Conquering Heroines: Starting From A World Of Zombies

Ryuji had never voiced it outright, but one thing was for certain—he absolutely loathed zombies.

There was nothing romantic or thrilling about the world of 7 Days to Die. Even with a safe house, the constant threat of death made every moment feel like a gamble. Living in a place like that was a nightmare. How could anyone possibly like such a world?

"What a pain..."

Flexing his wrist, he drew Kashu, the katana at his waist. He didn't yet reach for the heavier blade strapped to his back.

Yes, he had upgraded his arsenal. While exploring Crocodile's hidden vault in Alabasta, he had discovered a greatsword—nothing fancy in sharpness, but it boasted exceptional durability and, more importantly, it didn't melt under fire. That alone made it worthy of carrying.

Now, he wanted to test the caliber of zombies in this world.

After all, there were countless zombie worlds out there, and their threats varied wildly. He needed to know—were these ones within his manageable range, or was he in serious trouble?

The razor-sharp Kashu sliced cleanly through the skull of a nearby zombie. Its body crumpled lifelessly to the ground.

But something felt... off.

"These clothes... are Japanese?"

Examining the attire on the fallen zombies, he realized they bore a distinctive Taishō-period styled.

"Is this... ancient Japan?"

As he continued cutting down wave after wave of zombies, Ryuji took a look at his body's condition. If some worlds, like the One Piece world, could empower him, wasn't it also possible some might weaken him?

He had to test it.

In the next instant, he activated his three forms of Haki.

Armament Haki — Nothing.

Conqueror's Haki — Still nothing.

Observation Haki — And then…

Suddenly, a strange new sensation blossomed within him—not quite like his usual Observation Haki.

He could feel his heartbeat, the flow of air in his lungs, the circulation of blood, even the movements of his bones and muscles. Beyond that, he could sense the internal mechanics of nearby zombies, the fine fluff on plants, even the slow march of ants on the ground.

It was as if his surroundings had turned completely transparent.

"Is this this world's version of Observation Haki?"

Even with his eyes closed, he could see the zombies' movements with pinpoint clarity. His breathing deepened, strengthening with each inhale—likely another effect of this world.

"This is... strange. My breathing's enhanced, my senses have reached a whole new level. It's like the world itself has turned see-through. And these zombies... don't tell me—did I land in Demon Slayer?"

It wasn't impossible. He'd seen the anime before.

Still, the zombies weren't going to wait for his deduction to end. More and more surged toward him, quickly falling beneath his blade.

Thanks to his exceptional stamina, he could fight without pause for days. But that didn't mean he wanted to.

"If they're not that strong, then..."

Flames surged around him—not dragonfire, just regular fire magic. He launched into a few movements, and in seconds, a flaming vortex spun around him. The fiery force lifted him upward into the air, five or six meters high, before he landed lightly on a nearby rooftop.

From this vantage, he finally saw the full extent of the devastation.

The entire city—once a typical Taishō-era Japanese town—was engulfed in flames. No signs of resistance. No survivors. Just endless zombies swarming the streets. Anyone could see it: this world had fallen.

But just as he was about to move on, he spotted something strange.

A woman. Sitting on the roadside. Arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

Surrounded by a swarm of zombies.

And yet… she didn't move. Didn't scream. Didn't even look up.

She just sat there. Silent.

Ryuji's eyes widened.

He knew her.

In fact, for a number of reasons, he had been checking on her status every single day since that… incident.

After all, returning her home had resulted in one of the most explosive and unexpected events in his entire journey.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Flames erupted behind him like wings, and with a burst of raw power, he launched himself toward her. The heavy greatsword unsheathed, dragonfire enveloping its blade.

Without hesitation, he hurled it straight into the horde.

"GET AWAY FROM MY WOMAN!"

The greatsword, blazing with dragonfire, smashed into the ground beside the woman like a meteor. The flames burst forth in a brilliant explosion, engulfing the surrounding zombies. Yet, as the fire passed by her, it didn't leave so much as a scorch mark—she remained untouched, shielded by Ryuji's precise control.

But the horde wasn't so lucky.

The blast shredded the dense swarm in an instant, reducing the closest zombies to ashes and sending the rest flying like leaves in a storm.

Landing beside her, Ryuji stared at the woman's delicate yet powerful figure. Her dazed, vacant expression only fueled the storm of frustration building in him.

"Mai Shiranui," he growled, his voice heavy with emotion. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Yes. It was her.

The broken woman sitting amidst the apocalypse was none other than Mai Shiranui, the kunoichi he'd taken in front of her own lover.

