The King of Destruction raised his voice, drawing out every syllable so that everyone understood clearly the orders he'd barked out. "Team Red, let's go."
Tysone shook his head in amusement. It was night; they had wasted an afternoon by waiting out the remaining time before the operation, and also for Saeko—after all, she was an important piece in this match.
"Yeah, King of Destruction. Tell 'em." Tysone patted his shoulder as he walked past.
Kohta beamed at the group, throwing a thumbs-up in the leader's way. His blood was roaring inside his veins.
"Shizuka, you stay here."
Tysone cast an apprehensive gaze towards Shizuka, the busty nurse wearing a worried look as the others prepared to depart.
"Huh?! But why?!" She protested, lips puckering up into a pout.
"I still prefer having someone hold the fort while the rest of us are out." He crossed his arms. "After all, I need my medical expert in top shape, in case any injuries come by. You know where everything is, and can take the responsibility.
"Fine~" Shizuka lowered her eyes as she responded. "Just come back safe."
Tysone squeezed the soft fingers that had always worked his injuries and sore muscles with practiced finesse. "We'll be alright, I promise."
Asami had also come out to see Kohta off. Those two stood awkwardly in front of each other, with Kohta's earlier bloodlust melting into a goofy expression. He rubbed the back of his head. "W-Wait for me."
"Do-Don't take too long... come back quickly, okay?" Asami uttered, smiling up at him.
Kohta nodded resolutely.
"Saya-chan, turn all the lights off. Stay together and keep an eye out for trouble."
"We're armed; we can defend ourselves."
Saya pushed up her glasses. Tysone nodded, turning around. He zipped up his leather jacket, which had seen better days, and was likely about to see more blood.
After another few parting words between the party, their war carriage, the Apocalypse mule, revved up with its growl.
Their weapons laid with them as their convoy rolled through the field of ruined grass, making their way toward their goal.
The Aikawa estate was about two kilometers north, which in a functioning world would've been a leisurely walk. In this one, it was a tactical exercise.
Tysone drove the Mule slow and dark, headlights off, the engine barely breathing above idle.
The road was empty enough that even without the lights they could navigate by the pale aurora glow overhead. It gave everything a green, sickly tint, like the world was slowly going under. And it might've as well been. Tysone's eyes were hyper focused.
Nobody spoke much.
That was new. A few months ago, someone would've filled the silence with something stupid. Kohta might've launched into a weapons lecture. Takashi would've said something idealistic. Rei would've rolled her eyes at it.
Now they just sat, weapons across their laps, eyes on the dark path ahead.
They'd grown up faster than any of them would've liked. Tysone liked to think he had been a better influence on this group than they would've otherwise been on themselves without him.
"Two hundred meters." Kohta murmured from his elevated position, eye against the scope. "I can see lights inside. Generator, probably."
"Guards?"
"Two. Front gate. One more on the roof, looks like he's half asleep." A pause. "He is actually asleep. His head's down."
"Amateur hour." Takashi muttered.
"Don't get cocky because of it." Tysone said. He pulled the Mule off the road and into the shadow of a collapsed garden wall, cutting the engine. "Confidence kills faster than bullets in a place like this."
They climbed out quietly. The night had that particular scent of wet asphalt.
Somewhere in the distance, a zombie groaned, low and disinterested, like a man complaining about the weather. Tysone agreed with the zombie's dissatisfaction.
Tysone looked at his team. Saeko on his left, Takashi and Rei behind her. Mai and Miku on the right flank. Kohta staying elevated with the rifle.
"Miku, Mai, you circle the east side. Don't engage unless something reaches you. Your job is to cut off anyone trying to run." Tysone's hissed. "Takashi, Rei, you come in from the west after I go through the front. Kohta covers the roof and gate."
"And me?" Saeko asked.
He looked at her.
She was standing very still. Her hand rested on her katana's handle with a kind of deliberate patience, like a cat sitting beside a mouse hole. The Rank 2 core had done something to her eyes. They were the same color, same shape. But the light behind them was different now. Tysone's eyes were different as well.
The core's residual energy seemingly concentrated in one's eyes.
"You're with me." Tysone said.
She smiled.
It was a lovely smile. The kind you'd paint on a war goddess.
"Lovely." She replied softly, already moving.
...
The two guards at the gate were not subtle men.
They were big, both of them, with the kind of build that came from either hard labor or core absorption. One had a machete resting on his shoulder. The other held a shotgun loosely, barrel pointed at the ground.
They were talking, which was their first mistake.
"—told you the boss said no lights after midnight—"
"Relax, he's drunk again—"
They didn't finish.
Tysone came out of the dark like a ghost. No warning. No unnecessary drama. He simply arrived, closed the gap between them in two steps, and wrapped one hand around each of their collars. He didn't need more than that. He slammed them together with just enough force to scramble their senses without caving their skulls in.
Though a concussion or a worse outcome wasn't off the table.
Both of the men crumbled on top of each other in a pile.
He looked down at them. "Nice machete." He took it and tossed it into the dark.
Saeko was already past the gate, walking with that sway to the hips that was hypnotizing. 'Damn, shawty.'
The estate was large. It had probably been beautiful once, with its tiered garden and wide stone paths. Now it was lit by string lights and diesel generators, cigarette butts everywhere, a busted fountain serving as a trash bin.
The Red Serpents had made themselves comfortable. Tysone was about too.
There were eight of them visible in the courtyard, spread across folding chairs and upturned crates. Bottles in hand. A fire going in an old oil drum. Not a fucking care in the world. Their numbers were a source of confidence against zombies. Would they stay the same against humans too?
'This it?' Tysone thought. 'Fifteen, Yuki said.'
The other seven were inside, then.
One of the eight saw Tysone and immediately stood up. He was taller than the rest, his shirt off despite the cold, and across his chest were three fresh scars; he was wearing and displaying them like a trophy or something.
His eyes met Tysone's.
He didn't run, which meant he was either brave or stupid. In Tysone's experience, those two things overlapped more than people liked to admit.
"The hell are you?" He called out.
"New neighbor." Tysone replied. "Well, technically you are the new ones. We're just making sure you guys will be an appropriate neighbor."
"You got balls walking in here."
"Noted. You got a name?"
The man's jaw tightened. "Renji." He gestured at the others, who were standing now, weapons appearing from nowhere. Blades, a rifle, a length of chain. The classics. "This is our house. And you're trespassing."
"I heard you stabbed a kid and chased three unarmed people halfway across the district, though I can't really say it's my business..."
"And?" Renji grunted menacingly. "If you know, you better—"
"It became my business." Tysone interrupted.
Renji blinked, taken aback by his confident declaration, and stared at his unflinching, perfectly relaxed posture. "What—"
"Call me a bit of a stickler for good neighborhood etiquette." Tysone added in a wry tone, eyes meeting Renji's. "So, Renji. I'm about to fuck y'all up.
Renji cracked his knuckles as he burst out laughing. "You've got a core." He said, studying Tysone with the eyes of someone who'd learned to read other evolved. It was quite easy to tell; Saya could tell you that there was some sort of magnetic field around each evolved, which acted like a fingerprint or scent when you already had the imprint of an evolved in your system. She also figured that the bigger this field, the bigger your influence on your surroundings. "Interesting. Don't see many wandering around alone."
"Good thing I'm not alone then."
That's when Saeko stepped out of the shadow beside Tysone.
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.