The abstract paintings hanging on the walls, filled with grotesque figures, seemed to come alive as the pig's voice called out. One after another, the monstrous beings roared as they crawled out of the frames, their twisted limbs reaching toward Takumi.
Even the large white bear-skin rug on the floor sprang up, snarling viciously.
Soon, Takumi found himself surrounded by these abstract zombie creatures.
Takumi looked around at them, feeling nothing but mild amusement at their antics.
"Hehehe, kid, scared out of your pants yet?"
"Don't worry, we're gentle. We'll make sure to deliver you alive to Lord Moria!"
"Hey, this brat's mine! Don't you dare try and take him from me!"
The group of zombie creatures bickered loudly among themselves, all lunging at Takumi at the same time.
Not wanting to waste too much time, Takumi quickly performed a Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation. Channeling his chakra into his throat, he unleashed a massive fireball at the floor, which erupted into a blazing inferno that spread rapidly through the entire hall.
Zombies hated fire.
So, this large-scale fire ninjutsu was the perfect technique to deal with them.
"Ahhh, fire! Fire!"
"I'm burning! I'm gonna die!"
The zombie creatures shrieked as they scrambled in all directions, trying to flee from the flames.
Takumi, meanwhile, calmly walked up the staircase to the left of the fireplace, paying no mind to the chaos behind him. The path led into a dimly lit corridor, old yet clean, with an eerie stillness hanging in the air.
The walls of the corridor were lined with more abstract paintings, but none of these seemed to be hiding any lurking creatures.
He hadn't walked far when he sensed a faint, almost imperceptible gaze on him.
Without even turning around, Takumi flicked his hand behind him, sending a Finger Pistol into the ceiling, instantly killing a small spider that had been watching him.
As he continued down the hall, heading toward a wide arena-like chamber at the end, he took out at least seven more of these tiny surveillance spiders.
These little creatures were controlled by a giant spider, much like the other zombies on the island, modified by Dr. Hogback and brought to life with Moria's stolen shadows.
The chamber itself was lined with five colorful tent-like structures, the largest one in the middle painted bright red. Beyond the tent flaps lay nothing but darkness.
Takumi was just about to pass through the red tent when a fully armored zombie, wielding a sword and shield, dropped from the ceiling and landed in front of him.
Without hesitation, the armored zombie charged at Takumi, swinging its sword rapidly.
Takumi effortlessly dodged a few strikes before delivering a powerful kick to the zombie's gut, sending it flying into the stone wall with a heavy crash.
Even after smashing into the wall, the zombie quickly got back on its feet and charged again, slashing out a cross-shaped energy attack toward Takumi.
Takumi dodged as the energy blast slammed into the wall behind him, leaving a deep cross-shaped gouge in the stone.
"Hmm, interesting," Takumi muttered, drawing his sword, the Sandai Kitetsu.
This zombie was different from the weaklings he had encountered in the jungle or the dining hall. This one had likely been a warrior of some renown before Moria had stolen its corpse. Even in death, with no memory of its former life, its body retained its combat instincts and skills.
Moria might have been weak, but Takumi had to admit the man had a knack for gathering powerful corpses. The number of formidable warriors he had managed to resurrect was impressive.
To defeat these zombies, simply knocking them down wasn't enough. They didn't feel pain, nor did they tire. To truly stop them, you had to completely destroy their bodies or defeat Moria, which would release the shadows trapped inside them.
Takumi gripped the hilt of his sword, waiting for the zombie to make its next move. As it lunged at him, Takumi unleashed a Haki-infused slash, cutting through the armored zombie in an instant.
The zombie's body shattered into pieces, its armor clattering to the ground.
Since it was already a corpse, there was nothing gory about the scene.
Takumi was about to move on when several more fully armored zombies, each with different body types and weaponry, emerged from the tents ahead.
Takumi: "…"
These guys just won't quit.
Not wanting to waste more time, Takumi swung the Sandai Kitetsu, dashing forward with blinding speed. Every zombie in his path was sliced into multiple pieces as he cut through the group with ease.
Beyond the red tent lay a wide bridge, connecting the castle to a secondary building behind it.
Takumi stepped onto the bridge, only for a giant spider with a monkey's head to descend from the sky, landing directly in front of him.
"You've got some nerve, brat, killing all my little spies!" the monkey-headed spider snarled. "You're dead meat! Do you even know who I am? I am the great—AHHH!"
Before the creature could finish its sentence, Takumi leaped into the air and delivered a devastating Night Guy, crashing down onto the spider's skull.
With a sickening crack, the bridge beneath the creature crumbled, sending both it and the shattered remains of the bridge plummeting into the abyss below.
Takumi landed gracefully on the far side of the bridge, glancing back to see the remaining armored zombies stuck on the other side, unable to cross.
Without a second thought, he continued into the castle.
As he walked through the maze of halls, Takumi eventually found himself in a small courtyard cluttered with old, broken-down amusement rides and other abandoned junk.
This place…
Before Takumi could get his bearings, he was suddenly surrounded by a group of stitched-together animals and stuffed toy zombies.
"Welcome to Lady Perona's Mysterious Garden!" they all chimed in unison.
One of the stuffed zombies, resembling a penguin, shouted, "Attack! Smash this brat!"
The entire group of animal zombies let out war cries and rushed toward Takumi.
Takumi: "…"
Are there seriously this many zombies on this island?
With a sigh, Takumi drew his sword, slicing through the horde in a single sweeping motion, cutting every zombie cleanly in half.
The courtyard erupted in cries and shrieks as the zombies fell to pieces.
But, being zombies, they weren't so easy to kill. Though they were now missing their lower halves, they still crawled around on the ground, desperately trying to continue their attack.
Meanwhile, out in the forest beyond the castle…
A skeleton with a massive afro, carrying a sword-cane, was trembling as he shuffled forward.
"Ahh, this island is terrifying! Although… I'm already dead! Yohohohohoho!"
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