Chapter 35 - Interlude - (1/3)

[Somewhere North in the City of Cambridge]

The cold air stung her cheeks as Professor Jane sprinted, her arms clutching a small child tightly to her chest.

Her breath came in ragged gasps, her legs burning with exhaustion. Behind her, a group of youngsters stumbled after her, eyes wide with fear.

They were all running from the relentless horde of fallen, their groaning and heavy footsteps growing louder with each passing second.

Bursting into a nearby building, Jane and her group slammed the door shut, their bodies leaning against it as they desperately tried to catch their breath.

The silence that followed was short-lived. Soon, the pounding on the door began, each bang sending a shiver of dread through the group.

"Professor Jane, what do we do now?" one of the students asked, his voice trembling with panic. His eyes searched hers for any sign of hope.

Jane, still gasping for air, struggled to form a coherent response. "Hah... We should... look... for a backdoor," she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Without hesitation, the youngsters scattered, searching frantically through the dimly lit hallways. In a few moments, they found a back exit.

Urging each other forward, they slipped through the door one by one, emerging into the cold night air on the other side of the building.

As they gathered outside, scanning for any sign of safety, one of the girls in the group pointed.

"Look, over there! By the swing, someone's there," she whispered, her finger trembling as it hovered in the direction of a lone figure, hunched and murmuring something inaudible.

"Don't go near him, and keep your voice down," Jane ordered sharply. Her eyes narrowed, her instincts on high alert. "We don't know who he is, and we can't trust anyone right now."

Despite Jane's warning, the students exchanged hesitant glances. Fear and uncertainty clouded their minds, but the urge for survival overpowered their caution. One of the boys, his voice edged with desperation, called out to the figure,

"Hey, do you know any safe place around here?"

The figure, who had been staring at the ground, slowly lifted his head. His face was pale and emotionless at first, but a smile soon crept across his lips.

"I know of a stronghold nearby. A lot of survivors are there, but you'll have to cross the river to reach it. If you're willing, I can take you."

Jane's eyes flickered with suspicion. She didn't trust strangers, especially not during times like these. Yet before she could voice her concerns, the door behind them rattled violently. The fallen were back, pounding against the walls as their groans filled the air once more.

"So soon?" one of the students muttered in disbelief. Exhaustion was etched across their faces, and their bodies slumped from hours of running.

Only Jane had any real combat experience, her level higher than theirs, but even she looked weary.

Handing the injured child to another student, Jane drew her weapon, her muscles tensing in preparation for yet another fight.

But before she could step forward, a bright flash of light streaked past her, accompanied by a deafening explosion.

*Boom*

The impact sent the fallen flying, their bodies scattering like ragdolls. Jane and the others turned, wide-eyed, to see the lone figure standing tall, a long, sharp gun still smoking in his hands.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said, casually reloading his weapon. "I am Shin Narukami, a sophomore at Cambridge University."

Before anyone could respond, another wave of fallen surged toward them, their numbers even greater than before.

The air crackled with tension as Shin stepped forward, his expression calm and unwavering.

"Oops, Allow me to deal with the intruders first."

Jane and her group instinctively moved back, giving him room as confusion flickered across their faces.

"Why is he running straight at them?" one of the students whispered in disbelief.

The fresh wave of Fallen surged toward him, their gnarled bodies moving with reckless abandon, snarling and shrieking as they descended upon the group.

But Shin did not waver. He adjusted his stance, his body language calm and composed, the weight of his long gun resting easily in his hands.

With a swift movement, he twisted the gun in his grip, transforming it into a melee weapon. Its blade gleamed ominously under the dim light, catching the breath of those watching.

The Fallen lunged at him in a frenzied assault, but Shin was ready. His movements were sharp and deliberate, his body a blur of precision.

The first Fallen barely had time to register Shin's presence before it lost its head to a clean, fluid slice from his weapon.

Without breaking his rhythm, Shin sidestepped another attacker, bringing the butt of his gun up in a powerful strike that sent it sprawling to the ground, its skull cracked.

He switched seamlessly from attack to defense, raising his holographic shield just as another creature charged at him. The shield hummed with energy, blocking and absorbing the brute force of the Fallen's assault, and with a quick thrust, Shin pushed the creature back, sending it crashing into the others like a ragdoll.

But when more enemies rushed at him from the other directions, Shin hit the ground in a powerful smash from the pulsating shield which released all the kinetic energy it had absorbed till now. 

The impact of his action set the terrain in a tremor as the fallen were pushed away and they stumbled along losing their footing.

