THE PATH TO THE GREATEST SINNER
As the sun sets in the evening, Xai emerges from Robo Store with his clipboard in hand, focused on ticking off items on a paper with his pen, arranging things for the upcoming journey to Nemura city. He stands by an huge two-story RV van, its rear connected to a storage container where employees are busy loading boxes of food, tents, and Mai's luggage. Nhia arrives, carting his baggage and radio station. He instructs the workers to handle his radio with care before stepping into the RV. Nhia marvels at the interior, first exploring the living room, then moving to the back to see the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Ascending a spiral staircase, he reaches the second floor, filled with an array of computers, wires, machinery, and gadgets. He descends the floor and finds Mai at the front desk, surrounded by numerous computer screens. Mai notes that everyone seems ready and that they are about to pick up the rest. With that, the RV sets into motion. Nhia returns to the first level, finding Xai in the driver's seat, who mentions that the setup took quite some time but offers them the best chance for their journey to Nemura city.
Xai drives the RV toward the electric power house, where they spot Ezzy and Michael exiting the building, Michael uses his lightning magic to effortlessly carry their luggage. Once their belongings are stored, they step inside the RV, marveling at its expansive size. The RV then navigates to a nearby apartment where Megan and Kiren emerge with their luggage. Michael assists them with his lightning magic before they all board the RV. The journey continues to the dojo, where Rune, Simbad, and Jean arrive with their luggage. While Michael effortlessly transports the baggage to the storage container with his magic, Jean turns back, advising Jacade to take care of the kids and imparting wisdom before joining the others on the RV. Their next stop is Adam's place, where Adam appears with a single luggage. Mai signals from the second-floor window, indicating a special spot for him. Adam climbs atop the RV, which boasts a throne-like chair at the front. Seated there, he is greeted by cheering townspeople as the RV traverses through the town. Eventually, they reach the town's gates, bustling with people. Michael assists Nakao with her luggage while Mai, stationed at her desk, monitors numerous screens and oversees the footage from two drones outside. Ezzy opens a window on the first floor to bid farewell to the townsfolk.
Xai requests Simbad to take exceptional care of his RV, and Simbad enthusiastically assures him, claiming the driver's seat. Exiting the RV, Xai joins Mikey, Jacade, Stella, Agustin, Angel, Rex, Barbra, and Leona. Rune steps out of the RV and warmly shakes hands with Rex, expressing gratitude for Rex's support eight years ago when he was at his lowest. Rex responds, affirming that he has no regrets about assisting Rune in getting back on his feet. Rune expresses his intent to redeem himself in Nemura city as a Great weapon master and pledges to return to share his success with the town. Rex then announces he has a special surprise, and Xai unveils a motorcycle for Rune, who expresses gratitude before taking off with it ahead of the RV. Adam leaps down from the top of the RV amid the roaring cheers of the crowd. Approaching Barbra, who holds Leona, he embraces them both, thanking Barbra for her immense support and expressing his belief that she is the best caretaker for Leona. Barbra responds, suggesting that eventually, Adam should return to fulfill his responsibilities as a father to his daughter. Adam watches Leona's smile before he leaps back onto his throne-like chair atop the RV. With waves of farewell, they bid their goodbyes as the RV departs from Old Berry Town.
Shortly after, they arrives at the expansive crater, once the site of the war. Stepping out, everyone pays their respects at the nearby graves. Megan approaches Duke's grave, taking a moment to express her regret, acknowledging her failure as a mother, and hoping he's found solace at a better place. Mai joins her, tears streaming down her face, admitting the efforts she and Frank made to find Duke, only to lose him again during the war. She blames herself for Duke's death. Megan consoles her, assuring her that she did her utmost and that it's not solely her fault. Kiren stands by Ragnar's gravestone, sharing that he's doing better now, acknowledging how Ragnar's revelation helped him discover that he also has another family(Nor) somewhere in the world. Ezzy, at her mother's grave, reflects on her parents' intention for her to live without the fire curse for as long as possible. She grapples with understanding their actions of capturing people for blood resources, wishing they'd chosen a different path, one that wouldn't have bred her to hate them so much. Determined, she wipes her tears, resolving to seek her Nova clan and aid them in finding a cure for the fire curse. They return to the RV, continuing their journey ahead with Rune leading them with his motor cycle.
