Chapter 25: The Inevitable Confrontation

As the enhanced zombie grinned at me, I understood that a confrontation with it today was utterly inevitable.

Given the circumstances, merely waiting or retreating was no longer an option. My only path to seizing a chance at victory lay in taking the initiative.

With my resolve firm, I tightened my grip on the saber’s hilt and lunged toward the zombie.

I harbored no illusions of delivering a killing blow. This enhanced zombie, unlike its common counterparts, possessed a fully reinforced physique that my current strength was utterly incapable of penetrating.

Still, the situation had not yet deteriorated to the point of utter helplessness.

Though this particular zombie had reinforced its entire body, appearing quite formidable, its offensive capabilities were comparatively weaker than those that focused their enhancements on specific limbs.

At the very least, I wouldn’t have to fear being instantly pulped by a single blow, even if enduring one would undoubtedly be excruciating.

Once I closed the distance with the zombie, I plunged my saber vertically, its tip sinking deep into the creature’s lower abdomen. With a powerful, upward thrust, the blade then carved a path directly towards its chest.

Unless a zombie’s brain was annihilated, any assault on its other vital organs would prove utterly futile.

My intention was to rupture the zombie’s internal organs, causing them to spill forth and momentarily hinder its movements. This would grant me the opening I needed to deliver a decisive blow to its head.

This zombie had already ascended from Level 0 to Level 1. Distinct from its lesser counterparts, it now exhibited a rudimentary, nascent consciousness.

The instant my saber tore through its abdomen, the muscular zombie’s colossal fist swung rapidly in my direction.

Confronted by that immense fist, I dared not linger. Without bothering to retrieve the saber embedded in the zombie’s flesh, I simply released my grip and swiftly retreated several steps.

Having deftly evaded the zombie’s sweeping punch, I surged forward once more, my hand closing around the hilt as I continued to hack relentlessly upward.

While a Level 1 zombie possessed a nascent intellect, it remained fundamentally distinct from a human.

Its repertoire of attacks remained singularly monotonous, alleviating any concern I might have had about the zombie employing cunning tactics.

I drove the saber upward with all my might, halting only when its edge grated against a solid bone.

Then, with a savage twist, I gouged the zombie’s abdomen, tearing the wound wider before abruptly wrenching the saber free.

As the blade was extracted, the zombie’s entrails gushed forth with an even greater, sickening torrent.

Perhaps out of morbid curiosity for the things spilling from its own ravaged abdomen, the zombie lowered its gaze for a fleeting moment. In that precise instant, a silent, grim smile touched my lips.

I knew then, my opportunity had arrived!

Resisting the impulsive urge to hack at its exposed neck, I instead sharpened my focus, my eyes wide and unwavering as I fixed them upon the zombie.

In that singular instant, time itself seemed to halt.

‘This marked my first deployment of this ability since my rebirth, and I hadn’t anticipated such severe repercussions…’

I shook my head, gritting my teeth against the throbbing pain in my skull. As I gazed upon the now utterly motionless zombie, I knew the outcome was decided.

What mattered if it was an enhanced zombie? Though my physical constitution remained unremarkable, my spatial abilities had indeed been reborn alongside me!

My spatial manipulation was not merely confined to storage; it also allowed for the momentary suspension of time within a designated zone.

Any region I delineated was compelled to obey my will and conform to my directives.

After all, in this apocalypse, spatial ability was a singularity—a power possessed by no other individual save for me.

With no further deliberation, the zombie’s head dip was instantly met with my spatial pause. I then raised my saber and brought it down with a single, decisive blow, cleaving the creature’s skull in two and exposing the crimson crystal core within.

I swiftly advanced, extracting the crystal core from the shattered remnants of the zombie’s skull. Only then did I dare to release the suspended flow of time.

Thud.

The next instant, the zombie’s formidable body crashed to the ground, producing a resonant, unsettling impact.

I, too, found myself collapsing to one knee, using my saber as a desperate support, my lungs heaving with ragged breaths.

The brief engagement had transpired in but a fleeting instant, yet the inherent peril was profound; even the slightest misstep would have resulted in my immediate demise beneath the zombie’s brutal force!

Mercifully, my spatial ability had proven instrumental, affording me the crucial opportunity to slay the monstrous creature.