The Maddened Corpses

Inside a small convenience store, Taiyo Oga, Komuro Takashi, and three others had managed to spend a relatively peaceful night.

The store was stocked with enough food and water to last a good while. For Taiyo and the other two Reincarnators, surviving the 30 days required to complete their mission seemed entirely feasible here.

Even without a shower, they were willing to endure thirty days of grime if it meant completing the mission and staying safe.

Having already killed numerous corpses on their way from Fujimi Academy, they were close to reaching the required thirty kills.

As long as they used the store as a base and hunted down a few more corpses nearby, they'd be able to rest easy. After thirty days, they'd leave this world safely—a simple plan.

However, Komuro Takashi and Rei Miyamoto had no intention of staying any longer. Their primary concern was locating their families.

Two days ago, on the rooftop, Rei had managed to call her father, a police officer. She hoped he could arrange for their rescue. But the police department had been in turmoil, with gunfire in the background, and their conversation had been interrupted by static, leaving Rei uncertain about his safety.

Takashi's mother was a teacher at an elementary school, a place filled with children—likely one of the most dangerous places during an outbreak. The sight of Fujimi Academy had left him anxious.

Despite the children's young age, once turned into corpses, there was no distinction between child and adult. A single bite would be fatal.

Takashi's top priority was to reach the elementary school where his mother worked. However, that school was across the city, a long and difficult journey from their current location.

They didn't want to delay any longer.

"Taiyo, Rei and I are leaving to find our families. Why don't you all join us? You must be worried about your families too, right?" Takashi suggested over breakfast—a cup of instant noodles and a bottle of yogurt.

In his mind, it was a reasonable proposal, one that would likely be accepted. But he didn't know that Taiyo and the others were not natives of this world.

As expected, Taiyo and the other two Reincarnators declined.

"Hmph. Why go outside where it's dangerous? We have food and shelter here, so I'm staying put," the haughty young woman scoffed. Now that they had found a relatively safe base, she was beginning to show her true colors.

"Right, Komuro, and you too, Rei. Even if you leave, there's no guarantee you'll reach your homes safely. It's best if you just stay here," Taiyo said, his tone warm and persuasive, though a glint of greed flashed in his eyes when he looked at Rei.

As the only bachelor here, Taiyo didn't relish the thought of spending a whole month alone.

His attention naturally gravitated toward the two girls. Compared to the young heiress, Rei, with her better looks and figure, was an obvious choice.

In fact, Taiyo had already planned how he'd deal with Takashi and win Rei over.

So, of course, he had no desire for the two of them to leave the store, especially since he preferred not to confront the physically fit young man.

"What about your parents? Don't you worry about them?" Takashi asked, clearly displeased by Taiyo's indifference.

"We don't have any family in this world," Taiyo replied, nonchalant.

Takashi and Rei seemed to misinterpret his response, assuming he and the others were orphans.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Takashi said apologetically.

His tone shifted as he continued earnestly, "In that case, you should come with us even more! Sooner or later, the food here will run out, and the store's defenses aren't that sturdy. Once enough of those things gather, they could break in easily. If we work together, we'll have a better chance of survival."

"Who are you to tell us what to do? If you want to die, go right ahead, but leave us out of it. Taiyo, don't bother with these locals. We're not even the same kind," the young heiress scoffed dismissively.

It was evident from her tone that she viewed herself as superior simply because she was a Reincarnator, showing complete disregard for those from the High School of the Dead world.

"What's your problem?" Rei glared at the young heiress. "If it weren't for Takashi and me, you wouldn't have escaped from the school safely!"

She remembered vividly how the heiress had cowered behind the physically fit young man as Takashi and she fought through waves of corpses.

If they hadn't dealt with most of the corpses, that young heiress would likely have died long ago.

"Alright, alright, let's not argue. This isn't the time for that, not with so many corpses around us. You're only going to attract their attention," the muscular man intervened, taking on the role of mediator, though he showed no inclination to criticize the heiress.

He glanced nervously outside, watching the corpses gather, his eyes flashing with concern.

The store didn't have automatic doors, but they were made of glass—not as sturdy as metal or even wood.

The only things blocking the entrance were the cash register and a few shelves, hardly secure fortifications.

If too many corpses gathered outside, this weak defense would be easily overrun.

"Forget it, Rei. If they don't want to go, that's their choice," Takashi said, pulling Rei back to prevent further conflict.

He cast a look of displeasure toward the young heiress; it was hard not to feel offended by her constant belittling.

Turning back to Taiyo, Takashi felt a pang of regret. Over the past few days, he had come to like the friendly, cheerful young man, considering him a friend.

"Taiyo, won't you come with us?" he asked hopefully.

