Explosions and gunfire shook the grey sky.
Sofia, busy checking the last of her gear, looked up with a frown. Black smoke billowed from the direction of the front gate, followed by panicked screams and heart-wrenching cries.
"What's going on…?" she muttered.
Without hesitation, Sofia leapt onto the emergency stairs, quickly climbing to the rain-slicked rooftop. Once she reached the top, her breath caught in her throat.
The sight in the distance was like hell rising to the surface: dozens, even hundreds of people were running in all directions — some already rotting, with grey skin and empty eyes. They attacked anyone still alive. Blood mixed with mud covered the streets, while fire began to lick the burning vehicles.
Sofia clenched her fists.
Even though she hated this place a rotten military base filled with lies she couldn't let innocent civilians and soldiers die in vain.
Without delay, she rushed back down and rejoined her team.
"Get ready!" she shouted firmly, her voice cutting through the rain and chaos. "We clear the streets for the survivors!"
Viktor, Altair, Yuki, Rina, Yuna, and Vivi nodded. Their expressions were serious. They had fought together for a long time, and they were ready once more.
Sofia gripped her sacred spear tightly. She took a deep breath, channeling mana into her weapon.
The moment her foot touched the ground and she leapt forward, something strange happened.
The tip of her spear began to glow.
Not just light… but a sacred golden flame, swirling around the spearhead, emitting a deep fwoosh sound.
Sofia widened her eyes in surprise — but soon, a faint smile curved on her lips.
"If this is your blessing… I'll use it well," she whispered.
Then, she thrust her spear into the horde of zombies.
TING!! SLASHH!!
A burst of holy light exploded in the air. Dozens of zombies within a ten-meter radius were instantly cleaved in half, their bodies burning in purifying white flames, vanishing without a trace.
Sofia's team charged in from behind, slashing and shooting the zombies that tried to get close. Their movements were coordinated and effective — like small beacons of light holding back the dark storm.
But from a distance, a pair of deep red eyes observed coldly.
Beneath the rain and thunder, Sylvia — the Queen — watched as Sofia eradicated her subordinates with holy light.
Sylvia's expression tensed. A flicker of irritation, even a trace of anger, flashed within her gaze.
With slow yet certain steps, Sylvia advanced, walking through the zombie horde that obediently parted to make way for their queen.
While slaughtering the zombies, Sofia felt a chill crawl down her spine. She looked up... and her eyes met that figure.
"Queen…" she whispered.
But before she could do anything, Sylvia lunged forward.
BOOM!!
The first clash nearly knocked Sofia off balance.
Sylvia's black claws struck her spear with brutal force, creating a shockwave that rippled through the area. Pools of rainwater splashed into waves.
Gritting her teeth, Sofia held her ground, then pushed back with all her strength.
They separated momentarily — only to crash into each other again.
CRASH!! CLANG!!
The sacred spear glowed against claws and chains of darkness. Each impact shook the air. Holy light and the aura of death collided, creating sparks of energy that danced in the storm.
Sofia leapt back, trying to read Sylvia's movements. But this wasn't the same Sylvia — the Sylvia now fought without hesitation, without mercy. Her deep red eyes were hollow, as if she recognized no one.
She was no longer the zombie girl who once gave Sofia a faint smile.
'Her eyes…' Sofia thought, heart aching. 'There's no gentleness in them anymore.'
Sylvia hurled her chains at Sofia, who spun her spear and sliced them midair. But the chains moved unnaturally — as if alive — coiling and striking from the other side.
Sofia dodged to the side, breathing hard.
CLANK!!
One of the chains slammed into the ground, shattering the stone beneath into fragments.
Sofia stabbed her spear into the ground, forming a wall of holy light to block the next strike. But Sylvia charged straight through, using her body to break the barrier.
Both were thrown back.
Sofia landed with a skid, while Sylvia landed gracefully, crouched like a predator ready to pounce.
"Why did you change…?" Sofia whispered, panting.
Sylvia didn't answer. Her gaze remained blank.
The fight resumed.
Sofia relied on her speed, swinging her spear in spirals to cut through the attacking chains.
Sylvia countered with her black claws — striking from above, below, the sides — fast, deadly, nearly impossible to follow.
SLASH!!
Sylvia's claw nearly struck Sofia's shoulder, missing by only centimeters. But the sheer power tore part of Sofia's combat suit, leaving a thin wound bleeding on her skin.
Sofia gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain.
'I can't hold back,' she thought. 'If I do… I'll die.'
She pushed mana into her body, speeding up her blood flow, sharpening her reflexes.
With a loud cry, Sofia charged.
Her spear shone even brighter, slicing through the rain, aiming straight for Sylvia.
Sylvia blocked with her black claws — but this time, Sofia's spear exploded with holy sparks, forcing Sylvia to stumble back a few steps.
Sofia gasped quickly, then lunged again, giving her no time.
They fought as if time had stopped — only rain, lightning flashes, metal clashes, and heavy breaths remained.
Light and darkness swirled, clashed, devoured each other.
Then, amidst the chaos...
A voice came.
Soft. Warm. Full of love.
"Save her… and bring her back…"
Sofia froze for a moment. That voice wasn't human. It... touched her soul directly.
'Whose voice is that?' she wondered. 'A goddess? Or… something even higher?'
As Sylvia launched another attack, Sofia steeled her resolve.
She changed her purpose — from killing… to saving.
Her spear no longer struck to pierce, but to block, to push, to create openings — searching for a way to stop Sylvia without taking her life.
Of course, it was far harder.
Sylvia's attacks grew more vicious, as if enraged by her target's lack of deadly intent.
But Sofia held on.
Through rain, lightning, and the distant cries of zombies, one thing became the center of Sofia's world:
Saving the who had lost herself in the darkness.