Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

Reuel turned after slaughtering all the zombies and saw Takagi Saya completely paralyzed in fear.

Busujima Saeko sheathed her sword and walked over to Takagi Saya. She gently embraced the girl, stroking her head softly, trying to calm her down.

Once in Saeko's arms, Saya could no longer hold it in. Her body trembled, and she began to cry in terror. Saeko calmly patted her back.

"Come on… you can let it all out with me," she whispered softly.

Beside them, Kohta Hirano stared at the two beautiful women hugging each other. His eyes were hollow, full of envy.

"I'm scared too, you know… I need a hug too… Why is it just them…"

He looked around. Rei Miyamoto stood beside Takashi Komuro like a couple, and Shizuka Marikawa was clinging closely to Reuel. Kohta felt the world was truly unfair to him. God, why am I the only one without a partner?

After crying for about thirty minutes, Takagi Saya slowly pulled away from Saeko's embrace. She wiped her tears, then looked around, embarrassed.

Reuel looked at the six of them. Now that they were all gathered here, the system didn't give any commands. Apparently, the system couldn't be accessed in this group either.

Why couldn't I check in during the Demon Slayer universe either? And now the system's silent again. What the hell is the requirement? Reuel thought, irritated. He tried communicating internally, but the damn system stayed silent. Bastard.

Saeko then spoke up to ease the mood.

"Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Busujima Saeko, Class 3-A."

"Takagi Saya, Class 2-B," Takagi said, still sounding weak.

"Rei Miyamoto, Class 2-B."

"Takashi Komuro, Class 2-B."

"Kohta Hirano, Class 2-B."

"A jobless Weeboo who's happy every day—Reuel," he said casually, completely unfazed.

"Etto… me! Mee! I—I don't need to introduce myself too, right?" Shizuka Marikawa blurted out, pointing at herself with excitement, like a child on stage for the first time.

"Of course. The school nurse, Shizuka Marikawa. Who doesn't know her?" Takagi Saya replied flatly.

Takagi briefly observed everyone and murmured quietly, "I didn't think so many people from Class 2-B would survive…"

As for Reuel's ridiculous introduction, Takagi didn't question it. Maybe the guy really didn't want to reveal his real identity.

"Mr. Reuel, why are you carrying such a strange-looking gun? Your shooting skill is amazing," Shizuka Marikawa said, eyes sparkling. She stood beside Reuel, clearly feeling safe near him.

"This weapon… I got it from a Weeboo friend's house," Reuel replied nonchalantly. "The three of us: me, Tarou Sakamoto, and Tatsu the Eternal Dragon. We're true Weeboo bros in the same neighborhood."

He looked at the big-breasted airhead in her overly tight school nurse uniform and gave a faint smile.

Even though Reuel said that, not a single person believed him. A weapon like that was obviously smuggled. There was no way it was just kept in a Weeboo's home. But no one pressed further.

"What should we do now? There are too many zombies in the school," said Rei Miyamoto as she looked out at the school courtyard filled with hordes of the undead.

"We'll need a car if we want to get out of here," said Takagi Saya, touching her chin in thought. "We can't walk out of this place."

"Me! I have a car!" Shizuka Marikawa shouted cheerfully, raising her hand high like a kindergartener who knew the answer.

Reuel immediately slapped his forehead. This big-boobed idiot… Even the bullies were probably smarter than her. Did all her brain cells migrate to her tits?

"Does your car even fit this many people? There are seven of us, dumbass," Reuel said sharply.

"Eh… etto… my car…" Shizuka mumbled in a small voice, finally realizing her car wouldn't be enough. She looked down, embarrassed.

"Let's go to the teacher's office," Busujima Saeko suggested. "There's usually a minibus key for the club. They use it for competitions."

Reuel glanced at Saeko. She seemed familiar with the school's layout.

So they're escaping in a minibus… just like the original story from the manga, he thought.

