Chapter 7: The Fall of Zomun

The Necromancer's mask shattered into a thousand pieces, revealing the face beneath. Sayuri gasped, her breath catching in her throat. In front of her was not a foreign monster, but a face she knew all too well: Kiba Hideyoshi. His once jet-black hair was now a dramatic, old-ash white, a stark contrast to his pale skin. Yet, his eyes, which used to be cold, now radiated a sinister, dark glow, devoid of the red hue she expected. A thick aura of death still clung to his body, a cold that pierced to the bone.

"Kiba...? What happened to you? Why did you become a Necromancer?!" Sayuri cried out, her voice filled with shock, a mixture of sadness and unbearable anger.

Kiba offered a thin smirk, an expression Sayuri had never seen before on his once perpetually flat and indifferent face. There was a clear note of mockery in his voice. "You wouldn't understand what great power is, Sayuri-chan. You would never understand the suffering I went through. You, the 'Heroes,' only think about yourselves... just like Kanzaki did."

At the mention of that name, Sayuri winced. Her anger flared. "Kanzaki? Oh, I see. You were so jealous of him, weren't you? Ever since we were all summoned to this world?" she said, her tone heavy with emotion, as if she had just found the root of Kiba's problem.

Kiba's smile vanished, replaced by an expression of disgust. "How dare you speak to me like that! No one would envy the hypocrisy of 'Heroes' like you and Kanzaki! You cast me aside because my magic was weak! You discarded me like useless trash!" Kiba raised his hands, and a dark energy pulsed around his palms. "But the Demon King saw my potential! He gave me incredible power and eternal life! He promised me the position of a General! Something I never got from you, who consider yourselves 'saviors'!"

"I don't think I need to know where you got this power from," Sayuri said, gripping her katana tighter, her gaze sharpening. "All I know is that I can feel a foul demonic power inside you!"

"Silence!" Kiba snarled, his eyes glowing with hatred. "I will make you regret this and send your head to Kanzaki! Or... I could just turn your beautiful body into an Undead! You will serve me forever!" Kiba said with a sickening, mocking tone, a crooked smile returning to his lips.

At that point, Sayuri, having reached her emotional limit, lunged forward, restarting the fight with a swift horizontal slash, a clear intent to kill radiating from her eyes.

An Exhausting Battle

Sayuri moved like lightning, her katana whistling as it cut through the dusty air. Kiba dodged with an unnatural, nimble motion, drifting backward like a ghost. His pale fingers spread, and from the ground around him, sharp bone spikes instantly jutted out, flying towards Sayuri like projectiles. Sayuri twisted her body, her katana deflecting most of the spikes with a loud 'clank!', while others only grazed her uniform, leaving stinging, shallow wounds.

"You're fast, Sayuri, but not fast enough!" Kiba jeered, his voice now more confident and filled with malice. He raised both hands. The ground shook violently. From behind the rubble, several larger and more grotesque zombies rose with empty, glowing eyes. They moved with abnormal speed, charging at Sayuri from all directions.

Sayuri clicked her tongue in annoyance. She sliced one zombie's neck, then spun to avoid a blow from another zombie wielding a chunk of concrete. Her katana danced, cutting through the air with lethal precision, but the sheer number of enemies was too overwhelming. Kiba simply stood behind them, smirking, controlling the zombies with a wave of his hand.

"They who were once weak are now my weapons!" Kiba said, his voice echoing. Sayuri's defense was on the verge of collapsing, cold sweat dampening her face. She knew she had to defeat Kiba, but her own strength seemed insufficient to break through the necromancer's now-much-stronger defenses. A dark energy orb shot from Kiba's hand, hitting the ground near Sayuri, creating a small crater and releasing a pungent sulfurous smell. Sayuri was forced to leap back. Suddenly, a powerful blow from a giant zombie struck her, sending her flying and crashing hard against the rubble. Her breath was knocked out of her.

"How pathetic to see you like this, Sayuri-chan," Kiba mocked, stepping closer.

Amano's Unbridled Rage

Just as Kiba was about to deliver the final blow, a cold, emotion-laden voice suddenly broke the terrifying silence. "Oh, is that so?" The voice was heavy and full of scorn. "I saw how enthusiastic you all were when you entered this isekai, and yet some of you made false oaths with utter hypocrisy."

Kiba turned around in surprise, his eyes narrowing. "Damn it, who are you?!" he snarled.

