Chapter 44

As the discharge of neon lights gradually subsided, the white room returned to its base state.

The entity remained dormant during the short duration of the extravagant celebration. Gazing blankly in Idris's direction, its hologram-like figure flared. The brief burst of particles hovered in the air, moulding into a rectangular interface.

"Please select a nickname, Idris Tyler Soll." The entity gestured calmly.

The floating panel was like a retro-style video game, its unstable pixels causing an undulating effect.

Idris cracked his knuckles before reaching out, wanting to feel the texture of the pixelated panel before him. His hands went through the translucent board, sensing little, harmless nibbles on his skin.

"What is the purpose of a nickname?" Idris asked.

"The purpose of a nickname is to conceal your identity." The entity replied.

Tilting its head, the entity summoned another portal a few meters to its right. This time, instead of a world teeming with nature, the portal showcased the entirety of the obelisk. Mirroring Idris's perception of the obelisk, it displayed rocky surfaces and abstract patterns as if it were an unconquerable mountain.

Alphabets and numerical digits decorated its exterior, perched against the ridges prevalent throughout the obelisk. On closer observation, Idris realized that they were human names. Concentrated in a specific region, the uppermost names jutted out conspicuously.

The distinctive patterns cascading down from the summit divided the obelisk into various sections. Branched proportionally into 10 equal sections, only one segment of the walls displayed names, visible to the public.

The statistics of the top 10 candidates leading the ranking were embroidered with colours and carried unique nicknames, causing the rest of the full names beneath to pale in comparison.

"To conceal my identity…" Idris muttered, followed by silent pondering.

The privilege to hide one's name did not sound too useful. However, if the obelisk provided that as a perk, there must be some hidden yet logical decision behind it.

"Your nickname will also be your title. Until you perish, it will remain unchanged and exclusively yours." The entity added on in its monotone voice.

Nodding, Idris stared blankly at the empty, floating panel.

A title… A meaningful name that others will forever remember unless he dies.

Conflicted, Idris instinctively reached for his Mona Lisa.

It felt warm despite being cheap cardboard.

Carefully withdrawing the photograph of his family, Idris studied it with benevolent eyes.

He knew what title he wanted.

****

"Do you see that in the distance?"

"Yeah, I do! It's getting closer. It's getting really close!"

Within the vicinity of the obelisk, there were barely any zombies in sight. It seemed that the obelisk had a certain territory that repelled wandering zombies away. With the capable survivors who had paved their way here, a temporary peace was formed.

However, a commotion at the end of the boulevard attracted the attention of survivors.

At the Northern boulevard connected to the Obelisk's vicinity, a cloud of dust particles was whipped up into the air as hundreds of figures stormed towards the congregation of survivors who were resting at the foot of the obelisk.

"Is that a horde? Oh no! Fall back!"

"Alert the others!"

"Ahhh! Regroup! We need everyone at this location now!"

High alert drew Theodore's attention away from the stunning record atop the obelisk.

"What's going on?!"

"Incoming wave of zombies! We require immediate backup!"

Frantic voices and voices emanated from every corner.

Teams of dishevelled survivors at the end of the boulevard ran desperately for their lives with the horde in hot pursuit. But their effort was to no avail as the unstoppable wave of zombies trampled them over, crushing them into layers of flesh.

Survivors who had established themselves began to form alliances in order to brace for the approaching danger, while clueless survivors who had just walked out from the obelisk were dragged away by their friends and family, either to escape or to fight.

The confidence of many survivors withered away at the sight of the incoming danger, their legs shaking like jello.

Theodore's eyes jumped erratically between few of the most composed survivors, paying extra effort to remember their faces.

As a guild leader who is striving to be the very best, he must have a keen sense in order to select capable members as quickly as possible.

"Theodore! What are those headless monsters?!" Qi Rui screeched in confusion as she pointed at the fastest creatures leading the horde.

A consistent line of haunting, yellow lines surged closer with each passing second, highlighted by the harrowing night and faint moonlight.

Galloping on all fours like gorillas, these creatures were savage animals. With their heads assimilated into their shoulder blades, the behemoths battered towards the congregation of survives.

Flat, corpulent surfaces that replaced a skull rammed through cars parked along the driveway as scrap metals flew across the streets and into surrounding infrastructure.

Brandishing a knife, Theodore replied with a grim tone. "They are called Category Twos. The battering ram of the zombie world."

The emergence of thousands of superhumans was phenomenal considering that barely a day had passed.

However, unless you were a prodigy in the apocalypse, only Rank 2 superhuman can rival Category Two zombies. Even if they had a couple of Rank 2 at the scene, it was nearly impossible to terminate the unstoppable row of battering rams charging in at full speed, not to mention the hundreds of zombies behind that could potentially catch them off guard.

Currently, the survivors outnumbered the zombies by a huge margin, but as the obelisk implied, so far, none of them had the power to combat a Category Two zombie.

The atmosphere was stained with dread and chaos.

On his left, a teenage girl still dressed in a striped school uniform sank into the glass display of a nearby department store. Her figure dashed away from the havoc, dwelling safely within the frameless glass storefronts.

"Theodore, I think we should retreat." Qi Rui whispered as her expression grew stern.

"We can't! Idris is still in there!" Theodore grunted, rejecting her idea without any hesitation as he shifted his gaze back to the obelisk where Idris's towering structure has yet to appear. "I am not leaving a brother behind to face these zombies again!"

Though many chose to flee, Theodore wasn't the only one with an incentive to fight.

