4 Chapter 4: The Terrifying Past

Hazuki is seen standing solemnly among his comrades, Tenma to his left and Ren to his right. Ishigami, one of the creators of Arcanight, sends them on a mission. They were ordered to head to an island with an unusually high number of Monsters. The trio had to destroy all the Monsters to ensure the safety of passive Mobs.

Hazuki felt anxious about the mission despite all of the missions he had been on, to which Tenma noticed and tried to reassure him.

"Hey Hazuki What's wrong?"

"I don't know but something doesn't feel right about this one"

"Ah come on Hazuki, we completed hundreds of missions together this one seems easy to me.."

"Oh this should be an easy one with "commander" HAZUKI leading the way"

"Dont call me that.."

Ren successfully brings Hazuki's spirits back up, calling him as "commander", embarrassing Hazuki. He then jokingly said he would die any day for him if he paid him cake. Tenma joined in, and pointed out the fact that he'd just click 'respawn' and eat the rest of the cake. Having regained his confidence, Hazuki decides that it was time for them to head to the Island.

"oh there's nothing to worry about commander, I'll die any day of the week for you. But of course you got to pay me first.. You got to pay me in CAKE so i can die fat and happy.. you know"

"Hah you'll just click respawn"

"EXACTLY! so i can finish the cake later!"

"Alright Let's go"

Hazuki and the others go through a portal to the island. On the way, Hazuki finds a player walking aloft the jungle trees, who is actually Grian.

"What? A player? I wonder what he's doing right here"

Hazuki assumes the player is no threat, and decides to handle him later.

"Ah he seems like a noob no threat at all i guess we can take care of him once we finish shouldn't take that long"

Tenma checks back on Hazuki and tells Ren to wait up, of whom tells him to keep up.

As Tenma and Hazuki stick together, Ren goes ahead and finds a Red-shirt Zombie standing motionlessly on the other side of a small crevice. Ren mocks the zombie for its stupidity, and assures that the zombie will be killed easily. The Zombie stares at Ren boots, provoking Ren to glimpse at them. The Zombie throws a splash potion of weakness and leaps over the gap at Ren, knocking him over. The Red-Shirted Zombie rolls over as two Armored Zombies jump down and pin his left arm to the ground as the Red-shirted zombie steals Ren's items and wears his armor.

"What?! He's taking my items AAHHH"

"What... How... How is this even possible.. They can think? I guess we have no other option but to engage!"

Shocked, Hazuki ponders how Zombies could do such actions and decides they had no other option but to engage. As Steve draws his S Class swords, Ren tells him and Tenma to escape and that he would meet them at 'spawn', before being kicked in the face by the Red-Shirt Zombie. Hazuki yells and makes a move forward before Tenma restrains him, telling Hazuki they need to go back and warn the "others".

"No! Get out of here! I'll meet you at spawn!"

"Noo!"

"No... Steve there's too many of them we got to get out of here.. We got to warn the others!"

Tenma suddenly notices two exploding mobs leap off the ledge above them and a Zombie throw a splash potion to the exploding mobs, enraging them. Ren manages to push Hazuki away before the explosion makes contact. A splash potion of weakness hits Hazuki, rendering him unable to move.

"Why... Why do i feel so strange?"

Tenma becomes heavily wounded, his diamond armor blown to shreds. Still, he fights valiantly with his Legendary Sword and eliminates two Zombies before collapsing. Hazuki watches in despair before a Zombie begins attacking him.

"No Tenma!"

"Come on we got to go.."

Tenma stabs the Zombie and saves Hazuki, to which Hazuki shouts why the Zombies isn't killing Ren but they're taking him as prisoner.

"What... They're not finishing him off?!! He won't be able to respawn! They're taking him prisoner!"

As Tenma carries Hazuki and runs away, Hazuki comments that it was as if the monsters knew they were coming and that they took all his items (except for a few steak and his Legendary Sword).

Tenma tells Hazuki he has enough items to create a boat. Hazuki realizes this isn't enough, before Tenma sets him down, makes a boat and shoves Hazuki into it. Hazuki realized what was happening and he cries out a warning before Tenma was left knocked out by the Zombies on the island.

Ishigami speaks to Hazuki with telepathy, telling Hazuki that Tenma died a soldier, and his sacrifice must not be in vain. Hazuki pities his weakness and stated that it was his fault. Hazuki vows to become stronger and won't let anyone die the same way again.

He then sees the Zombies throw Tenma and Ren's bloody bodies near the shore, making way for Azieb, of whom resurrects the two as Azieb Ren and Azieb Tenma. The two stand up sedately, their eyes glowing red and a motionless expression on their face. Hazuki watches in horror and yells after them in despair as his boat floats away.

The flashback ends and returns to the present moment with Hazuki protecting Grian and Boop from a charging Azieb. Hazuki's eyebrows furrow firmly as a tear drop runs down from his eye.