Kyoufu walked alongside Harlow down the eerie sewer tunnels. She couldn't believe that Harlow had actually taken over her body while she was supposedly unconscious for a long while.

  What did Harlow do while he was controlling her body anyway? She hadn't checked herself yet, but once they were out of this situation, she would definitely make sure to do that. She couldn't trust him, at least not completely.

  It's like I can't fully use any of my powers anymore. I've tried them on him, but they don't work...Maybe I've overused them...and something broke...

  She rubbed her belly. Before she had been unconscious, she was still very hungry. Before she met Harlow, the only thing she ate were some of the leftover stocks of food in some shops—including some of the food stored in the freezers.

  However, after she went unconscious and woke up in that lair, she felt pretty fine, with the exception of the possibility of losing her abilities.

  Kyoufu stopped. She felt more tremors nearby. Where was it coming from? Harlow had also stopped shortly after, surprised to see that Kyoufu had taken a halt.

  "Don't stare at my ass..." Harlow said plainly.

  "Just shut up." Kyoufu spit back.

  The tremors continued. Kyoufu lifted her finger, trying to point in the possible direction of where the tremors could be coming from.

  "Eh...somewhere...there..." Kyoufu finally replied, pointing at the wall beside Harlow. Harlow took a glance at the wall beside him and frowned.

  "Uh...you mean through the wall, right?" Harlow said, dumbfounded.

  Kyoufu palmed her face.

  "YEAH, OBVIOUSLY!" Kyoufu replied.

  Harlow put his hands up.

  "Ok-ok, geeze, no need to bully the naked guy. Alright, I'll just punch through, but whatever it is, we'll have to make it quick. I can't stand walking around bare." Harlow said, grumbling a hit.

  He casually leaned forward and punched the wall, creating a massive hole. When Harlow and Kyoufu finally peeked through the dust and debris, they could see broken pipes, vomit, and blood trails that led down another long and narrow corridor.

  Kyoufu took a breather.

  Harlow shrugged and stepped through. He started walking down the corridor until he noticed that Kyoufu wasn't following him.

  "What are you doing? You pointed this way, right? So come on and get moving." Harlow said.

  "I know, but...that blood trail...and the tremors..." Kyoufu started.

  Harlow turned around and continued walking.

  "A naked man doesn't have time to hear all that nonsense. I'm going. If you don't want to follow, that's your business..." Harlow said, going deeper down the corridor. After a while, Harlow had disappeared from sight.

  He's crazy. He'll definitely die soon for sure.

  Kyoufu felt a pang in her heart at the thought of Harlow dying. She sniffled. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she heard wolves approaching her.

  They would abandon their mother and follow me?

  Kyoufu almost stuttered a bit before the wolves had reached her. She kneeled and petted them once again.

  Their mother might wake up and cause havoc. Hmm...those chains look strong though. I guess I'm worrying too much...

  A recent image of her pounding Harlow to the ground, naked—flashed before her eyes. No, it was perverted and unnecessary. She didn't need to think about him like that. If only he was wearing clothes then those thoughts wouldn't have come about in the first place.

  That darn idiot...

  ...

  Yowaya shivered a bit as he was now entering the testing facility of this camp. He sighed. He had been walking alongside Reina, Dr. Sunji, and Dr. Oki. According to Dr. Oki, the District 3 Military Units and the ODW were transporting the gas to the aircraft that would fly over the district and gas everything.

  "Wouldn't that affect us as well?" Yowaya had once asked Dr. Oki.

  Dr. Oki shook her head.

  "No, the compound is only supposed to decrease monsterification, and since we already have some at less than 1%, there wouldn't be any side effects. However, monsters with 20% monserification or higher would still have a chance of fatality rather than reversal..." Dr. Oki had explained.

  Yowaya and the others stepped into the lab. There were plenty of other scientists preparing for the demonstration of what Dr. Oki had called Formula Zero—the gas that would supposedly reverb most life forms in the district back to their original state.

