Chapter 61: Zombies in the Kamui Dimension
"Ah..."
The crowd finally snapped out of their daze. It seemed the extermination really was over.
The police, however, had a new mission: calming the local civilians to ensure today's events didn't cause permanent disruption to daily life. The explanation was simple enough—tell them it was a massive crackdown on organized crime and that the pale blue giant was the manifestation of a Public Safety devil hunter's power.
While the paperwork and cleanup would be a hassle, it was a minor issue compared to Vice-Captain Otonashi's feat of wiping out the entire syndicate and leveling a skyscraper with a single strike. At the very least, they hadn't been forced to risk their lives storming the headquarters; the Vice-Captain had shouldered the entire burden himself.
As the police handled the aftermath, Chiya contacted the captain of Special Division 3 by phone.
"What's the situation on your end?" Chiya asked. He recalled that Division 3 was responsible for the location second only to the headquarters in terms of danger, so he was concerned about their progress. Though he had told the others to go home, he had no intention of stopping until every single yakuza member was eradicated.
"We've just begun the assault. How is Division 1 doing?"
"Our mission is complete. I'm heading over to support you now. Wait for me. That's all."
"Oh... wait, WHAT?! You said the mission is over?!" The captain of Division 3 didn't process it at first; it took a moment for the shock to register. But by then, Chiya had already hung up and warped himself into the Kamui dimension.
Seeing the Vice-Captain vanish again, the members of Division 1 didn't want to just pack up and leave.
"The Vice-Captain is likely heading to another gang stronghold. Let's go support the other teams as well."
"Let's move. Otherwise, we really did nothing today, and that's just embarrassing."
The Kamui dimension wasn't as desolate as usual today. It now housed several dozen guests—about forty to fifty zombies.
The Zombie Devil wasn't among them; Chiya had simply "borrowed" some of its subordinates. Although the Zombie Devil commanded a legion of hundreds, Chiya didn't need that many. Furthermore, transferring each zombie into the dimension consumed his vitality and eye power. Even these fifty zombies had been moved in several batches; attempting to warp too many at once would have been physically unbearable.
These zombies possessed no self-awareness and their link to the Zombie Devil had been severed. Keeping them in the Kamui dimension wouldn't risk exposing its secrets.
Next, Chiya confirmed the "coordinates" for Division 3's location. Before the operation began, he had scouted various syndicate territories and marked each one. Of course, the general locations were provided by Public Safety; he wasn't omniscient enough to find them all on his own.
Chiya first warped himself to where Division 3 was stationed...
"Hello? What did you just say—?!"
Captain Furuta of Division 3 was so stunned he hadn't even noticed the other party had hung up. He lowered his phone, his mind racing with questions he couldn't answer.
Division 3 had only just arrived and set up their formation. How could Division 1 have finished already?! Wasn't Division 1 supposed to be handling the most dangerous location?
Himeno noticed Captain Furuta's strange reaction and walked over. "What's wrong, Captain Furuta?"
"Vice-Captain Otonashi said that Special Division 1 has already completed their extermination mission..." Captain Furuta's voice was laced with disbelief.
"Oh, is that so?" Himeno, however, only showed a flicker of surprise in her eyes; her expression remained almost entirely unchanged.
"You're not having any reaction at all?" Captain Furuta found it hard to believe. He had been floored by the news, yet Himeno was acting so nonchalant.
"It is Otonashi-kun, after all," Himeno said with a smile. "If he's the one leading the team, there's really nothing to be surprised about."
She had always felt that Otonashi's true strength was unfathomable. Consequently, she had reached a point where no matter what incredible feat he performed, she wouldn't have much of a reaction.
"What happened?" At that moment, Hayakawa Aki walked over to join them.
Himeno repeated exactly what Captain Furuta had just told her. After listening, Aki nodded slightly with a blank expression. "Then there really is nothing to be surprised about."
"Right?" Himeno agreed.
"..." Captain Furuta stood frozen, speechless.
However, he began to understand; it seemed Himeno and Aki were well-acquainted with the strength of Division 1's Vice-Captain. He also recalled that the two of them did seem quite close to the youth.
But just then, without Captain Furuta noticing, a swirl of distorted space appeared out of thin air behind him.
Otonashi Chiya stepped out of it and asked once more, "What's the situation?"
Captain Furuta spun around violently, looking at Chiya as if he were a ghost. "You... when did you get here?!"
Even if the other man truly finished his raid that quickly, only a moment had passed since the phone call. Even a fighter jet wouldn't have had enough time to reach their location!
"Didn't I just say? You only needed to wait a moment," Chiya said flatly.
Captain Furuta thought back; the boy had said that, but most people would treat such a vague phrase as a figure of speech. It turned out he literally meant a moment!
"Don't be surprised. This is my devil power; I made full preparations at every gang stronghold beforehand," Chiya explained casually.
"Alright..." Captain Furuta could only barely accept the explanation.
Chiya looked ahead at the site—a massive villa estate surrounded by a sea of police cars and officers.
"There are two locations that need to be taken. You all will launch a frontal assault on the villa shortly; I'll handle the guys in the basement."
Chiya formulated the battle plan on the spot. He had already scouted the area: there was a subterranean bunker beneath this estate where the key figures would be hiding. Most likely, "Katana Man" was down there too...
As for those zombies he had stashed in the Kamui dimension? This was the perfect time to put them to use.