The corpse staggered two steps, then collapsed.
“Hah… hah…”
Pandora panted, looking at the headless body at her feet, then at the greatsword in her hand, which shimmered with a demonic red light. Her eyes were wide with disbelief.
That last strike… did she do that?
【This is only the beginning.】
Elsa’s voice, like the most patient of teachers, sounded in her mind again.
【The next one is here.】
Pandora looked up. The panic and confusion in her eyes had faded. In their place was an unprecedented, calm, and focused sharpness.
With the best teacher in the world, what did she have to fear?
It was time to get to work.
She looked at another zombie that had already charged in front of her.
This time, she didn't need Elsa's verbal instruction.
She just looked.
And there it was again—that faint, ghostly trajectory in her mind's eye!
Her body shifted. A sidestep.
The greatsword in her hands, alive, followed that perfect path and shot forward once more!
Shunk!
Another head flew into the air.
“Hhhhah—”
The last zombie seemed to have been enraged. It roared and lunged.
Pandora’s gaze was calm. She didn't even retreat.
She simply sank her body slightly. The greatsword swept upward diagonally—not the clumsy “smack” from before, but a precise, vicious thrust!
The tip of the blade pierced cleanly through the gap in the zombie’s lower jaw, drove through its upper palate, and sank deep into its brain!
The zombie’s roar choked off. Its body convulsed. Pandora, with the strange, formidable strength granted by her enhanced body, easily flicked it away with the tip of her sword.
“Hah…”
Pandora slowly withdrew her sword, letting out a long, slow breath. She looked at the greatsword, then at the scattered corpses around her.
A strange feeling welled up within her.
This wasn't just using a weapon anymore. This was something else. A connection. A perfect unity of mind and will.
“Very good, My Lady.”
Elsa’s voice held a note of praise.
【You have a gift for this.】
Pandora smiled. She could feel the burn in her muscles, the ache in her lungs. She’d spent a good amount of energy, but the Corpse-Red Mist her body had absorbed was like the most potent energy drink, rapidly replenishing her stamina and even… leaving a surplus.
This feeling…
Pandora gripped the sword, feeling the power circulating within her.
Heh. I could get used to this.
She looked deeper into the village. There, more Corpse-Red Mist was waiting for her.
A hunt that belonged to her… had only just begun.
………………
Shunk!
The blood-red greatsword traced a ghastly red ribbon through the air. A zombie’s head was sent flying, warm blood painting a strange arc against the sky.
Pandora didn’t even watch.
Her body, like an elegant dancer, was already turning to the next target. The sword in her hands moved naturally, as if practiced a thousand times.
Shiiink!
Another head flew into the air.
She’d lost count of how many.
From that first clumsy, club-like swing to the clean, fluid motions of now… Pandora could hardly believe it had been less than an hour.
Now, she only needed two strikes. At most.
The first strike was to break through its defenses, throw off its balance, and create an opening. The second strike was inevitably a precise, fatal decapitation or thrust.
Her movements no longer required Elsa’s verbal guidance or the faint “trajectory” in her mind. A strange, intuitive chemistry had already formed. When she saw a zombie, the most effective angles of attack, the most efficient paths of evasion, would naturally surface in her mind, as if they were inborn instincts.
Of course, this terrifying ability to quickly master combat skills wasn't just Elsa's teaching. It was a gift from the Corpse-Red Mist. It was as if… it had awakened something latent within her.
With each zombie that fell, that faint, nearly invisible reddish mist would actively, almost affectionately, merge into her body. With each merge came a clear, noticeable improvement.
Her strength continued to grow; her swings became heavier, more powerful. Her reaction speed was increasing; she could even capture the faint trail a decaying body left in the air as a zombie pounced. Her senses had become sharper. She could hear, to the other side of the village, the frantic scratching of a zombie trapped inside a house. She could smell, beyond the stench of blood, a faint, sweet scent of some unknown wild flower from the nearby mountains.
Even more wondrous was a new experience unfolding within her.
It was a new sensation. As if she could see—or maybe feel—a warm current of energy, a tiny river flowing through her limbs and torso. It swirled and gathered, nourishing her muscles, bones, and even her nerves.
It was a strange feeling, a bit like the “qi” described in the wuxia novels of her past life. But unlike the masters in those novels, she couldn’t control it actively. It was like a small river with a mind of its own, following only its own rules, flowing ceaselessly through her body.
【My Lady.】
Elsa’s voice sounded in her consciousness again.
【Your strength is growing at an astonishing rate. This speed of growth… it’s even comparable to when I first transformed.】
【Oh? Have you noticed… any adverse reactions?】
Pandora replied in her mind, while sidestepping a zombie’s lunge and counter-attacking, her sword slicing off half its skull.
【It’s strange… I don’t sense anything improper.】
There was a note of uncertainty in Elsa’s voice. To ensure her assessment wouldn’t mislead her Lady, she described what she was sensing in more detail.
【Your mind remains clear and stable. You haven’t become violent or bloodthirsty from the increase in power. This is completely different from how I felt during my ‘transformation.’ My power came with a loss of control, a craving for blood. But your current power… it feels more like you are receiving pure ‘nourishment.’】
Pandora’s heart stirred. Pure nourishment, was it…
If even Elsa couldn’t sense anything abnormal, then, at least for now, she could begin her harvest with a clear conscience.