The Daily Life of the Demon King

At one of Tokyo's airports, a SWAT team had just finished a briefing. It was led by a woman named Rika Minami, the best friend of Shizuka Marikawa. Rika was a tall woman with purple hair, tanned skin, and sharp eyes. Her figure was accentuated by the standard black tactical uniform with a bulletproof vest, which fit her perfectly.

After completing the briefing, she ordered her subordinates to take their positions and be ready for anything. Once the last of them left the room, Rika sank into a chair with a sigh of relief. But her thoughts once again turned to Shizuka, her naive and slightly clumsy friend.

"Oh, Shizuka... I hope you made it out," she muttered quietly, staring at the ceiling.

Rika and Shizuka had been friends for many years. They lived together—mostly because of Rika's insistence, as she understood how impractical and awkward her friend could be. Rika always tried to look out for Shizuka, and now, being far away from her, she couldn't find peace.

As she mentally cycled through options, she forced herself to dismiss the urge to call. Communication was down, and the only channel available for contacting headquarters wouldn't allow a personal conversation with Shizuka.

Rika hoped her friend had made it home, where she had a prepared Humvee ready to escape the city in case of danger. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her work phone. Surprised, Rika picked up.

"Sergeant Rika Minami speaking," she responded in a clear, professional tone.

"Rika-chan, yaho! It's Shizuka!" came a familiar, energetic voice.

Rika froze, then suspiciously pulled the phone away from her ear, as if not believing what was happening. For a few seconds, she studied the screen, trying to process how her friend was somehow actually calling. Rika even pinched her thigh to check if she had accidentally fallen asleep. The sharp pain confirmed reality.

"Hello, Rika, can you hear me? Don't tell me something's wrong again?" Shizuka's voice carried a hint of annoyance.

"I hear you, Shizuka. It's just... I'm so glad you made it!" Rika quickly replied, trying not to let her friend hang up.

"That's good. And how are you, Rika? These... things are everywhere, attacking everyone," Shizuka said, her voice filled with relief at being able to talk to someone close.

"I'm fine. But how did you even get out? And... how on earth are you calling me through a secure channel? I don't recall you knowing such tricks," Rika said with a smirk, her relief evident in her voice.

"Oh, that? Well, I was at school when it all started. Students began turning into those things. But then Alex appeared—like a knight on a white horse! He saved me. Then we met a few other survivors and left the school together. Now we've stopped at a gas station to spend the night. Alex says zombies might be more active at night..." Shizuka began cheerfully recounting, her voice remaining lively despite the chaos around her.

Rika listened silently, her eyes half-closed. Her heart finally calmed, if only for a moment. Shizuka was safe, which meant her efforts hadn't been in vain.

As she listened to Shizuka's story, Rika nodded, lost in thought. She was curious about who Alex was, the one who had saved her friend. The name was clearly not Japanese, and if such a person had truly been at the school, Shizuka would have mentioned him before.

Moreover, Rika understood that helping a group escape from a zombie-infested school and escorting students required exceptional skills. She was worried that Shizuka might have trusted a stranger, but she felt slightly reassured knowing that her friend, though somewhat clumsy, was good at judging people.

"So, who is this Alex you're talking about?" Rika asked, trying to keep her tone calm.

"Well, he's like a character from... um, what's it called... oh, right, manga! He looks like he came straight out of one! And he even has a green robo-dog with a giant hammer," Shizuka began enthusiastically describing Alex.

The more Rika listened, the more she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Shizuka's words sounded increasingly absurd. A "character from a manga" and a "green robo-dog with a hammer"? What was this, the future where such things were commonplace? And mentioning the girls in Alex's group, who also "look like manga characters," only added to her confusion.

Rika's first thought was that Alex and his companions were cosplayers who had come for a festival. But she quickly dismissed this theory; cosplayers were unlikely to not only survive but also rescue others.

"Shizuka, stop! That's not what I meant. I'm asking what his job is—how he managed to save you," Rika said in a tired yet warm tone.

Shizuka paused for a moment, as if trying to recall, then replied, "Oh, you mean that? Wait a second… Hey, what is it you said you do again? Oh, got it. He says he's a mercenary… or something like that?"

