"What the—?" Lucy's question dies as Kana presses a finger to her lips, shh.
Then, loud enough for the hallway to hear: "Looks like the bastards outside are toast! All clear—let's grab some grub and water!"
Five shadowy figures outside crouch, muscles coiled like wolves about to pounce.
Kana's eyes gleam—gotcha. She yanks a card painted with roaring flames and flicks it the second the door cracks open.
"RAAAGH—!!"
The five lunge like sharks on a bleeding seal.
BOOM—!!!
A firestorm erupts in the narrow corridor, swallowing them whole. Screams drown in the blast.
[A-Rank Zombies Left: 96]
The system chimes in Lucy's head.
She stares at the doorway, then Kana, voice cracking: "There were A-Rank zombies ambushing us?!"
"They've got brains?!"
"Duh," Kana says, stepping over charred husks like they're speed bumps. She scans both ends of the hall. "Remember the host's last warning—don't fall for their 'human flashback' bullshit."
"Means they've kept scraps of memory and habits. Enough to set traps and play possum."
She kicks a crispy corpse. "Panel update plus that ambush? A-Ranks are cunning as feral wolves. Tactical."
"If A-Ranks pull this shit, the higher tiers—especially that lone SSS-Rank—are probably smarter than us. And twice as nasty."
Lucy swallows hard, staring at Kana's back like she's a goddamn war general.
That's the vet who's failed the S-Class exam four times? No wonder Natsu picks fights with Erza instead of Roger…
"Jackpot—magic recovery!" Kana's voice snaps her out of it.
She's crouched, pinching a jagged, thumbnail-sized purple crystal from a corpse. Pure magic pulses off it like a heartbeat.
"Like a magic beast core?" Lucy gags but grabs one too.
"Bingo." Kana scoops the rest. "They evolve by eating—makes sense high-tiers condense these bad boys."
She rolls one between her fingers. "Less 'core,' more concentrated magic crystal. We can suck 'em dry to refill."
She tosses Lucy one, pockets three, and eyes the stairs up.
"Supplies done. Let's move."
Lucy blinks, pointing down. "Food's probably on the first floor—"
"Nope." Kana reaches for a flask that isn't there, tsks. "Food later."
"Priority: high ground, open sightlines, easy defense. We thin the herd before they eat each other into bigger bastards."
"Otherwise? We're fighting smarter monsters every hour."
She claps Lucy's shoulder. "Tactics? Leave it to big sis. You rain hell from range—and be ready to book it."
Lucy nods, half-lost but weirdly calm behind Kana's swagger.
They climb. Every floor, Kana slaps trap cards into cracks and debris.
"Traps?" Lucy whispers.
"Yup." Kana dusts her hands. "We're about to throw a party. When the guest list fills the building—BOOM."
Lucy's eyes sparkle. "So we're luring them up to nuke 'em all at once? Genius!"
Kana winks. "Quick learner. Grind this exam, train your ass off—next year? S-Class Lucy."
Lucy's fists clench, cheeks flushed. "S-Class Lucy! Hell yeah!"
They burst onto the rooftop. Wind hits like a slap—rust, dust, faint blood.
They creep to the edge.
Below: a sea of zombies, slow and thick as tar.
Kana scans, barks orders: "You: AoE fire and lightning. I'll lock down defense."
"On it!" Lucy grins, gold key flashing.
[Open the Gate of the Archer—Sagittarius!]
Magic circle flares. A dude in a horse costume salutes. "Moshi moshi! Orders, Lady Lucy?"
"Burn and zap as many as you can!"
"Moshi moshi!" He nocks a flaming arrow—crackling lightning coils around it.
He raises the bow. A massive white array spins in front.
[Splitting Arrow: Thunder-Fire Purgatory]
The arrow screams. Splits mid-flight—1 to 2, 2 to 4, 4 to 8—until the sky's a storm of gold-red death.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The street becomes a fireworks show from hell.
[B-Rank Left: 151 → 130]
[A-Rank Left: 89 → 84]
Kana elbows Sagittarius. "Nice! One volley, 43 B's and 5 A's. Didn't know the horse getup packed that heat."
"Moshi moshi! Lady Lucy's magic is leagues stronger now—my arrows fused with dropped spells. Elemental explosions, auto-split, homing…"
A guttural HOWL rises. Zombies surge from alleys—some with lizard tongues, some skinned to muscle, climbing the damn walls.
"No you don't!" Lucy's eyes harden. Another key—twist.
[Star Dress: Virgo Form]
Maid outfit swap. She claps—earth magic explodes.
CRUNCH! Stone spikes impale climbers, hurling them down.
Sagittarius unloads another volley.
[B-Rank: 100] [A-Rank: 80]
Lucy's grinning—then dodges. Wind blades and fireballs shatter against a sudden earth wall.
Sagittarius: "Northwest, 30 degrees—special target eating crystals!"
They look. A pale, skinny zombie dodges arrows, digging crystals from skulls and chowing down.
"It's stealing our loot!"
[S-Rank: 9] [SS-Rank: 6]
The second the chime hits, the zombie shudders. Skin flushes pink. Aura spikes.
"EVOLVED! S to SS!"
Lucy panics. "If I raise the ground, it'll just ride up! I can't grab the crystals!"
Kana smirks, sliding out a card with a brown glove. "Planned for scavengers."
She places a crystal on it.
[Scavenger Glove: Collect]
A ghostly deerskin glove materializes. The crystal flies into it.
The glove clenches.
WHOOSH!
Every unclaimed crystal on the battlefield rips free, streaking into a blank storage card Kana holds high.
The fresh SS-Rank swipes at a fat crystal—grabs air. Looks up. Sees the rooftop duo.
Lucy bleps and flips it off. "Nyeh~ No more snacks, bitch!"
The zombie SCREAMS—a sonic bomb.
Visible sound waves ripple out. Every zombie hit inflates, eyes blood-red, attacks tripling in power.
Lucy's earth wall cracks. "Ears—FUCK!"
Kana flings a card skyward. It bursts into golden rain over the densest pack.
[B-Rank: 80] [A-Rank: 75]
Lucy grits her teeth, clenches fist—ground under the screamer turns to quicksand.
It sinks, mouth open in shock.
Sagittarius: TWANG.
A thunder-fire arrow rockets down its throat.
KABOOM!!!!
A mushroom cloud of flame and lightning. Dozens of zombies vaporized.
[SS-Rank: 5]
Lucy whoops, jumping. "One SS down! We're cooking!"
Then—silence.
Every zombie freezes. Then… retreats. Orderly. Vanishing into shadows.
Lucy blinks. "They… ran?"
Kana's eyes narrow, scanning rooftops. "The boss is calling shots. Didn't show, but it's thinking."
"Spread out = longer exam + more high-tiers."
She turns. "Got a healer spirit?"
Lucy nods slowly. "Yeah… need it?"
Kana's grin is feral. "Hell yes. Summon. Before they all fuck off."
Sagittarius salutes, vanishes.
Lucy pulls another key.
[Open the Gate of the Twins—Gemi and Mini!]
Two blue dolls pop out. "Piri piri~ Orders?"
"Copy Wendy."
"Piri piri~!" Smoke explodes.
When it clears—a perfect Wendy stands there, shy smile and all.