The air was thick with tension as the zombie lunged at me again, its clawed hand outstretched, aiming straight for my throat. I sidestepped quickly, moving a few paces back with practiced agility. Its speed was impressive—unnaturally quick for a creature of its kind. And the way its fingers clenched, sharp claws curling with intent, made it clear: one solid grip, and bones would snap like twigs.
Yet even as I analyzed its form and movements, I found myself reassessing the threat level. It wasn't quite on the same level as a Hell-Born. Despite the ferocity, the zombie didn't emit any Hell-Gas—an unmistakable trait that all Hell-Borns possessed. That detail made my brain itch with curiosity. If this wasn't a Hell-Born, then it had to be an Outer—one of those beings who strayed from the Shadow Garden into our world. That meant I couldn't just kill it. No, not yet. There would be too many questions left unanswered. Better to subdue it and hand it over for interrogation.
The zombie snarled, slashing at me with wild, sweeping swipes of its clawed hands. I weaved through each one, reading the rhythm, looking for an opening. I found it. In a flash, I caught its left wrist and twisted it behind its back. Before it could react, I delivered a sharp side kick to its spine, channeling a burst of Spiritual Energy into my strike. The impact launched the creature like a missile into the woods, its body breaking through a series of trees before finally crashing into the ground, sending a plume of dust skyward.
I narrowed my eyes, focusing my senses. I couldn't see the zombie anymore, but I could still feel its presence. It wasn't down—not yet.
Time to bind it.
I began whispering the incantation for a Binding Spell, fingers weaving through the subtle gestures required. But then, the air shifted. A pulse of Spiritual pressure surged from the zombie's direction. My breath caught. That energy… it was different. My eyes widened.
Rein.
The zombie had activated Rein.
The green glow emanated from the tattoo scrawled across its decaying body, flaring like molten veins under its skin. It let out a feral roar that echoed through the forest, clearing the dust in a violent gust. Then it crouched, fingers digging into the dirt as it prepared to launch itself. I barely had time to raise my blade when it exploded forward.
We collided in a blur of motion. My sword clashed against its claw, but the momentum tore through my defense, a sharp sting tracing across my cheek. I felt the tremor in my bones as the force hurled me back. Pain radiated through my arm from the impact, but I bit it down, unlocking the full reserve of my accessible Spiritual Energy. Compared to its Rein, mine was still lower—this thing wasn't stronger than an EEE-Rank. But raw power wasn't everything.
"Damn it... this is getting tougher by the second," I muttered, sweat beginning to bead at my brow.
It came at me again, a flurry of clawed swipes that evolved into full-blown punches. Each strike carried monstrous force. Our clash cracked the earth beneath us, sending shockwaves outward. One of its fists slammed into the ground, blowing apart the terrain. I leapt upward, dodging the explosion of debris, and countered midair.
"Spirit Flare—Spirit Arrow—merge!"
Combining the two spells, I created a massive flaming arrow and hurled it straight at the charging zombie. It pierced the air with a deafening whoosh. But to my astonishment, the zombie raised its arm and punched straight through the magical projectile, steam hissing around its knuckles. It grinned, muscles shifting unnaturally under its skin.
"Tch... What's with that strength?!"
As it closed the distance again, I prepared another attack—this time, infusing my blade with Spirit Aura, a spell that enhanced every slash with Spiritual might. I sent a barrage of strikes its way. The zombie deflected most and took the rest to the torso, scratches appearing across its flesh but healing slowly. I gritted my teeth and gathered more power into my sword, amplifying it further with a buff spell. The pressure thickened, warping the air around me.
Sensing danger, the zombie countered, reinforcing its body with more of its Spiritual energy mixed with Rein. When we collided once more, the clash erupted in a devastating explosion, the shockwave uprooting trees and clearing a circle of forest in a ten-meter radius.
I staggered back; breath ragged. My sword had cracked—shards falling away from the blade. The zombie, though battered, was already healing. It lunged again, grabbing my shoulder and burying a brutal fist into my solar plexus. I gasped, blood spraying from my mouth. The agony was blinding, but I refused to give in.
As its other hand came for my face, I raised my elbow, redirecting the blow upward and slamming a chop into its throat. I laced the strike with a focused debuff spell to sap its strength. The creature choked, faltering for a moment.
Its Secret Art had clearly boosted its speed and strength, likely numbing its pain receptors. But I noticed something else—its regeneration had slowed since using the technique. That gave me a strategy.
It came at me with another claw swipe, but this time I was ready. I focused a physical buff spell into my left arm and blocked the attack, grunting under the strain. I countered with a punch to its gut, embedding another debuff spell into the blow. A Debuff spell can be categorized into Range and Focused debuff spell and the one I used, was the Focused. Focused debuff spells required direct contact, with each hit made it weaker.
The zombie stumbled back, finally showing signs of strain. It dropped to one knee, wheezing. I seized the chance—slamming my knee into its jaw, sending it airborne. I caught its leg mid-flight and spun, smashing it into the ground with bone-shattering force.
The ground cracked beneath the impact. The zombie coughed out a stream of green blood, dazed. It opened its eyes just in time to see mine—glowing crimson with raw power—as I raised my right hand, channeling three focused buff spells into my knuckles.
"Stay down," I growled.
My fist came down like a hammer, slamming into its face and driving it into the dirt. The earth trembled, and the zombie lay still, unconscious.
I stood still for a moment, breathing hard, pain stabbing through every fiber of my body. I coughed, blood spattering against the ground. "Finally," I murmured, reaching for my phone to call Freed.
But then—ripples in the air.
I turned.
The zombie was rising again, bloodied but very much awake.
"You've got to be kidding me..." I muttered, staggering to my feet, preparing for a second round.
But then—
"Wait! Wait—I'm awake now!" the zombie cried out; arms raised in surrender. Its voice was young, surprisingly clear.
I froze. "What...?"
"I'm not here to fight," it said quickly, waving its hands. "I just got my senses back."
"You can speak?" I asked, shocked. "And... your voice—it's that of a man?"
"That's because I am a boy," he replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"I'm really sorry about the whole... you know, attack. I was dragged into this strange place. I don't even remember how I got here. I lost control. Went completely berserk. But after that last hit... things suddenly snapped into place."
I stared at him. "Well, that's convenient," I said dryly. "You nearly killed me."
"Technically, we nearly killed each other," he said, chuckling awkwardly.
"Ah, what the hell..." I collapsed backward, landing on the ground with a groan.
"Hey—don't die on me!" the boy shouted, rushing to my side. "Oh no, what do I do?! Should I call someone? Get help?"
"And scare the entire neighborhood? Just... sit down," I said with a wince. "I'll circulate my energy, speed up my healing. We'll talk later."
"Okay..."
As he sat beside me, I took a better look at him. His voice... it had the accent of an Earthling—unlike the Outer I'd encountered before. How did he even speak Japanese so fluently? And more importantly, why did he have Rein?
I'd get my answers soon. But first—I needed to rest.