Chapter 134: Three successful resurrections. One fan-girl.

Three resurrected women. Three psychological breakdowns.

"That reaction doesn't make sense. and so much for fifteen percent..." you complain idly.

Albedo speaks quietly behind you. "Strategic asset evaluation: resurrection creates traumatized survivors requiring extensive support. Humanitarian value unclear."

C.C. observes from the side. "Immortality perspective: forced return from death is philosophically violent."

Rika looks at you. "Your call. Continue the college search, or cut losses here?"

You turn to Kurumi, watching her heterochromatic eyes flicker with temporal overlay. "Among the others resurrected across timelines, how many use the phrase 'send me back'?"

"Fifteen percent," Kurumi answers immediately. "It coincides directly with psychological breakdown. The phrase appears in thirteen of eighty-seven observed resurrections."

You nod slowly. "It seems unnatural for those who died quickly like the second two. Mercy killing maybe, but that head wound should have had engineer-girl unconscious. Would she even remember dying?"

Rin crosses her arms. "She could have remembered being hit by the shelf. Expecting not to survive."

"Barista-girl's mercy death - she's handling it better than yoga-girl. Less time to fear it."

You turn to Rika. "We have choices. Either I can try erasing an hour of their memory, directly removing their deaths from their knowledge-"

"They're in no state to provide consent for memory removal," Rika interrupts flatly.

"Correct. We can leave them here. The enchantments will sustain them for however long they stay or until they're found by other humans. They'll either get themselves together or get used as breeding dolls-"

"You're being an insensitive ass," Maria observes mildly.

"Or we can just shoot them. One bullet each and their refusal to consent is acknowledged."

Rika's expression doesn't change. "While correct, you're still being an ass."

"I don't hear any better options." You gesture at the three sobbing women. "Fact: from Kurumi's statistics of fifteen percent, we got unlucky pulling two out of the long-term care category. With more resurrections - preferably those who didn't die over hours - the next group should be more stable."

You turn to Albedo. "Make sure we prepare multiple barriers for the next testing. Removing them was awkward."

Her golden eyes gleam. "Understood."

You face the group again. "Personally I'm in favor of simply leaving them here. With the lights on, this place will be found soon enough. With the other locations along the highway, it'll become a travel hub in a day or two. They'll either get picked up and cared for, or put down as broken by somebody."

C.C. finishes her pizza slice. "Cold calculus. Effective."

Robin speaks quietly. "They have the sustenance enchantment, water, power. Better odds than most survivors started with."

The three women continue crying. Jennifer rocks against the wall. Kimberly clutches her head. Sarah stares at her healed arm.

Rin looks at you. "College next? Test the quick-death hypothesis?"

You pull your attention from the three sobbing women, turning toward the empty aisle. "Scry"

Your magical sight rushes across the states - past highways choked with abandoned vehicles, through suburbs transformed into silent graveyards, over the Bay Area sprawl until it settles on the San José State University campus quad. Empty. Scattered debris. A few shambling figures moving between brick buildings.

"Gate," you announce, tearing reality open.

The portal manifests between empty shelves shelves and unkept lawn. Afternoon California sunlight spills through, warmer than Texas heat. You step through first, boots hitting grass, Spectral Hand floating beside you. Rin follows, pistol already drawn. Kurumi glides after her, heterochromatic eyes tracking shadows. Maria moves with predatory grace. Rika scans rooftops immediately. Albedo's wings spread slightly, golden gaze sweeping the quad. Robin crosses last, arms already beginning to blossom. C.C. steps through last, arms folded under her breasts.

"Gate," you say again, closing the Dallas portal. The three traumatized women vanish behind sealed reality.

"Robin," you turn to her. "Another search please, nearby corpses or zombies. If you find a zombie that's a young female, don't break her neck this time. I'm wondering if resurrection will works straight on zombies."

Robin's expression doesn't change. "Understood." Eyes and hands sprout across building facades, through broken windows, along walkways. "Four zombies within two hundred meters. One female - northeast corner of the Student Union, approximately nineteen years old based on physique. Wearing a hoodie and jeans. Moderate decay."

