Zombie Boss (P.3) – Chapter 12

Martial arts?!

I was almost caught off guard for a moment by that stance. The zombie within that split moment had stretched out the palm of its hand forward, its back hunched straight, while its other hand was remaining on its back.

In that very second, I quickly managed to close our distance and swung my sword sideways, aiming to behead the zombie quickly. However, that zombie hunched forward, dodged my sword, and aimed its palm at my Solar Plexus.

This motherfucker!

In response, I instinctively pivot to the side, shifting my body weight and evading the strike. In one seamless motion, my hand formed a tight fist, driving it forcefully into the exposed sternum of that zombie.

My punch managed to reach the zombie, causing its body to almost fall backward from the shockwave. However, since my opponent was a zombie, no damage was done other than pushing it away.

"GRAWWWLll!!"

As the zombie emitted another irritated growl, it lunged at me with the intent to incapacitate me instantly. In a moment of reflexive agility, I leaned backward, narrowly avoiding its incoming attack. Seizing the opportunity when it exposed itself, I swiftly executed an upward slash with my sword, aiming for an opening I identified during its assault. With precision and determination, I successfully struck the zombie's groin, slicing all the way up to its belly.

"GRWwwlll!!"

"Not so fast now, hm?" I smirked after looking at the zombie's furious eyes.

I could probably end this zombie quite easily since I have already fought it before. However, since this time I'm with Aoi, I wanted to give her an opportunity to grow as well. As well as test out the status that appears on the mirror. 

That's why, once I had bought enough time, I looked straight into the zombie's eyes.

"But don't worry—"

I calmly assured the zombie before Aoi sprung into action, rushing to my side with her whip sword poised to strike.

"—because I won't be the one to end you."

In a breathtaking display of skill, Aoi expertly wielded her whip sword, delivering a swift and precise strike to the zombie's neck. The severed head rolled away, and the zombie collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

As the dust settled, I turned my gaze toward Aoi, acknowledging her triumph.

"Good job. I knew you could pull this off."

"Ah… T-thank you…"

She blushed, expressing her gratitude with a heartfelt smile of happiness. In that moment, I knew that not only had we overcome the zombie, but Aoi had taken a significant step in her growth as well.

"When we return, I'll make sure to reward you nicely."

"Ye… O-okay."

I tried teasing her a little bit after seeing how hard she had been working. And from what I could see, she was blushing even more while fidgeting in embarrassment. Even though I was trying to add a reward as a joke, she somehow seems happier.

Some moments passed by after we had defeated the zombie. And to our surprise, nothing was happening in this dungeon.

"Isn't a door supposed to appear after we kill the zombie boss?"

"Yes, that's how it is supposed to be…"

Usually, after clearing the main floor of a dungeon, something either appears or a path is revealed back to the mansion.

"....Unless…Aoi, take your sword out!"

"Huh? O-okay!"

When I realized that something had changed about this as well, I gave Aoi a warning before I turned my head towards the zombie lying on the ground. Aoi did as I told her to by putting her sword in whip form while she waited for what was about to happen.

And as I had thought, the zombie was releasing a dark mist from its body before getting up and forming another new head from its body.

"As I thought...." I muttered to myself, "The zombie boss of this floor has changed as well…"

I was hoping that the lower-level monsters in the dungeon were going to be at least the same as before, since I wanted to help out Aoi to the fullest without having her injured. But from what I can see in that zombie's posture and the menacing aura, I could feel that it was at least four times stronger than before.

However, I won't let a low-level zombie harm Aoi while I'm present.

"Aoi, please stand back."

"What should I do?"

I could see that Aoi was eager and a bit worried for the second match. However, this zombie is going to be a bit too strong for Aoi.

"I will deal with this one alone." I advised, "What I want from you is to observe and learn."

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Author's Thoughts:

Question. Do you think that a human is able to remain sane after hundreds or a thousand years? I read somewhere about this, and I find it amusing at how the brain could develop at gaining hundreds of years worth of memories, or simply break.

Let me know in the comments.

Also, if you wish to read +15 chapters ahead, you can find the link on my synopsis! And don't forget to give power stones to this novel if you are enjoying it so far!