Taiyo hesitated. It would be easier to get rid of Takashi outside, but he wasn't willing to risk his own life. A girl was appealing, but not more so than his own life.

"No, I think I'll stay here. It seems safer," Taiyo replied with a slight hint of regret.

As much as he wanted the boy dead, he maintained his sunny, friendly smile, one that could easily win over anyone who didn't know his true nature.

"...Taiyo..." Takashi began, furrowing his brow as if about to press the issue when a sudden shout interrupted him.

"Look out!"

The muscular young man, who had been keeping an eye on the entrance, suddenly turned pale with fear. Following his gaze, the others looked out the glass door, and all their expressions changed.

The corpses within the vicinity of the convenience store—dozens of them within a hundred meters—had suddenly started shrieking, rushing toward the store as if driven mad.

Even their movements were no longer sluggish, now matching a full human sprint.

The few corpses that had already gathered outside from Rei and the heiress's argument turned aggressive, crashing against the store doors with frenzied force.

A series of loud bangs echoed through the store, hammering at the hearts of those inside like a death knell.

With a loud "crack," the store's glass doors shattered under the impact of the corpses' heads.

Through the broken glass, snarling heads jutted in, screaming furiously at Taiyo and the others.

"Ahh!"

The young heiress let out a terrified scream. Despite the courage she'd mustered from yesterday's ordeal, the current situation was beyond her ability to handle. Even Takashi and the others were on edge, facing such an unprecedented threat.

If they'd been dealing with the usual slow-moving corpses, they'd have a chance to escape by outrunning them. But these maddened corpses could outrun them, leaving no chance of survival.

They were confident they could run as fast as these corpses but knew they'd tire eventually, while the corpses wouldn't.

"We need to leave. The barriers won't hold much longer," Takashi said urgently, snapping the others back to their senses.

"Takashi, what should we do?" Rei asked, clutching his arm in panic.

"All the corpses are at the front door. We should check the back," Taiyo suggested, looking equally panicked. At this point, he had no time for any scheming. His sole focus was on survival.

Takashi nodded quickly, agreeing with Taiyo's suggestion.

"Let's move. Hurry to the back door."

With that, they immediately dashed toward the back of the store. Rei and Taiyo followed closely, with the young man and heiress right behind.

Meanwhile, the horde of corpses outside began to push against the obstacles blocking the store's entrance.

Together, the force exerted by the corpses was immense, and the barriers were quickly buckling. It wouldn't be long before the store was breached.

…

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Eriri, Akino, and Yukino sat in their black luxury sedan, watching the display on the windshield.

Rather than showing the road ahead, the windshield projected a live feed of Taiyo and the others as they scrambled for the back exit.

Eriri had projected the convenience store's interior onto the windshield, creating the effect of watching a movie. The sound and visuals were crystal clear, making it feel like a real horror film.

Not only Eriri, Akino, and Yukino, but also the members of the chat group were glued to the live feed, thoroughly engrossed in the scene. They exchanged constant commentary on the "performance" of the five "actors" in the chat.

"Are these corpses mutating?" Yukino asked, startled at the sight of the rabid corpses on the screen.

If all the corpses acted this way, completing her mission from the Lord God's Dimension would have been near-impossible without Eriri and Akino. Even with her skill in kendo, she'd have been overrun in minutes by such relentless corpses.

Any ordinary shelter would also be useless against this level of force.

"Nope, that was me," Eriri said proudly, pointing a thumb at herself.

Yes, Taiyo's current predicament was all Eriri's doing. Controlling every corpse on the planet was a simple task for her, let alone those just a few dozen kilometers away.

Neither Yukino nor the group members felt a shred of sympathy for Taiyo and the others.

In addition to the dialogue, the video projection had displayed each character's true thoughts, with Eriri providing commentary, giving everyone a clear sense of their personalities.

Taiyo was especially despised—a known predator, albeit unsuccessful in his attempts. He now plotted to kill his teammate and claim his girlfriend, earning everyone's scorn.

Takashi and Rei weren't well-liked, either. One was a sanctimonious fool, the other a manipulative flirt. Yukino remembered meeting them briefly; Rei had seemed so affectionate with her boyfriend, but a day after his death, she was already all over someone else.

While Yukino didn't judge others' love lives, she couldn't bring herself to like people like that.

Then there was the heiress Reincarnator, whose words revealed her unpleasant character. As for the muscular man, though he hadn't said much, his thoughts weren't much better.

In short, none of them would be missed if they all perished in this scene.

Eriri's primary target was Taiyo. The corpses had zeroed in on him specifically; the others were just collateral damage.

Whether they survived depended on their luck. If Taiyo died first, the corpses would revert to their original state.

The remaining survivors would still face a tough time, but they'd have a sliver of hope.