Aozaki Aoko Case File

"Huh?"

The blond man seemed to have entered a frenzy, unable to fully grasp what Aoko was saying.

 His crimson eyes were filled only with boiling desire.

"What are you babbling about, woman? Stand right there and don't move!"

As he barked out the final command, a mechanism akin to a charm spell activated, centered on his eyes.

 If the girl before him—like the victim lying on the ground—were an ordinary human, she would have undoubtedly been rendered immobile by this command.

Unfortunately for him, Aoko's level as either an Archmage or Magician far exceeded this half-supernatural, half-magical ability. Even without casting Protection from Evil, her magic circuits and engraved spells alone allowed her to easily ignore such powers.

"Pathetic mystic eyes, huh?"

Aoko carefully placed the package she was holding to the side, then stood with one hand on her hip, leisurely regarding the blond man. "For a zombie, your strength isn't bad. Where's your superior, the Dead Apostle? Spill the truth, and I might give you a quick death."

"Zombie? I am a vampire! A superior race that transcends humanity! You stupid woman, prepare to become my food!"

The blond man's veins bulged with rage, his face twisting into a feral snarl. His skin grayed, resembling that of a long-dead corpse, while his beast-like fangs glinted menacingly in the dim light.

With a roar, he lunged at Aoko. But rather than charging directly, he leaped and bounced off the alley walls like a wild animal, moving with an agility no human could replicate.

"Strike preemptively."

Aoko's hands moved at blinding speed, creating afterimages as she performed intricate gestures. This was her rapid-casting technique, developed through reinforcement magic—a specialty almost unique to her.

In less than half a second, Aoko had completed the casting of a 1st-circle divination spell.

"Treme!"

Without pause, she locked her gaze on the zombie leaping between the alley walls, chanting a spell and forming three hand seals. A frosty spear of ice, crystal clear and exuding a bone-chilling aura, materialized in her hand.

When the zombie came within five meters, Aoko assumed a textbook javelin-throwing stance and hurled the ice spear with all her might.

The reanimated corpse, still reveling in his supposed superiority, suddenly heard the sound of sharp steel piercing flesh mid-air.

Then came a dizzying spin.

The next second, with a resounding thud, he was pinned to the wall by the icy lance.

3rd-circle Transmutation Spell: Ice Spear.

First live combat test: Excellent.

The zombie trembled violently, his body wracked by the bitter cold emanating from the spear. His feeble mind finally comprehended that the red-haired girl before him was neither an ordinary human nor prey he could hunt.

Yet the piercing, frigid weapon in his chest inflicted such agony and shock that he could no longer think straight, let alone free himself from his dire predicament.

One effect of the Ice Spear spell was to stun its target for 1d4 rounds if it failed a Fortitude save.

Judging by the zombie's state, he was certainly no genius. To extract information, Aoko realized she'd have to do it herself.

After some thought, she cast a divination spell: Detect Thoughts.

The result was predictable—nothing useful. All she saw in his mind were scenes of fear and his various assaults on innocent women.

Despite his ability to speak and hunt, this creature operated purely on base desires, making effective communication impossible.

Disgusted, Aoko abandoned the idea of digging deeper into his mind. Instead, she incinerated the zombie with a Scorching Burial Shroud, reducing him to ashes.

This wasn't Aoko's territory, after all. As long as she didn't encounter them directly, the Dead Apostles, ghouls, and zombies were problems for the local Church and Magus families to handle.

Working for free wasn't her style.

Aoko had once studied the relationship between Dead Apostles, zombies, and ghouls using fragmented knowledge from her previous life memories and the Aosaki family's magical archives.

Certain corpses bitten or devoured by Dead Apostles could be revived under specific conditions. These incomplete, soulless undead were driven solely by the urge to complete themselves—the so-called ghouls.

After consuming enough human corpses or living flesh, ghouls would develop a core, a pseudo-brain or soul fragment, which granted them intelligence. At this stage, they evolved into zombies.

If a zombie wished to become a Dead Apostle like the one who created them, they needed to devour enough humans, drink sufficient blood, and finally defeat their master—claiming their power to ascend as a new Dead Apostle.

Aside from this parasitic path, some rare individuals with exceptional adaptability could transform into complete Dead Apostles shortly after being attacked. These cases were notoriously powerful and bizarre.

The most famous example was an unfortunate high school girl, Satsuki Yumizuka.

If such a person existed in Aoko's world, she would likely be just a ten-year-old girl at this time.

Having dealt with this unnecessary nuisance, Aoko sighed. She glanced at the girl's corpse at the end of the alley. After a moment of hesitation, she decided not to intervene.

Aoko didn't know the girl. Killing the zombie had been coincidence enough. Since she had already avenged her, there was no need to get further involved.

The body would eventually be discovered, and her family would grieve, but none of that was Aoko's responsibility.

She had the power to perform miracles, even resurrection, but saw no reason to waste it here.