In the RV, everyone except Adam, Rune, Mai, Nhia, and Simbad congregates in the living room. Kiren and Michael engage in a game of chess, Nakao shares her story with Jean about Conor's heroic act. Ezzy talks to Megan about her experiences with various donated blood types she consumed in the pass six months and among them, Megan's blood stands out as the most soothing for calming her flames. She curiously asks Megan what sets her blood apart. Megan pauses, reflecting on the question, and replies that she is also trying to figure that out too. Meanwhile, on the second floor, Nhia watches the multiple screens alongside Mai. He spots several zombies ahead on the road via the drone cameras. Mai assures him that Rune will handle them. True to her words, Rune, on his motorcycle, wields his butcher blade to efficiently dispatch the zombies on the road. Observing through heat vision, Adam detects hundreds of zombies lurking deep in the forest. He summons his white bat and a magical baseball, launching the ball into the air and swings his bat, hitting the baseball into the forest to create a massive magical explosion, eliminating the horde of 100 zombies. He then settles back into his throne chair.
Later that night, the Berry team makes camp by the forested roadside. Simbad gets the campfire going, Rune sets up the tents, Nhia starts grilling beef steaks, and Michael powers up the drones using his lightning magic. Jean hangs out with Adam near the RV, intrigued about Adam's heat vision. Adam explains that his vision covers a 1000-meter radius, enabling him to see and sense heat in the surroundings. Jean is amazed, realizing that's how Adam chose their camping spot—he saw no other heat sources nearby. Adam reveals that he did detected nearby heat but it was just a rabbit and a deer. Curious about the differences in humans and zombies from Adam's heat vision, Jean asks him. Adam explains that humans emit heat all over their body, while zombies only show heat in their heart and brain. A-Star zombies, however, exhibit more heat in these areas. Mai opens the RV's second-floor window, remarking that she had intended to share this information with everyone and angrily closes the window.
Ezzy points out to Nhia that he's burning the meat, prompting Nhia to realize his mistake and remove the burnt steaks. With a sheepish smile, he expresses a wish for a skilled chef among them. Simbad, while eating the beef, grumbles that all the steaks are well done. Nhia, feeling embarrassed, admits his lack of expertise in cooking rare or medium-rare steak. Rune shrugs it off, stating that food is food, and he doesn't mind the outcome. Later, everyone except Adam is asleep, with Adam remaining seated in his throne chair. Kiren wakes up in the middle of the night and ascends the ladder behind the RV to speak with Adam. He suggests a switch in their night watch duties, but Adam refuses, claiming he doesn't require sleep. Kiren reminds him of the adverse effects when Adam previously skipped sleep and meals, urging that now, as a hero, Adam shouldn't shoulder all the responsibilities. Reflecting on his past experiences during the start of the apocalypse when he had lack of rest in which it took a toll on him, Adam finally agrees and exchanges night watch duty with Kiren. Kiren proudly takes the throne chair and says that Adam isn't going to hog all the spotlight, while Adam enters the RV's bedroom, Laying in bed he takes a moment to glance at Conor's knife before closing his eyes.
Shortly after, Nhia wakes up in his tent, heading out to unlock the storage container and switch on his radio. He wears his headphones, attempting to establish contact with Jasee, but his efforts prove futile. He pushes the cart carrying the radio and ventures deeper into the forest, striving for a stronger signal. Unnoticed by Kiren, who is sleeping on the throne chair, Nhia progresses deeper into the woods, where the radio signal gradually strengthens. Meanwhile, a nearby zombie, devouring a deer, detects Nhia's footsteps, ceases eating, and starts following his trail. Nhia reaches a cliff, the moonlight illuminating the area and in which he finally finds a good signal. He hurriedly inquires about Jasee's well-being. Jasee responds, indicating she's currently safe but faced raiders attempting to acquire a private jet, an endeavor that ended in failure. Nhia exhales in relief, assuring her he'll reach her as fast as possible. However, the radio connection abruptly cuts off. As Nhia tries securing another signal, the nearby zombie closes the gap, now only ten feet away. Nhia pivots the cart, seeking a different location for a better signal. Unfortunately, he then locks eyes with the zombie, prompting it to sprint toward him.
