body lost its balance before falling to the floor, rolling slowly before becoming still.
[What are you doing? You don't have a hobby of robbing corpses, do you? That ruins the White Dragon Emperor's image.]
"You're overthinking, Albion. Don't you see I'm looking for clues, maybe I'll find a map or something."
Rolling his eyes, Azlan quickly searched the teenage boy's corpse, his hands carefully avoiding the black blood. However, he didn't find what he wanted.
He found a wallet in the pants pocket containing several crumpled banknotes and the other party's ID card.
"I can't read it. How about you, Albion?"
The Japanese writing on it was completely foreign to him.
[Don't underestimate me, Azlan. Let's see... Hmm... That cowardly man's name is Aki Tomoya, second-year student at Toyogasaki Academy, his home address, and other unimportant information.]
Albion easily translated the card's contents.
"Too bad, no useful information."
Throwing the ID card on the roof, Azlan glanced at the teenage boy named Aki Tomoya for the last time, his gaze full of disappointment.
"The saddest thing about a traitor is believing that the betrayal they commit is something unique, forgivable, and that they can always expect forgiveness."
"How naive."
"Betrayal always happens zero times or countless times."
"Like a broken bowl, even if glued back together, the cracks remain."
"Because you betrayed my generosity, all this misfortune is what you deserve."
Leaving that cold statement, Azlan flew with Divine Dividing toward the convenience store, leaving Aki Tomoya's body lying on the roof.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Night had enveloped the convenience store rooftop that became Azlan's temporary shelter. The night wind blew gently, bringing with it the silence of a city now ruled by the living dead.
In the midst of that silence, Azlan sat on a folding chair, sipping hot instant noodles that became his evening meal. The spicy curry aroma from his bowl mixed with the cool night air, creating a rare peaceful moment in the middle of the silent zombie city.
After a day full of surprises—from flying freely to painful fusion with the Heavenly Eyes—he felt his body was tired but his mind was clear, ready to face whatever came.
That calm atmosphere was suddenly broken by Albion's voice in his mind.
[Azlan, there's something important I want to discuss with you.]
Albion's tone sounded heavier than usual.
"So serious? Don't tell me Ddraig is your lover?" Azlan joked, his mouth still full of noodles, but his eyes squinted full of curiosity.
[Huh... Don't talk carelessly, we're male. I didn't expect you to make jokes. I thought you were a serious and rigid person.]
Albion responded with a half-annoyed tone, but there was a faint surprised note, as if he had just realized Azlan's light side behind his toughness.
"That means you don't know me well enough yet, Albion. Indeed, you saw my memories, but that's all. As a great and mighty Heavenly Dragon, you can't possibly fully understand the human heart. Remember, not even two days have passed since we got to know each other."
Azlan put down his bowl for a moment, smiling thinly while wiping his mouth, the night wind sweeping his hair.
[...]
Albion fell silent for a moment, processing his words.
"Alright, I'm not joking anymore. So, what do you want to talk about? You sound very serious."
Leaning back in his chair, Azlan crossed his legs, his gaze fixed on the starry sky, but his attention was fully on the voice in his mind.
[After a day of observing this city through you, I'm now certain this isn't my original world. In other words, this is another world.]
"Another world?"
One eyebrow raised, Azlan didn't expect Albion to reach a different conclusion from him.
All this time, he thought he was somehow thrown several years into the future where the world entered a post-apocalyptic era.
But another world?
That sounded like a fantasy story he read in worn refugee camp books, not the reality he was living now.