Aberrant Shadow (2)

'Wait, what about the quest?' Shinon thought, and as he had suspected, the quest was incomplete. 'Well, that makes everything simpler.'

He couldn't let the raiders die, as it might lead to quest failure and have his stats reset. Shinon had no choice but to help the raiders or die trying.

'There's no way I'm dying in this world.'

The raiders fought with everything they had, the sounds of clanging metal and snarling zombies filling the air. Especially the lady, her eyes blazed with fierce determination as she fended off the undead, her voice rising above the chaos.

"Come on! Don't give up now! We can do this!" she shouted, her voice laced with adrenaline.

Shinon gritted his teeth. Using his ability against a horde of such size would certainly cause strain on him. But he had no choice, both for the quest and his survival.

"Argh! NO~"

"Jason!" The lady roared in fury as one of her comrades got ripped to shreds right before their eyes. "Goddamned bastards!"

"Oi, get back!" Shinon yelled as she rushed out of cover, guns blazing.

Shinon peeked from behind the safety of the broken car and saw yet another raider fall to his doom, only to come back to life as one of the undead.

As they rose, their rotting flesh stretched taut over their bones. Their eyes were vacant, and their mouths hung open, drool dripping from their chins. All sense of camaraderie had vanished from their minds.

"Oh, great..."

The lady kept charging forward. Her pistol kept spewing bullets like a machine gun without reloading. Shinon found it weird at first but then realised she must have some kind of ability as well.

"I didn't want to use them, but it's not like I have a choice now, do I?"

[10 Domination points have been consumed to upgrade a skill.]

[The skill will be upgraded to suit the user's class.]

[Skill: Shadow Manipulation has been upgraded to level 2!]

[Upgraded effect: Shadows can be used to form weapons based on the user's knowledge of the weapon. Limit: Two weapons.]

"...Oh boy, it's on!"

***

Against the overwhelming number of zombies, the woman's [Weapon Master] ability soon began to falter. Winning against the horde was unlikely.

"Everybody leave!" She yelled as the zombies began overwhelming her. "I'll distract these bastards! Take the blacksmith and leave NOW!"

Although she had an endless supply of bullets, the woman couldn't do anything once her pistol got jammed. Biting her tongue in frustration, she drew out her blade and kept fighting.

'Who would have thought I'd end up like this...' She thought. 'At least the settlement will have a chance now.'

The blonde woman had been fighting for what felt like an eternity, her muscles screaming in protest as she hacked and slashed at the unending horde of zombies surrounding her.

Her arms felt heavy, her breath ragged, and she knew she was losing strength by the second. It was only a matter of time before her body gave up entirely.

Just when she thought she couldn't hold on any longer, she heard a new sound - a deep, guttural moan that seemed to come from the shadows themselves. Suddenly, a pair of swords materialised out of the darkness, their gleaming blades cutting through the air with deadly precision.

"What the hell!?" She exclaimed in surprise. "Who-"

The woman looked up to see Shinon rushing at her side. His eyes glinted with otherworldly energy, and the swords he wielded seemed to be made of pure shadow.

Unsure of what was happening, she held her breath as Shinon took charge against the horde.

"Don't look at me like that, lady!" Shinon smiled, "You might fall in love."

With a fierce battle cry, Shinon charged into the zombie horde, his swords flashing through the air in a blur of black and silver. The zombies fell before him, cut down by the deadly weapons that seemed to have a life of their own.

The woman stared in awe, transfixed by the sight of Shinon's abilities. She watched as he moved with fluid grace, his body seemingly able to shift and bend in ways that defied logic.

It also seemed he was controlling the shadowy swords like a concertmaster. With a flick of his fingers, a sword would turn into a shield to push away a zombie before the other blade would slice off the zombie's head.

"What are you waiting for? Feel free to join in-," Shinon urged the other Raiders, who were standing idly as the horde's aggro was drawn to the shadowmancer.

As Shinon fought, the woman regained her strength and joined the fray again. Despite the odds stacked against them, they fought with everything they had. Their movements were in sync as they dodged and struck with lethal force.

The zombies closed in, their snarls and moans filling the air. One by one, the rest of the horde fell in battle, their screams echoing through the empty streets.

Zombies were creatures having low intellect and were driven by their hunger. However, the Sprinters were different, and as soon as they realised the odds were stacked against them and rushed to safety. Unfortunately, some were not that lucky.

Finally, the last zombie fell to the ground, its lifeless body joining the others in a pile at their feet. Shinon and the raiders stood victorious, panting with exertion and covered in zombie blood.

The woman turned to Shinon, newfound respect in her eyes. "Thank you," she said, her voice filled with gratitude.

Shinon nodded, his face unreadable. But the woman knew that she had just witnessed something extraordinary. She had found a diamond in a coal mine and wouldn't let him go, no matter what she had to do.

While the raiders caught their breath, Shinon excitedly reviewed the piled-up notifications.

[Quest accomplished!]

[Skill: Shadow Mimic has been upgraded to level 3!]

[Upgraded effect: (Passive) The user retains 5% of the target's stats permanently.]

Although Shinon had to use ten domination points to upgrade [Shadow Manipulation], it was completely worth it.

After all, not only did he finish the quest and obtain a class-specific skill, but he also got more [Domination] points, and his other stats increased. But there was something he wasn't too excited about.

'It'd take 50 domination points to upgrade a skill that's been upgraded using domination!? What kind of shitty scam is this!'

***

"Interesting... very interesting."

As the dust settled from the battle, the man on the rooftop continued to watch Shinon and the woman from afar. He had been observing their every move, studying their fighting styles and techniques.

The man was tall and lean, his eyes sharp and calculating. He wore a long coat that flapped in the wind, and his hair was tied back in a tight ponytail.

His eyes were a shade of piercing blue and seemed to flicker with otherworldly energy like Shinon's were whenever he used his shadowsmith abilities.

As the raiders enjoyed their victory, the man surveyed the scene below him with interest; a slight smirk played across his lips.

The zombies that had once been under his control now lay still on the ground, their undead bodies twisted and broken from the fierce battle.

The man had used them as a distraction, hoping to draw out any survivors who might be hiding in the city. But he hadn't expected to find Shinon.

"Shinon Flintlock... who would've thought I'd meet you here of all places."

He was a man of few words, preferring to stay in the shadows and let his army of zombies do the talking for him. And yet, something about Shinon and his group intrigued him.

But what he found was far more intriguing - a shadowsmith, a rare and powerful breed of superhumans he had only heard of in legends. And by his side, a woman who had proven herself to be a skilled fighter in her own right.

The man on the rooftop had a certain respect for power and saw that Shinon had it in spades. He wondered what other abilities he possessed and the secrets he was hiding. But more importantly, what was he doing in the future?

For now, he stayed hidden, content to watch from afar. But he knew that one day, he would cross paths with Shinon again. And when that day came, he would be ready.

"This place is nothing like the world, you know, Shinon," The man scoffed before backtracking his steps. "I'll make sure you regret what you did to me back on earth."