Rika could hear Shizuka chatting with someone in the background. It was presumably Alex. His voice sounded young, but Rika couldn't make out the details. However, the word "mercenary" made her wary. Why was a mercenary near a school? She'd need to gather more information to understand.

Meanwhile, Alex sat next to Shizuka, sipping coffee and gazing at the starry sky. The silence around them struck him as suspicious—there wasn't a single sound from the wandering zombies. Lowering his gaze, he noticed a bridge in the distance crowded with people trying to force their way through a police blockade.

"Madness," Alex muttered, lighting a cigarette.

The commotion would eventually draw zombies. If his theory was correct and the undead became more active at night, then the bridge would soon become a slaughterhouse, and nothing could stop it.

Alex exhaled smoke, watching it swirl into the cool night air. People in panic always behaved the same way—like rats on a sinking ship, blind to the water waiting to drown them.

In such situations, the best decision was to barricade oneself at home, wait a few days, and then venture out. But as often happened, people either ran recklessly or froze in fear, paralyzed into inaction. Alex knew many would die of hunger, too afraid to leave their shelters. And when the first wave of chaos subsided, gangs and cults would inevitably emerge, each as dangerous as the zombies themselves.

Alex's thoughts increasingly leaned toward leaving the country before things got worse. If the zombies started mutating, survival would become exponentially harder for everyone left behind. He could use his powers to eliminate the threat, but something about this epidemic didn't sit right with him—especially considering his sudden appearance in this world.

Coincidences were rare in his life. If he had ended up here, there was likely a third party behind it all. If that was true, then zombie mutations were only a matter of time. Alex knew the pattern: give people hope, then cruelly snatch it away. The first day was merely the beginning. For now, he decided against revealing his powers to avoid exposing himself to this new player, who might already be observing.

He planned to study the zombies first and then proceed with his strategy.

While Shizuka chatted away on the phone, Alex delved into his thoughts about the current situation. Suddenly, Rei climbed onto the roof, holding a cup of instant noodles. Seeing Shizuka engrossed in her conversation, Rei shifted her gaze to Alex. He was seated on a chair, coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

As she approached, Rei patted him on the shoulder to get his attention. Alex turned his head and saw Rei holding out the noodles to him.

"Here, this is for you. Sorry, it's the best we have right now," she said, handing him the cup.

Alex nodded silently, accepting the food. He wasn't picky. Food wasn't particularly important to him, but he ate for the taste. The same went for sweets and cigarettes—habits he wasn't planning to give up.

"Thanks. How's everyone else? Were you able to reach your parents?" he asked, starting to eat.

"Everyone's slowly starting to recover. It seems like they're beginning to realize what they've managed to avoid," Rei replied, lowering her gaze.

"And you? It's not every day you see your classmates torn apart," Alex remarked calmly.

Rei was surprised by his tone but decided it was related to his mercenary experience. As for Alex, he was thinking back to his time in Night City, where such things happened regularly: people being dismembered and sold on the black market. He'd seen enough not to flinch at brutality.

"I think I'm okay. Although, I'm not sure," Rei said, offering a faint smile.

"Did you manage to get in touch with your parents?" he asked, wanting to know if anyone from her family had survived.

"I couldn't reach my dad. My mom was at home; I told her to lock herself in and wait," Rei replied, trying to sound optimistic.

"Good call. As soon as we find a safe place, we'll get your mom. What about your friend Takashi? Has he contacted his family?" Alex tilted his head slightly, looking at her.

"He started rambling again. He said everyone had abandoned him and refused to call his family. Told me to focus on my own problems," Rei answered irritably, her face clearly showing her displeasure. She looked as though someone had stepped on her tail.

Alex simply sighed heavily. He found it hard to understand why Takashi was behaving like this. Wasn't it better to know if your family was okay, or at least face the bitter truth? But avoiding the question… that seemed pointless to him.

Meanwhile, Rei continued complaining about Takashi's behavior, calling him insensitive and selfish. Alex only gave a crooked smile, feeling a little sorry for the guy, who clearly wasn't ready for such harsh realities.