Springing into action, a middle-aged woman had begun pushing a parked car into the center of the boulevard, attempting to create a heavy barrier of steel to hamper the hordes' progress.

Judging from her incredible strength, she was undoubtedly a Rank 1 superhuman like Theodore.

Filtered moonlight drenched the lone, slender figure. Soaked in perspiration, the woman's persistence never diminished as she strained her slender body to move the vehicles weighing up to tons, inch by inch.

"Anybody? Please! Please help my mom!" A tiny yet powerful voice uttered from within the crowds.

A filthy ten-year-old boy darted back and fro between strangers, trying to convince more survivors to lend a helping hand.

Many hearts were instantly touched by this tragic campaign.

How could anyone be passive when a mother and her child displayed so much willpower and eagerness to fight and survive?

With a leading figure setting the standard, survivors were galvanized to take action.

Screeches of rubber tires grinding against asphalt reverberated in the night. Hundreds of superhumans and ordinary humans gathered together for one common goal— to construct a metallic barricade.

Soon, the more composed survivors which Theodore had noticed previously began to take initiative.

The ground quaked as a frail man placed his palms onto the asphalt road. Ramps made of earth and soil sprouted from the roads, filling up areas where the barricades weren't complete.

Several survivors demonstrated their physical enhancements as abnormal physiques become a prevalent sight.

Seeing this, Theodore's competitive nature took over.

Fiery flames blossomed around him. Coating his knife with crackling fire, Theodore sprinted to the frontline where many others were waiting.

"Another one trying to steal the show."

"He must be on the top of the leaderboard."

"Those soul fragments will be mine."

As Theodore approached, he heard many annoyed grunts emanating from around him. Despite the imminent danger, many drooled over the thought of obtaining soul fragments.

While patiently waiting for Idris to exit the obelisk, he has overheard many conversations. He acknowledged that he wasn't the only person reincarnated, for many survivors were discussing about knowing members or leaders who had led them here.

Whether it was distributed by entities within the obelisk, or by reincarnated individuals from Earth like him, the information about the utilities of soul fragments has become common knowledge amongst survivors.

Living in a mundane world for their whole lives, it wasn't surprising that many survivors developed an addiction to power.

The discord of rampaging zombies drew louder and closer, violently destroying the serene environment of the city's night. The cluster of clouds shrouding the dual moons drifted away, allowing the utter brilliance of the milky moonlight to bless the land.

A battle was scheduled to commence within a minute.

"Ayo! Watch out, people! The GOAT has arrived!" A cheerful voice, incongruent to the current grave circumstance, shattered the intense atmosphere.

Survivors pounced out of the way as a yellow school bus drifted into the vicinity of the obelisk from the Eastern side of the boulevard.

Steering the vehicle to a full halt, the wheels of the school bus brewed a thick gale of dust and dirt. Children and teenagers wearing similar, white school uniforms began pouring open from the exit doors.

As survivors scrambled to calm down the crying children, a tall, young man crawled out of the driver seat and onto the hood of the bus, gandering down on the dumbstruck survivors while wielding a broad katana.

"Phew! At least I'm not late for the party!"

Performing a little celebratory dance, the young man released a sigh of relief.

In the eyes of thousands of survivors, the young man with thick black hair began to defy gravity as he levitated off the hood of the bus, his baggy martial arts uniform fluttering in the cold breeze of the night.

Crouching down mid-air, his fingers coiled around the shell of the bus's hood.

Theodore blinked rapidly in disbelief as the floating young man lifted the now, empty bus like it was light as a feather. Shrugging his shoulders as if lifting a bus was a leisurely exercise, the young man flew above the incoming Category Two zombies.

And then, he dropped it, causally like throwing away a garbage bag.

Boom!

The vehicle pummeled onto the row of headless zombies, instantly dismantling their entire formation and momentum.

The eminent danger thousands of survivors had fretted about was already experiencing its downfall.

Grabbing the shoulder of a calm teenager who had sauntered out of the bus, Theodore questioned in a state of bewilderment. "Where did you guys come from? And who is the person levitating?"

He had honestly believed that obtaining the fourth position on the leaderboard was enough to brag about for a long time.

But seriously? Another prodigy other than the bizarre superhuman named 'Soul'?

"Um… Fire man, could you please stop shaking me?" With his head bobbing from Theodore's passionate curiosity, the teenager pleaded resignedly.

"Sorry, my bad." Theodore ceased, realizing his overly vehement sentiment. He withdrew the striking flames on his blade.

"I can fully understand you. I had the same reaction when that overpowered dude showed up!" The teenager brushed it off and laughed. "The monster over there is called Antonio, but he's probably gonna share his name with everyone present anyway."

As if adhering to his remarks, the levitating young man roared energetically as he dropped into the battlefield like a meteorite, slashing through a Category Two zombie like a hot knife through butter. "I am Antonio Brown! Remember my name, for I will be the strongest man on Terra!"

"See." The teenager smiled, his brown hair glimmering under the moonlight. "By the way, my name's PJ."

"Theodore."

"You're from Earth too?" Observing Theodore's fiery eyes, PJ uttered his speculations.

Theodore nodded, confirming his assumption.

It was very strange, as if a divine deity had programmed the world to be this way. With just a simple exchange of glances, two reincarnated strangers could easily unravel one another's past and discover their identity.

Perhaps this innate affiliation was the key, a vital component that would differentiate Earth's failure and Terra's ongoing story.