Zombies?

The air was tense as Yuuto and his group stood in the dimly lit chamber, each of them trying to adjust to the surge of power coursing through their bodies. The System had unlocked their abilities, but the feeling of unease was still thick in the air. For the first time, they had the tools to fight back, yet none of them knew what horrors lay ahead.

"Do you feel that?" Aya asked, clutching her pendant as it glowed softly.

Yuuto glanced around. The walls trembled slightly, a low rumbling sound rising from somewhere deep within the chamber. His instincts screamed danger, but there was no clear threat in sight.

"It's too quiet," Kazuki muttered, his eyes darting around. "Something's coming."

A cold draft swept through the room, carrying with it the faintest scent of decay. The group tensed, their new abilities fresh but untested. They had no time to grow comfortable—something was about to strike.

A low, guttural moan echoed from the far end of the chamber. At first, it was distant, almost indistinct, but it quickly grew louder, closer. The sound was unlike anything they had heard before—haunting, empty, and filled with hunger.

"That sound…" Akari whispered, her voice trembling. "It can't be…"

As if in answer, a figure emerged from the shadows, shuffling awkwardly toward them. Its skin was pale and gray, its eyes clouded over with milky white. Flesh hung from its bones, barely clinging to its emaciated frame. A torn uniform hung loosely from its shoulders, covered in blood and dirt.

Yuuto's heart stopped as he recognized the uniform—the same one he and his classmates wore.

"Is that…?" Miki stammered, her voice rising in panic. "No, it can't be!"

"One of us?" Naoki said, stepping back, horrified.

Before anyone could react, more figures shuffled into view. Dozens of them, all wearing the same bloodstained school uniforms, their bodies twisted and grotesque. Their lifeless eyes locked onto the group, and the moaning grew louder, more insistent.

Yuuto's mind raced. These weren't just monsters. These were their classmates—students who had been caught in the nightmare and transformed into something inhuman.

"They're zombies!" Rika shouted, her voice breaking. "They're our classmates!"

The wave of zombies moved slowly but relentlessly, their decayed hands reaching out as they closed the distance. Yuuto could feel the panic rising in his chest, but there was no time to freeze up.

"We have to fight!" Yuuto yelled, snapping everyone out of their paralysis. "Use your abilities!"

Kazuki was the first to move, stepping forward with a growl. His fists began to glow with a dull red light as he activated his new power.

"Iron Fist!" Kazuki roared, slamming his fist into the nearest zombie. The force of the blow sent it flying across the room, crashing into the stone wall with a sickening thud. The creature slumped to the ground, unmoving, but more were still coming.

Aya followed Kazuki's lead, her hands glowing with soft, golden light. "Light's Embrace!" she cried, releasing a pulse of energy that enveloped the group, shielding them in a radiant barrier. The zombies clawed at the light, but their decayed hands couldn't break through.

"Stay close!" Aya shouted. "This will hold them off for a while, but we need to find a way out!"

Yuuto's mind was racing, but something about this felt wrong. The zombies were slow, mindless—they weren't like the Consumer, but the sheer number of them was overwhelming. If they didn't act fast, the barrier would eventually fall, and they'd be surrounded.

He clenched his fists, feeling the energy of his ability pulse through him. Phantom Edge. He had to test it now.

Summoning the power to his hand, Yuuto felt a ghostly, ethereal blade form in his grip. It felt weightless, almost like it didn't belong in this world. But when he swung it, the result was immediate.

The blade sliced through the air, cutting through three zombies at once. Their bodies collapsed to the ground, and for a moment, Yuuto felt the rush of power surging through him. He could do this.

Akari, cloaked in shadows, darted behind the horde with impossible speed. "Shroud of Shadows," she whispered, her body disappearing into darkness. She reappeared moments later behind a cluster of zombies, striking them down before they could react.

"Keep going!" Yuuto shouted, slashing through another zombie with his Phantom Edge. "We can't stop now!"

But as more and more zombies flooded into the chamber, it became clear they were only delaying the inevitable. The barrier that Aya had created was beginning to flicker and weaken, and the relentless wave of undead was closing in from all sides.

"We're getting overwhelmed!" Naoki yelled, his Mirage Strike barely holding off a group of zombies that had nearly broken through the barrier.

Yuuto gritted his teeth, his mind scrambling for a plan. They couldn't fight them all, not like this. The zombies were relentless, endless. They had to escape, but how?

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the chamber. The door they had entered through burst open, and a group of students stumbled into the room, panting and wide-eyed. More survivors.

"Hey!" one of the new students shouted, pointing to Yuuto and the others. "We found them!"

Yuuto's heart leaped. They weren't alone. Other students had made it this far. Maybe they still had a chance.

But before they could celebrate, the zombies turned their attention to the newcomers, and chaos erupted once more.

"We need to retreat!" Yuuto shouted. "Everyone, get back! We'll regroup!"

Kazuki slammed his fist into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked back the closest zombies, buying them precious seconds.

"This way!" Rika cried, pointing to a side passage they hadn't noticed before. "We can lose them in the tunnels!"

Without hesitation, the group and the newly arrived students sprinted toward the passage, Aya's barrier flickering and finally collapsing behind them. The moans of the zombies echoed in the chamber as they followed, but the narrow tunnels would give them a chance to escape.