His next destination was certain. As long as nothing got in the way of going there.

…Lex cursed his bad luck.

Like earlier, he was manoeuvring through the city while avoiding direct fights.

His perfected Illusionary Step able to give him great ability for espionage.

That was until an explosion had occurred.

BOOM!

From a distance away, Lex was able to see a skyscraper blown off its hinges.

Deliberate positioning of the explosives had caused the skyscraper to collapse.

Falling 'downwards' instead of sideways.

He wasn't sure how it worked, but there was definitely a better Mental Data user there. Likely having used an Advanced Application to cause such a result.

There was only one problem…

This explosion that levelled a skyscraper to the ground was in the wrong direction.

His high school was the other direction.

Directly opposite.

It put him in a difficult dilemma. He was unsure where his priorities should be.

Either reporting back to update about the situation, or checking why it fell.

There was a good reason to feel this.

Lex was not someone who couldn't think for himself. In fact, he thought too much.

'Maybe I can gain more from this…' He'd thought. There were rewards he wanted.

Certain things to help boost his strength.

If he managed to get information before they sent a team to investigate, then he'd acquire good merits. Maybe enough of an achievement to acquire what he wanted.

Plus, the curiosity was killing.

He wanted to see what was going on.

Thus, it took no time before he turned to head in that direction. A bop in his step.

Feeling confident of his chances.

Immunity to Miasma Poisoning and being good at hiding did that to a person.

He played 'hidden in the shade' while avoiding the eyes of many zombies.

Getting closer to that epicentre.

He moved like an illusion between dream and reality. Warping like a teleporter.

His steps were unseen.

Arriving next to a rubble filled road.

From what he could see from a nearby rooftop, there were something there.

Making him look closer.

He stuck his foot on the rubble and tried to move cautiously with his talents.

The danger of random broken building parts stabbing him was the real deal.

If he died this way, who knew how his classmates would react after finding him.

Good thing he was practiced.

Unlocking his internal 'Red Wind' had improved spatial awareness and instinct.

Becoming sort of sixth sense.

He was able to comb through the rubble and check what was hidden beneath.

'Blood?' Lex thought. 

The fact it was pitch black made him think it was a Black Death or zombie.

There was a big piece of rubble getting in the way, so he had to somehow lift it.

But how…?

'Harden' from his Limiter could only do so much. It couldn't do the impossible.

But there was one option left available.

Lex got into a stance. It was what his father had taught in using his Red Wind.

Another heritage of the fallen Lazrik Clan.

It was called 'Heart Bullet'.

He didn't know why it was called by that name, but practiced it nevertheless.

There was a simple Kata.

He pumped his right arm and tensed the muscles. Red Wind infused into the arm.

Hardening it.

A pitch black 'Harden' done this way was many times stronger than the regular.

The only difference being that the pumping arm motion was all he could do.

While using Harden via the Limiter could allow Lex to use a more flexible version.

This wasn't why he used this technique.

Just like how the red storm was followed by apocalyptic flames, this 'Cartridge Load' fist pump infused the essence of explosiveness into him momentarily.

He could feel he had one bullet for now.

'Again!' He fist pumped with his other hand. Even doing it with his legs.

Four 'bullets' were loaded.

Before they had worn off, Lex lowered his body to kneel and held the giant debris.

Putting his back into launching it high.

An explosive force channelled through his arms and legs. Giving him a short burst.

A round of superior strength.

BANG!

His tightened muscles released a great amount of force to push it upwards.

Controlling the blast of strength through his arms and legs while using regular Harden on his spine. Trying to protect it in case it actually caused his death.

A piece of rubble finally went flying.

Crashing into the mess nearby.

'Finally…' Lex took a deep breath while holding his knees. Feeling lethargic.

He wasn't doing that again.

Since that was done, he finally took a look at the clue uncovered in this place.

Only to experience anxiety.

'What the hell is that?!' As someone at the top of his class, he knew beyond what the teacher taught. Lex inwardly felt shocked that HE couldn't recognise it.

What was this thing?

He reluctantly moved the rubble in the surroundings to see more of these things.

They were neither Black Death or zombies. In fact, they felt a bit different.

Having some humanoid form, but nothing 'human' in their features whatsoever

It was different from zombies.

Dark Muses of that variety were twisted versions of the original. They looked the same as when they died. Whether they be man, woman, or child at that moment.

Black Deaths were a mass of disease.

Looking nothing like a human.

However, the ones he found under this skyscraper were all somehow different.

They were too crushed to analyse properly. Nothing could be done now.

'Just what happened here?' The fact explosives were used meant this was man-made. There was still the smell of combustible chemicals lingering here.

Lex started to think deeper.

Coming up with a strange assumption on what might have happened here.

'There was another battle.' Two forces beyond his knowledge were fighting.

Hiding in the background.

This was important information. He had to get this discovery to his teachers.

Maybe they'll know what to do next.

BANG!

Suddenly, just as he was about to think of leaving, the sound of a sniper resounded.

He looked towards the distance.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

It was a sniper rifle being hurriedly used in rapidfire. Someone was being hunted!

They were grappling with death.

If he acted too late, then they might die.

