Even though their bodies had shrunk, Lin and Yama mobility far exceeded that of ordinary people.
They silently left the bedroom, scouted the surroundings and the movements in their parents' room, and once they confirmed there were no issues, they ran toward the clock tower, one behind the other.
The bizarre sights they saw along the way made Lin frown repeatedly.
This Bubble Universe seemed to truly accommodate the existence of Honkai. Various Honkai Beasts lived orderly within the city, showing none of the aggressiveness he had seen before, moving as freely as ordinary animals.
To be precise, there were only Honkai Beasts; he saw no Zombies.
It made sense; Honkai Beasts could still be considered animals, but the appearance of Zombies was entirely that of "zombified" humans. No matter how much common sense was ignored, it was impossible for Zombies to live alongside them...
The journey was further than they expected. Because their physical strength had reverted to that of children, they frequently had to stop and rest before continuing.
"Don't lower your guard," Yama warned, her light gaze constantly scanning the surroundings. "If whoever trapped us here wants to do something to us, now would be the best time."
"...Are there examples of worlds and civilizations within Bubble Universes coexisting with Honkai?"
"Yes."
The two didn't stay idle while traveling. Lin wanted to gain more information from Yama, while Yama simply answered whatever was asked.
She thought for a moment and began to explain: "In one particularly special Bubble Universe, I saw cases where Honkai Beasts were used as battle pets."
"...What?"
Battle pets? That immediately made him think of "Pokémon."
"The people in that Bubble Universe were passionate about collecting various Honkai Beasts and Zombies to battle. Most Honkai Beasts didn't offer much resistance; only a few powerful Emperor-class Beasts were somewhat reluctant, but they harbored no hostility toward humans."
"...How was that achieved?"
"I don't know. To those civilizations and worlds, it's as much common sense as you or I not finding it strange for a person to keep a dog. Even among dogs, there are violent breeds," Yama explained in terms Lin could easily understand. "Furthermore, in many Bubble Universes... Honkai is actually secondary."
"..."
"In this world, the Honkai problem seems to have been resolved, so you might think that the tragedies originally caused by Honkai wouldn't happen again here."
Yama cold, blood-colored pupils looked over.
"Is that really the case?"
...
They finally arrived at the foot of the clock tower. They had imagined that the tower might disappear as they approached, or maintain a constant distance, or perhaps it had no physical form at all.
But none of that happened. This was a very real, massive structure combining a tower and a clock. They both tried touching it with their hands and other objects, confirming its physical existence.
"Let's go in and investigate," Lin said, stating his opinion succinctly.
Yama thought the same. She took the lead, walking toward an inconspicuous wooden door. She stood on her tiptoes and gripped the handle—
Lin and Yama eyes narrowed simultaneously. Lin kicked Yama in the waist before she could react, sending her flying out of the way, while he used the momentum to propel himself backward.
Then, a bloodthirsty blade sliced through the moonlight and dust, slamming into the ground.
Clang!
"Gah?"
Missing its mark, the distorted humanoid figure let out a sharp, bizarre howl. It pulled out its scimitar, and along with another scimitar in its hand, its joints twisted at eerie angles.
Under the crimson moonlight, the pale ends of its limbs were stained with a nauseating shade of blood.
A Zombie?
Shinin and Jo-Nin Zombies were among the stronger types of Zombies and were the most troublesome killers of ordinary humans. Even average Honkai Beasts didn't necessarily exert as much pressure on humans as they did.
After all, the Uncanny Valley effect can sometimes exert such psychological pressure that it causes a person to lose their ability to resist.
And this Zombie clearly belonged to one of the two types mentioned, but Lin could recognize it—this monster, named the Elite Ninja Zombie, was a hybrid that far surpassed the previous two.
In simple terms, it combined high speed for dodging long-range attacks with bizarre techniques and physical capabilities for blocking melee attacks, all while being further enhanced.
It was an opponent that even typical veterans would find difficult to handle.
In this place where Honkai Beasts roamed everywhere, a Zombie had finally appeared. And... it didn't seem like a "pet."
Lin glanced at Yama, who was picking herself up from the ground. Right now... they didn't have the power to deal with this Zombie.
Two small children, unarmed, no matter how rich their combat experience, could not fight a monster that surpassed human limits.
The Elite Ninja Zombie began to move slowly around them, twin blades in hand, like a predator observing its prey, patiently waiting for them to show a weakness.
Zombies didn't have high intelligence, but the Elite Ninja Zombie did show such tendencies. Records showed it would exert psychological pressure until the target couldn't help but attack first, then use terrifying speed to counter and tear the human apart.
In other words, if they turned to run, it would be the perfect moment for it to strike. They wouldn't make it three steps before being decapitated.
Therefore, they had to kill it.
There was no time to wonder why a Zombie would appear here. Both Lin and Yama reached the same conclusion, and... they acted simultaneously.
Lin dropped low and picked up a stone from the ground. This movement caught the Elite Ninja Zombie's attention. It flashed in front of Lin, twin blades crossed before it, slashing at the rising Lin with speed invisible to the naked eye, intending to bisect him in the next second.
But Lin only feinted; he didn't actually straighten his upper body. He dodged the blade by a hair's breadth, or rather, he had anticipated its trajectory.
This didn't mean he had completely escaped. The greatest feature of this type of Zombie was that its joints could twist nearly 360 degrees, allowing it to do things humans couldn't—like swinging a blade back from an impossible direction.
As its wrists twisted and the twin blades changed from a slash to a thrust, aiming down at Lin small body, a gunshot rang out.
Bang!
The Zombie's blades changed direction again, parrying the lethal bullet right in front of its face.
Lin utilized the maximum potential of his body to scramble backward, with the Zombie hot on his heels.
Midway, another small figure threw herself into the chase. She swung her fists at the Zombie with near-suicidal abandon, while her other hand reached out and threw an item to Lin...
A handgun.