"All right. The key's in the office. I'll find it," said Shizuka Marikawa with a wide grin, then walked off, followed by Reuel and the others.

Once they reached the teacher's office, they successfully found the bus key and got ready to head to the parking lot.

But as they arrived at the main staircase, they saw a swarm of zombies filling the school's main hall.

The problem? The bus was in the courtyard—and they had to pass through that hall first...

These zombies weren't actually a threat to Reuel. However, if he wanted to stick to the storyline and understand how his system worked, he couldn't just go around revealing his full power. For now, he chose to follow along with the group.

"You don't need to kill all the zombies down there. That would just waste your stamina. If possible, avoid them," Busujima Saeko said calmly but firmly.

"These zombies seem to only react to loud noises, and their wrist strength is insane. If we walk slowly, we should be fine," Takagi Saya added, giving her usual analysis.

"So… who wants to go first?" Rei Miyamoto asked, looking at each of their faces one by one.

Silence.

They looked at each other without saying a word. Just as Takashi Komuro was about to volunteer to act as bait, Reuel stepped forward first.

"I'll go."

"Reuel-kun, you…" murmured Shizuka Marikawa, reaching out to grab his arm, but Busujima Saeko quickly covered the nurse's mouth.

"Don't call out. That'll just attract the zombies, Sensei. Let's just wait," Saeko said, eyes still locked on Reuel. Her grip on her sword tightened, ready in case something happened.

Takashi Komuro froze in place. He simply watched as Reuel calmly descended the stairs.

Takagi Saya also said nothing, eyes wide as she stared at Reuel.

Reuel walked down the steps without an ounce of fear.

These zombies are different from the ones in Resident Evil, he thought. They only react to sound—not like Resident Evil's zombies that also rely on smell.

With a casual stride, Reuel walked straight through the horde. He picked up a backpack from the floor and hurled it hard against the wall to the left.

CLANG!!

The noise echoed, and the zombies immediately moved toward the source. None of them paid Reuel any mind.

He waved toward the upper floor to signal the others, then opened the exit door.

Seeing the zombies shuffle away, Busujima Saeko and the others began descending one by one. They quickly realized that the zombies weren't attacking them, so they followed him outside—cautiously but steadily.

But just as they stepped outside the building, a scream rang out.

"HEEEEEELP MEEE!!"

"Please! Someone's here! Helppp!!"

The screaming from another building woke up the remaining zombies. One by one, they turned toward the sound.

"Run! Run now!!" Reuel shouted, seeing the others frozen in place.

He immediately grabbed Shizuka Marikawa—who was standing closest—and pulled her with one hand while aiming his bolt pistol with the other.

BOOM-THUMP!! BOOM-THUMP!!

Two zombies in their path dropped instantly, bullets piercing their skulls. The rest of the group began scattering in panic, running in all directions.

"Saeko! Get Shizuka to the school bus! Get it ready to go! I'll cover the rest!"

Reuel shoved Shizuka toward Saeko, then turned back to hold the line, shooting and slashing at the zombies closing in.

BOOM-THUMP!! BOOM-THUMP!!

VRRRRRRT—SKRRRRRTCH!! KRAK-KRUNCH!!

The sound of bullets and chainsaw teeth mixed with the grotesque screeches of the undead. Reuel moved with sharp precision—shooting zombies in the head one after another, slashing through those that got too close with his chainsword. Every strike sent blood flying, every slash ripped through rotting flesh with a sickening sound.

Busujima Saeko and Shizuka Marikawa watched from behind, frozen for a moment in awe. Reuel was fighting like a monster on the battlefield. Every shot hit dead center. Every swing of his sword cut through zombies like butter.

Their faces were pale. Shizuka was on the verge of vomiting, and even Saeko—who was used to killing—couldn't hide her shock.

They finally ran toward the bus, following Reuel's instructions, while the man continued to fight alone behind them.

