Chapter 128: The Ruined Site (Part Two)

"Thud, thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud!"

The muzzle of the laser rifle spat out relentless streams of fire, shattering every enemy in sight into fragments. Yet, Eruka felt no tension at all; on the contrary, she found it rather boring.

"Commander, these zombies look so strange!"

"Hmm... indeed."

While responding to Eruka, Ferren extended his right hand. A silver scalpel danced across his fingertips like a juggler's prop before flashing away. With a fluid, phantom wave of his hand, the several zombies before him were carved into pieces by invisible blades, their blood spraying across the ground.

Ferren looked up and couldn't help but yawn.

It was no wonder he felt so lethargic; these zombies were far too different from the ones usually encountered in the Wasteland. Typical Wasteland zombies were like mummified corpses, either lying on the ground feigning death to conserve energy or shambling about aimlessly. Once they spotted prey, however, they would instantly switch to a hundred-meter sprint. But these creatures were entirely different. They resembled the slow-moving, hard-to-kill, virus-infected beings from the movies Ferren had once watched. Lacking both speed and strength, they relied solely on sheer numbers to overwhelm their opponents.

That might have worked in those other worlds, but unfortunately, it was useless here. Even a heroine injected with a virus, whose only ability was physical enhancement, could turn these zombies into a sieve—let alone Ferren and Eruka, who possessed true, formidable "superpowers."

Especially Eruka.

Shaking the blood off his scalpel, Ferren glanced at the girl beside him. Eruka was currently gripping her laser rifle, mowing down the army of zombies. Judging by their clothing, they were likely the remains of merchants and Caesar’s Legion soldiers. This explained why there were no corpses despite the intense fighting seen everywhere else.

Of course, Caesar’s Legion wouldn't waste their time collecting bodies for others.

Eruka’s situation was equally eye-catching. Although she only held one laser rifle, two identical muzzles manifested out of thin air on either side of her body. Like upgraded player units in a bullet-hell game, they synchronized with her to unleash a fierce, explosive crossfire that pulverized everything in their path.

Should this be called "Gate of the King"? Or perhaps "Queen’s Armory"?

Watching the two floating gun barrels, Ferren imagined a scene in the future where Eruka would raise her rifle, only for hundreds of weapons to materialize behind her and open fire in unison.

Hmm... that actually sounded quite interesting.

(Master, something is wrong.)

At that moment, the black cat perched on Ferren’s shoulder spoke up. Because their previous enemies had been so weak, Derin hadn't bothered to take human form to assist them. But now, she seemed to have noticed something, her eyes wide as she watched the front with vigilance.

(I sense something wrong ahead... these zombies are not true zombies! They are...)

"Commander! Enemy attack at three o'clock!"

"BOOM!"

Before Derin could finish, Kurona’s warning echoed in Ferren's ear. The wall beside them exploded violently, and a massive figure emerged from the rubble. It roared, swinging a heavy fist toward Ferren. Reacting instantly to Kurona’s warning, Ferren retreated swiftly, his right hand flicking out to send his scalpel flying toward the giant. To his surprise, the scalpel, enhanced with his [Cutting] ability, didn't pierce the target as easily as usual; instead, it bounced off with a metallic "clang," as if striking a steel plate. Startled, Ferren quickly activated "Swift Shadow" to put some distance between them.

"Commander!"

Seeing Ferren under attack, Eruka swiveled her aim and unleashed a barrage of fire at the giant figure. As she fired her rifle, she reached to her waist with her left hand, tossed two grenades, and watched them spin through the air before slamming into the dark silhouette, erupting into two balls of fire that swallowed the terrifying figure whole.

"BOOM! BOOM!"

The shockwave from the intense explosion forced both of them to step back. They stared solemnly at the roiling flames until, moments later, the fire dissipated to reveal the giant figure standing unharmed.

"It seems we've run into something troublesome indeed..."

Standing before them was a monster over three meters tall with a hulking, giant-like frame, clutching a massive axe in its right hand. What was truly terrifying was the lack of human features on its head; instead, a single, gaping maw occupied the entire face. As it opened its mouth, Ferren and Eruka could clearly see layer upon layer of dense, jagged teeth.

"What is that thing?"

"It’s a familiar!"

At that moment, Derin shifted into her human form, clutching a spiked mace as she glared warily at the monster.

"Master, be careful. This is a mid-tier elite familiar known as a Ghoul... To be honest, I don't like dealing with these. They are incredibly thorny and difficult to handle."

"Oh? How so?"

Ferren raised an eyebrow. Derin was a high-tier familiar; while the hierarchy among familiars wasn't always strictly defined by power, there were certainly gaps. Why would she consider this "Ghoul" so troublesome? Did it have some special trait?

Sensing Ferren’s question, Derin answered promptly.

"It’s simple, Master. The reason this thing is so troublesome is that it is our natural enemy."

"Natural enemy?"

"Exactly."

Derin took another wary look at the Ghoul and sighed.

"Its trait is... total physical immunity."

"..."

Ferren fell into silence.