Crimson High Tide
I rode in the military vehicle, gazing at the scenery whipping past. The road ahead was still nothing but vast, barren wasteland without a single blade of grass.
"We haven't talked about the mission yet."
Yes, please go ahead, Squad Leader.
"We've received reports of a massive cadaver horde appearing in the East Sector. 1st Squad's mission is simple: exterminate them all."
Oh, is his brain made of muscle or something? How the hell are we exterminating a whole horde just like that? And is this another short-term op?
"We might have to stay in the area for up to three days if it drags on."
Ah, for real, this is driving me nuts. We always wrap up quick, so why today of all days? If I'd known, I'd have stayed in bed.
"We're here."
Sigh, already? Time flies. What can you do? I wasn't planning to play coy anyway—backing out now would just look pathetic. Time to haul this heavy butt out.
I tried to stand and follow the squad members. A thick hand clamped down on my shoulder.
What? I wanna get up?
"You stay here."
Pardon?
"After seeing you run from that cadaver last time, it's clear you haven't even got the basics."
No? No? No? I'm strong, though? I just didn't bother learning your puny human combat training 'cause I don't need it!
"A guy like that would just get in the way."
Hah, seriously. No way. Unbelievable... I'm dozens of times stronger than you? Of course... if you ask if I can actually show that power... nope, can't.
"It was just a simple mistake. No major injuries."
Still, I wanna go out! I came because I was bored of being cooped up in bed—this is after dragging all the way here, just to sit in the vehicle?
"I have no idea what makes you act so entitled. You got lucky it was just an arm."
Carlos shoved me back.
-BAM! The door slammed shut at the same time.
So, why'd you give me this radio then?
...No thanks? I turned off the radio.
"What the hell is that kid's deal?! Her movements are sloppy as hell, but she ignores orders anyway! Total loose cannon!"
Every step Rira took made the ground shake hard.
"Why'd the Doc send that little shit?!"
Rira raked her fingers roughly through her hair.
"Probably nothing special. Just his usual ploy to divert attention."
"Yeah, right, sure."
Rira took a deep breath. She reminded herself that stray thoughts filling her head during a mission made her movements sluggish.
She still didn't like Nera's willful attitude. But it wasn't seriously disrupting the op or outright sabotaging it. Worrying about it would just hurt her own focus.
With that conclusion, she shook her head.
"Alright, let's get to work today too."
Rira stretched her arms wide. Her gauntlets gleamed with a silvery sheen, reflecting the sunlight.
"Let's go smash 'em."
Orbs floated up behind Rira. Carlos gripped his Finisher.
Ahead of them teemed an uncountable horde of cadavers. Their roars blended into a grotesque cacophony. The thick, low bass made the air tremble.
"Commence operation."
-BANG! The Finisher's gunshot kicked it off.
The cadavers, who had been devouring each other until then, froze. The ones hit by freezing rounds turned pure white and were ignored by their kin. Blood-red pupils fixed solely on 1st Squad.
-GRRAAAAAHH!!
The brief silence shattered. The horde's mindless charge pulverized the frozen cadaver corpses in their path.
Rira charged straight at them. The orbs ramped up output, firing a beam cannon into the densest cluster. Tough, spiked hides meant nothing against the qubits' firepower. The cadavers vaporized into ash without even a dying screech.
"Left 4.3, right 4.2, front 3.9."
"Confirmed."
Three gunshots rang out in succession. The bullets pierced the high-threat targets Nova had called out. The cadavers froze white without resistance, then shattered.
"Come at me!!"
Regular cadavers had little more intelligence than wild beasts. Rather than targeting Nova and Carlos providing heavy fire from behind, they rushed straight at Rira, who was drawing their eyes with her loud charges up front.
Sharp claws slashed toward her. Some kept distance and fired thick spines.
Rira's strategy was simple: deflect what she could, tank the weak hits.
She twisted her body, glancing off thick claws. At the same time, spines pierced her abdomen, flank, and thigh.
"Die!"
But her momentum didn't falter. The puncture wounds healed in the instant she advanced. Rira plunged straight into the beast-type cadaver's face.
-SPLAT! Gauntlets connected, and it burst under the impact.
Rira didn't stop. Red chunks of flesh sprayed through the air again and again.
They're going at it like crazy. I could do that too...
Okay, fine, even if I give you that my movements might be a bit sloppy. I never trained in martial arts! No formal combat education anywhere! Well... I did serve in the military? No no, that's not the point. Anyway, I've never learned any hand-to-hand.
But they said I'm around 4.5! Even if I'm a little clumsy, that kind of strength should help, right?
Wait and see. I'll gauge the horde's power levels!
4.7, 4.5, 4.2, 4.4...
Hmm... This 'horde' has more strong ones than I thought? Yeah, I was thinking too much in game terms—sorry about that. Come to think of it, I don't even have a weapon. Carlos has insta-kill rounds, Rira's got infinite HP cheat mode, and Nova's rocking qubits, the ultimate human-tech superweapon! I'm just a 4.5 meat puppet, no different from those beasts over there...
...Why the hell did I even come here?
Objectively assessing my position like this, I couldn't fathom the Doc's thinking at all. He definitely sent me here to die, right? Or maybe he expects some dramatic power awakening in a crisis? My motivation just tanked. I joined the almighty 1st Squad—shouldn't they at least give me a cool weapon? This is so unfair.
No helping it. I'm going out. If only to prove my power and vent this frustration...!
I opened the vehicle door.
Whew~ fresh air outside~
Maybe stay a bit away? When I scanned the horde earlier, I realized why Carlos mentioned three days. There are insanely many cadavers!
