Chereads / Usurping the Universe / Chapter 22 - Stage 1: A Dance With Death

Chapter 22 - Stage 1: A Dance With Death

Her next course of action would decide a lot. She easily pinned this greater zombie as the greatest threat, however he was confined to the castle walls. 

Fighting his army would certainly take a long time, due to their ruler's intellect and profound ability to control them, whereas the army of zombies marching for the underground bunker would be easier to defeat excluding the seven at the rear. 

Not to mention the fact she would gain more shards from them rather than the overly difficult zombies with little returns. 

In addition, the army would be a larger threat to the bunker than the immobile castle lord, making the choice easier for her. She would face the marching army before the king of the castle.

As for the king's subjects, she decided to use them to test the king a bit.

Under the warm sun, Alex dashed to the zombies at the very front of the castle. Using both chakrams with grim precision, Alex beheaded two stalwart figures that stood alongside each other. As their heads fell, so did their swords. 

Alex did not permit a chance for surrounding zombies to react. She plunged her chakrams through another, splattering dark matter across the sand once again. She was able to fall two more foes before she found herself surrounded by three more zombies, with the remaining zombies rapidly approaching.

She did not allow the other zombies to fully concentrate around her, because she swiftly disconnected another head from its owner's body, then passed through the surrounding enemies with astounding speed. The green hue around her chakrams had dulled slightly, yet she paid it no mind. 

Her next destination would be the swarm of inane, ruthless, manhunting beasts. Namely, zombies.

Considering she was prioritizing speed, Alex took no breaks. She ran across the desert, chakrams in hand. The vibrant green glow of the weapon dulled with each passing second. 

As she neared the approaching swarm, the stench of rotten flesh permeated the air, accentuating the already dreary environment.

The zombies marched slowly, but not uniformly. Nothing about them seemed regulated. She spotted the first few advancing zombies. 

She had already decided on the best course of action, a steadfast approach that would be both daunting and rewarding. 

The lack of coordination and cohesion led Alex to conclude these zombies were not being controlled or influenced, unlike those guarding the withering castle.

As had become the norm, Alex attacked the first zombies she saw, taking out two at once. She swiped her pristine blades and heads flew. She had long since switched to her deadly wakizashis. 

She knew allowing the zombies to surround her would ultimately lead to her downfall, therefore she regulated every movement. Her blades glided along her enemy's bodies, severing both limbs and heads. 

With her agile feet and astute mind, she evaded any form of encirclement. Her timely decisions and quick thinking guided the entire battlefield, leading the unintelligent creatures to hinder their attacks.

Her proficiency with her dual blades soared, unleashing a rhythmic flow with her unsullied weapons. Time stretched on as she wreaked havoc on the zombies. At the very sight of her, the zombies became enraged, breaking their march in an attempt to attack the fresh human.

Her once prim outfit now reflected the inner contents of her enemies, even her face was not spared.

The sun's position gradually ascended in the sky and raised the temperature's intensity with every passing moment.

The constant pressure of staying alert weighed heavily on Alex's mind, not to mention the extreme brushes with death. All this built mental strain. Although her physical stamina was constantly refreshed, her mental stamina had worn thin.

Alex retreated from the pursuing zombies, the swarm was endless. Fortunately, a speedy retreat was enough for Alex to catch her breath.

Her body, which was laced with various light scratches, plopped onto the ground with a thud. She was completely drained. 

She had not slept at all since she left Earth, but her weapon's power had sustained her physically. Mentally, she still required rest.

She had spent five hours tirelessly killing equally tireless zombies. In all her wretched life, as grisly as it had been, never had she experienced a fight like this.

The five horrendous hours of unending battle had awoken something within her, honing her previously trained ability to kill - into an instinct. Her life was threatened at all angles, and her mind had continuously worked in overdrive.

After that experience, Alex decided she needed to sleep before she attempted to decrease their numbers any further. She threw some dry raisins in her mouth before sprinting to the labyrinth.

136:25:02

'So it's already 8:30 p.m. I slept way too long.'

Alex cleaned up, spat out the healing potion then enjoyed a hearty meal in the bunker canteen. She stared at the slightly green liquid within the transparent plastic bottle, before lamenting at her repulsive actions.

Although reluctant, she swiftly downed the bottle before rinsing and repeating. As far as it concerned her life, she did not need hesitation.

Alex disinfected her wounds despite how light they were. It would be anticlimactic if she somehow became a zombie after everything. 

She stood outside the labyrinth and raised an eyebrow at the single approaching zombie, then she swiftly ended its life.

Alex expanded her map and was stumped by the red dots on the 3D projection.

There were about fifty zombies close to the underground bunker. Earlier in the day, there was not a single zombie near the bunker and labyrinth. It seemed as though this phenomenon was a part of the stage's setting. Alex moved away from the bunker and was happy to see the zombies had kept a steady pace since she slept. It would take them approximately three days to reach the bunker at their current rate.

She would not give them that chance. She sped towards the zombie horde, ready to fight once again. 

Her last battle had wiped about half the lesser zombies and she hoped to deal with the entire troop in 24 hours maximum.