Takagi Saya stared at the zombies ahead of her, breathing heavily. She kept dodging, trying not to panic. But then, one by one, the zombies dropped—huge holes blown open in their skulls.

When she looked up, her eyes widened.

Reuel was standing in the distance, shooting the zombies with a pitch-black, strange-looking pistol. In his other hand, his chainsword spun viciously, slicing through rotting flesh like it was nothing.

For a moment, Takagi Saya stood still. Her heart pounded—not out of fear, but because Reuel looked incredible… and, for some reason, so damn handsome in her eyes.

Thanks to Reuel, they all managed to escape without any real danger. But instead of heading for the bus, Takagi Saya ran toward him, standing beside him as if she wanted to witness firsthand how he fought.

Reuel instantly felt someone watching him. When he turned, he saw Takagi Saya still standing there by his side.

"Hey, tsundere girl!" Reuel shouted while continuing to fire at the zombies. "What are you looking at?! Get on the damn school bus! Don't just stand there like an idiot!"

"You… you… ugh!" Takagi Saya huffed in frustration and ran off. She didn't know what to say. In her heart, she could only grumble—this guy was so dense.

Reuel let out a short sigh. Do all of them have brain problems? he thought irritably. I'm the one pulling all the attention from the zombies, and she just stands right behind me. Is she a genius or an idiot?

If it weren't for trying to understand how his check-in system worked, Reuel would've already summoned the Astra Militarum and wiped out every zombie in Japan. But now wasn't the time.

Even using only around 40% of the Emperor of Mankind's physical power, it was more than enough to make these zombies feel like weak animals before him.

Reuel kept slaughtering the undead effortlessly. Corpses piled around him, the stench of blood and rotting flesh thick in the air.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the direction of the school bus.

"Mr. Reuel, get in the vehicle!" shouted Busujima Saeko.

Reuel turned and saw everyone already inside the bus. He stopped shooting and sprinted toward it.

As soon as he climbed aboard, the sight that greeted him was a bit of a surprise—the bus was nearly full. Apparently, students from other buildings had also fled here.

But Reuel's attention was immediately drawn to one figure.

A man in a neat suit, wearing glasses, stood among the crowd with a face that tried to look pure and composed.

That Beast of a Teacher...

Reuel instantly knew who he was: Kōichi Shidō. That bastard's name rang clearly in his mind.

Just seeing his face was enough to make Reuel nauseous. Even in the real world—or while watching the anime—he always had the urge to snap that man's neck.

"Who told you to get on this bus?" Reuel asked coldly, his voice echoing through the vehicle.

Everyone fell silent. They were still stunned by Reuel's combat skills—and now the man suddenly questioned their teacher's presence.

Previously, they refused to leave without Reuel because of his strength and bravery. But now, after he stepped in and asked that question, the atmosphere in the bus instantly turned tense.

Even Busujima Saeko and the others turned to look at him, surprised by the tone of his voice.

Takashi Komuro suddenly stood up, glaring at Reuel in protest.

"It was me. What's the problem?"

"He's from our school," he said loudly. "Are we supposed to let people die out there?"

Reuel turned slowly and looked Takashi straight in the eyes.

"Do you know who you just saved?"

The question hung in the air, without explanation, making everyone even more confused.

Reuel knew not everyone here understood who Kōichi Shidō really was. Maybe only Rei Miyamoto had seen it earlier—when the man kicked a student down the stairs just to save himself. That student had fallen, gotten hurt, and eventually became zombie bait—just so Shidō could buy himself a few extra seconds to escape.

And now, on the bus, the bastard was trying to act composed, starting to speak in that persuasive tone, already trying to sway the students. Reuel knew his type well.

Shidō was a natural-born politician—slimy and manipulative. In the anime version, he even tried to brainwash the students on the bus, split up Takashi Komuro's group, and turn them against each other. All of it to maintain his position as the group's leader and improve his own chances of survival.

Reuel stared at the man in silence. In his mind, the urge to rip Shidō's life away only grew stronger.