The quiet moments after the battle were always strange, like the calm before another inevitable storm. As Kazuichi and the others made their way back to Hybrid Mountain, a tension hung in the air. They had won, or at least they thought they had, but something gnawed at the back of his mind. He had seen the massive Omega Zombie fall, its body collapsing in a heap of destruction. But that unease didn't fade. He couldn't shake the sense that this fight wasn't over.
As they neared the stronghold, the air grew thick with an oppressive heat. Smoke began to curl through the trees, rising into the sky like dark clouds, a warning of something far worse to come. Kazuichi's heart dropped, his instincts screaming that something had gone wrong. His gaze darted to Ayaka, who met his look with a grim nod. The others felt it too.
Jurou's voice broke the silence. "That's not normal. The stronghold's too far off for there to be smoke like this. Something's happening."