"Two fresh corpses in the library basement," she continues. "Both female, early twenties. Minimal decomposition."

Rin checks her magazine. "Testing zombie resurrection first or standard corpses?"

Kurumi tilts her head. "I see zombie resurrections across fourteen timelines. Success rate varies significantly - forty-seven percent full restoration, thirty-one percent partial restoration with lasting damage, twenty-two percent catastrophic failure resulting in immediate re-death."

"Define 'partial restoration,'" Maria says sharply.

Kurumi's smile doesn't reach her eyes. "Memory damage, motor dysfunction, incomplete tissue regeneration. One timeline shows a woman who retained bite wounds despite successful revival. Another shows cognitive impairment resembling severe dementia."

Rika crosses her arms. "So it's a coin flip whether we create a functional person or a vegetable."

Albedo speaks quietly. "Standard corpse resurrection produced three psychological disasters. Zombie resurrection may produce physical disasters as well."

C.C. finishes chewing. "Your experiment parameters are expanding beyond initial scope."

Robin's sprouted eyes track the shambling zombie around the Student Union corner. "Target is moving toward the quad. Estimated arrival: ninety seconds."

"While I'd like to talk more about chances and risks," you say, watching the shambling figure round the Student Union corner, "seems like we're out of time for discussion."

The female zombie stumbles into view. Her hoodie hangs open, unzipped down to her navel, revealing pale breasts marked with decay. Jeans torn at the knees. Clouded eyes fix on your group.

"Oh, pretty," you comment, sending your Spectral Hand forward.

Rin's voice cuts sharp beside you. "You're literally commenting on a zombie's tits."

"Half-true," you admit. The translucent hand settles against the zombie's exposed chest. ". Hopefully less aggressive after this. True Resurrection."

Twelve hundred mana floods through the Network connection. Light flares. Flesh restores in seconds - skin clearing, eyes brightening from milky white to brown, decay vanishing.

She stops mid-shamble. Stands perfectly still. Looks down at herself, then at your group.

"I... what?" Her hand rises to touch her face. "How did I get outside? I was in my dorm room, I felt sick, Marcus was there and then-" Her gaze snaps to the quad. "Where's Marcus?"

"You died, turned zombie" you say evenly. "I brought you back."

Her breath catches. She clutches her hoodie closed with shaking hands. "I died? I was - oh god, I remember being so cold, I couldn't think straight, I thought he drugged me-"

"You're alive now," Maria interrupts gently. "What's your name?"

"Ashley. Ashley Chen." She stares at Albedo. "You're... you're Albedo. From Overlord. That's - those are real wings..."

Albedo's golden eyes narrow slightly. "Yes."

Ashley's gaze sweeps across Robin, Rin, Kurumi, C.C. "You're all... this is cosplay, right? Some kind of convention thing?" She reaches toward Albedo's wing. Albedo shifts back. Ashley's hand freezes. "They're real. Oh my god, they're real."

"Dimensional travelers," C.C. says flatly. "The apocalypse brought us here."

Ashley backs up a step. "Apocalypse? What are you - the sick people? The biting? That was real?"

You chime in "Finally~ I've been looking forward to this kind of reaction for you all!"

Robin speaks quietly from her position. "Nine zombies remaining on campus. Three between us and the library. Two moving away from our position. Four converging on our voices now."

Rika checks her magazine. "Testing quick-death resurrections next, or handling the incoming threats?"

Ashley's voice rises. "Zombies? You're saying there are more zombies? I was a zombie?!"

Kurumi tilts her head, watching Ashley with clinical interest. "Trauma manifestation delayed by confusion. Classic shock."

Albedo crosses her arms. "She'll break down within ninety seconds. Question is whether we continue testing here or relocate."

"Robin, lead us to the library basement," you say, already watching the shambling figures converging from the northwest. "Rika, bring Ashley along. Let's reach the next two without attracting more attention."

Robin's eyes sprout across building faces, tracking routes. "Northeast entrance, forty meters. Clear path if we move now."

Rika grabs Ashley's wrist firmly. "Come on."