He collapses to his knees in fear as the rapidly approaching zombie closes in. Folding his hands together, he shuts his eyes and begins to pray fervently. The zombie halts its advance upon seeing Nhia in prayer, taking a few steps backward, its heart, head, and eyes emitting a brilliant glow. The fervent sight of Nhia praying triggers a transformation in the zombie. Its pallid skin tightens, and muscles ripple across its frame, swelling to a towering eight feet grey zombie. Nhia's eyes snap open, startled, and he unleashes a terrified scream. The zombie echoes his fear with a menacing roar, lunging toward him. Reacting quickly, Nhia leaps off the cliff edge, accompanied by his radio cart. They plummet down the cliffside ensues, the radio cart jostling, and eventually, Nhia tumbles onto a small ledge. The zombie narrowly misses Nhia, plummeting into the forest depths along with his radio. Nhia cries out in anguish at the loss of his radio, his heart heavy with emotion. He collects himself, draws a deep breath, remembers Jasee, and takes a leap off the ledge, descending into the forest below.
Nhia's consciousness briefly fades before he awakens, perched precariously on a tree branch, his nose bleeding. Losing his balance, he tumbles from the branch, landing heavily in the mud below, the shattered remains of his radio lying nearby. Crawling toward the broken device, he's overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down his face. Hearing the approaching roar of the zombie, he scurries away in a panic. Meanwhile, Mai wakes up from her bed in the RV's upper level, oblivious to the notifications flashing on her computer screens. Descending the stairs, she notices the dawn's arrival, taking a moment to brush her teeth. Her confusion deepens upon glimpsing Adam sleeping nearby in an adjacent room. Rushing back upstairs, she reviews the notifications on her screens, discovering footage of Adam and Kiren swapping places, and Nhia venturing into the forest. One video from Nhia's body cam captures his interaction with Jasee via radio before the horrifying transformation of the zombie, leading to their fall from the cliff. Reacting quickly, Mai hurries downstairs, urgently waking Adam. Suddenly, the entire RV lurches, causing Kiren, to wake up from his sleep on the throne chair, to witness Adam bolting into the depths of the forest.
Nhia dashes through the forest, the haunting screams of the zombie echoing behind him, chanting, "Just one more." Reaching a cave entrance, he slips inside, venturing about three-quarters of the way in before seeking cover behind a large rock. Peering cautiously from his hiding spot, Nhia spots the zombie scanning the cave's entrance. As the creature locks eyes with Nhia, it charges, prompting Nhia to seek refuge once more, offering prayers in desperation. The zombie launches itself toward Nhia's hiding place, but suddenly, a bear emerges from the cave's depths. The cavern reverberates as the two clash, bouncing off the walls in a violent struggle. Despite the bear's strength, the zombie prevails, tearing into the creature with savage force. Nhia watches in horror as the zombie devours the remains of the bear and undergoes yet another transformation, shrinking in size and transforming into a priest-like zombie. This transformed zombie slowly exits the cave, a peaceful dawn breaking outside.
Nhia cautiously follows, observing the priest zombie as it engages in prayer amidst the forest's serene morning. Suddenly, Adam emerges and delivers a forceful blow, striking the priest zombie through multiple trees. Nhia breathes a sigh of relief at Adam's appearance, but their respite is short-lived as the priest zombie rises again, proclaiming the arrival of the "greatest sinner" before focusing its attention on Adam. Adam calls upon his white bat and charges forth, aiming for the priest zombie. The undead adversary conjures a magic book, using light magic to block Adam's assault. Accusing Adam as the greatest sinner, Adam locks gazes with him, attempting a connection with his magic, only to sever it with the zombie's light magic. The Priest zombie then proclaims that no sinner shall ever harm him and that punishment awaits all sinners, the priest zombie hurls Adam into a nearby tree with a surge of light magic. Adam rises, witnessing the priest zombie casting four large light crosses at him. Despite deflecting them all with his bat, the fallen crosses form a mystical circle upon landing, emitting restraining light magic that confines Adam. Drawing a light cross sword from his book, the priest zombie advances, asserting that Adam's sins will never be forgien and that only death awaits him. Plunging the sword into Adam's chest, it releases torrents of light magic, obliterating his internal organs. Witnessing Adam's resurrection, the priest zombie repeats the onslaught, channeling more lethal light magic into Adam's body, once again claiming his life. The priest zombie acknowledges Adam's formidable power and resolves to ensure his demise before punishing other sinners worldwide. Adam's anguished cries echo through the forest as Nhia, paralyzed with fear, can only bear witness to the overwhelming might of this zombie.