"What does Takashi's mom do? Maybe her profession gave her a chance to survive," Alex tried to soothe Rei.

"She's an elementary school teacher. The school is not far from Takashi's house," Rei answered, taking a deep breath to calm her irritation.

Alex nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. If the school had a bomb shelter, the teachers might have managed to shelter the kids. In that case, Takashi's mom could be alive and relatively safe, at least for now.

"Usually, schools like that have shelters. If they managed to get there, everything might be okay. As soon as we find a safe place for us, we'll start picking up your families. Then we'll figure out what to do next," Alex said, giving Rei an encouraging look.

Rei nodded, but her irritation with Takashi was still evident. Alex decided it was time to learn more about the families of the other survivors. Rei shared that most of their relatives had managed to react in time and take shelter at home. However, some weren't so lucky; they found themselves at the epicenter of the events and likely didn't survive. All Alex could do was offer his sympathy.

The conversation gradually shifted to other topics related to school, while Alex tried to inject humor to lighten the oppressive atmosphere. Shizuka, still engrossed in her phone conversation with Rika, served as the backdrop to their discussion.

Rei didn't want to stand and sat next to Alex, continuing the conversation with him. He occasionally glanced at the bridge, where a crowd of people was still gathered. The sight reminded him of a scene from the movie Resident Evil, where a similar situation unfolded.

"Oh, Rei, you're here too! I didn't notice you. What are you doing?" asked Shizuka, finishing her phone call.

"I've been here for a while, Nurse Marikawa. You were so caught up in your conversation that you didn't pay attention to me," Rei replied with a smile.

"Hmm, maybe. But I was so happy to talk to my friend. Thanks, Alex, for giving me the chance to call," Shizuka thanked him, handing back the phone.

"You're welcome. Once things calm down a bit, we'll go get your friend," Alex said with a smile, putting the phone back in his pocket.

Shizuka smiled widely and nodded before the conversation wrapped up. After finishing his conversation with Shizuka and Rei, Alex went down with them to assess the situation.

Descending the stairs, he noticed that both doors had already been barricaded, and the survivors had scattered around the room, snacking and trying to recover their strength. Rebecca and Brunhilde were sitting together, speaking in low voices. In another corner, a trio of troublemakers were engrossed in a video game, ignoring everything happening around them. Alex scanned the rest: everyone was trying to relax, at least a little, to shake off the tension and fatigue.

"Alright, everyone," Alex began, drawing the group's attention. "Congratulations on making it this far. But don't get too comfortable—it's just the beginning. As I've already said, this is a temporary shelter. We need to find a safer place to rescue your families, and then we need to leave Tokyo as soon as possible. None of you have the strength or means to fight off zombie hordes. So, we save everyone we can and move on."

Alex's words grabbed everyone's attention. One of the girls raised her hand, her voice trembling.

"Why do we have to leave Tokyo?"

Alex smirked, looking at her.

"It's simple, sweetheart. Tokyo has about 14 million people. If even half of them turn into zombies, that's 7 million corpses. There isn't enough weaponry here to kill them all. Moreover, the government might start bombing densely populated areas at any moment to suppress the infection. They won't care how many survivors are left in the cities. Their goal will be to eliminate the outbreak. And the longer we wait, the higher the chance of a nuclear strike on the city. We need to move quickly."

Rebecca continued, picking up on Alex's point:

"We don't know how much time we have left. Our goal is to gather supplies, save our families, and get as far away from Tokyo as possible. Staying here is suicide."

Rebecca's words made the survivors' faces darken. Meanwhile, Alex was analyzing their resources. The group didn't have many people who could fight effectively. Among the shooters were only Rebecca and Kohta, while Saeko, Brunhilde, and Rei were skilled with close-combat weapons.

Shizuka and Kyoko could be useful in treating the wounded, and the rest of the guys were mainly suited for physical labor, like building barricades and moving heavy objects. Alex knew he needed new allies.

