The gargoyle mutant, named for its resemblance to the French mythological creature, is a humanoid creature with wings. In addition to their similar shape, gargoyle mutant also have a skin color texture similar to a gargoyle statue made of granite. Mutants of this type are classified as high-level mutants, or if described, are mutants who can think complexly and can understand strategies.

Gargoyle mutants can't fly, mostly. However, the wings on their backs and shoulders were not for display only, the pair were used for speed acceleration or for gliding. Their jumps are high, thanks to the very strong springs in their legs. High jumps and can glide, this is the reason why many survivors call it being able to fly. Their main weapons are sharp claws on both hands. Their teeth weren't very strong, but at least they were strong enough to penetrate the human body. This monster doesn't have armor as thick as Tank's mutant, but it's capable enough to reverse the bullets of assault weapons. Despite being strong, they were the weakest high-level mutants in their classification.

This mutant becomes a terror in itself in urban areas that have tall buildings. Although these mutants benefited greatly in areas like this, most of them would prefer remote areas because most rulers in urban areas were stronger and smarter mutants. Mutants were territorial creatures, so it would be difficult for gargoyle mutants who were arguably the weakest high-level mutants to compete against other high-level mutants.

Revenge, a negative motivation created by trauma caused by others. Anger, an emotional outburst that moves individuals to act hastily, quickly, and aggressively. Greed, the instinct of an individual to possess more and more of what they have or even what they have achieved from the original goal. Euphemia, this gargoyle mutant has all of these three things. The mutant who rules the mansion in the western area of the city of Tonmachi.

“I am Euphemia and I have come for revenge!”

That's the mutant's scream during the attack. Edward, the owner of the mansion as well as the father of Anthony and Gerald, tries to protect the place from zombies and mutants. However, human strength was no match for an iron-clad monster as fierce as a bear. The mansion was in chaos. Thousands of bullets of assault weapons do not work. Grenades and various other explosives are just a power push for this monster. The large mansion inhabited by the Richoret family finally collapsed at Euphemia's hands.

Anthony and Gerald, two of Edward's three sons who managed to escape. Their little brother, Crane, died in the incident. A very sudden attack in a situation filled with confusion. Anthony and Gerald fled through an underground passage designed for escape to one of the huts in the middle of the cocoa grove. The two brothers then headed towards the East, where they found a safe place called the North camp.

It was there that the information regarding the Gargoyle mutants spread. Worries and fears arose, but the attack from the mutant never came. They, the North camp finally decided that the gargoyle mutant in the mansion as territorial creatures and survivors, whoever it was, were forbidden to enter the area. However, this excluded the blessed who were meant to eliminate them.

