(I should probably explain some of the plot things that the author planned. Let’s start from the very beginning, or more precisely from the second arc. I had many different options that I wanted to use for David’s reincarnation. At first, I wanted David to reincarnate into Aqua as Ai Hoshino’s son. But then I thought about it and decided that it was stupid. Then I thought that it would be nice for David to reincarnate into Issei or Basara Toujou. Well, I decided to discard these options too, I don’t even remember why.

The second thing I’d like to mention is that I had plans for this arc before it even started. I had a lot of ideas for the characters initially. At one point I even wanted to add characters from JJK but then I thought, fuck, they don’t fit into the plot, etc. And lastly, I probably chose this world because you can twist it as you please and add different things and characters and everything will be fine. Oh well, if I remember anything else, I’ll definitely mention it in the future. Sometimes I even forget which characters I wanted to add. Sigh.)

After talking with Alex, Kiriko finally understood why the two girls were in such a bad mood. Over the few days that the Ryozanpaku group had been with them, she had come to understand Miu and Renka’s personalities.

Miu was a kind and cheerful girl, always ready to help those around her. Renka, on the other hand, was straightforward and hot-tempered, never hesitating to voice her opinion. Seeing them both irritated was unexpected, not only for Kiriko but also for the other girls. However, no one needed to guess the reason behind their frustration—it was quite predictable. Alex’s words only confirmed their suspicions.

Kiriko was driving the Humvee, following the convoy of vehicles leaving the port. Once they were outside, she flashed her headlights, signaling that she was ready to move. After receiving a response from the other groups, the convoy began spreading out to cover as much ground as possible.

“Saya, darling, where are we heading? You’re our navigator, after all.” Kiriko asked, glancing at the girl.

“One second.” Saya replied, pulling out a tablet.

Opening the city map, Saya selected the nearest target and sent the coordinates to the Humvee’s GPS. Once the route was displayed, Kiriko pressed the gas pedal, and the vehicle smoothly started moving.

During the ride, the conversation in the cabin revolved around Alex’s new combat suit. The girls tried to get more details from Rebecca, but she simply shrugged and said that Alex had created the suit a long time ago out of curiosity and never gave it much thought. Realizing they wouldn’t get any more information, the girls sighed in defeat.

“But damn, his ass looks amazing in that suit. If no one else was around, I probably would’ve jumped him.” Rika said with a wide grin.

“My husband looks handsome in any outfit. But I prefer when he dresses like a samurai.” Beatrix said dreamily.

“I like his casual style better. He looks much better in that.” Valmet chimed in.

“I liked it when he wore a Hawaiian shirt. His body is just perfect.” Rei nodded in agreement.

“No, girls, you’re all wrong. The only outfits that suit him are the ones that highlight his ass!” Rika interrupted confidently.

The others just sighed at her enthusiasm, but Rebecca nodded approvingly, fully agreeing with the sniper.

Miu and Renka, hearing their conversation, turned bright red. Despite pretending to be annoyed by Rika’s bold statements, none of them could actually disagree with her—though not everyone had the courage to say it out loud.

Kiriko, driving the vehicle, smiled as she watched her daughter in the rearview mirror. She understood that Rei had long since grown up and was interested in relationships between men and women. Shifting her gaze to Miu and Renka, who were still blushing, she noticed that they weren’t participating in the conversation and remained silent.

Inside the Humvee, along with them, were Kiriko herself, Valmet, Saya, Saeko, Rei, Beatrix, and Rika.

“Miu, dear, do you want to share what’s bothering you? I’m an experienced woman and can give you advice if you need it.” Kiriko asked gently, glancing at her.

Miu tensed, unsure whether she should talk about her problems. The other girls also stopped chatting and turned their attention to her and Renka. Under their intense gazes, both hesitated. However, seeing Kiriko’s kind, motherly smile, Miu felt that she could trust her.

“Renka, you don’t have to hold back either. It’s just us girls here, and we can give you advice. It’s better to talk about it than keep everything bottled up.” Kiriko added, now addressing the second girl.