  "—Do we really have enough aircraft to transport the gas to other districts?" Reina asked.

  Dr. Oki glanced away from the pods after she moved away from the railing.

  "That would be unnecessary. All of us created the formula through monster remains, and my guess is that other districts at least gave thought into compiling those remains. My formula has already been sent out to them, but I think it would be wise for me to visit other districts and help them devise another plan too. Wouldn't you agree, Dr. Sunji?" Dr. Oki said.

  Dr. Sunji nodded, not really having anything further to say. Reina, Dr. Oki, and Dr. Sunji resumed watching the scientists experiment with Formula Zero on a monster. Yowaya rubbed his temple. He turned to Dr. Oki.

  "Doctor—there will be aircraft going for District 8, correct?" Yowaya asked.

  Dr. Oki nodded.

  "More than likely, yes."

  "I need to get on one of those aircrafts..."

  "Why? Is it family...?"

  "It's..." Yowaya started. He paused and glanced at Dr. Sunji. He had a feeling that Dr. Sunji would start speaking up for him, but he didn't. Good. Yowaya needed to build up his courage and self-worth on his own without the need for Dr: Sunji pitching in.

  "Yes, family. I can't stop thinking about them, and I know what you're going to say: it's not all about you. But please, just this once, I need to at least know that they're alive, and I'll be back for support after. Just...please..." Yowaya pleaded.

  Dr. Oki tapped her foot against the wall as she thought about it. A moment later, I sighed.

  "Ok—I'll try to convince them to get you on board with the aircrafts headed to District 8, but don't get it twisted. I'm only doing this because you were at the place where this whole outbreak started, so they'll see value in you—not that you weren't valuable anyway." Dr. Oki said, her voice monotone.

  The scientists who were moving about on the lower level had all stopped to witness the demonstration of Formula Zero. One of the scientists, who was the initiator, gave the signal and everyone cleared the area, except for the monster that was being restrained.

  "Hope to God this glass holds." Reina said.

  Dr. Oki gave her a glance.

  "Trust me, it'll hold." Dr. Oki replied..

  Dr. Sunji and Yowaya also watched closely. The monster that had been inside of the pod started to revert back to its human form after the gas was released—after Formula Zero had been released...

  It looks...painful...

  Even through the glass, the four of them could hear the screams of the test subject coming from the pod. Once the operation was complete, the lights turned back on and the scientists began to scramble back inside of the lab.

  Dr. Sunji, who had still been staring at the test subject even after Yowaya, Reina, and Dr. Oki left, had thought of Harlow. To him, there was something still missing in his understanding of the Monsterification Reversion System. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

  ...

  Suzune had led the way through the tunnels since Delta wasn't there to accompany them. Surprisingly, Rikuya was rather calm given that he had been the weakest one of the three. But still, he talked a big game about anything regardless.

  I just hope I'll be able to kill this thing and be done. It's not like we're going to have to face off against an entire group anyway...

  Chisaki stopped walking, and Suzune noticed. Rikuya noticed too, but only shortly after.

  "What's wrong?" Suzune asked, pointing her flashlight at her.

  Chisaki kneeled and frowned.

  "And I thought that the smell down here was the worst thing yet—well, butter my biscuit darling because WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" Chisaki exclaimed, picking up pieces of meat and bone that had been floating in the grey water.

  Rikuya and Suzune gagged at the sight. When Chisaki had picked up another skull, Suzune gagged some more. Chisaki smirks.

  "C'mon...I know you want to give this poor soul a kiss..." Chisaki said, bringing the skull to Suzune's face.

  Suzune stepped back and put her hands forward.

  "Screw that—why are you always such a tease?" Suzune asked.

  Chisaki dropped the skull.

  "Only around you, darling. Hey, sleepy head, what are you looking at?" Chisaki asked, staring at Rikuya. Rikuya had his back turned against them, looking down the way they had just come from.

