You’re Telling Me This Is a Slice-of-Life?

—Swish.

With a single swing of the axe, several hands remained clutching the railing, severed cleanly. Hayasaka Ai had none of the delicate grace of a Shibuya girl—she moved like a cold-blooded executioner.

She caught sight of Yuuki slicing through several heads, the corpses he kicked away crashing into those behind them. Then, twisting his body, he barely dodged as a lunging ghoul came straight for him.

Its gaping maw snapped wildly, spraying saliva everywhere. Bloodshot eyes filled with insatiable hunger sent a shiver down the spine. But before it could reach him—

Thud.

The muffled impact was followed by a dull flicker in those vicious eyes.

The axe had split its skull open, embedding deep into its brain. Hayasaka Ai yanked the weapon free, pivoted sharply, and beheaded another ghoul that had just latched onto Yuuki’s back, then sent the headless body tumbling down with a vicious kick.

But even as she struck, more ghouls climbed over the railing, using their own dead as a ladder. Dozens of hands reached out, grasping wildly.

Chaos Artifact…

Boom—!

Hayasaka Ai had just begun to activate her artifact when a heavy round table came rolling over the railing, knocking the ghouls back down.

Sakurajima Mai stood on the second-floor hallway, chest rising and falling rapidly, throwing down whatever she could find.

“Guess the big star is good for something.” Hayasaka Ai had no time for gratitude—she caught her breath and turned back to cover Yuuki.

If even she was barely keeping up, Yuuki’s burden was far worse. He had already beheaded more than a dozen ghouls, his white shirt soaked in blood. Fortunately, the staircase was only three or four meters wide—by gripping his sword with both hands, he could hold the line.

Even though his sword, strengthened by reinforcement magic, wouldn’t dull, the strain in his arms was growing unbearable. He severed a few more grasping hands, then finally raised his head.

“That’s enough—bring down the chandelier!”

Hayasaka Ai followed his gaze and spotted the massive chandelier above them. Without hesitation, she swung her axe.

Like a whip, the “petals” of the weapon extended and severed the iron chain suspending the chandelier. Since it hadn’t cut through flesh, the artifact’s ability remained inactive. She simply watched as the five-meter-wide crystal chandelier plummeted—

—directly toward Yuuki.

At the last moment, Yuuki kicked away several ghouls, pivoted sharply, and dove aside.

Crash!

Shards of glass exploded in every direction. The staircase trembled violently before splitting in two, crushing countless ghouls into a mangled pile of flesh.

Yuuki landed heavily—on top of Hayasaka Ai.

He could feel her breath against his cheek, the softness of her body against his palm. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment—cold blue clashing with his own.

Neither spoke.

Yuuki got up immediately.

This kind of scene might have been a cliché in a romance manga, but beneath this blood red moon, it felt grotesquely out of place.

“Move! Mai, get the door open!”

The broken staircase wouldn’t buy them more than a few seconds. The ghouls were already rebuilding their human ladder, some barely a few meters from leaping onto the second-floor hallway.

Hayasaka Ai no longer cared that Yuuki had just taken advantage of her. With mechanical precision, she forced her legs to move and followed him, catching a glimpse of his blade scraping along the railing, leaving behind a row of severed hands.

Blood dripped steadily from the glass shards embedded in his back.

He covered for me just now?

No one answered her.

The moment she reached the hallway, a hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked her inside.

Bang.

Yuuki slammed the door shut, pressing both hands against it.

Synchronize. Reinforce.

A dim glow flashed. The wooden door instantly hardened into steel.

A second later, the pounding began.

Like war drums, relentless thuds shook the door.

“Looks like they’re not happy about us closing shop,” Yuuki muttered, lowering his hands. His joke was swallowed by the deafening noise—a grim sort of black humor.

Sakurajima Mai rolled her eyes, slumping against the wall, panting. She had no energy to retort. Her legs felt like lead, burning with exhaustion. She glanced down—her stockings were full of tears and scratches.

“Are we safe? Should we deal with the injuries?”

“Superficial wounds. It’s fine for now.” Yuuki rolled his shoulder, feeling numbness spread across his back. He reached down and pulled Hayasaka Ai to her feet.