Miu and Renka exchanged glances, wondering whether they should share their worries with the other girls. For Renka, it was easier—she could talk to her mother about it, even though she was in China. But discussing such topics with her father was out of the question. She knew full well that she wouldn’t get any useful advice from that perverted old man.

Miu, on the other hand, was in a much more difficult position. In her family, she only had her grandfather and no one else. Of course, she considered the masters of Ryozanpaku her family, but aside from Shigure, they were all men. And Shigure herself, despite being a woman, had even less experience in relationships than Miu.

Gathering her thoughts, she was about to speak when Renka beat her to it.

“This idiot Kenichi doesn’t understand a damn thing! Is it really so hard for him to push those girls away so they don’t keep flocking around him?!” she blurted out in frustration.

“Renka, dear, can you explain in more detail? If you want advice, I need to understand the situation,” Kiriko suggested gently.

She already knew what was going on, thanks to Alex, but she wanted to hear everything directly from the girls involved. That way, she could understand their perspective rather than just relying on someone else’s words.

Renka nodded, ready to vent. The other girls, eager for some fresh gossip, immediately focused their attention on her. After all, not much happened on the ferry, so any new drama was met with genuine interest. Why watch romantic dramas when the same plot was unfolding right in front of them?

“That idiot Kenichi is too soft-hearted and weak-willed!” Renka continued, getting more worked up. “Girls are swarming around him, and all he does is blush and get flustered! He doesn’t do anything to push them away!”

The girls listened intently, mentally regretting that they hadn’t brought popcorn. From time to time, Miu chimed in, adding details. However, none of them were surprised. They had already predicted that something like this would happen to Kenichi—his personality made it too obvious.

Some even drew a parallel between him and Takashi, comparing how he was before meeting Alex. If Alex hadn’t shaken him up and forced him to change, Takashi would have remained a pathetic, depressed idiot.

By the time Renka finished, her chest was rising and falling heavily with anger, and it seemed like she could explode at any moment and take out all her frustration on poor Kenichi. The girls exchanged glances, realizing that both of their friends had fallen for a complete idiot.

“Pffff… Hahaha!”

Suddenly, loud laughter rang out.

Everyone turned in surprise to look at Rebecca, who was laughing so hard it seemed like she might start rolling on the floor. Even Renka, who had been fuming just a second ago, stared at her in total confusion.

“What the hell are you laughing at, greenie?” Saya asked irritably, crossing her arms.

Rebecca, still struggling to hold back her laughter, waved a hand.

“It’s just… Just!” she burst out laughing again. “The way this girl described Kenichi immediately reminded me of a certain type of manga that Alex absolutely despises! That guy is a textbook wimp protagonist!”

The girls exchanged glances.

“What?!” Renka exclaimed indignantly.

“Yeah,” Rebecca smirked. “Kenichi is a classic weak-willed, stammering idiot who will always hesitate and wait for someone else to make the first move. There are tons of guys like him in manga! Sooner or later, he’s going to push everyone away just because he’s that dumb.”

Renka clenched her fists, while Miu blushed, unsure of how to react. The other girls just sighed, realizing that there was some truth to Rebecca’s words.

At first, Rebecca’s comment left the girls confused, but as soon as they grasped the meaning behind her words, they could no longer hold back and burst into laughter. They had heard Alex complain more than once about those protagonists who never take action, endlessly overthink everything, and, if they do act, only do so at the last possible moment.

Renka and Miu, though familiar with manga, had never really considered just how much Kenichi’s behavior resembled those types of characters. But now, after hearing Rebecca’s opinion, they saw him in a new light. In their eyes, Kenichi truly did seem weak-willed and indecisive—someone who only acted when everything had already happened and was too afraid to take the initiative until the very last moment.