In my view, they named the mission wrong. Not a horde—a legion. I see about a hundred right now, but all the way to the horizon? Probably a thousand. Not that I counted exactly!
Even I think clearing them in three days might be tough. Could take longer.
No way... I can't allow that. I just wanted a little walk. Zero desire to be stuck in this vehicle for three days.
I gradually ramped up my power. My vision went blood-red, veins bulging crimson on my skin. This cool, heavy sensation. Time to revert to Blood Lord mode!
Ah, but I shut off my signals this time so sensors won't pick me up. Wouldn't want the headache.
The body is made of blood. Obviously. I used to be human, after all.
But thinking about it, cadavers aren't much different. Right now, tentacles are dismantling this one into mush, and blood just keeps pouring out! With regeneration better than normal lifeforms, it's gushing like a waterfall. Kinda gross, maybe.
I, raised on fancy fresh cadaver sashimi, can't touch this stuff! But tentacles aren't hands, so it's fine.
Feels like I've handled about a hundred, but the horde's still swarming. Gunfire still echoes from afar, so 1st Squad's still fighting.
Dismantling them one by one like this will take forever. My goal: wipe the horde today and crash in bed.
But mass slaughter always makes noise. Max-output blood spray cannon could end it quick, but with three pairs of eyes watching... tricky.
Any other way? Mass kill without noise. A barrier undetectable without special eyes! Or a shadow realm only magic users enter!
After staring blankly at the sky, I looked down.
Whoa~ what a mess. Whoever did it, the ground's soaked in nutrients.
Blood's the ultimate survival food: hydration, nutrition, vitamins—everything.
Hmm, 'blood'... yeah, I can use this.
I slapped my hand into the blood pool, slowly infusing virus. I casually smashed approaching cadavers with tentacles meanwhile.
Soon, the blood quivered faintly—a sign it was mixing with mine. The pool expanded bit by bit. Ripples spread across the blood-red surface.
When I looked up, crimson waves swirled around me like a vortex.
I pondered a name briefly. Red Tide fits nicely. The merciless crimson full tide devouring all life!
Beyond sight, I sensed it clearly. Cadavers noticing me had their legs eroded by the tide, immobilized.
Now, just devour them all at once.
I tapped the surface with my toe. Massive ripples spread from the point of contact.
Everywhere they touched, cadavers sank silently below. The noise filling the air vanished in an instant.
Nothing to see, nothing to hear—just emptiness around me.
It worked. No sensor worries—low output I can mask myself.
I just manipulated the thinly spread power multiple times. Weak ones got fully devoured, but strong ones lost only parts and survived.
Still, good enough. For 1st Squad, waves that were ten rounds down to two!
Now, sneak back to the vehicle and chill.
"This is weird."
Carlos scanned the surroundings.
"Why, Captain? No high-threats in sight."
"Not that. It's too easy."
"Isn't that good?"
Both turned to Nova.
"The ease is the problem."
Nova's face was grave. Rira looked puzzled; Carlos explained.
"Fewer cadavers than expected. Unless they burrowed... means they've been eaten."
Cadavers eating each other was normal, so gradual thinning wasn't odd. But noticeable reduction changed things.
"Likely a special specimen showed up."
"Again?"
Rira sounded exhausted.
"Yeah, only cadavers eat cadavers. Anyway, focus—almost done."
With that, qubit bombardment resumed. Rira smashed cadavers with punches; Carlos flawlessly picked off high-threats with freezing rounds.
"Done?"
"No reactions. Total annihilation confirmed."
Carlos nodded and turned. The squad checked gear and followed him back to the vehicle.
As they neared...
-THUD.
A massive cadaver wrapped in thick senses burst from underground, flipping the military vehicle.
"Front, cadaver. 4.3."
"Tch, linker type."
Intense heat leaked from its maw.
"Special trait type. Careful."
"No issue."
Flames bloomed in its huge mouth. Finisher flickered with frost light.
The imminent blaze extinguished instantly. The frozen-white cadaver shattered into crystals as expected.
Carlos sprinted to the vehicle. Opening the flipped door revealed Nera nestled peacefully in airbags.
"The vehicle's so comfy and cushy."
Her black hair was tousled from the shake. Clothes snagged on edges, accentuating her feminine curves. A glimpse of pale skin showed through her slightly hiked-up shirt.
Carlos averted his eyes for a split second.
That startled me. I'd snuck back in, dozed to distant battle sounds—then boom, vehicle flips.
Thought about bailing, but airbags deployed, so I stayed put. Just bounced softly around.
Vehicle's tough, though. Rolled across ground multiple times, yet interior showed zero damage.
"You okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Good. Come out then. Gotta right the vehicle."
Sure.
I hopped out. Carlos grabbed the chassis with one hand and spun it upright like a game.
Even if sturdy, is rough-handling like that okay?
"Done. Hop in—we're heading back."
Guess it was just me fascinated. Everyone else boarded without a care.
Hmm, me too.
The vehicle took off like nothing happened.
"By the way, Captain—that special you mentioned... the one we've been hunting a week? The Abyss or whatever."
"No. It's violent but intelligent. If alive, it wouldn't reveal itself."
Why you guys talking secrets again?
"What's Abyss?"
Tell me too. I eyed Carlos, but the answer came from the side.
"The one that scarred your arm. High-threat specimen."
No way—the same type as the me that died back then?! But that one's dead.
"Week-long follow-up search. Confirmed vanished."
This one's hard to follow. I glanced between Carlos and Nova. Skipped Rira—probably no need to explain.
"Just verifying during the search. Abyss is definitely dead. This is a new special."
Sheesh, if it's dead, it's dead—why hunt so hard? You shot its head yourself!
Eek, scary. Good thing obsessive guys like you aren't after me.