Chapter 18

When Yuuji woke up again, he found himself lying alone in a sewer. There was no one around him. As he prepared to project a light source, he quickly realized that his projection magic wasn't working—though he could still feel the presence of mana.

He tried to conjure a basic magic bullet, but again, nothing happened.

In the end, Yuuji resorted to the elementary light magic that Rin had once taught him. A faint ball of light formed in his hand, allowing him to see his surroundings and at least recognize himself in the dim space.

Yuuji was now wearing what looked like gear from a video game he'd played before. His body was muscular and trained, and he carried a knife and a pistol. A walkie-talkie was tucked into one of his pockets, but aside from that, he had nothing else.

Yuuji considered that projection itself might not be disabled—it was probably just that conceptual or fantasy objects couldn't be projected in this world. Testing his theory, he attempted to project a flashlight—and it worked. The flashlight appeared, tangible and functional.

However, when he tossed it more than three meters away, it blinked out of existence. The projection radius was limited—anything beyond three meters would vanish. Projection was being restricted.

He then projected a mirror to examine himself. Perhaps his reflection would offer a clue to who he had become in this world.

"This is... I'm Piers Nivans, the supporting character from Resident Evil 6," he muttered in surprise, looking at the reflection of a young, energetic man with a special forces build. He now realized that his soul had been placed into Piers' body. Yet the lack of a BSAA insignia told him he hadn't joined that organization yet—he was still just a military operative.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit him. Yuuji understood that he was now fully syncing with the role—he was becoming Piers.

The scene changed. He now found himself amid ruins. Gunfire echoed suddenly, forcing Yuuji to duck behind nearby cover.

He remembered that Piers was a sniper—his enemy wouldn't close in easily. Yuuji needed to pinpoint the sniper's location and take him out.

Another shot rang out. Yuuji guessed the direction and cautiously began advancing.

But it had been a trap.

Piers had fired to lure Yuuji in and then ambush him at close range.

As Yuuji neared, Piers lunged forward with a combat knife. He struck first.

But his opponent—though weakened—was far from ordinary.

Yuuji allowed the attack to come close. He had already projected a knife of his own, hidden and ready. Just as Piers prepared to gloat, Yuuji's blade slashed through his opponent's weapon and pierced his throat in one swift motion.

The last thing Piers saw was the eerie blue glow of Yuuji's blade—then, darkness.

Though Yuuji's magic had been suppressed, reinforcement magic remained fully functional. It was the only form of magecraft that hadn't been weakened. And it had saved his life.

Yuuji shivered. If his reinforcement technique had been any less potent, he might've been the one lying dead.

In that instant, Piers' full memory flooded into Yuuji's mind. The integration was complete—he now fully understood who Piers was and why he'd been here.

Piers had been a special forces agent recently dispatched to Japan on a top-secret mission. Intelligence suggested the existence of illegal bio-chemical weapons. But the moment he arrived, he was ambushed. After a brutal escape, he had hidden in the sewers.

As for Chris—the captain who would eventually change Piers' life—Yuuji hadn't met him yet.

Fully synced with Piers, Yuuji planned his next move: get to the rendezvous point and find the contact. Without that, the mission was doomed.

He also began to suspect that this world might be a simulation—or worse, a real version—of the Resident Evil game he once played.

But was that really the truth?

After wandering for a while, Yuuji finally exited the sewer—only to find that the nearby streets were completely empty.

He realized immediately: during his time underground, the bio-virus had probably been released. Now, the area was likely crawling with zombies.

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard slow, dragging footsteps.

Looking ahead, Yuuji saw a female zombie staggering forward, head tilted awkwardly.

There was no fear in him. God's interference had stripped away his emotions. Not even fear remained.

He didn't want to fire his gun and attract more attention, so he projected a one-meter-long katana, infused it with strengthening magic, and calmly decapitated the zombie.

Yuuji no longer feared violence or death. He had the mind of a soldier—and a body prepared for this.

With the immediate threat gone, he retrieved the blade and resumed his trek toward the rendezvous point.

He did his best to avoid contact with any more zombies, and eventually arrived at the high school affiliated with Xunzhiqiu Academy—the designated meeting location. The principal, who had contacted them earlier, was the mission's handler. The plan was to gather intel and relay findings.

Yuuji recalled that the principal had said the school could be used as a safe haven in times of crisis, implying it had its own security systems and fallback plans.

Peering through the fence, he saw hordes of zombies scattered around the campus. He quickly locked the side and main gates, then moved to breach the grounds in search of survivors.

Projecting dual katanas, he called upon the inherited memory of a man named Red A. With that power, he leapt into the fray.

He was a storm of steel among the dead.

With every swing, heads flew. Limbs were severed. Blood and decay coated the pavement as Yuuji carved his way through the undead like a beast unleashed.

Corpses piled around him.

Although he suspected his modified body might be resistant to infection, Yuuji didn't want to take unnecessary risks. After clearing the school gate of enemies, he pressed deeper into the campus.

He noted signs of defensive measures and quickly concluded—there were survivors.

When he reached a locked classroom, he cut the bolt cleanly with his katana—but the loud noise drew nearby zombies. Yuuji dispatched them with precision and force.

Just then, a woman's voice came from inside the classroom.

"Excuse me, are you a survivor?"

Yuuji didn't open the door immediately. He knew negotiations required a certain amount of caution.

"Yes," he said calmly. "I'm a passing survivor. I came here looking for someone."

There was a pause.

Eventually, the door creaked open. Standing before Yuuji was a girl with purple hair, clearly flustered. She appeared older than him—maybe in her early twenties? (Yuuji, as Piers, was about twenty at this point.)

"Please," the purple-haired woman said, eyes pleading, "Save my student."