“There’s no such thing as safe here. My reinforcement magic lasts two minutes at most. And don’t forget how you got to me”

These two buildings were connected by multiple passages. Hayasaka Ai’s original path had been cut off by a Licker demolishing the staircase.

“Right. These things can build human ladders. They might even know how to navigate.”

“They’re tracking us by scent,” Yuuki said, flashing a grin. The hammering on the door was already weakening.

That could only mean one thing.

They had changed routes.

Before he could say “let’s move,” Sakurajima Mai’s radio crackled to life.

“Forget the rooms. Head straight to the rooftop. The ghouls are everywhere.”

It was Li Dan’s voice. Steady and pragmatic, as always. Yuuki had never even responded to him once—if they all died, Li Dan wouldn’t be surprised.

“Should I answer?” Sakurajima Mai lifted the radio, playing the role of communicator without hesitation.

“Tell him we’re heading up. Try to sound scared and desperate.”

“That won’t take much acting,” Sakurajima Mai muttered, pressing the button. Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears.

“Li… Brother Li, I-I’m on the second floor. Can you come get us? I… I’m so scared.”

Flawless performance. Her voice alone could break hearts.

Yuuki gave a satisfied nod, then tore off what remained of his tattered coat and slowly wrapped it around his hand.

“This castle’s built like a pyramid. The higher we go, the narrower it gets. And there’s only one way to the top.”

“And Li Dan isn’t exactly the chivalrous type,” Hayasaka Ai murmured, shaking the dust off her skirt. She flexed her wrist, testing her grip on the axe.

“So we fight to the death?”

“Exactly. Use up all your remaining strength and stay close to me—no matter what, don’t stop.” Yuuki tightened his grip on the steel blade and plunged into the corridor, still leading the way.

“Wait, when we run out of strength? How do we handle the next wave?”

“You’re thinking about the next wave?” Yuuki paused at the window, glancing down at the writhing sea of black below.

“Bet with me one last time. If we can’t win, then pick a way to die.”

The words barely left his lips before his steps quickened. The blade scraped against the floor, leaving a long, unbroken trail.

Hayasaka Ai silently furrowed her brow.

“In this desperate situation, and you’re still not panicking?”

“What’s there to panic about? At least I have a blade in my hand and teammates at my back.”

Yuuki stepped steadily onto the stairs, listening to the chaotic footsteps echoing from above. As he passed the corner, he lightly pushed off with the tip of his foot.

General Ruke #4: Never despair until death catches up to you.

Kill!!

Rounding the corner, they crashed headlong into a group of ghouls. Before the creatures could lunge, the blade had already cut through. Blood sprayed, painting the walls red.

A swift decapitation. A quick step forward. Using a headless corpse as a shield, he surged ahead. The moment it was torn apart, his blade pierced through the mangled remains, skewering another from chin to skull.

Withdraw the sword. Lower his stance. The silver arc of his blade swept close to the floor, severing several legs at the ankles. The undead tumbled down the stairs in a tangled heap.

“Stay close to the wall.”

Hayasaka Ai swung her axe, lopping off heads with practiced efficiency. She grabbed Sakurajima Mai and followed closely behind Yuuki.

As they reached the third floor, Yuuki turned to face the hallway. Without needing a command, Hayasaka Ai and Sakurajima Mai charged ahead. Just as he twisted back around, a ghoul leaped at him—like it was trying to ride him.

Wanna mount me?

Yuuki reacted faster. Raising his sword with both hands, he leaned forward. He felt the blade sink into flesh—the dull resistance of a body being split in two. Blood and viscera splattered over him.

There was no time to worry about infection. The shadows in the hallway were already shifting. He spun around and bolted, vaulting onto the stair railing. Hands and feet working in tandem, he climbed along the outer edge.

“You take the rear. Don’t use the stairs—climb up.”

“Got it.”

With one foot on the railing, one hand gripping the banister, and his sword in the other, Yuuki focused on hacking at legs. His reinforced longsword cut through bone with ease.