He sighed and spoke, not trying to soften his words:

"Let me be blunt. Each of you has to contribute to the group. Can't fight? Fine. You'll carry things and build barricades. Physically weak? Cook the food. Yes, this applies to the girls too. You're scared and worried, but you don't have a choice. Either you work, or you die."

His straightforwardness made the survivors lower their heads. They all understood that Alex was right. He had already done more for them than they could have asked, saving them from a school full of zombies. The fact that he was going to help them find their families sent a clear message: he wasn't going to coddle them, but he was willing to lead them if they started working.

"And one more thing," Alex added. "Tomorrow morning, we move out. We need to load as much supplies into the bus as possible and fill up all the empty cans and bottles with gasoline. Food and fuel are your best friends in the apocalypse. Now, get some rest. We've got a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow. I'm on duty tonight, so you can sleep easy."

His confident tone calmed part of the group. Alex scanned them all, wanting each of them to understand that this wasn't just an order. This was their chance to survive.

The survivors nodded in silence, unwilling to argue with Alex. They understood they had no other choice. However, Alex waved for Rebecca and Brunhilde to follow him. Climbing to the roof of the building, he began explaining his plans. His main goal was to keep everything related to their group a secret.

"Do you think this world is like Night City?" Rebecca asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Until I check, I can't be sure. But if I'm here, something definitely went wrong. Tonight, when everyone falls asleep, I'll catch a few zombies for experiments. We need to figure out what we're dealing with. Rebecca, you'll handle the planning. Find a safe spot on the map for shelter and mark the locations where we can replenish supplies. When the group grows, I want you to teach the survivors how to handle firearms, and Brunhilde—how to use melee weapons." Alex spoke calmly but confidently, outlining his plans.

"Alright, but first, we need to find the weapons. I'm a jack-of-all-trades, but I can't pull a machine gun out of my pocket without revealing our abilities. And you've decided to keep yours hidden, so weapon hunting is on you, handsome," Rebecca smirked, winking at him.

"If you manage to find enough weapons or make some, I'll try to train these mortals," Brunhilde replied, leaning against Alex. "But don't expect much. You know I'm a strict teacher."

Alex merely nodded. He understood that the first thing they needed to do was find Rika and her group. This would significantly simplify the task of gathering resources. Their group was still small, but over time, they would need more food, medical supplies, and shelter. The only thing that slightly reassured him was G.I.R. and M.I.M.I., who could handle complex operations and knew the basics of medicine. For now, having a doctor in the group wasn't critical.

After discussing a few more things with Rebecca and Brunhilde, Alex asked them to go downstairs and send G.I.R. up to the roof. Both girls nodded and left. A few minutes later, G.I.R. literally flew out through the hatch and landed on the roof. With a sulking look, he glanced down.

"Ha-ha, don't be mad. I was just joking about 'throwing' you. Once everyone falls asleep, we'll go hunting," Alex said, motioning for G.I.R. to come closer.

The robo-dog immediately perked up, its "sulking" look replaced with excitement. Alex sat down in the chair that Shizuka had brought earlier and decided to relax a bit, admiring the stars. G.I.R. settled next to him, continuing to play video games with M.I.M.I. and Stitch, who had stayed downstairs.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Alex peeked through the hatch to see what they were playing. Upon seeing the screen, he smirked: they were deeply immersed in Monster Hunter.

"Well, at least it's not Warhammer, I'll take that," Alex muttered, shaking his head.

Leaning back in his chair, he thought about how he used to relax in Night City, watching the news or funny videos. But now, the news was surely filled with reports of the virus outbreak and cities overrun by zombies. Alex sighed: the times when he could indulge in simple pleasures seemed so far away.

A few hours passed. Alex looked down from the roof and saw that everyone was already resting. Only Stitch and M.I.M.I. continued to play video games, oblivious to the time. Alex patted G.I.R. on the head, signaling that it was time to move. The robo-dog nodded and tucked the console into a tiny pocket, almost magically. Alex shook his head, still not understanding how no one noticed that this trio literally pulled devices out of thin air. Perhaps the others simply preferred to ignore this fact.