“Girls, let me give you some advice as an older woman,” Kiriko said with a gentle smile, addressing Miu and Renka. “If Kenichi doesn’t want to change and continues to be this indecisive, you have two options: either talk to him directly or just observe. If he never realizes that his actions are pushing you away, then there’s no point in trying to change anything. Or, you might have to accept that he could end up with more than one girl and learn to live with it.”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable with that kind of relationship? I mean, all of you are involved with Alex,” Miu asked cautiously.

“You picked a bad example, kid,” Rika laughed. “Alex is a completely different kind of guy.”

“In what way?” Renka asked with slight confusion, tilting her head.

“How should I put it…” Rei pondered.

“There’s nothing to think about!” Beatrix declared cheerfully. “My husband is a thousand times better than that Kenichi—there’s no comparison.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Valmet intervened, covering Beatrix’s mouth with her hand. “To put it simply, Alex is responsible and caring. His family’s safety is always his top priority. He knows exactly when each of us needs his attention and what we want. So don’t even try comparing him to other guys—you’ll just end up disappointed.”

The other girls nodded in agreement, confirming Valmet’s words. To help Miu and Renka better understand the difference between their situation and the girls’ relationship with Alex, each of them shared their thoughts.

This conversation made Miu and Renka think more deeply about Alex as a person. Miu knew that he had saved people from their school and helped the survivors, but now she learned the cost of those actions. The girls told them that in the first few days, Alex barely slept, constantly watching over everyone and ensuring their safety.

Despite Valmet’s warning not to compare Alex to Kenichi, Miu and Renka couldn’t help but do so.

When chaos broke out, Alex immediately took responsibility for the survivors, organized people, found a safe place, and secured resources. In the same situation, Kenichi would have been lost, not knowing what to do—like a deer caught in headlights.

If Alex were to hear this conversation, he would probably think that the girls were just trying to “sell” him to others.

The journey to their destination remained lively—the discussion about Alex never stopped for a moment. With each word, Miu and Renka got to know him from a new perspective and began to understand him better.

Meanwhile, Saya glanced at the tablet and noticed that they were approaching the first point on the list.

“Kirikou, turn here. The clinic should be around the corner,” she said, patting the driver on the shoulder.

“Got it. Get ready, girls,” Kirikou responded, focusing on the road.

The conversation quieted, and everyone began preparing for the disembarkation. Valmet climbed through the hatch on top of the Humvee and surveyed the area for zombies or other threats. Kirikou parked the vehicle right at the clinic entrance and patiently waited for a signal.

Valmet carefully studied the surroundings, killed a couple of wandering zombies in the distance, and tapped the roof to signal that the area was clear. She then returned to the interior and let Rika go first, so she could climb onto the Humvee’s roof for further reconnaissance.

Once the girls were sure there were no nearby threats, they exited the vehicle and carefully scanned the area for any unexpected surprises. Everything seemed quiet, but when they looked at the clinic building, an eerie feeling lingered.

“Is it just me, or is something off with this clinic?” Rei asked cautiously, staring intently at the building.

“No, it’s not just you,” Saya replied, tightening her grip on her weapon. “This place looks like we’re in a horror movie.”

“Well, then what are we waiting for? Let’s check if there are any ghosts inside! Maybe we’ll meet one or two,” Rebecca suggested with a wide grin.

The girls looked at Rebecca, who was practically eager to go into the creepy family clinic. However, before she could take a step, Valmet grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, quickly stopping the restless gremlin.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes, her gaze clearly showing that if Valmet didn’t release her immediately, she’d be in for some trouble. Valmet just rolled her eyes but eventually let Rebecca go and cautiously approached the entrance to peek inside.

A weak, flickering light filtered through the clinic’s interior, one that could go out at any moment. The walls and floor were splattered with blood, creating a sinister atmosphere. After surveying the scene, Valmet waved her hand to signal that it was safe to enter.

She entered first, carefully scanning the corners to avoid any sudden zombie attacks that could come from around any corner. The other girls followed her inside. Rika stayed on the Humvee roof, keeping watch and activating her camouflage cloak to avoid drawing attention.