  "I feel something...more...rumblings...dammit, are we going the wrong direction?" Rikuya asked, turning to Suzune.

  Suzune checked her monsterification reading. It hadn't changed one bit.

  "We can't be...right?" Suzune said.

  The three of them stared at each other for a moment as they felt more tremors. Then, gradually, they all pointed their flashlights in the opposite direction down the sewer tunnels. The tremors got worse by the second. Then...

  "MAKE WAY!" Suzune commanded, quickly leaping to the side. Rikuya and Chisaki did the same, and before they could respond to Suzune, a bunch of gray water suddenly splashed all over their suits, including fragments of bone and meat.

  Rikuya and Chisaki yelped in disgust while Rikuya stared at the objects that had rushed past them. From her perspective, they appeared to be giant centipedes.

  The hell?!

  Wasting no time, Suzune dashed after them, not caring if Chisaki or Rikuya were following. When she caught up to the centipedes, she swung her mace down on their withering bodies, obliterating them. She smirked as their guts sprayed against the tunnel walls. She put her mace back in her strap as Chisaki and Rikuya had caught up with her, only to witness what she had done to the mysterious creatures.

  "That was brutal, girl—but I would've gone for the head instead..." Chisaki said, examining the bodies of the monstrous centipedes.

  "These aren't one of the monsters, are they? Because we've been looking and still haven't seen a darn thing. Maybe you fought one of these bastards and—" Chisaki started.

  "No, I did not. It was just a single humanoid monster, like I said..."

  "Could you be more specific? A humanoid isn't all that clear y'know..."

  "..."

  "Why not say?" Chisaki asked, standing up.

  Delta called them, disrupting their moment. Suzune raised her arm and watched as Delta appeared as a mini-hologram.

  "You guys aren't back yet? Suzune...you texted me—"

  "I know-I know-I know, it's just..." Suzune started.

  "If you can't find the monster then come back NOW. It's been forty minutes and the other units are coming. They're planning on entering the tunnels through one of the main lines." Delta stated.

  Suzune was a little shocked, along with Chisaki and Rikuya.

  "The main lines? That's a terrible idea—what if..."

  "Traps? Like monster traps? Don't worry—there are more soldiers participating in the operation who are "supposedly" just as "capable" as us. Plus, if they're planning on placing camouflage bombs throughout the tunnels as quickly as possible—the main lines are the way to go..." Delta said.

  Suzune thought about it for a moment.

  "Isn't the main line you're talking about facing the ocean?" Suzune asked.

  Rikuya and Chisaki glanced down the tunnels again.

  "I don't see a problem with that. The distance isn't crazy, and according to their personnel, they're gathering all of the survivors to the first district. All we need now is for you three to come back so we can proceed with the mission..." Delta advised.

  Suzune nodded.

  "Ok...I got that..." Suzune replied, cutting Delta's signal off. She turned towards Rikuya and Chisaki.

  "Looks like we're going back..." Suzune said.

  Chisaki and Rikuya grumbled.

  ...

  ARE THERE ANY CLOTHES IN HERE?!

  Harlow thought as he casually smashed a wooden crate open, only to see a bunch of glass full of chemicals fall out and spill on the ground.

  Harlow grunted and stomped his feet. He couldn't think of any place where he would be able to find some clothes. There were a couple of rooms near the back, and he had already checked those.

  Not knowing what to do next, Harlow maneuvered to the exit.

  What's that sound? It sounds like—cheering...is someone or something cheering? Wait a minute—don't tell me those things are having a fight somewhere...

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Harlow smirked. Despite everything that he had gone through, he was bored. Besides—that Shadow guy had pissed him off by making him bleed...Harlow needed to let out some steam...

  But I still need clothes...it's not like—

  "Harlow?" Kyoufu said softly, standing at the exit. Harlow was surprised he didn't notice her earlier. He was also surprised to see her holding a dirty and roughed up T-shirt and some shorts. The wolves were also next to Kyoufu.