With G.I.R. perched on his shoulder, Alex jumped off the roof and casually set off to search for nearby zombies for his experiment. Unfortunately, their base was located on the outskirts of the city, near the river, which made the task more difficult. Alex decided to head further into the center, avoiding residential areas. The center was pure chaos, but the chances of finding zombies there were higher.

Quickening his pace, Alex began moving across the rooftops, enjoying the coolness of the night air. Stopping on one of the roofs, he crouched down, watching the street below. Zombies wandered through the streets, but something about their appearance seemed strange. Their eyes glowed red, a detail that was noticeable even in the dark.

"No way! Is this Dead Rising, or are they mutating like in Dying Light?" Alex muttered, eyeing the zombies. "Or maybe it's a mix of all zombie types? Looks like they're not as blind as they were during the day. The night is definitely changing their behavior. What do you think, G.I.R.?"

The robo-dog, comfortably settled on his shoulder, responded thoughtfully:

"Maybe. The mutation could go further. They'll get stronger, smarter, and start creating hives."

Alex nodded, processing the information. If the zombies developed a collective intelligence, the situation would become catastrophic. Humans wouldn't be able to withstand such a force and would quickly become food for this new predator. But for now, those were just theories. The priority was to figure out what was making the zombies more active at night.

Continuing forward, Alex finally spotted a small group of zombies huddled in an alley. They simply bumped into each other aimlessly, not trying to leave the space.

"Perfect, first target for the experiment," he said, standing at the edge of the roof.

With ease, he leapt down and set up a barrier to isolate the alley from the other zombies. Once the preparations were complete, he released G.I.R. onto the ground. The robo-dog activated its chainsaw sword, which roared to life, drawing the attention of the zombies. Their eyes gleamed even brighter, resembling crimson lights.

"Don't kill them, they're needed for the experiment," Alex reminded.

G.I.R., nodding with childlike enthusiasm, charged forward. With a battle cry, it began methodically dismembering the zombies, turning them into safe targets for the research. As Alex watched, he heard a loud noise behind him. Turning around, he saw a zombie crawling out of a large dumpster. The creature clumsily fell to the ground but quickly got back up, locking its bright red eyes on Alex. Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised by how much more aggressive this one seemed compared to its kin.

"Well, you're more interesting than the rest of your kind," Alex muttered as the zombie lunged at him.

As the creature approached, Alex calmly extended his hand, lightly touching its chest.

"Cleave," he said in an icy voice.

The moment Alex made contact with the zombie's chest, it instantly shattered into neatly cut pieces, scattering them in all directions. Alex glanced briefly at the remains, then shifted his gaze to the robo-dog, which had already finished dealing with the other zombies. G.I.R., with a satisfied expression, trotted over to him, clearly expecting praise.

"Good job," Alex said, patting G.I.R. on the head.

Looking over at the dismembered zombies, still emitting growling sounds, Alex pushed aside any stray thoughts and approached the nearest one. He was going to test if the spell "Ingal" would work.

"Ingal," he pronounced, allowing a drop of blood to fall from his finger onto the floor.

The zombie's body glowed with a soft light and began to change, returning to its original form, as though the person had never been infected. However, despite the external restoration of the body, the person did not revive. This confirmed Alex's theory: the zombie no longer had a soul, or any trace of it. If the soul, or even its remnants, still resided within the body, it would have been possible to restore the zombie to its human state.

Alex pondered: what happens to a person's soul when the virus takes over the body? Where does it go? Does the transformation process destroy it? These questions demanded answers. He also realized that for further experiments, he would need a live subject. Alex even regretted getting rid of Shido — he would have been the perfect test subject.

Casting a glance at the restored but lifeless body, Alex wondered: could this corpse become a zombie again? But shaking off his doubts, he decided not to torment the dead and burned it.

"Alright, let's move on to the next subject," he said, lighting a cigarette.

A cloud of smoke rose into the air as Alex walked to the next zombie. His thoughts were focused on potential experiments. "Inglum" he decided to leave for later, but for now, he was curious to see how healing spells would affect a revived body and what consequences that would bring.

The questions were piling up, and Alex was eager to find answers. Fortunately, the night was long, and he had plenty of time to dive deeper into his research.

To be continued...