*Foosh*
An arrow flew past him which he caught with his bare hands before sending it back to its owner
Piercing through the wind, the arrow landed perfectly on a figure's head, causing it to fall to fall motionless.
It was not alone as he could hear many steps, the number was overwhelming to the extent that Uesugi paled at the sight of the mountain, threatening to cause an avalanche
It was a horde of zombies totaling up to 100,000. 'Impossible' was his first thought but he needed to escape before finding their origin
Carrying the middle-aged man like luggage, he ran in the opposite direction downhill and accelerated without stop
*Swish* *Swish*
Bows snapped at them with no blindspots to hide. When Uesugi glanced at the rain falling on him, even he wouldn't escape unscathed if he took it head-on
Due to the zombie's movements staggering in the snow, his cautiousness was unnecessary in the situation. However, if the enemy encircled him with that number, he would have been deader than dead
Sweat covered his face as he realized he needed to revamp his cautiousness in the future. Even the biggest elephants can be squashed by an army of ants
After reaching the cliff of a mountain, he dropped the man whose face was sprawling from the pain of the previous gunfight
Curious about the incident, Uesugi asked, "You mentioned about the zombies and monsters but how did you get into a gunfight?"
The middle-aged man thought 'Can't you see I'm suffering right now'. But he lacked the guts and replied, "The enemy just now were the zombies". Gritting his teeth, tears started pouring out
To be exact, they seem to retain their consciousness and possess the ability to manipulate Honkai Energy, even if it's weak to fight against Honkai Beasts
They possessed firearms and could even use it. While they couldn't imbue Honkai Energy in it, the power can make them more durable then normal"
Surprise was an understatement for Uesugi. He knew that people who make contact with Honkai are people with access to the Imaginary Tree
Besides, why would Honkai allow normal people to become zombies with consciousness? It's just too weird and insufficient.
A thought came to mind but he needed to verify it with the people involved.
Looking at the man before him, he noticed his suffering but had no supplies to give first-aid, since his body had a high speed of regeneration, compared to ordinary humans
"Um, do you need an escort to safety", Uesugi politely asked, while he seemed domineering when he appeared before them, in reality, he still has yet to fully adapt to the world's ideology
As expected, the middle-aged man had a suspicious look before he saw Uesugi's expression. It may not be pure but it was sincere.
Hesitance appeared on his face and he gritted his teeth before nodding slowly. "Saviour, I would like your help."
Uesugi smiled as he carried the man on a piggyback down the cliff. "Point me in the direction"
The middle-aged man activated his GPS and said "Head North-West from this point, we'll reach there in 2 hours".
Nodding, Uesugi jumped with incredible strength, leaping with each landing that took him further out of the snowy winds.
Despite knowing more than usual, the middle-aged man was sure that no one of Uesugi's age had this much power.
He couldn't help but think of the child he had at home, 'Mmh, their ages are similar, maybe they'll get close once they meet". Having some nefarious thoughts, he quelled it before having a small chat with Uesugi
"Sorry for the late introductions, my name is Maxim, what's yours, savior". The middle-aged man, Maxim asked casually.
Russia doesn't have etiquette or customs like Asian countries. Generally, people made more ruckus and were familiar enough to communicate with each other casually
Not minding his behavior, Uesugi replied, "The name is Uesugi Shuu, just call me Shuu, after all I'm younger than you". Afterward, they reached outside of the windy hazard and started to head deeper into the snow
They began conversing with each other, Maxim was interested in the powers of Honkai and the experiences Uesugi faced while Uesugi hoped to gain more information about the world
By the time they reached their destination, the two males of varying ages became more familiar as Maxim's deterrence against Uesugi's strength gradually decreased
"Ahahaha, kiddo, it's only me and my niece back home, while there's not much to show just relax before you continue on your journey". Laughing raucously, he offered sincerely
However, Uesugi was faced with a predicament. If he entered the house, he'd be able to meet one of the main protagonists, Bronya Zaychik.