A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, wearing the distinctive Federation combat uniform, a Desert Eagle gripped tightly in his hand. The dim light illuminated his face, which belonged to none other than Amano. An aura of anger radiated from him, feeling oppressive. "Me? I'm just a piece of trash passing by," Amano replied, his voice calm yet containing a storm ready to erupt. He stared at Kiba with a sharp, contemptuous gaze.

Kiba's eyes widened as he recognized Amano. "Amano-kun...? So it's you." Kiba smirked again, trying to regain control. "Are you interested in joining the Demon King's Army? I'd be happy to have you. We'll wipe out those hypocritical humans with the help of the Demon King and his forces, considering you must also know what it feels like to be thrown away, don't you?"

The words hit Amano like a hammer. The phrase "thrown away" ignited a fire within him. He remembered the nights he spent alone in this world, being humiliated because his magic was deemed weak, and being ignored by his friends who were busy with their new lives. The pain, loneliness, and anger he had suppressed all this time now erupted.

With an uncontrollable roar, Amano activated his [Build Up] Skill, and shot forward at an unreasonable speed. "YOU'RE ASKING WHAT IT FEELS LIKE?!" His fist slammed into Kiba's face with lethal force. "YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE THROWN AWAY, HUMILIATED, OR EVEN SHUNNED BY YOUR OWN FRIENDS! AND YOU YOURSELF, JUST BECAUSE OF JEALOUSY, TURNED YOURSELF INTO A COWARDLY DEMON?! YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE SUFFERING EVEN FROM THE ONE YOU LOVE!"

Amano continued to pummel Kiba mercilessly, fist after fist landing on Kiba's face and body. Kiba staggered back, disbelieving the sudden power. Sayuri watched the fight with wide eyes, realizing that the Amano Hiragi she knew had become something far more terrifying.

The End of Zomun: The Nuclear Launch

Their fight was suddenly interrupted by two Demon Generals, Ajax and Nyph, who appeared from another dimension. But Amano gave them no quarter. He swiftly drew his Desert Eagle and, with two rapid shots, pierced Kiba's heart and head, killing him in front of the demons.

"A plaything?" Amano scoffed, his dark laugh chilling Sayuri to the bone. "Yes, that means you demons and 'Heroes' are all the same. You have no respect for other people's lives; you just treat them as toys!" After wounding the two demons, Amano shouted, "If anyone dares to defy me or attack my people, then be ready for me to bring Armageddon to your world!"

The demons fled, leaving Amano and Sayuri amid the ruins. After ensuring the survivors were evacuated, Amano, along with Sayuri, Princess Alexia, and two small children, boarded a Chinook helicopter. From above, he saw the ever-growing sea of zombies, realizing that the only way to stop this plague was with an extreme measure.

Inside the Command Center, Amano Hiragi contacted the Nuclear Launch Operator. The authorization procedure was carried out. Two keys were turned simultaneously, and a nuclear missile launched toward the Capital City of Zomun.

From inside the helicopter, Amano, Sayuri, and Princess Alexia stared into the distance. Amano saw a bright light on the horizon. "It's coming! This is the end," he murmured, his expression grim and unemotional. Alexia, sitting next to Sayuri, gripped her hand tightly. Her heart pounded as the light grew bigger. "What is that...?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Sayuri didn't answer; she just shook her head, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. She couldn't comprehend the destruction to come, but she could feel the choking fear in the air.

BOOOOM!

A massive shockwave hit the helicopter, causing it to shake violently. A blinding flash of white light temporarily blinded them, making them all scream. Alexia hugged the two children tightly, while Sayuri clung to her seat. When their vision returned, they saw it: a colossal mushroom cloud, rising into the sky, swallowing the entire city. The city of Zomun was gone, a smoking crater in its place.

In the distance, from the hills on the borders of the Kingdoms of Felda, Costra, and Baron, the entire world watched in horror. Queen Vionna of Felda could only look on in resignation, immensely grateful that she and her kingdom were not enemies of the Federation. In Costra, King Ross stared with wide eyes, relieved that he was not Amano's enemy. Meanwhile, King Raul and Prince Romel of Baron also witnessed the horrifying bomb and felt lucky to have made peace with Amano's Federation. This event served as a dire warning to the entire world about the terrifying power Amano now possessed.

Inside the helicopter, the atmosphere was silent. The survivors could only stare at the mushroom cloud with empty eyes. They didn't speak, only prayed silently for those who didn't make it. Princess Alexia, who had lived a life of palace luxury, bowed her head, tears streaming down her face. She prayed not only for her fallen people, but also for the future of a world now cast under the shadow of the devastating power she had just witnessed.