Once inside, the girls split up to speed up the search for necessary supplies. Before they did, Valmet sternly warned Miu and Renka to always check a room before entering, making sure it was empty. A single stern look from her was enough to make them realize the seriousness of the situation.

The search for medical supplies was critical—resources were running out quickly, and even a minor cold or injury could become a serious problem. The girls methodically searched the rooms, packing what they found into bags.

Suddenly, a loud, slightly panicked voice from Miu echoed:

“Girls, come here! There’s a really strange room!”

They immediately stopped their search and headed toward Miu’s call. Meeting in the hallway, the girls made their way to the farthest room.

Once inside, they froze, confronted by a horrifying sight. They had seen zombies tearing people apart, witnessed blood and entrails, but what lay before them was even worse.

The walls were covered with bloody symbols, and the floor was littered with pieces of human bodies. The smell of death and decay was so thick that some of them felt their stomachs turn. Saeko and Rebecca exchanged glances – they had seen something like this before.

“These symbols are strange… Are they the same ones we found in the hospital with Alex?” Saya asked, carefully examining the inscriptions.

“Exactly. Only here, there are many more of them, and the atmosphere is even darker than in that hospital,” Saeko confirmed.

“Right. In the hospital, it looked like they were keeping one crazy person there, but here, it feels like a whole cult of madmen was conducting rituals,” Rebecca added.

“I think we should call Alex. He knows more about this. And Miu and Renka clearly don’t feel comfortable here,” Kiriko suggested, sounding like the voice of reason.

Everyone nodded in agreement and led Miu and Renka out of the room – both looked so pale that it seemed they were about to pass out or throw up. Even those who had seen a lot before were feeling uneasy, and for Miu and Renka, this was their first experience like this.

When the girls stepped outside, Rika immediately noticed their pale faces and looked at them curiously.

“What did you see in there?” she asked.

Valmet briefly explained the situation.

“Hmm… Yeah, that’s creepy,” was all Rika said, nodding.

Then Valmet took out the communicator and put it in her ear to contact Alex.

“Alex, do you copy? Are you here?” she asked.

“What’s up, Valmet? Problems? Or do you need something moved or loaded?” Alex’s calm voice came through.

“Are you far? We’ve got… some problems here. You’d better see it for yourself,” Valmet replied.

“I’m at the bank, I’ll be there in a couple of minutes,” Alex said, ending the conversation.

Valmet wondered what Alex was doing at the bank but decided not to dwell on it. She turned to the girls and informed them that he’d be there soon. Meanwhile, they helped Miu and Renka recover from what they had seen. After all, not every day do you find yourself in a place that looks like a crime scene, especially with clear evidence of some cult’s involvement.

A few minutes passed, and the girls started feeling a little better, but the memories of the horrifying discovery still troubled them. Both understood that if it weren’t for their composure, the breakfast they had eaten that morning would have “returned to freedom” long ago.

“What the hell was that?! The whole place looked like a scene from a horror movie!” Renka managed to say, still pale.

“We don’t know ourselves,” Saya shook her head. “The only place we’ve seen something like this before was in a hospital in our city. Nowhere else. According to Alex, it’s an ancient language found on some Obelisk… or what he calls a Marker. He didn’t go into detail, but he said that this Marker fell from the sky. Supposedly, it can influence people’s minds. I’m not sure how true that is, but if we assume it’s real, then maybe what we saw is the result of its influence.”

Miu and Renka exchanged confused glances. Saya’s words only intensified their bewilderment. “From space”? “Influencing the mind”? It all sounded like the ramblings of a madman. But judging by the serious faces of the others, it was far from a joke. They remembered that Alex always avoided discussions on this topic, brushing them off with remarks like “I’ll handle it myself” and telling them not to clutter their minds with unnecessary thoughts.

A silence hung in the air. Each of the girls tried to process what was happening. They had seen the infected who resembled fanatics, encountered different types of zombies, even experimental ones. But what they had found at the clinic went beyond anything they had faced before.