At first, he didn't realize Maxim's identity since he never appeared in the game which started after the 3rd Honkai Eruption, but knew that Maxim was eventually going to pass away on his Mercenary work
Knowing that someone close to him potentially could die, he was hesitant about changing certain futures that may be detrimental to the future scenarios
A moment of silence appeared as Maxim saw Uesugi's hesitant expression, he waited for his reply silently
Weighing the pros and cons, Uesugi decided to meet her prematurely. Regardless of the future's outcome, the heroine's safety and existence are paramount in surviving in this world
Nodding at Maxim's invitation, the man smiled and he pointed out that they were close to their destination.
It was then that another round of projectiles were shot at them again.
With Maxim on his back, Uesugi had to be careful so he skillfully deflected the arrows with a small handicap.
Another zombie horde was approaching them but the numbers were way smaller than before, yet they still total to thousands of them.
While Maxim paled before the sight, Uesugi's eyes began to glitter and burn with fighting spirit.
100,000 was beyond his capacity but thousands of zombies are doable as long he carefully preserve his Energy and Stamina reserves.
Calming his intent, he increased his speed with Honkai Energy, and within minutes, he dropped him near a cabin with roads connecting to it.
It was purely wooden but it had no signs of breaking and withstood the harsh conditions of Siberia.
Maxim looked at Uesugi worriedly whose back was turned against him, "Wait Shuu, don't tell me you plan on fighting those zombies, they outnumber you a lot". Shouting to warn him, he knew that Uesugi's future was boundless at his age
"I'm glad that you want to protect us, but it's inevitable, just take the child inside and escape by yourselves. Chita may be done for but further into the central regions of Russia, there are many populated cities for you to inhabit".
Rumbling his mouth to convince Uesugi, he realized that it was useless. The boy's back contained immense conviction and increasing momentum that carried his will onwards
Pausing slightly, he sighed turning back around towards the wooden lodge. He was prepared to die for both of the kids' futures.
Uesugi Shuu turned deaf ears towards Maxim as he was adjusting his mental state and body for preparation.
Being hot-blooded is the virtue of the young, but it can easily lead to their deaths if mishandled. Besides, his mental age was at least 20 years old if he counted his past life and current life.
It seems that when he transmigrated, his body did not contain any of the previous owner's memories. This led him to determine that the body was prepared for his soul to inhabit
'Equip'
His Chevalier battlesuit wrapped around his body along with his gauntlets. He did not take out his Katana as it worked more of a surprise method against his enemies
Uesugi guessed that someone was artificially creating these zombies, if a great existence like the Imaginary Tree were to interfere then that would be defaming its status
Even Otto was crazy enough to be the cause of the Second Honkai Eruption. In this world, there are many insane people with selfish goals and means at the cost of others' lives
When his preparations were done, he started running back in the direction of the zombies.
Without any Honkai Manipulation Techniques in his arsenal, his preparation was limited to his mental state
When the zombies were within 100m from him. He threw some grenades, 'borrowed' from Maxim before leaving
Hot-weapons may have minimal effect on Honkai Beasts and against zombies, it'll hurt them a bit
*Boom* *Boom*
The smoke emitted from the explosions created a cover for him as the horde staggered to find him
When Uesugi made contact with his first zombie, he sent it flying into the others
Combating with the close combatants, he was unrivalled while the archers not only missed but it hit it's allies
The numbers were decreasing at a constant pace.
At first, Uesugi thought the battle would be more thriving. But he overstimated the zombies fragility and he wanted to finish it quickly
Using his new function of his Chevalier Battlesuit, Weapon Creation. He sent Energy Fists towards the enemy
Materialising his attacks into huge limbs that destroyed the zombies formation and land
This took a while until the commotion ended. The thousands of zombies were defeated soundly
Uesugi Shuu stood in the middle of the corpses around him, only having slight pity on them before it disappeared
Sighing with disappointment, he slowly headed towards the wooden lodge with newfound anticipation
While he calmed his mind, he did not sense the lingering ominous energy that lingered from each zombie, entering underground
Like a network, branching off every region of Siberia