'Fine. I better help them.' Regardless of who they were, humans were allies when it was against Dark Muses. He didn't think of much and headed to the sound.

When he got there, the scene was just about what he expected before arriving.

"…!" The zombies were attacking a convenience store. Bullets shot out of it.

Unless stores were equipped with ballistics these days, the most obvious conclusion was that someone inside was using state-of-the-art MagiTech to fight.

…But how?

'Are they really an ally?' Lex had to think twice on whether he should go further.

Only to watch his traitorous feet move independently of his own thoughts.

His heart threw him forward.

Making him fall into the chaotic fray.

The sound of the weapon overheating and going into cool-down spurred him.

Appearing right at the entrance the moment they had gotten way too close.

'Take this!' Lex threw his entire body weight into the attack like a gangster.

Fighting like a thug.

His hardened fist slamming the side of the zombie trying to enter the store.

It made them pause.

Looking confused as one of them had suddenly learnt how to fly in the air.

Then fell down hard onto an empty van.

A loud crashing sound as the zombie was embedded into the van could be heard.

They turned back to the newcomer.

"Looks like I'm not late." He spoke to the person within the store lightheartedly.

Showing where he stood.

The electronic doors were stuck open at this point, and the windows were broken.

Protecting this store would be real hard.

However, Lex had practiced for all these years precisely to protect other people.

This much was alright.

He could still work with what he got.

Lex raised his arm and took a custom Mauy Thai stance. He was a survivor.

And he wasn't daunted by the horde.

In front of him were nearly a hundred zombies gathered in one place at once.

All of them looking at him dangerously.

This made him smile.

'Perfect!' Lex found himself feeling at ease upon seeing they were all mobs.

Gathered together like ants.

"…!" It didn't take long for them to find him as their new prey and attack him.

Rather than stepping back, he instead went full throttle into their ranks.

Breaking all common sense.

Usually, fighting against multiple opponents meant forcing them to line up.

Leading them to narrower alleys took away their advantage of more numbers.

Forcing them to attack in certain angles.

However, Lex completely discarded that.

Throwing himself in the middle of the fray. He struck them like a mere thug.

Even if they fought back.

CRUNCH!

The sound of teeth biting his arm and arms trying to intervene his actions resounded. They didn't have good prowess in martial arts, but this was it.

Enough to overwhelm most.

Like ants, they used their bodies to completely cover and overwhelm him.

Holding him from each side.

This was what they thought, but the smart undead suddenly realised it late.

They weren't holding their prey!

That zombie biting into the black blooded target pulled back. Seeing a man like him.

Having been switched out somewhere.

Many of them turned their heads to see Lex was now fighting somewhere else.

Having struck anyone sneaking past.

His skills were on full display here.

'Keep going. Keep going!' His face was filled with delight at using his strength.

It was a rare occasion.

The person watching the whole scene play out from the store were surprised.

'Who is this guy?' They got a bit interested upon seeing the fighting style.

Lex's hands rarely punched. Instead he relied on a mix is several aspects here.

Misdirection, pushing, high-speed explosive foot movement, and elbows.

The last one was important.

Unlike the typical Muay Thai style, he was moving around similar to a true boxer.

Grasping each and every attack.

If one was to give an analogy, it was to say he was fighting in his element.

Like a ship in seawater.

He could only attack in one direction at a time, but manoeuvred to curve the line.

Twisting his body to change attack angles. Relying solely on his movements.

If he stopped for even a second, then he'd be grasped and slowed down.

Once that happened to him, more and more of them would pile on top of him.

Leading to his demise.

He started to sweat, but didn't show any fatigue. Incapacitating with one strike.

Each time he struck, Lex would try to remember his goal and continued to fight. Although he was initially in his element, the amount of enemies grew.

Cornering him over time.

'I was too overconfident.' It was slowly but surely… They were catching up.

The sharp nails of zombies scratched him with every near miss after a while.

It was his own fault.

Winning and getting great opportunities before had blinded him to his own limits.

He normally wouldn't have fought.

But now it was too late for regret.

His each and every movement became more violent. Cunningly using the fallen.

Kicking them up when in a pinch.

He became more experienced in using his techniques in a real battle to the death.

Becoming more aware of limitations.

…The time finally came.

One of them finally grasped his back. 

This causing a snowball effect.

Just like he imagined, the zombies used their barbaric tactic of dog-piling above.

Crushing him with their weight.

"Thanks for giving me time." A voice came from the convenience store behind.

It was feminine… but lacking in emotion.

The sound of a motorcycle could be heard out of nowhere. It crushed the glass on the ground. Speeding towards the area where Lex had been dog-piled.

The mechanical vehicle was undaunted.

Running through every obstacle while throwing them to the side like ragdolls.

Lex being saved wasn't seen.

The large motorcycle with a roof and windows continued to traverse forward.

Leaving behind the dangers.

The oh-so-great Hero was unconscious in the backseat. Too tired from fighting for nearly an hour straight against multiple opponents. His stamina was unreal.

Now that he was in this stranger's custody, it was time to back it up a notch.

How were things on the school's side?

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[Unknown Gallery]