The ghouls, lacking intelligence, never saw it coming. They instinctively bent forward to bite, but with their legs severed, they lost balance and tumbled down the stairs like ragdolls. Soon, a pile of limbless bodies clogged the landing. Some crashed through the windows, plummeting into the darkness outside.

A dozen ghouls stacked atop one another, their torsos writhing, clawing forward like a scene from hell.

Hayasaka Ai had no time to look. Sakurajima Mai refused to look. She kicked off her heels, climbed over the railing, and pushed herself to keep up with the bloodstained figure ahead.

Fourth floor. One more to go!

Yuuki’s hours of castle exploration were finally paying off. The main structure had five floors—above that was the rooftop. But as he glanced back, he knew the real challenge was coming.

The undead had swarmed inside. All of them were converging on their position. The stairwell below was a solid mass of bodies, blocked by the limbless ones at the turn.

Looking left and right, he saw shadows moving through the hallways. Based on their speed, only a few would reach them ahead of time. The ones above weren’t dense yet.

For now.

But they were trapped—sandwiched between ghouls on both sides and the swarm below. Even if they stood their ground and fought, they’d be overwhelmed.

“Hasaka, use it! Mai, carry her!”

Hayasaka Ai had just pulled Sakurajima Mai onto the landing, one shoe lost in the struggle. At Yuuki’s command, she grit her teeth.

Chaotic Artifact—Activate.

A slender petal unfurled, burrowing into the nearest ghoul’s skull. The moment it drew blood, it surged in size, blooming into a vibrant red flower.

Vines lashed out, slicing through flesh and bone. Fed by the endless cascade of bodies, it grew uncontrollably, soon filling the entire stairwell.

Between the fourth and fifth floors, it was like a meat grinder had been installed. The ghouls were funneled in, shredded, and thrown back out. The sheer brutality of it made even hardened eyes twitch.

Hayasaka Ai clutched her head, barely able to stand from the backlash. Sakurajima Mai hoisted her onto her back, gritting her teeth as she pushed forward.

“Hasaka-san… you need to lose some weight.”

Hayasaka Ai didn’t have the energy to retort. Through gritted teeth, she groaned, “Ten seconds!”

“I know. Keep moving!”

Yuuki’s expression didn’t change. He took the lead, his mind mapping the layout instinctively.

Fifty meters to the rooftop stairs. They had to make it.

His stamina was nearly depleted. His grip on the sword trembled. Ten ghouls blocked the hallway ahead.

A glance back—Sakurajima Mai was struggling, her legs shaking. She had probably never pushed herself this hard before. Their eyes met. Neither spoke.

Stay with me.

The bloodstained figure ahead was already pulling away. His pace quickened, shifting from a fast walk to a sprint. Then, he leapt.

Kill!!

Yuuki crashed into the ghoul head-on. His first swing split a skull in two. As blood and brain matter splattered, he ducked under clawing fingers, feeling them graze his hair.

Something clicked inside him. He forgot fear. Forgot exhaustion. Even forgot swordsmanship and stamina.

He just moved.

Left foot forward. Twist the waist. Reverse grip—his sword left a silver arc in the air.

Midsection cleave.

The airborne ghoul split in half before hitting the floor. Without stopping, Yuuki straightened his body like a coiled spring, his blade skewering the next skull.

Twist. Rip. Withdraw.

He let himself fall backward, using the momentum to continue cutting as he slid across the blood-slick carpet.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

Muscle and bone gave way. The ghouls collapsed one after another. But even without legs, they crawled, reaching for the rushing black stocking-clad legs behind him.

The carpet was soaked in blood, dangerously slick. Sakurajima Mai didn’t dare look down. She didn’t think. She just stared at the bloodstained figure in front of her.

Like the only light in the dark corridor. Like a moth chasing fire. She had no thoughts—just instinct.

Two more left.

Yuuki didn’t look back. He had carved his way through the corridor. The rooftop stairs were within sight.

And bathed in the moonlight above, a man stood at the top.

The man’s eyes widened, as if surprised by Yuuki’s reckless charge. He hesitated for two full seconds before finally raising his massive revolver—

Bang!