This is where Tanaka Hijimori is. Together with Anthony, the fire type blessed as well as the one who has a grudge against Euphemia will make a small expedition to the mansion. With the same goal, kill the mutant.

~~~

The roar of gunfire hit the air. That very deafening sound appeared with a certain rhythm. Rhymes within speed and crash. This is something beautiful, so are deadly, firearms.

"That was great!"

Yes, she's really great.

"Hehe, it was just luck!"

This girl is something. Even to me who's been training since childhood, defeat was an obvious thing when compared to it.

"Still, luck is power. It should be impossible even for an expert once to shoot down all the targets with a perfect score. You were unbelievable!"

A blonde girl named Yuki Fujiwara, she is a very talented person.

"Ehe, thank you, thank you!"

On the other side of this graceful girl, there was also a man who seemed to be coupled with the girl, Tanaka Hijimori. He wasn't very skilled with firearms, but still his precision was something. All of his shots were aimed at a close area, it was less accurate, but still commendable.

"For real guys, how do you shoot properly and correctly?"

However, what this man focused on wasn't his shooting ability, it was his bless which was a combination of the three blessings. Undetected by zombies, but not an illusion type bless. Has super physical strength, but it is always activated. And being able to react quickly, although I guess this is in Tanaka's own nature.

Combined with my bless, I believe we can defeat that Euphemia. The mutant who suddenly came and declared that it was a form of revenge.

"In shooting, there's a recoil and it doesn't look like recoil is happening in your grip. It's possible that the gun's recoil momentum was actually scattered into the gun itself and made your shot less accurate, Tanaka-san!"

Gerald explained it well. He is my brother who survived the incident.

"Ah, so I should have followed the direction of the recoil momentum and I could have hit the target as I wished... No, it doesn't seem like it... No..."

It seemed that Tanaka's talent wasn't really in shooting.

...

I get compliments, from other blonde people. I am happy.

"No, Tanaka-san, you don't need to pull it too tight. Actually you don't need to master the precision of the shot either. You're already physically strong!"

"No, I wish I could do it!"

Tanaka, he's really excited. It's a pretty busy night. I'm glad that there are other blondes like me around. And even more surprising, they really are of European descent.

"So, are your parents also from overseas, Yuki-san?"

Anthony, he is a blessed with the power of fire. He could spit out hot flames from his hands. Cool and dangerous.

"Well, my father is from America and my mother is from Japan. My body shape is like my mother's, but my hair color is similar to my father's!"

"I think your father has the dominant gene from Europe. Your hair is very blonde, so I'm just guessing!"

"That's right, my father did say that my grandparents were from the Norwegian area who were researchers in America!"

"Then your father should be from Norway, not from America!"

"But his ID says he's an American citizen!"

"... Well, let's just say so!"

Talking about parents, I miss them so much. I wonder if they survived this apocalypse or not. They just disappeared back then.

Tanaka came, look like he had given up on mastering shooting techniques.

"... Ugh, so, what are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing. We were just talking about our blonde hair!"

"I see... By the way, how are we going to attack them?"

"Let's discuss that!"

We walked into a room full of paper and boards. This is a room filled with information.

...

Mutants, they are very powerful creatures. If ordinary survivors have a balanced opponent, namely zombies, so for us blessed have the same level opponents, namely mutants. Survivors use tactics and strategy when going to attack zombies, so that is the same for us that are discussing ways to defeat high-level mutants.

Her name is Euphemia, I just found out that mutants can have their own identity. From Anthony's description, I can conclude that the mutant was moved to attack because of revenge for something. However, it's not clear what made the mutant hold a grudge. I think all of this has something to do with the origins of this zombie apocalypse.

Gargoyles mutants, they weren't easy opponents. If in the past I had fought Tank mutants and had difficulty with it, then this gargoyle mutant had four to five Tank mutant troops guarding it. Obviously this is something stupid considering our capabilities. However, I had to do it, for Haruka's sake.

"... So it's like that, Edward and I will set this bomb as a trap and once everything is set, we're looking forward to Tanaka-san being able to lure Euphemia into the room!"

"I see, but what will Yuki do?"

That's right, it would be unwise for Yuki to just be left alone.

"Yuki-san will guard our escape route. Of course Edward will also be with Yuki-san at that time, so, later when we set the trap, Yuki-san and Tanaka-san can wait first!"

In short, the tactic used is to trap the mutant into a room filled with explosives installed... which is beside me right now, and then we'll run while blowing up the room. According to reports from various survivor leagues, gargoyle mutants are bullet invulnerable, but they are not strong against explosions, unlike Tank mutants which still have some resistance. We take advantage of this weakness.

"But, as you all know, high-level mutants aren't stupid, are they? So how am I going to fool them?"

But, their weaknesses can certainly be covered with advantages. That is intelligence.

"We've thought about it… Tanaka-san, this is a very difficult task. Once you've entered, Tanaka will be able to put these on Euphemia's legs and arms as much as possible. Once you've succeeded, all you need to do is escape and I'm going to blow it up. Honestly, we don't want to bother you with our grudge business, but only Tanaka-san can do this. So, do you think Tanaka-san would be willing?"