"Wait, I don't understand what's happening-" Ashley tries to pull back, staring at your group. "You're saying I died? That's impossible, I was just-"

Two zombies stumble into view between the chemistry building columns. Male, early twenties, torn fraternity letters visible on shredded shirts. Clouded eyes lock onto your group.

"Perfect," you mutter, sending your Spectral Hand forward. "Shocking Grasp."

Electrical energy crackles through the translucent palm. The hand clamps onto the first zombie's shoulder. Lightning arcs through decaying tissue - muscle spasms, skin blackens, the creature collapses twitching.

"Holy shit," Ashley breathes. "You just- that was actual magic-"

"Yeah, so are the zombies," you reply, focusing on the second shambler. "By the way, you're back from the dead."

The Spectral Hand repositions. "Scorching Ray."

Three lines of flame streak from your palm. Fire impacts the zombie's chest, torso, skull. Flesh ignites. The creature staggers, ablaze, collapsing within seconds into charred remains.

Ashley makes a strangled noise. "This isn't real. This can't be real."

"Move," Robin says sharply, sprouting additional eyes toward the athletic complex. "Four more approaching from southeast. Ninety seconds."

Your group crosses the quad rapidly. Rin keeps her pistol ready, scanning rooftops. Kurumi glides beside Maria, both watching Ashley with clinical interest. Albedo's wings spread slightly, golden gaze tracking every shadow. C.C. follows at the rear, observing thoughtfully.

The library's northeast entrance stands open, glass doors shattered. Robin's sprouted hands gesture inside. "Basement access through the stairwell. Two corpses in the conservation room, northeast corner."

Another zombie stumbles from the Student Union - female, torn sundress, blonde hair matted with dried blood. Your Spectral Hand aimed quickly again.

"Scorching Ray. Whoops, that one I should have resurrected. Unfortunate."

Flame strikes. The zombie ignites, collapsing before reaching your position.

Ashley stares at the burning corpse. "That was Sarah. Sarah from my dorm floor. She- oh god, she's dead. She's actually dead."

"Keep moving," Rika says, pulling her forward.

You enter the library's darkened interior. sunroof lighting casts dim shadows across overturned furniture, scattered books, dried bloodstains. The air smells of decay and mildew.

Robin points toward a stairwell. "Down two levels. Conservation room straight ahead from the landing."

Ashley's breathing accelerates. "I don't want to go down there. I don't want to see more bodies. This is insane-"

"Two soon to be resurrected bodies," you say, descending the stairs. "Just like yourself and hopefully, better results than what we found in Dallas."

"You're just looking for more boobs." Kurumi teases, intentionally displaying her breasts bounce with each step in her French maid outfit.

You hum before, "You're not completely wrong," you admit as you enjoy the sight, while the group descends the concrete stairs. The shadowview enchantment renders the darkness irrelevant for your party, but Ashley stumbles on the third step, catching herself against the railing.

"Shit," she mutters, squinting into blackness. "I can't see anything-"

You realize the oversight immediately. Your Spectral Hand rises, palm open. "Light."

Brilliant white radiance floods the stairwell. Ashley flinches, shielding her eyes before they adjust. The translucent hand hovers above your group like a floating lantern.

"Thanks," Ashley breathes. "Why can you all see in the dark?"

"Enchantments," Rin says flatly, not elaborating.

Ashley stares at the glowing hand. "Right. Magic. Zombies. Dimensional travelers. This is my life now."

"It's the zombie apocalypse," you say, continuing downward. "You're going to be seeing a lot more than a few bodies from now on."

"That's not reassuring!" Ashley's voice rises slightly. "You just - you're so casual about this-"

"An alternative mindset helped, this started more than a month ago. While shocked at the time, we've had weeks to adjust into it, you however are almost a month into the apocalyptic future.

Robin guides you through the basement corridor. "Next right. Conservation room. Two subjects."

The door hangs open. Inside, environmental controls failed long ago - the air smells of stale preservation chemicals and decay. Two bodies lie on the ground, a sheet of paper clipped to each of their clothes

Robin gestures toward the nearest. "Jessica Park. Twenty-two. Psychology major. Blunt force trauma to the skull."

