NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27: So Humanity Had Evolved?
(10 reviews bonus)
— — — — — — —
"Hey!"
After some talk, Rei Miyamoto leaped down from above, landing straight into Lynn's arms like a homing pigeon returning to its nest.
Lynn felt the impact of the girl crashing into his chest.
"Thanks!"
Rei quickly stepped back, bowing deeply, but couldn't help sneaking a glance at Lynn's arms. Her ears turned slightly red.
'Such strength!'
'He caught me so effortlessly, as if I weighed nothing.'
Next was Saya Takagi. She was a bit more timid, keeping her eyes tightly shut as she jumped, too scared to look.
Only when her feet touched the ground did she finally relax.
"I'm alive!"
After discussing it together, they had decided jumping down was the best option.
They thought they'd at least get a little hurt, but it turned out to be way easier than expected.
It felt almost unreal.
After thanking Lynn as well, the group was finally reunited.
But one problem down, another still to go.
Rei looked below.
Zombies! So many zombies!!
Even though the staircase was gone, the zombies had unintentionally stacked themselves up, forming a hideous pyramid.
If they didn't figure out a way to leave, these things would eventually climb up.
"What do we do?"
Rei instinctively turned to the only man present.
While Rei and Saya found the sight of the undead terrifying, Lynn didn't even bother looking at them. "Saeko, take care of it."
"Huh?"
Rei and Saya blinked in surprise.
Saeko-senpai?
How was she supposed to handle this?
"Yes, Master!"
"M-M-Master?!" Both girls' eyes widened at Saeko's response.
Wait, was this some kind of roleplay?
They exchanged glances, unable to stop their thoughts from running wild.
What kind of relationship did this guy have with Saeko-senpai?
Was he her boyfriend?
---
Saeko licked her lips, her eyes shining with excitement.
She had been itching for a fight ever since she saw the zombies.
But she had been holding back, waiting for Lynn's command.
Now, finally, the moment had come!
Time to test the power her Master had given her!
Shing!
Her blade slid out of its sheath.
The golden hues of the setting sun reflected off the steel, giving it a dazzling glow.
As she gripped the handle, an instinctive understanding filled her mind.
With a swift motion, she slashed downward!
Swoosh!
A white arc of energy shot toward the undead!
Splat!
The stacked-up zombies were instantly severed! Blood gushed from their wounds!
A closer look revealed that the cut was absurdly smooth, as if made by a veteran swordsman.
"Hah..."
Saeko exhaled, her breathing slightly heavier as she watched the blood splatter.
But Lynn frowned slightly.
Noticing this, Saeko immediately tensed up, carefully watching for his reaction.
"Next time, aim for the head. Otherwise, it's inefficient." Lynn advised.
Zombies were annoying like that.
If you didn't destroy their heads, they wouldn't die easily.
Saeko's previous attack looked impressive, but since the heads hadn't been severed, most of the zombies were still moving.
"Understood, Master!"
Saeko let out a small sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. He didn't dislike her.
That brief moment of bloodshed had awakened her hunger, exposing a bit of her true nature.
Lynn's frown had scared her—she thought he might have found her disgusting.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.
This time, she swung her sword with precision, aiming exclusively for the zombies' heads.
---
Meanwhile…
Watching Saeko's overwhelming display of power…
Rei and Saya were completely dumbfounded.
'S-Sword wave?!!'
'Saeko-senpai just unleashed a freaking sword wave?!!'
'What kind of anime nonsense was this?!'
They exchanged another glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Had humanity… already evolved during this apocalypse?!
"Wow! Saeko-chan, that was amazing!" Shizuka looked happy.
'Wait, Sensei, you're not even surprised?!'
'That was sword animation skill!! Something totally supernatural!!!'
Rei and Saya screamed internally.
Their minds were overflowing with questions.
They wanted to ask Saeko so badly.
But… seeing her increasingly crazed smile…
They swallowed their words.
Too scary!!
---
Ten Minutes Later…
Saeko finally stopped swinging, her breathing slightly ragged.
Below, the area had turned into a gruesome slaughterhouse.
"How do you feel?" Lynn asked.
"Subarashi!" Saeko's voice was downright ecstatic.
Lynn assessed her condition.
Ten minutes of nonstop slashing…Yet she was only a little out of breath.
This suggested that energy-based attacks didn't drain her stamina too much.
Though she probably hadn't noticed yet…She actually didn't need a sword at all.
She could release slashes from her hands, feet—any part of her body, really.
After all, she was a Blade Devil.
But Lynn chose not to tell her just yet.
Instead, he encouraged her. "Good job."
Saeko instantly snapped out of her bloodthirsty state.
Master just… praised her!!
Her eyes sparkled, and her thighs pressed together tightly.
Something… was coming out!
"Since there are no more zombies, let's move on." Lynn didn't head toward the now-destroyed staircase.
The floor below was soaked with blood and corpses—disgusting.
Besides, the whole point of this had been to let Saeko gain experience.
If they had wanted to leave earlier, they could've just jumped out the window.
Crash!
Lynn lightly tapped a third-floor window, shattering it instantly.
He glanced at Rei and Saya, who were trembling, clinging to each other in fear after watching Saeko go berserk.
Ignoring their emotions, he casually grabbed them both like kittens and stepped onto the window ledge.
"W-Wait—"
Realizing what was about to happen, they tried to protest.
But before they could…Lynn leaped from the third floor!
'MHFF—AAAAAAAHHH!!!'
They wanted to scream!
But they were afraid of attracting zombies, so they just clamped their hands over their mouths, silently crying in terror.
Even after landing safely, their legs felt like jelly.
"Alright!"
Shizuka and Saeko followed, effortlessly jumping down.
For them—now lower-tier devils—this height was nothing.
Rei and Saya let out bitter laughs.
'Yeah… it was official.'
'Humanity had evolved.'
'But it seemed they had been left behind.'
.
.
.