“Girls, he’s approaching,” came Rika’s voice, who was observing the situation through the sniper rifle’s scope.

“Where?” Rei asked, squinting toward the direction the rifle was pointed.

“Over there, running across the walls like a real ninja,” Rika replied with a slight smirk, pointing in the right direction.

The girls turned their heads to the indicated spot and saw a barely distinguishable silhouette swiftly moving across the walls of the buildings. As it came closer, it became clear that it was Alex—he was nimbly jumping from one wall to another, continuing his movement.

However, the closer he got, the more something about his appearance seemed… strange. When Alex made his final jump and landed next to the girls, they finally understood what was going on. He was literally covered in gold jewelry, and in his hands, he held a gold bar.

“Did you gather supplies, or did you decide to rob a bank?” Valmet asked skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest.

Alex touched his mask, and it vanished, revealing his face. He grinned widely and, tossing the gold bar in his hand, replied:

“I’ve always wanted to rob a bank… and thought, why not? Plus, I found a new friend. Meet Richard.”

The girls exchanged looks. Some rolled their eyes in displeasure, while others quietly chuckled.

“I see you had fun,” Saya shook her head. “But we have a situation that’s far from joyful. You better take a look for yourself.”

The smile faded from Alex’s face when he noticed the expressions of the girls. He realized that this was serious.

Placing the gold bar on the hood of the Humvee, he began searching through his pockets… or rather, where his pockets might have been if they existed in his suit at all. The girls watched this process in confusion until a sour expression appeared on his face.

“What are you looking for? Your suit doesn’t have pockets,” Rei asked, crossing her arms.

“Cigarettes…” Alex sighed in resignation. “I forgot I don’t have pockets.”

Without a word, Rika tossed Alex a pack of cigarettes. He skillfully caught it mid-air and, smirking, blew her an air kiss in thanks. Rika just smirked and playfully winked at him.

Lighting a cigarette, Alex finally turned his attention to the girls. He knew that if they interrupted him, something serious must have happened. Sure, he had robbed a bank for fun and grabbed a pile of gold jewelry, but the main thing he managed to acquire were useful supplies needed for growing crops in Alaska.

Seeing that Alex was ready to listen, Saya began explaining what they had discovered at the family clinic. With every word she spoke, Alex’s face grew darker. At one point, he even irritably ran his hand across his face, trying to deal with the rising frustration.

“Alright, I’ll go take a look at what’s going on. I’ll also take photos of those inscriptions,” he said, getting ready to head inside.

“I’ll go with you. That way, you can focus on the inscriptions, and I’ll cover you in case anything happens,” Valmet offered.

Alex nodded in agreement, and after informing the others that they would be back soon, he headed with Valmet toward the clinic.

As they passed by the girls, Saya suddenly froze. She thought she saw two female figures floating behind Alex in similar robes. Blinking several times, she felt the gaze of one of them on her. Saya’s heart tightened with an inexplicable sense of unease.

She quickly rubbed her eyes, hoping it was just her imagination, but the feeling of someone else’s presence didn’t go away.

“What’s with you, pinkie? Why are you blinking like you saw a ghost?” Rebecca lazily asked, leaning against the hood of the Humvee.

“I… I thought I saw two girls floating behind Alex… Like ghosts…” Saya replied uncertainly.

Rebecca smirked.

“Yeah, you definitely imagined it. Maybe it’s time for you to sleep? Looks like your mind’s going off track,” she teased, pretending not to take Saya’s words seriously.

But in reality, Rebecca was surprised. Somehow, Saya had seen the two Valkyries—Göndul and Reginleif—who were accompanying Alex in their spiritual form.

The Valkyries were also stunned. They hadn’t expected an ordinary girl to notice them. Göndul, looking directly at Saya, realized that she truly could see them. The two Valkyries exchanged a glance and decided to warn Alex.

“Darling, your pink-haired girl seems to see us,” suddenly, Göndul’s voice echoed in his head.

Alex froze, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Are you sure?” he asked mentally.