  "Oh...how did you find them?" Harlow asked.

  Kyoufu looked away while she handed him the clothes, her cheeks a little red. She glanced at the wolves, who seemed surprisingly glad to see Harlow.

  "They found some. It was by accident while I was following them after they left me for a bit in the tunnel...so..." Kyoufu finished.

  After Harlow had put on the clothes, he patted her on the back, grinning. Kyoufu yelped as she almost tripped.

  "HEY?! Don't just do that..." Kyoufu warned.

  "What? I was just saying thank-you." Harlow shot back.

  "Just say it—you don't have to hit me..." Kyoufu replied.

  "I wasn't hitting you..."

  "YES you were..."

  "It was just a soft pat..."

  Kyoufu pressed her finger against Harlow's chest.

  "WATCH it..."

  "Nuh-uh, you watch it. How old are you anyway? Let me guess...15?" Harlow asked mockingly.

  Kyoufu pouted.

  "16..." Kyoufu said softly.

  Harlow giggled a bit.

  "Stop laughing..." Kyoufu commanded.

  "16...really? Not 15?"

  "Shut up. I bet you're...19...." Kyoufu said slowly.

  Harlow raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.

  "Damn—you're better than I am. Well, now that you know who's older, you gotta listen to me...hehe..." Harlow said, stretching a bit.

  Kyoufu shed a tear.

  "You were the same age as my big brother..." Kyoufu mumbled.

  Harlow put an arm over her shoulder.

  "Why don't I become your big brother then?" Harlow asked, somewhat serious.

  Kyoufu looked up.

  "Stop messing with me." Kyoufu said.

  "Uh...I'm serious...I don't have any family either, besides my missing grandma. I'm not losing anything from this." Harlow replied.

  Kyoufu wiped her tears and smirked.

  "You're old enough to adopt me too, dummy." Kyoufu said.

  "Huh? I am?!" Harlow replied, a little surprised.

  Kyoufu palmed her face again. Harlow felt something lick his thigh—it was one of the wolves.

  I'm surprised that they're not scared of me...do they not remember what I did to them on the road?

  The wolves were panting from excitement. Harlow reluctantly kneeled and petted them.

  Hmm...this is not so bad...

  Kyoufu kneeled next to him.

  "Where are we headed now?" Kyoufu asked.

  Harlow raised his eyebrows.

  "Uh...I don't know...I guess we'll just follow the tremors..."

  "But won't that lead us to danger?"

  "How so?"

  "I don't know...other monsters..."

  "We'll be fine—trust." Harlow replied, putting out his hand. Kyoufu reluctantly shook it. Harlow stood up. Harlow, Kyoufu, and the wolves left the room, searching for the source of the tremors.

  ...

  Ever since the near catastrophic event that happened on the surface, which had involved the eel monster and its rampage across a small city within the district, the sentient monsters who had survived the onslaught fled to the tunnels.

  Deep inside the tunnels lies a spectacular arena. With the help of some unique monsters within the large cluster of their population during the beginning of the outbreak, they were able to create a ginormous fighting ground to see which monsters were the strongest.

  So far, there have been many contestants followed by many fatalities. Throughout them all, one stood victorious: Bone Crusher.

  His methods were brutal, but in his words, they were necessary to assert utter dominance against anyone who even thought about taking him down.

  Surrounding the center of the arena were the sentient monsters that were currently cheering Bone Crusher on. He smirked as he surveyed the countless number of corpses around him.

  Near the entrance of the arena two monsters appeared accompanied by wolves: Harlow and Kyoufu.

  Harlow was a little dazed as he stared at Bone Crusher who seemed to be sinking in his own pride. After taking a couple of glances at the rest of the crowd, Harlow had shrugged.