Yet this female fighter didn't so much as twitch. Dressed in casual loungewear, she remained curled into a ball, her arms wrapped around her knees, staring blankly at nothing, completely ignoring him. With more zombies shambling toward them, Ryuji gritted his teeth, sheathed his sword, then leaned down and lifted her into his arms. Flames erupted at his feet as he vaulted onto a nearby rooftop.

But Mai didn't react at all. She didn't resist, didn't blink, her expression didn't change at all. She just stared blankly at Ryuji.

"This is just ridiculous..." 

Ryuji sighed, rubbing his temples. That day had been unavoidable—he'd even tried to be considerate, but things spiraled out of control. Not that he could claim he hadn't enjoyed it.

Mai's ass—toned, perfectly proportioned, and devastatingly responsive—had been nothing short of spectacular. Even with her stubborn resistance and the... logistical limitations of their encounter, the sheer friction had been transcendent.

And though it embarrassed him to admit it, the way Andy had walked in at the worst possible time… yeah, a twisted part of him felt a flash of triumph back then.

He hated that part of himself.

That primal, territorial part that relished the idea of defeating the other competitors.

He knew that this was very perverted and was succumbing to the ancient genes of competing for mates, but he had to admit that although he did not like this sense of victory, it did exist.

Plus, he was the type to find solace in a handful of softness.

Mai's body was ideal—curvy yet athletic, warm and yielding in all the right ways. It is super comfortable to hug her, and he couldn't help but get hard. However her catatonic state killed any arousal stone-dead.

They landed atop the city wall. Activating his Observation Haki once more, he scanned the surroundings for any sign of threats. Seeing none immediately nearby, he gently set Mai down on the rooftop.

Still, she sat there.

Hugging her knees, eyes hollow.

Not moving. Not speaking.

Ryuji crouched beside her, staring at her silently. Just yesterday, she'd been laughing while she bathed. And now... this? She was like a puppet with the strings cut.

He checked her status screen again. It still showed her as alive—but the screen couldn't tell him what had happened.

Clearly, something had.

Something that left her like this.

"No way... Did Andy reject her?"

He winced at the thought. It was pure speculation, but for Mai—someone who lived so passionately, with emotions always at the surface—rejection from someone she deeply cared for could be devastating.

Ryuji tapped her shoulder.

No response.

He gently pinched her cheek—soft, smooth—but she didn't flinch. Didn't react.

He sighed deeply.

"C'mon, say something. At least tell me how you ended up here."

Still nothing.

He knew she wasn't in any condition to answer—not now. But the silence felt heavier than the weight of any sword.

This made him really speechless, so he directly grabbed Mai's arm and pressed her down on the roof, looking at the other's emotionless face.

"If you don't say anything I'll fuck you."

But Mai remained motionless.

It was clear now—of all the people she could have run into in this world, Ryuji was probably the one she least wanted to see.

"Seriously…"

He let out a long sigh, exasperated.

"Looks like I'll have to take you somewhere safe for now and let you rest… The system said this world contains a World fragment, but does that mean I have to wipe out all the zombies here?"

He glanced across the ruined city.

The streets below were swarming with undead, endless and ever-growing. He wasn't sure if that was the mission, but if so—it was going to be a long one.

"What a pain... I wonder if there are any survivors left."

He loosened his grip on Mai for a moment, then looked down at the chaos. Because of his presence, the previously aimless zombies had started converging on his position in droves, drawn by the scent of life—or perhaps the pressure he exuded.

Ryuji scanned the area quickly. A tall clocktower rose above the rooftops not far from him. It would offer a good view and a defensible position.

Without hesitation, he scooped Mai back into his arms and began leaping across the rooftops again, bounding from tile to tile with practiced ease.

His current level of flame control wasn't enough to fly—not with another person, anyway. Even on his own, he could only use it to assist his jumps. At best, he could clear sixteen or seventeen meters. If he pushed with fire, maybe just over twenty.

But he wasn't Luffy. The guy had the benefit of rubber-enhanced jumps and insane acceleration. Not to mention raw burst strength.

Sure, if Ryuji put everything into it—momentum, muscle, and flame—he could probably clear a cliff fifty or sixty meters high. But doing that repeatedly? It would be exhausting. And hanging in the air too long was risky—made you an easy target.

That's why he never specialized in vertical movement. It just wasn't practical in long fights.

Still, his physical foundation was strong enough for now. And right now, the goal wasn't battle.

It was getting both of them to safety.

Although his stats were a bit low, things were different in actual combat. In the steel jungle of the city, His fighting is no differently from flying.

The towering buildings became his springboards and high bars.

He quickly arrived at the clock tower, cornered Mai , and rang the great bell.