You approach the body, pulling off the sheet. Asian features, short black hair, dried blood matted across the left temple. Your Spectral Hand floats closer, light revealing the extent of damage.

"Appraise," you murmur.

[Jessica Park | Human, Deceased | No magical system | Cause: Blunt force trauma, instant death]

"Good subject," you say aloud stepping back. Your spectral hand settles over Jessica's chest. "True Resurrection."

Twelve hundred mana floods through the Network connection. Light flares brilliant white. Flesh restores - skull fragments knitting together, brain tissue regenerating, skin smoothing over trauma sites. Color returns to pale cheeks.

Jessica's eyes snap open. She gasps, sitting upright so fast she nearly collides with your Spectral Hand. Her gaze locks on the glowing palm hovering inches from her face.

"What-" She looks down at herself, at the examination table, at the blood-stained sheet. "I was in the library. Someone was behind me, I felt something hit my head-" Her hands fly to her temple, finding smooth skin. "I should be dead. I felt my skull crack."

"You were dead," Maria says gently. "He brought you back."

Jessica's attention snaps to your group. Her eyes widen at Albedo's wings, Kurumi's heterochromatic gaze, Robin's sprouted limbs. "This isn't real. I'm hallucinating. Dying brains hallucinate-"

"You're not dying," you interrupt. "You died. Past tense. You're alive now."

Ashley makes a strangled noise from the doorway. "There's two of us now. Two dead people walking around."

Jessica's breathing accelerates rapidly.

"Yes, there's two of you," you say, turning toward the second body, "but the dead people walking around are called zombies. That doesn't apply to you." You glance at Ashley's stricken expression. "Let's make the count three before you get too far into that conversation."

Your Spectral Hand floats closer to the second corpse. The glowing palm illuminates features - Caucasian, early twenties, pink-streaked hair matted against pale cheeks. A sheet of paper is clipped to her torn jacket.

"Appraise," you murmur.

[Amanda Wright | Human, Deceased | No magical system | Cause: Blood loss from zombie bite, unconscious death]

You pull the paper free and toss it aside, stepping back as your Spectral Hand settles over Amanda's chest.

You pause a moment, "How did this one not become a zombie? Oh I get it, died of blood loss before the virus could infiltrate enough. True Resurrection."

Twelve hundred mana drains through your Network connection. White light erupts across decomposing flesh. Skin smooths, color returns, bite wounds vanish entirely. Amanda's chest rises with sudden breath.

Her eyes snap open - hazel, wide with confusion. She bolts upright, hands flying to her neck where the bite should be. "I was bleeding. I couldn't stop bleeding. I passed out in the dark and-" Her gaze locks on your group, on the shining Spectral Hand giving off light, on Albedo's wings spread slightly behind her. "What the fuck is happening?"

"You died weeks ago," Rin says flatly. "Zombie bite. Blood loss. He brought you back."

Amanda stares at her hands, flexing fingers that should be cold and stiff. "I died? That's - I remember the biting, the pain, everything going dark-" Her breathing accelerates. "This is insane. This can't be real."

"Two people resurrected," Jessica breathes beside her, still seated on the floor. "How is this possible?"

Ashley makes a strangled noise from the doorway. "I was a zombie. She bled out. We're both - how are we alive?"

Kurumi tilts her head, heterochromatic eyes tracking Amanda's rising panic. "Psychological breakdown manifesting slowly. Quick-death hypothesis continues proving accurate."

Maria crosses her arms, watching both women carefully. "Two clean resurrections. No extended trauma. Death-awareness duration correlates directly with recovery difficulty."

Amanda's hands clutch her jacket. "Someone explain what's happening right now. Zombies? Resurrection? Wings and-" She gestures wildly at Robin's sprouted limbs. "What are you?"

Rika keeps her rifle ready, scanning the corridor behind your position. "Four zombies still converging. Thirty seconds out."

C.C. chews thoughtfully. "Your experiment parameters expand with each success. What's the sample size target?"