  "It's too loud in here, and, uh...I don't see the angelic lady anywhere..." Harlow said, frowning a bit.

  Kyoufu stepped forward.

  "Then we'll keep on searching...wait...hold on a minute..." Kyoufu started.

  She kneeled in front of the wolves and caressed the side of one of their faces. He closed her eyes, trying to tap into the memories of the wolf without indirectly harming it. However, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't seem to do it.

  She guessed that maybe this was another consequence for overusing her powers.

  It should be easy—but, I'm struggling just to see a clear image, it's no use...Kyoufu thought, standing up while she opened her eyes.

  "Got anything that could help?" Harlow asked, glancing at Kyoufu.

  "No..." Kyoufu said slowly. In response, Harlow leaned against the wall.

  "This is such a drag—I really don't want to search this entire—stadium, or whatever this is, ugh...my head already hurts just from being here." Harlow said, a little grumpy.

  Kyoufu had also leaned against the wall.

  "Same." Kyoufu replied.

  Harlow continued to stare at the center of the arena, curious as to how strong this Bone Crusher guy really was. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar figure ascend the steps that lead into the arena.

  Harlow couldn't believe it. No—it might've even been a mere coincidence. The same bulky one-eyed cyclops monster that he had once roleplayed with back at the detention center was now a contestant against Bone Crusher. Harlow smirked.

  Now THIS is something I have to stay and see...Harlow thought, getting a little excited. Kyoufu noticed Harlow's change in demeanor and was a little confused.

  "What? Did you find her?" Kyoufu asked, her eyes lighting up a bit.

  "Huh? Oh, no, but I found someone that I had role-played with once." Harlow replied.

  "Role-played?"

  "Yea, you see, I was so bored at the detention center that I used to role-play as Knight Blackburne from Gods Don't Bleed. But, after everything went south, that all changed when I finally met someone who was able to role-play with me as a monster. I mean, the guy's pretty strong in my opinion, but of course, since I'm Knight Blackburne, he pales in comparison." Harlow explained, his smirk widening.

  Kyoufu slapped him across the face.

  "HEY?!" Harlow yelped.

  "That's for hitting me back then, and also, you're crazy—I mean, the manga is great and all, but didn't people die at the detention center? You didn't...I don't know...help them? Wait...don't tell me you were reading manga while those inmates were killed..." Kyoufu started, leaning in close to Harlow.

  Harlow gulped.

  "Uh...I was asleep...oops..." Harlow replied.

  "EVEN WORSE." Kyoufu shot back.

  "But didn't you kill everyone in the mall?"

  "That's different...I wasn't aware of anything during that event...but you have no trouble handling your powers while I'm over here struggling..." Kyoufu replied. She pouted.

  "Aww...are you jealous?" Harlow asked.

  "No...I'm envious, dummy." Kyoufu replied, still pouting.

  Harlow patted her head, but this time, Kyoufu didn't bother to push him away.

  "There-there, it's okay to be jea—I mean envious.." Harlow said, treating her like a pet. The wolves licked Harlow and Kyoufu's legs, trying to get their attention.

  "Shut-up..." Kyoufu said to Harlow.

  The wolves continued to bug Harlow and Kyoufu until they finally caught their attention. Standing in front of them were two bulky monsters with sharp claws and tentacles on their back.

  "Are you two looking for a seat?" They asked.

  "Actually we were just looking for a woman wearing a blue robe...y'know, the one that looks like a human...like—us?" Kyoufu explained, trying to be careful with her words.

  The monsters leaned in and sniffed them. The wolves moved back.

  "You mean the Tamer for the Mother? W-why are those wolves here? Are you—no...no-no, no one is allowed to take the babies from the Mother—that is the grand rule in these tunnels...return them immediately or you will cause trouble for all of us..." The monster said.

  "But—they left their mother and followed me on their own..." Kyoufu started, stuttering a bit.

  The monster clenched his fists.

  "I won't repeat myself—" He said.

