[Japan Crisis: Six Punches From Michealangelo]

The Chief Executive of the Association of Apocalypse Players stood resolute on the commanding platform, facing a council of distinguished Apocalypse Presidents and their vice counterparts.

Behind him loomed a large screen, its display showcasing the ravaged remnants of what was once the illustrious city of Japan.

As the Chief made a deliberate adjustment to his tinted lenses, he briefly closed his eyes before snapping them open with a decisive flair. "Let us commence," he announced, his voice carrying an air of authority.

The meeting initiated its fervent deliberations, and it was a woman, donned in an impeccable black suit, who rose to offer her insight and voice her concerns regarding the Japan Crisis.

"Sir," Misaki began, her tablet flickering with images capturing the eerie encounter, "the malevolent forces responsible for the decimation of Japan surpassed anything we have ever encountered before. Our valiant players were either encased in an icy prison or reduced to mere ashes. Though we remain uncertain of the nature of this dire threat, sir"

Misaki deftly scrolled through her palm-held tablet, showcasing a compelling photograph portraying the Liege of Frost and a crimson-haired man, both piercing the camera lens with a chilling gaze.

"Sir, we suspect that some of these malefic beings have taken human form. The presence of demons or monsters amidst our ranks eludes our detection capabilities. Thus, my team and I have devised a groundbreaking solution: the Apocalypse Watch."

A murmuring commotion reverberated through the congregation as this novel concept of an Apocalypse Watch was unveiled.

To elucidate further, Misaki gracefully descended from the platform, standing before the assembly of one thousand esteemed chiefs and presidents of the Association of Apocalypse Players.

With a flourish of her outstretched arms, she presented the glowing emerald watch for all to behold. "Behold the Apoc Watch. A device capable of unmasking these calamitous entities parading as human."

"Show us its power!" a voice demanded.

"Let us witness its efficacy," chimed another.

"Demonstration, indeed," Misaki proclaimed, her voice carrying assurance.

Ascending the platform once more, a bound zombie emerged from beneath, its snarls and blood-soaked visage sending chills down the audience's spines. An aura of solemnity permeated the room as this crucial moment unfolded.

With measured grace, Misaki advanced toward the zombie, her fiery crimson hair cascading, concealing the left eye but not the fierce red iris beneath.

"Rrrha.. rrghhaa.. rrrha..!"

As Misaki closed the final meter of distance between herself and the zombie, a sudden beep emanated from her watch, shifting its luminous color from green to ominous red before issuing a warning.

[Danger...! Non-human entity detected within one meter of your position.]

With a proud turn, Misaki faced the awestruck assembly, her presence filling the room with a potent aura of courage and awe. Applause erupted like an enthusiastic tide, rippling across the room in a show of profound admiration.

"Behind you!" a voice cried out, pointing at Misaki.

Instinctively, Misaki contorted her supple and agile frame midair, her suited form tightening, before delivering a bone-crushing kick that sent the decapitated head of the zombie careening away.

Thud...!

"During the Japan Crisis," Misaki declared, her voice amplified through the microphone, resonating throughout the chamber.

"I witnessed humans slaughter one another, initially dismissing it as a vile spell. But soon I discovered the horrifying truth..."they were not humans. They were shape-shifters, aliens, and monsters... We remain oblivious as to their duration on our planet, which now teeters on the brink of becoming Planet Apocalypse."

Misaki's powerful words reverberated, capturing the attention of every individual present. A survivor of the Japan Crisis, she had emerged as a beacon of hope, delivering impassioned speeches that paved the way for humanity's resurgence.

"We may not know how long these malevolent forces have masqueraded as human, but we do know that today marks the end of their charade."

"Haaaaaaa!" young Apocalypse Players in the gathering bellowed, their voices transcending mere human range, while the elderly dignitaries clapped fervently, yearning for Misaki to be their daughter.

"We shall distribute this device to all, to every academy and survivor settlement... And should we detect a single soul veiled in inhuman guise, its demise shall be swift and unforgiving."

Misaki's roar resounded, her dedication unwavering even as blood pooled beneath her jet-black footwear.

In that moment, she envisioned a future where the Apoc Watch would grace the wrists of every academy and survival camp, dismantling the obstacles that the apocalypse had so cruelly thrust upon them.

———

"Where the hell did he go?" Bullet seethed, infuriated as he bore the brunt of Ronnie's vicious assault, blood streaming from his lips, his battered face aching.

Swish!

Once again, Bullet hurled his obsidian projectile, obliterating trees in his blind onslaught. With an explosive boom, the rock reduced an entire tree to smoldering ash.

"You're firing aimlessly like the blind fool I perceive you to be," Ronnie goaded, landing another brutal blow to Bullet's face.

As Bullet unleashed his next rock, Ronnie had already evaded its path. In mid-air, Bullet expertly contorted his body to align his leg for a counter-strike, but Ronnie's fist connecting with his jaw shattered his resolve.

"Uuurgghh!" Bullet cried out, collapsing to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

"For a supposed Level Four or Five apocalypse protector, you appear shockingly feeble. Did you simply bully your way into such a rank?"

Ronnie taunted, moving with swiftness as he sidestepped Bullet's futile punch. Planting his knee into Bullet's diaphragm, he sent him crashing to the ground once more. "Uuurgghhh..."

"You know, with all your rock abilities, I expected you to be stronger. Are you some kind of Rocky Balboa?" Nelly couldn't contain a faint chuckle, realizing that Bullet intended to use her as bait once again.

"Well, I may not be able to see you, but I sure as hell can see her."

Whoosh...

"No...!" Ronnie exclaimed, witnessing the black rock hurtling towards Nelly. In his desperation, his invisibility waned, and as it did, Bullet's bloodied face formed a sly smile. With determined resolve, Bullet conjured an ice rock and sent it hurtling towards Ronnie.

Bam... thud... Uuurgghhhh...!

The ice rock slammed against Ronnie with even more force than the first, crashing him into a tree, his eyes widening in agony as he struggled to rise, only to find it futile.

Meanwhile, Bullet made a startling realization—his black rock had made no impact. When he turned with his bloodied face to assess the situation, disbelief washed over him.

Standing before Nelly was a figure, his left eye concealed by snowy white hair, his red eyes burning ferociously, blood freely flowing from his palm as he halted the black projectile.

"That's the bastard who slapped me! But it doesn't matter," Bullet seethed, motioning his hand to the right with unwavering determination.

As he enacted the gesture, another black rock hurtled towards them from the right, its speed leaving Nelly, Ronnie, and Michael in awe.

Bam...!

The rock collided with Michael's ribcage, fracturing bones that instantly realigned. To Bullet's astonishment, the rock did not fell Michael but merely nudged him a distance away from Nelly's position.

'Why is he still alive?' both Nelly and Bullet wondered in unison.

'I see, he's a zombie, an enhanced one—a superior undead that can't be killed,' Ronnie surmised.

Bullet's mind raced with a flurry of thoughts, but in the face of everything he had witnessed, he refused to yield.

"You're all gonna die!" he roared, projecting three black rocks towards Michael, who charged forward, ready to bear the full brunt.

Swish... Michael dodged to the right, then swiftly evaded to the left. For the final rock---

Bam!

Michael's fist plowed through the rock like a falling chess piece, colliding with Bullet's face, breaking his nose and eliciting a gush of blood.

"Get up... three plus two plus one... that equals six. You've taken one blow, five more to go," Michael growled, tightening his grip as Bullets' eyes widened, thick veins pulsating with unbelievable strength.

'I'm done for,' Bullet thought, resigning himself to his impending fate.