I understand. It was true that this would be the most dangerous job. However, I still have to do it.

"I will do it. I also have my own goals to kill this gargoyle mutant!"

Oh yeah, I've been a bit curious about the mention of the mutant's name. Anthony and Gerald always called him by name.

"We are very grateful for that!"

"By the way, why are you two calling that mutant by its name? Ah, I don't mean to be rude, I'm just curious about your reasons!"

"... Actually we don't want to call her that polite either, it's just that since she already gave her name, we can't help but call her that to be more specific. Because instead of blaming one species entirely because of one individual, we prefer to blame that one individual. and names are the easiest representation for us to pronounce. It's a bit strange, but that's what our father taught us!"

Really rational thinking.

"By the way, Tanaka-san, do you feel stronger after killing zombies?"

"Hmmm, what do you mean?"

"Could it be that you don't know yet? We blessed people get stronger every time we kill a certain number of zombies. Is it possible that you don't feel it?"

I've never heard of it.

"No, wait, is it really like that?"

"Yeah, I myself wasn't this strong before. The fire I could spit out was this small back then… However, after killing around a thousand zombies, I leveled up and somehow my body feels more powerful. Maybe if it was Tanaka-san then it would take more than thousands of zombies to kill because your power is too great!"

"You mean we basically live in a game-like system?"

"There is such a theory out there, and I believe it!"

This is crazy. I originally thought that this was just a normal zombie apocalypse phenomenon and us blessed just happen to have powers... Wait, this is weird, why would I take it as normal.

"Well, that makes a lot of sense!"

"Can we continue the discussion on other tactics, blessed gentlemen?"

Gerald, who was beside us interrupted. That's right, our discussion has gone too far out of topic.

……

...

Assault stealth, this is what we will be doing this morning. We've been discussing about how we're going to kill the gargoyle mutant. In short, it uses explosions. However, in case some things don't go according to plan, we will use another tactic which is to run and destroy. Our target is the gargoyles themselves or it could be just the mansion because with the mansion destroyed, it's likely that the gargoyles will also leave.

However, I don't agree with the escape and explosion plan. That's right, I have to get the head of the gargoyle no matter what . If the situation got out of hand, I might just be fighting the mutant alone. I should be able to do it... Hopefully.

Our trip was smooth and safe. The vehicle used was not my dilapidated truck but Anthony's expensive jeep. We use small roads to avoid crowds of zombies such as passing through the main road. About twenty five minutes drive and we arrived.

"Scratch your head!"

Yuki almost butted the top of the jeep.

This is a large area filled with cocoa trees. Perhaps because it has not been taken care of for too long, a layer of broad cocoa leaves becomes the foundation of this tree farm. It was a very quiet place and only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"It's really quiet!"

"But not after we get in there!"

That's right, this area is often called the no-man zone. This is because none of the humans who dared to enter here. There was once a blessed person who tried to challenge the gargoyle mutant, but they disappeared for over a week and were declared dead. Dangerous quiet area.

"Let's go!"

While carrying three bags full of powerful explosives moved along with the others. Gerald and Anthony each carried a bag of explosives, while Yuki brought leftovers such as weapons and food.

It was very quiet, our movements seemed to be the only movements in this garden. Gerald led the way because he was the one who knew best about the hidden location of this mansion. Step by step and finally we came to a stop.

"Shhhh!"

Gerald gave us the signal to stop. At first I didn't know what it was about what he saw, but it turned out to be a Tank mutant. A strong enemy and something we should avoid in order to save energy. He was at the side of the hut and was silent as if he were sleeping standing up. Anthony and Edward spoke in whispers about how to get past the mutant.

"Hey, what's the problem?"

"The hut next to that mutant... That's our goal!"

"Do you have any plans?"

"Let me think... I think one of us should be the bait!"

Cruel advice from Gerald.

"Leave that to me. It's just that I need your help to lift this bag!"

Anthony is willing to be bait. Honestly, I'd like to offer myself, but this burden I'm carrying is clearly something Anthony, Gerald or even Yuki can't take.

"Yuki-san, give me my weapon!"

Tank Mutant... He's like frozen. Somehow it would feel really scared out if he suddenly moved.

Brak, the sound of something falling was heard right behind me. Tank mutant suddenly turned to me. It's gonna be messed up.

"Yuki, give me the sledgehammer!"

Immediately I picked up my new sledgehammer which was stronger and heavier than the old one.

"Wait, Tanaka-san, do you really want to fight him?"

"There is no other way!"

While we were talking, the Tank mutant over there was already getting into position to ram. Closer and closer, fortunately those behind me understood what they had to do.

"Tanaka-san, good luck!"

"Wow, you know those are the villains' words after trapping the main character, right? I'll survive, don't worry!"

Immediately I went forward to lure the Tank mutants. That's right, I'm bait and I have to hold off this huge creature until it all gets in there. This is my second fight against Tank mutants. I still remember how hard the armor was and how powerful it was. Now I've updated the equipment. Apart from having armor on my body, I also have a special sledgehammer which is tougher and heavier.

