Multiverse: Saving Anime Heroines in the Apocalypse

The Suzuki MPV weaved through the streets, its tires skimming past burning buildings, the sky above Tokyo now shrouded in smoke and fire so much so that it was hard to believe this was once a bustling metropolis.

Sosuke Kitahara carefully slowed the car as he maneuvered through the debris. A zombie missing both an arm and a leg sprawled across the road. He pressed the accelerator just enough to crush the creature's skull beneath the wheel without hesitation.

"Kasumigaoka, here, take this."

While driving, Sosuke handed her the handgun he had taken from the burly man earlier. Kasumigaoka Utaha, now dressed in more comfortable casual wear, looked at him in surprise. "Why are you giving this to me? I don't know how to use a gun. You should keep it at least you'll have something for protection if we get into trouble."

"I've got this katana. That's all I need right now. I don't need a gun."

Sosuke shook his head. In his previous life, he never awakened any firearm-related abilities, so he had little knowledge about this gun's specific origins. But he still understood how to operate it.

"It's not that hard to fire. Just release the safety and pull the trigger at your target. I've already checked it's got six rounds left. Hitting your target is the hard part. If you're worried about missing, just get closer. Worst-case scenario, press the muzzle right against their head. That'll work."

"Fine, I'll hold onto it for now."

Seeing Sosuke's insistence, Utaha stopped arguing. She took the handgun, though her expression was more conflicted than she let on. She traced her fingers over the warm gunmetal, then tucked the weapon securely into her waistband.

Sosuke didn't notice her subtle reaction. His focus was on checking his system points. He quickly realized something was off. His display showed only 26.6 points, and 12.4 of those were from before they got into the car. It seemed that running over zombies with the car yielded extremely low points most of his points had come from when he fought and picked up the gun on foot.

As expected, the system had already patched this kind of exploit. It made sense. If he could just grab an RPG and fire into hordes of zombies every day, the system's abilities would be drained in no time.

Sosuke muttered to himself, "The next stage for upgrading the breathing technique to 'Total Concentration: Constant' requires 100 points. The description says that even when I'm asleep, I'll maintain a fully focused breathing rhythm that continuously strengthens my body."

His stats still showed his physical condition was ordinary, which meant he couldn't yet learn more advanced abilities. The breathing technique was his foundation it was crucial to push it to the next level as soon as possible.

"There are more than a dozen sword techniques that can be paired with the breathing method. Each one costs 50 points, and they vary depending on your physical condition. What if I end up with a weaker sword skill? That would really suck."

After carefully thinking it through, Sosuke decided not to rush. He would focus on accumulating points for now.

…

Half an hour later, the Chizuru Hotel appeared in their line of sight. Sosuke pulled the car over on a quiet street where no zombies were nearby. In the distance, the giant LED screen on the mall flickered and changed to a new emergency broadcast another announcement urging citizens to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary danger.

These emergency broadcasts had been playing on repeat since last night, airing every few hours. Sosuke's gaze drifted toward the direction of the Harbor District, one of the few remaining safe zones guarded by the Self-Defense Force.

If nothing had gone wrong, Sayuri Sawamura should now be there with her family. Sosuke had no plans to look for her just yet. In his previous life, they had met by chance at a survivor base, their paths aligned by perfect timing and circumstance.

Showing up recklessly now wouldn't help her it might even backfire.

As long as they were both alive, they would meet again.

This time, he was determined to make Sayuri bear his child.

A resolute glint flashed in Sosuke's eyes.

"We'll get off here. Double-check your stuff don't leave anything behind."

Sosuke jumped out of the car and instinctively scanned their surroundings. Once he confirmed the area was safe, he took the backpack from Utaha, slung it over his shoulder, and gripped his katana tightly in his hand.

"Still can't get through on the phone?"

"Nope. Still just a busy tone."

Utaha shook her head and slipped the phone now on silent into Sosuke's backpack. The two of them cautiously crept along the hotel's walls.

To their surprise, there wasn't a single zombie in the hotel lobby. However, the flickering fluorescent lights and the blood splattered everywhere painted a gruesome picture of what had happened here. A large, bloody handprint stained the glass doors at the entrance, likely left by some desperate soul who had tried to escape.

"How are we getting up there? Still taking the stairs?"

Utaha gripped her bat tightly, her nerves on edge. The flickering lights above reminded her of scenes from ghost movies. But honestly, she thought zombies were cuter than ghosts at least zombies were slow.

"No, this time we're taking the elevator."

Sosuke paused, thinking carefully. Something about this place felt different from other locations. The emergency broadcast from the mall was loud enough to reach the hotel lobby, yet the entire place was eerily quiet.

That meant a significant number of zombies in the hotel had probably been lured away. The ones that remained were likely those still attracted to survivors inside their rooms.

The seventh floor was too high. The stairwells were narrow, climbing up would be exhausting, and there was a much higher risk of being trapped by zombies from both directions.

Ding!

The elevator doors slid open. Sosuke crept forward like a thief, carefully peering inside. After confirming it was empty, he sighed in relief and motioned for Utaha to follow him in. He pressed the button for the seventh floor and waited in silence as the elevator began to rise.

Inside, Sosuke turned to Utaha and reminded her, "Remember, it's room 7012. When the elevator doors open, leave the zombies to me. Just stick close to me. The moment you see 7012, knock immediately, but keep it as quiet as possible."

Since the Yukinoshita sisters were trapped in their room, the seventh floor couldn't possibly be safe. There were bound to be zombies nearby. When the elevator doors opened, he wasn't expecting a smiling hotel staff member. More likely, he'd be greeted by wide, blood-filled zombie maws.

There would be no room to retreat inside the elevator. His only option would be to carve a path through with his katana.

It was the kind of scenario he'd only ever seen in zombie movies, but this time, Sosuke was going to live it.

The elevator climbed rapidly, not even stopping once along the way. Unlike Sosuke, who remained calm, Utaha was a bundle of nerves, clutching her bat so tightly her palms were sweaty. Her mind was filled with visions of zombies lunging at them the moment the doors opened.

"Please, no zombies, please, no zombies…"

Her soft murmuring made Sosuke smile faintly. But he had already caught the foul stench unique to zombies, mingling with the metallic scent of blood.

Ding~

The elevator came to a stop on the seventh floor. The crisp chime rang out over the speakers.

Utaha immediately shrank to the farthest corner behind Sosuke, her eyes wide and unblinking, fixed on the slowly parting stainless-steel doors.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going