Carnage and Power

Sarah's mind was a battlefield of conflicting emotions. Part of her wished this cocky young man, who'd made a fool of her, would be devoured by the undead horde. But another, deeper part recoiled at the thought of his demise.

Alex, now the center of everyone's attention, surveyed the shambling mass of zombies erupting from the cage. Fear was absent from his eyes. Unarmed, his body, enhanced by a strength now bordering on six times that of a normal human, was his weapon. Today, he would finally unveil his hidden talent.

Facing the oncoming wave, Alex bypassed intricate maneuvers and careful analysis. He simply reached into his pocket, retrieved a mask, and donned it – a practical measure to shield himself from the stench of decaying flesh. Killing zombies was one thing, maintaining hygiene another.

His eyes, the only exposed part of his face, gleamed with cold determination. Then, to the collective gasp of the onlookers, nearly thirty zombies surged towards him with a burst of speed.

In a blink, a terrifying force exploded from Alex, sparking a flash of electricity. The leading zombie detonated instantly, its gore spraying the air like a burst watermelon. Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, but none managed to touch Alex. A shimmering electric barrier enveloped his body, vaporizing any contaminated blood that dared to approach.

He resembled a god clad in lightning, a stark contrast to the grotesque figures surrounding him. With a single, terrifying kick, he dispatched another zombie. In Sarah's eyes, Alex was now the embodiment of violent grace, wielding a power she never knew existed. The revelation that he'd held this terrifying ability secret all along left her breathless.

His movements lacked the finesse of traditional fighting styles, designed as they were for human opponents with exploitable weaknesses. Here, he faced a relentless, unfeeling enemy. A zombie with only a torso could still inflict a bite, spreading the chaotic mana. Thus, Alex's technique was efficient and brutal – honed during his recent days of training.

Despite the carnage around him, Alex remained calm. Each lightning-infused blow resonated with a thunderous crack, yet failed to deter the remaining zombies, driven only by primal urges. They cared nothing for the demise of their companions.

Claws outstretched, bodies lumbering, they formed a suffocating mass. Anyone who'd ever called zombies slow and mindless would be sorely mistaken. These creatures possessed the speed of a sprinter and the stamina to maintain it for over half an hour. Their senses of smell and hearing even surpassed a dog's.

Yet, before Alex, they were as fragile as infants. Not that the zombies were weak, but Alex was simply too strong.

His pupils seemed to flicker with faint electric sparks, the crackling barrier clinging to his form. The thrill of battle almost consumed him, but thankfully, his sanity remained intact. Agility and physique would be the most valuable assets in the coming apocalypse, and his body was now perfectly honed for both.

These zombies were lumbering antelopes compared to the cheetah Alex had become, with ten times the cheetah's endurance. One by one, their heads met their demise – like balloons burst by a playful child's toy. They were fragile, unbelievably so. The hardened cranium and layered muscle offered no resistance against Alex, whose body itself was a lethal weapon.

"How is this possible?" Alice whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. She'd witnessed his impressive reflexes and speed earlier, dodging bullets with ease. However, she never imagined he could maintain such explosiveness and utilize a deadly element like lightning. He'd hidden his true power remarkably well.

But the scene unfolding before her now shattered the last vestiges of her established worldview. Sarah's hands and legs trembled. Alex had revealed a power beyond human comprehension, beyond imagination. No known technology could replicate the raw, primal violence of fist meeting flesh – the spray of blood, the bursting mist, the visceral impact.

It was a visual feast, a primal urge to which even the most civilized mind couldn't remain entirely immune. Adrenaline surged through their veins, yet none dared to enter the cage with Alex. He was oblivious to their awe, his focus solely on the experience points rising with every fallen zombie, invigorating him.

Despite his precautions, the relentless bombardment of lightning-infused punches left his black jacket faintly crackling with electric energy. Amidst the carnage, the system continued its relentless notifications...