“Absolutely. She was looking directly at us, not at your back,” confirmed Reginleif.

Alex took a deep breath. He hadn’t expected this turn of events. How had Saya been able to see them? Was it an accident? Or did she have some hidden ability?

“Alright, we’ll figure it out later. Just be careful,” he finally replied.

He was still thinking about what had just happened, but decided not to dwell on it for now.

Valmet, walking beside him, hadn’t noticed anything in his behavior and calmly continued moving forward.

Entering the building, Alex immediately sensed an unpleasant smell that made him wrinkle his nose. Looking around, he couldn’t help but frown—everything in the room looked like a scene from a classic slasher.

“Ugh… Terrible sight… Alright, let’s see what these psychos wrote,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.

Alex sighed heavily and pushed a body aside that was blocking his view of the inscriptions on the floor. Crouching down, he tried to study them, but the longer he looked, the more they seemed disconnected—a chaotic jumble of words, like fragments of different phrases pieced together in the hope of making something meaningful.

Lifting his gaze, he looked at the walls. The situation there was the same: random scribblings that gave the impression someone had tried to make a message from them, but all that resulted was nonsense.

Alex tried to find some kind of pattern in these symbols. He didn’t know the Marker’s language, but strangely enough, he could intuitively understand its meaning, though he couldn’t explain how.

“Do you understand anything?” Valmet asked, noticing how intently he was studying the bloody inscriptions.

“It’s hard to say… Everything looks too chaotic,” Alex shook his head.

Taking a holograph from his pocket, he asked Valmet to step back and then activated the scanner. Hoping that the program created by GIR would be able to make sense of at least some of this chaos, Alex closely monitored the data processing.

Valmet moved closer and peered over his shoulder, watching the device at work. A few minutes later, the analysis was complete. The program couldn’t decrypt the Marker’s language, but it managed to organize the chaotic sentences into coherent phrases.

Alex thoughtfully stroked his chin, staring at the results.

“I’m not implying anything… But are you sure you even understand what’s written here? You said you didn’t know this language,” Valmet asked, studying the focused expression on his face.

“It’s like foreign languages… When you intuitively grasp the meaning of what’s being said, even if you don’t know the exact translation,” Alex explained, without taking his eyes off the symbols.

“So, what does it say, since you claim you understand it?” Valmet asked, moving closer to him.

Alex slid his finger across the screen, pointing to the deciphered phrases.

“If you don’t translate it literally, the meaning is roughly like this: ‘Torn body—torn promise. Whole body—whole promise.’ And it repeats everywhere: ‘Become one with us’… It’s all about unity, some kind of merging, but what exactly is supposed to unite—I don’t understand. The rest of the symbols seem meaningless.”

It was the first time he had encountered the Marker’s language, and he was still trying to decipher it. But even now, it was becoming clear to him what this “unity” was referring to.

Alex tore his gaze away from the holographic device and once again scanned the room, covered in symbols. Only one explanation for what had happened kept running through his mind: either there was a fragment of the Marker somewhere in this city, or these people had already been its sleeping agents before they completely lost their minds. And this bloodbath was just confirmation of that.

“If most of the symbols are meaningless, maybe there are more similar writings in other parts of the clinic?” Valmet asked thoughtfully.

“Maybe. But I don’t think it’ll help. This all looks like the ramblings of a madman… What worries me more is what comes next from this madness,” Alex replied tiredly.

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me the situation could get even worse,” Valmet frowned.

“I’m not sure yet. But shit’s gonna hit the fan, and there’s no stopping it…” Alex said, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.

Valmet just sighed heavily. She knew Alex wasn’t saying much, but from his words, it was clear that things could get even worse in the future. But how much worse, she didn’t know. The world was already in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, but it seemed like the real nightmare was yet to come.

Alex, on the other hand, was mulling over whether there was a fragment of the Marker in this city… or maybe it had already been here and disappeared. In any case, if the fragment was still somewhere nearby, he needed to get it before the Evil Corporation did.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep