Julian’s gaze lingered on the flames for a moment before speaking, his voice steady and low. "We need to be cautious. We can’t walk into that nest without proper preparation."
Kevin nodded, brushing his white bangs back from his eyes. "Relax, I get it. I’m not rushing into a suicide mission either. "
"Actually... I need to meet someone first. He’s supposed to rendezvous with us tomorrow morning. Once he’s here, we’ll have the full picture."
Julian nodded once, accepting the plan.
A pause hung between them, the crackling fire filling the silence. Then Kevin leaned in slightly, curiosity dancing in his blue eyes. "Hey... can I ask something kind of personal?"
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."
Kevin tilted his head, almost childlike in tone. "Are you... in a relationship with all six of those girls?"
Julian turned his head slowly, meeting Kevin’s eyes directly. The question was blunt, too blunt, but not malicious. Just genuine curiosity.
"I am," Julian replied evenly. "They’re all my girlfriends."
Kevin let out a half-laugh, half-gasp of admiration. "Holy hell. That’s... impressive. You really managed to win over all of them?"
Julian smirked faintly, the expression almost imperceptible. "No tricks. It just happened."
Kevin threw his hands up. "There it is. That’s exactly what a popular guy would say."
Julian leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing with a trace of amusement. "You seem close to those two women, Nia and Belle."
Kevin blinked, his cheeks tinged with the faintest shade of red. "R-Really? You think so?"
Julian nodded, his tone calm. "Maybe one of them has feelings for you."
Kevin scratched the back of his neck, his usual confidence faltering for a moment. "Heh... if that’s true, maybe I’ll start dating one of them. Or maybe both.., It’d be kind of nice, huh?"
Julian gave a small hum of acknowledgment, not teasing, just observing.
Then Julian asked, "Where did you meet them before?"
Kevin took a moment before replying, "I met them in different places. Belle... I’ve been friends with her since we were kids. We grew up together. As for Nia, I met her when I was rescuing some survivors from a raider attack. She’s been following me ever since."
Julian nodded slightly. "I see..."
The fire crackled between them as their conversation wandered, talking about the road, about strange mutated zombies they’d seen, about the kinds of places they missed from before the fall. It was the kind of quiet, meandering talk that only happened when the world around was still.
Eventually, the weight of the day began to settle into their bones. Kevin yawned, stretching his arms with a groggy smile. "I think... I’m gonna crash. Big day tomorrow."
Julian stood and gave a short nod. "Get some rest. We’ll need all the energy we can get."
Kevin offered a tired thumbs-up and turned toward his tent. Julian lingered for a moment under the night sky, eyes scanning the dark horizon.
Then, without a word, he too returned to his camp, where soft breathing and distant crackles of fire signaled a few hours of fragile peace.
By the time the sun had fully risen, both groups had assembled and geared up, ready for the journey ahead. Julian’s team stood near their packed supplies, while the Dawnlight members gathered around a line of rugged, armored vehicles, each one humming faintly with latent power.
Julian raised an eyebrow as he walked toward one of the vehicles, then glanced at Kevin. "So, you managed to develop an energy conversion engine too?"
Kevin looked puzzled. "Huh? What engine?"
Julian gestured toward the vehicle. "That kind of power system."
Kevin chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, I didn’t make them. We traded for these rides. Some genius engineers somewhere out west figured out how to rebuild old vehicles with energy stabilizers and zombie crystal cores."
Julian blinked. "You paid for these... with money?"
"Nope," Kevin said, grinning. "Zombie crystals. Way more valuable than gold these days. People are building entire economies around them."
Julian gave a small nod. It made sense. In this world, survival was currency. Power was value.
With everything set, the convoy began to move, rolling steadily across broken terrain, until they reached the location Kevin had marked on their map.
A ruined hill surrounded by dead trees, and a narrow valley that dipped toward a shattered town swallowed by nature.
They stopped near the outskirts. The wind carried the scent of rot.
"Alright," Kevin said, stepping out and checking his surroundings. "We wait here. My friend should be arriving soon. He knows the path to the nest."
Nia crossed her arms. "He’s late."
"Very late," Belle added, glancing around with growing impatience.
"Relax," Kevin replied with a small sigh. "He might’ve run into trouble on the road. Just give it a bit more time."
Before anyone could respond, a faint rumble echoed from the distance. Heads turned. Dust rose at the edge of the horizon. But it wasn’t a vehicle.
It was a horde.
A mass of undead shambled toward them, drawn by the scent of life or perhaps by the sound of machines.
Emma cracked her knuckles. "Well... it looks like they came all this way just to be slaughtered."
"Emma," Clarissa scolded, "a lady shouldn’t speak so harshly."
Kevin stepped forward with a smirk. "Actually... that’s perfect. What do you say we treat this as a warm-up? Might be good to show each other what we can do before heading into a hell-nest."
Julian unslung his weapon and cracked his neck. "I’m fine with that."
The others readied themselves.
No more waiting.
It was time to show power.
"I’ll go first," Emma said confidently, stepping forward as small embers flickered around her fingertips. Within seconds, her entire body was engulfed in flames. dancing tongues of fire rippling from her shoulders to her boots.
She extended her hand, and a wave of searing fire swept across the horde.
The front line of zombies disintegrated in an instant, reduced to blackened ash and falling bones.
Kevin whistled. "Fire, huh? That’s a powerful affinity."
"Not bad," Nia muttered, clearly impressed.
Celestia stepped forward next, silent and poised. In the blink of an eye, her figure shimmered, vanishing into a blur. [Phantom Step] activated. Threads of silver energy coiled around her fingers as she weaved through the undead with grace and speed.
Each movement left a silver arc, and wherever her threads danced, heads and limbs fell.
Kevin’s eyes widened. "Two skills... [Phantom Step] and [Silver Thread]? That’s rare."
Julian, watching calmly, asked, "Have you met anyone else with two abilities?"
Kevin nodded. "Four so far. Each one a monster in their own way."
Then came Zoe.
With a savage grin, she burst forward, claws extending from her gloves like curved blades. She tore through the zombies with raw strength and animalistic ferocity, ripping flesh, breaking bones. Gore painted her silhouette, but her smile never wavered.
"Remind me not to get on her bad side," Belle murmured.
Nia didn’t wait. "Now watch this."
She activated Blink, teleporting rapidly from one zombie to the next, each jump ending in a fatal blow. Her blades danced like lightning, slicing through skulls and necks. The undead didn’t even have time to react.
Clarissa followed, her eyes glowing faintly. With a flick of her hand, the air shimmered, telekinetic force slamming into a cluster of enemies, crushing them against nearby rocks and vehicles. Blood splattered in every direction.
"Simple and Clean," she said coolly.
Veronica stepped up next, whispering an incantation. A soft light enveloped her, a battle enchantment. Her speed and strength surged. With brutal fists and enhanced reflexes, she pummeled zombies into the dirt, her blows echoing like gunshots.
Belle raised her rifle and calmly said, "Cover fire."
With precision and elegance [Headshot], she fired shot after shot. Each bullet pierced a zombie’s skull, clean, fast, surgical. No wasted movement.
Then Aya knelt behind cover, her crossbow glinting.
"Targeting now."
With her [Eagle Eye] active, she loosed bolt after bolt, each one striking undead from incredible distances, some in the eye, others straight through the mouth or heart.
Kevin finally stepped forward. "My turn, huh?"
[Light] gathered around him, wrapping around his arms. It coalesced into a radiant sword that shimmered with ethereal glow. With powerful swings, he sliced through zombies like a divine warrior, each strike a holy arc of devastation.
He looked back with a smile. "Heroic enough for you?"
And then, Julian stepped out.
Crackling sparks erupted from his hands as arcs of lightning surged around his body. Thunder roared as he charged into the horde. Every touch electrocuted and shredded flesh, zombies spasmed, convulsed, then burst.
Then, from his shadow, black tendrils rose, Shadow Thrusts skewering enemies from behind, piercing eyes, throats, hearts.
Electric light and darkness danced together in violent harmony.
In moments, the horde was gone.
What remained was a field of silence, scorched earth, and shredded corpses.
Kevin exhaled, grinning. "Well... I think we’ll make a damn good team."