" I am getting better at using this " Shin muttered as he thought of more ways to use the recently acquired weapon. 

Truth be told, He had stolen most of the items after destroying his former group. He simply used them to clear dungeons and killed them all after they conquered it. 

The group watching from afar was spellbound, unable to look away from the battle that unfolded before them.

The sheer elegance and brutality of Shin's combat prowess was mesmerizing. Every move was executed with the precision of a master, his focus never faltering.

Jane could barely keep up with what she was witnessing. Shin wasn't just fighting, he was toying with the Fallen, dominating them with a level of finesse and control that left her awestruck.

As more Fallen closed in, Shin's long gun snapped back into rifle mode. He aimed with uncanny speed, firing a single shot that tore through several enemies in a straight line.

The impact wasn't as explosive as before, but it didn't need to be—the shot's accuracy alone was lethal. Fallen bodies crumpled as the bullet passed clean through them, their gurgling cries cut short.

But Shin wasn't done. As more of the creatures encircled him, he shifted his strategy. His gun became an extension of his body—a blade when he needed to slice, a gun when he needed to shoot, and in his other hand, carried a holographic shield to push away his enemies or bash at them with the kinetic energy absorbed by it.

He switched effortlessly between these modes, his movements almost choreographed, as though he had done this a thousand times before.

Shin seemed resourceful, equipped with many weapons and equipment that he used from time to time. But those things could not hide his skillful moves and talent of combat.

One of the creatures managed to slip past, breaking free from the swarm and darting toward the group. Shin's eyes flicked toward it, and without hesitation, he flung his shield like a discus.

The energy disc whizzed through the air, its sharp edges cutting clean through the creature's midsection before it snapped back into Shin's hand, catching the corpse and dragging it along.

Shin didn't even look at the creature as it tumbled toward him—he merely swung his blade in a vicious arc, cleaving its head from its body as it fell, ensuring it stayed down for good.

The seamless efficiency with which he dispatched his enemies made the group forget their own panic for a moment. Their fear was replaced with awe as they watched Shin operate like a force of nature.

His kicks were powerful, sending the Fallen flying back with bone-shattering force. He mixed these physical strikes with precise shots, picking off any stragglers that tried to flank him.

His shield was not just for defense—it was a weapon in its own right. Each time he threw it, it returned like a boomerang, its path marked by the bodies it left in its wake.

"Look at him… he's unstoppable," one of the students whispered, eyes wide with admiration.

"He's not even breaking a sweat," another marveled, his voice tinged with disbelief.

In one fluid motion, Shin reloaded his gun mid-combat, spinning the barrel as he lined up another shot.

A beam of light erupted from the muzzle, splitting the approaching Fallen in half, their bodies collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

The final group of Fallen, larger and more ferocious than the others, charged at him in a desperate last assault. But Shin remained composed.

His movements quickened, and his strikes became more deliberate, his blade slicing through the air with a hiss. He danced between the creatures, his gun flashing like lightning as he fired off rapid shots, each one finding its mark.

Then, with a final burst of speed, Shin spun on his heel, his blade slicing vertically through the last Fallen. The creature didn't even have time to scream before it was split cleanly in two. The battlefield fell silent, save for the soft rustle of wind blowing through the night air.

Shin wiped the blood from his hands, using the now-crumpled napkin he pulled from his pocket. His gaze finally turned back to Jane and the others, his face as calm as ever, as though the carnage he had just wrought was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"So heroic!" one of the students exclaimed, their voice filled with admiration.

"He was so cool!" another chimed in, clapping excitedly.

Jane, still on edge, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe mixed with caution. Shin was unlike anyone she had ever met before—a warrior of incredible skill, yet distant and seemingly unconcerned with their plight.

But for now, they were alive, and Shin was their savior.

"Hello there, my name is Jane Lennox, a Professor in the—"

"It doesn't matter what you were in the past, Mrs. Jane," Shin interrupted, his voice disinterested, as if her profession was of no consequence to him.

Jane's jaw clenched, irritation flaring at being dismissed so easily. Yet she kept her feelings in check. Powerlessness gnawed at her, but for now, there was no room for pride—only survival.

"Your past is of no concern to me, You are all simply lost lambs- I mean wandering survivors to me, I only help people like you by guiding you to a safe place. Well then, shall we go?"

Soon after getting themselves ready, the group marched to the stronghold Shin had promised.

As they were walking to that place, Shin's eyes were in the screen in front.

[You have chosen the Galactic Warmonger (Unique) Class. Are you sure?]

He silently muttered, 

'Yes'