  Harlow casually put an arm around him, trying to get his attention away from Kyoufu.

  "Why does everyone have beef with each other? Just let us be and we'll return the wolves—no need to get grumpy about it..." Harlow said.

  The other monster watched carefully, including Kyoufu.

  "Did I ask you to put your hands on me?" The monster replied.

  Before the tension could escalate any further, the speaker had made an announcement.

  SPEAKER: Ladies and gentlemen, creatures of all shapes and sizes, welcome to the fight of the century! Tonight, under the roaring lights of the Colosseum of Carnage, we have a battle that promises to shake the very foundations of this arena!

  In the red corner, standing at a towering 12 feet, with a jaw that could snap steel and fists that have ended more careers than retirement—it's the pulverizer, the destroyer, the breaker of bones, your undefeated champion... BONE CRUSHER!

  And in the blue corner, the wall of flesh and fury, a monster who has taken beatings that would fell a mountain and still comes back for more. A single eye, but a thousand strategies—give it up for the titan... THE CYCLOPS BRAWLER!

  Will Bone Crusher's unmatched strength prove too much for even The Cyclops Brawler's legendary durability? Or will the unbreakable withstand the unstoppable? There's only one way to find out—let the carnage begin!

  Monsters ready? Let's get... UNLEASHED!

  Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Harlow casually moved off the monster and sprinted towards the arena to get a better view. He had easily managed to brush past the monsters in the crowd until he was at the edge of the arena.

  His eyes sparkled as he watched The Cyclops Brawler get ready for the battle.

  "HEY!!! BUDDY!!! REMEMBER ME?! WHAT'S UP BRO!!! LONG TIME NO SEE! JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THAT I'M CHEERING FOR YOU!" Harlow exclaimed.

  The Cyclops Brawler slowly turned around, his one eye twitching at the sound of Harlow's voice.

  "NO...YOU'RE THE KID THAT BROKE MY DAMN JAW?! WHEN I'M DONE WITH BONE CRUSHER, I'LL MADE SURE TO RIP YOUR LIMBS OFF SLOWLY SO YOU CAN FEEL EVERY OUNCE OF PAIN IMAGINABLE!!!" The Cyclops Brawler shot back.

  Harlow shrugged.

  "Sounds great bro! Just make sure to win this match!"

  "DON'T CALL ME BRO YOU RETARD—" The Cyclops Brawler started, but his attention was brought back to the Bone Crusher as he watched him yawn.

  Harlow clapped his hands, and just like that, the match started.

  This will be a piece of cake for him—he's definitely strong, hehehe...but seriously, role-playing with him again wouldn't be so bad, would it? Nah, I don't think so.

  The audience roared: "BONE CRUSHER—BONE CRUSHER—BONE CRUSHER—BONE CRUSHER—"

  Harlow frowned.

  Shut up you dweebs.

  In the center of the arena, The Cyclops Brawler got in a stance, ready to have the brawl of his life. Bone Crusher, however, raised his hand and absorbed all of the bones from the corpses that had been pushed aside in the arena.

  Everyone was surprised, as they had never seen Bone Crusher do this before. Even Harlow was a little intrigued. So intrigued that he had forgotten about Kyoufu and the others further in the back.

  "DON'T LET HIM GET TO YOU MAN!" Harlow shouted.

  The Cyclops Brawler raised his eyebrows as he watched Bone Crusher accumulate all the bones he collected into one massive bone club.

  Wow...so he really is "Bone" Crusher. Ha, what a silly thing.

  "HEY BRO—make to—"

  "SHUT UP SO I CAN CONCENTRATE!!!" The Cyclops Brawler spat back. As soon as he turned his attention back to Bone Crusher, it was already too late.

  Bone Crusher smashed his club on The Cyclops Brawler's body so hard that it split the entire arena in half and shook the tunnels.

  Harlow gasped, his mouth agape.

  B-bro?