Inside the stone dome, Linda looked up and saw Danny standing frozen, too shocked to squeeze out a single word.
Turning away from him, Linda focused her pleading eyes on Leo.
"Sir... Sir Leo, please kill me. I-I don’t want to turn into a monster and attack people."
Grandpa Jiro stepped in, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon.
"There is no need for such drastic measures."
He eased his blade an inch from its sheath.
"You haven’t been infected for long. If I cut off the whole arm now, there is a chance you can still be saved."
Grandpa Jiro raised his sword, preparing to strike. But Leo held up a hand.
"Wait. Let me think for a moment."
Leo closed his eyes, appearing lost in thought. In reality, he was speaking directly to the interface in his mind.
"System, when I first got the system, I obtained a card called Anti-Viral Serum."
A familiar item description floated in his mind:
Anti-Viral Serum – (Rare Card)
If applied within 24 hours of infection, it has a probability of resisting the infection.
"It said on the card that it only had a probability of resisting the infection."
[Yes, Host. You are correct.]
"I still have one Epic Upgrade Card left, right? If I use it on the serum, will the probability of resisting the infection become 100%?"
The system went quiet. A brief pause passed before the prompt returned:
[Host, the Epic Upgrade Card is an extremely rare card. You might not realize its true value. The system advises the Host to use it to become stronger instead of wasting it on meaningless things.]
Leo scowled. "Shut up. I don’t want to hear your lecture. Just tell me if it’s possible or not."
The system fell silent once more.
"Fine. If you’re not going to tell me, I’ll use it and find out for myself."
That forced a swift response.
[Wait, Host! You don’t need to waste the Upgrade Card.]
[Just inject some Zen into the serum. It will then be able to resist the virus by itself.]
Leo blinked. "Then what took you so long to tell me that? You could have started with this."
[Host, the system needs time to think of alternatives. It cannot always have ready-made answers to the Host’s unreasonable demands.]
Ignoring the system’s excuses, Leo slipped his hand inside his robe and reached for his card belt. He summoned the Anti-Viral Serum Card.
The card faded away, leaving a cold glass vial and a small syringe resting against his chest beneath the fabric.
Leo knelt beside Linda, keeping his voice steady.
"Don’t worry. You’ll be fine."
Danny snapped out of his daze and caught sight of the glass vial in Leo’s grip.
"Sir... Sir Leo, what is that?"
Without looking back, Leo uncapped the needle.
"This is an Anti-Viral Serum. But I can’t give you an absolute guarantee. Right now, this is our best shot."
Danny nodded over and over, clinging to the slim chance.
"It’s okay... It’s okay. As long as there is hope."
Leo pulled back the plunger, drawing the liquid out of the vial. As the fluid filled the syringe, he secretly funneled a precise stream of Zen into the mix.
Once ready, he pressed the syringe against Linda’s arm and pushed the plunger down.
The moment the serum entered her bloodstream—
"AARRRGHHH!"
A searing heat tore through her veins. Linda screamed, her body arching and thrashing against the hard dirt floor.
Panic surged through Danny.
"What—what is going on?!"
Leo’s expression stayed completely flat.
"Hold her down. Don’t let go."
Grandpa Jiro and Danny lunged forward, pinning Linda’s shoulders and limbs to the ground.
Then, the world shattered outside.
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the air outside the stone dome. The shockwave rattled the entire structure, sending dust raining down from the ceiling while the ground trembled beneath their feet.
Leo snapped to his feet.
"All of you stay here. I’ll check what happened."
Grandpa Jiro gave a firm nod.
In a blur, Leo vanished.
A Few Minutes Earlier
When Zeltan hurled his heavy halberd toward Leo’s truck, the crushing impact blasted the vehicle off course and sent it tumbling through the dirt.
Valentine watched the crash, her chest heaving as pure fury swept over her.
She vanished from her spot.
BOOM!
Like a bolt of raw lightning, she shot across the ruined battlefield, appearing inches from Zeltan’s face.
"You have truly angered me now."
She clenched her right fist, surrounding her entire hand in crackling electricity.
"Gregory Secret Technique—"
DISINTEGRATION FIST!
Her punch thrust forward like a falling star.
BOOOOM!
The strike slammed into the protective barrier surrounding Zeltan. Electric sparks exploded across the surface. Spiderweb cracks raced over the energy barrier before the entire shield dissolved into fading light under the sheer power of the lightning.
Her fist broke through without stopping.
BANG!
It struck Zeltan directly in the chest, launching his heavy body backward like a cannonball.
Nearby, Oshu remained bound by the glowing blood chains.
When the Railgun attack hit the altar earlier, the tight links wrapping around his limbs had slackened slightly. Even better, the drain on his power had slowed down.
A spark of hope returned to his eyes. He had a way out.
Oshu whispered into the small communication device attached to his ear.
"S-Borg, are you there?"
Static crackled before a weak, strained voice answered from the receiver.
"Captain, I’m here. I’m okay, but I’m badly injured."
Oshu nodded, his jaw set.
"Good. Then execute Protocol Hail Mary."
The line went quiet for a second.
"But, Captain... we’ll have to sacrifice all those people."
Oshu’s eyes narrowed, turning cold.
"Do as I say, damn it! We don’t have much time."
He tightened his tone, leaving no room for argument.
"Don’t hesitate. I’ll explain everything to Lord Rizen myself."
"We can recruit normal people again."
Oshu clenched his fists against the chains.
"But to do that..."
"We have to survive first."
Another silence stretched over the channel before S-Borg finally replied.
"Understood, Captain."
"Brace for impact."
The communication disconnected.
Oshu turned his head toward the ruined battlefield, a grim look settling over his face.
"Now..."
"Let’s see if this works or not ."
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