The bell's chime echoed sharply through the otherwise silent city—so sharp and clear that everyone heard it.

This wasn't a modern city; the urban area before him was surprisingly small. Standing atop the clock tower, he could easily see the entire city. That's how he so easily deduced that this was a country resembling historical Japan.

The tolling of the bell stirred the undead into a frenzy. Just like in 7 Days to Die, even if some zombies weren't drawn by the bell, they were drawn by the sounds of other zombies moving. They came swarming toward the clock tower in a crazed stampede, gathering beneath it like moths to flame.

Watching the swarm below, Ryuji stretched his body. His vitality—or perhaps it was mana—circulated through him. The temperature in the air dropped as energy was drawn out, forming flames around him.

The fire gathered into a blazing jet in his hand. In an instant, the intense heat ignited the fat and tattered clothing on the zombies below. While it was hard to set moving zombies fully ablaze, under Ryuji's continuous barrage of fire, the inferno began to spread through the horde. The stench of scorched flesh quickly filled the air.

With his Observation Haki activated, he sensed that there were indeed survivors in this city. After seeing the zombies drawn away from the streets, some people rushed out of their hiding places toward nearby stores to loot food.

Even so, there weren't many of them. Yet, even among the few who remained, he saw scenes of struggle, conflict—and even murder.

It instantly drained any interest he had in staying here.

"Tch… It really is the end of the world. Whatever. Time to ask around."

The fire in his hand transformed into dragonfire—more powerful but also more taxing. While dealing with these minor enemies wasn't difficult, it was still physically exhausting.

After turning most of the zombies to ash, he picked up Mai and flew to a building where he had sensed people earlier. He opened the door without hesitation.

"Hey, can someone tell me what's going on here?"

Thanks to the linguistic similarities in writing systems, Ryuji had learned Japanese much faster than English. His question was still understandable to the man inside.

Under some light intimidation, the man finally told Ryuji what had happened.

It was simple. There had always been legends about ghosts and demons in this world, but few believed them—just tales to scare children. Still, people respected the swordsmen who carried blades and wore wisteria emblems.

Then, one day, a large group of mindless monsters suddenly appeared across the land. These monsters were bizarre—some wore white and could summon other monsters from thin air. Some were naked women with countless strange tentacles sprouting from their backs, and others were enormous hound-like beasts.

The women and hounds were especially terrifying. Just seeing them from a distance made people feel physically ill. Those who stared too long would even go mad.

The women could emit a strange light that vaporized enemies, or unleash fleshy growths that burrowed into their victims, causing them to explode in grotesque death. The hounds' saliva was so poisonous that a single touch could melt a person into pus.

These creatures were impervious to blades or bullets. Even the strongest warriors were no different from ordinary people in front of them.

They wiped out the military. Only those who kept their doors shut and avoided seeing the monsters survived.

Then, one day, the monsters mysteriously disappeared—heading off somewhere unknown. Only the regular zombies remained.

"Sounds… a lot like Lovecraftian horrors," Ryuji murmured, rubbing his chin as he processed the intel.

The style did resemble Cthulhu Mythos. Ryuji had never liked those Lovecraftian freaks—after all, Cthulhu itself was a stitched-together deity, overhyped as "indescribable."

But similar beings existed in myths all over the world. Even the Bible—described many "unseeable" angels.

Essentially, these were higher-dimensional beings incomprehensible to ordinary humans.

The core message of the Cthulhu Mythos was a warning against using narrow-minded reasoning to define the universe. It encouraged fear and awe of the unknown—facing it with curiosity and willingness to learn, not denial.

Though in recent times, the mythos had turned into over-the-top cosmic horror fanfare, using Lovecraftian creatures as a metaphor still fit perfectly.

"Excuse me… sir… are you from the Demon Slayer Corps?"

As Ryuji pondered, the man glanced at Mai in his arms—her voluptuous figure quite distracting. He gulped.

"No," Ryuji answered casually.

But the man suddenly trembled and pointed behind Ryuji.

"A monster!"

Ryuji quickly turned. At the same time, the man raised a kitchen knife to attack him.

Blood sprayed. A head flew through the air—still wearing a stunned expression.

It wasn't Ryuji's. Still carrying Mai, he walked away without looking back.

The man's severed head hit the floor, eyes shifting from disbelief to utter terror.

Did he really think Ryuji wouldn't be wary of someone who had gazed directly upon a Cthulhu-spawned creature?

"So, this is the world of Demon Slayer, huh? Then I guess this disaster… must have been caused by a World Fragment from 7 Days to Die."

He wasn't completely certain. But what he did know was—

"Looks like it's time for me to play the hero again."