"Come on you big creature!"

Luckily the mutant realized I was the main target. Although Tank mutants are smart, they are not as smart as high-level mutants. They only know how to fight effectively, but not to see the long-term impact of a fight. All they care about is a way to win and a way to prey on the nearest target.

The mutant charged, but I managed to dodge to the left. He accelerated backwards and to the point where he actually stopped, I hit his shoulder. An extremely deep sound of iron hitting was heard. It wasn't loud, it's just that if I was an ordinary person and I was within a one meter radius of the source of the sound, I'm sure I would be deaf from this very deep sound. Unlike my previous fight with the Tanks mutant, this one can sense my attacks.

"But somehow he feels smaller!"

The Tank Mutant I fought earlier was at least as tall as a house and as big as a truck. However, this one was only about three meters less. I guess the size of the mutants affects their strength.

However, thanks to my attack earlier, the Tank mutant became silent for a while to balance itself. I also want to attack, it's just that the counter momentum of the attack also affects. This time, the two of us were already at a point of balance and it was clear that the Tank mutants were the first to strike. His attacks are now more indiscriminate. His hands were splayed around as if he were playing in the water in this garden. The trees bounced off and the massive attack was aimed at me.

"How in the hell I would be silent for that!"

I jump. A three meter high jump could reach a curve where the mutant's attack didn't hit. After landing, I immediately ran behind him and attacked his right leg. My attack landed right on the right foot and because there were two major forces namely forward force and left face hit, the mutant stumbled forward.

Opportunity. Immediately I went to the mutant and hit the head repeatedly. Even though it only managed to land a few hits in the most critical places, the mutant was now starting to experience movement disorders. My attack had an immediate effect.

We set the balance again and the Tank mutants immediately took action. Just like in the beginning, he was trying to butt in.

"Come on!"

However, what I thought was an ordinary ramming turned out to be a mistake. He was not trying to ram but trying to drag me. When the distance between me and him was about ten meters, his arms were spread out and he flopped down like someone while jumping for a swim. I had intended to dodge to the left chose to jump, but unfortunately my sledgehammer seemed to pull my body back down.

I swung the heavy blunt down at the surfing mutant's face. I was intrigued, following the sledgehammer that stuck in the monster's face. I landed near one of the trees with a strange feeling in my hand. This must be a sprain.

"Damn it, he can do that too!"

I always forget one thing. They may not be as smart as humans, but they can make the best use of their bodies. I didn't expect that such an attack would be launched. Luckily I didn't get dragged along and only my sledgehammer got stuck there. The mutant was still silent, prone on the ground.

Is he dead?

No, he still moved and threw my sledgehammer away. This is bad, the only weapon that can be used against Tank mutants is really missing from my grasp. The mutant, whose mouth was gaping open from my attack earlier, approached. I have to go there to get my weapon back, ASAP!

"Wait!"

I still have two grenades here. That's right, I carry two grenades in my right pocket. I can use it.

Casually moving his hand, the mutant tried to catch me. Unlike the previous mutants, this one is quieter and more mobile. I was able to dodge his fast hand. I was waiting for the moment where he opened his mouth wide.

"Ghaaaaa!"

This is the moment. Immediately I unlocked the grenade and ran towards the mutant who opened its mouth. I quickly put it in and jumped on the mutant's shoulder. I am floating, above this garden with a silver monster right between the green leaves of the trees. As I started to accelerate downwards, an explosion was heard and it was clear that it was coming from the mutant's head.

Landing casually, I immediately looked back. Even though from behind the mutant still had a head, I could tell that he was dead thanks to the explosion. After a while of standing, the huge monster finally collapsed.

"I win!"

And I won... Wait, was my battle with that Tank mutant that easy before? I think it's the equipment.

"Hey, are you still alive?"

I went to the mutant corpse of Tank. The front is a complete mess. His face was gone and only a skull and iron armor remained on his head. If this was a human corpse, I would definitely feel disgusted. But, since I think of him as a monster, I guess I don't have much of a problem with that.

...

"Hmmm, one of my subordinates has fallen. Even more, there is a loud explosion sound. Intruders!"

It's been a long time since I moved out from this bench. I think there are four enemies this time. All of them are not stronger than Tank mutants. No, there is one person who can defeat the Tank mutant.

"This is going to be difficult. I think I have to move!"

They defeated subordinate number three. Meaning they knew that the warehouse was a secret passage to the mansion. I think it was them, the two who managed to escape when I attacked. Luckily I had everything ready.

"What will you do if the enemy you are facing already knows your plans from the start, intruders!"

I will kill them all! Either when they fight or want to run away. No one came out as a whole living human from this place.

...

I took my blunt weapon back and shouldered the two bags I left behind. I think the other one was brought by Anthony or Gerald.

"Tanaka!"

And Yuki was beside the mutant corpse. Besides Yuki, there were also Anthony and Gerald who inspected the corpse.

"Tanaka-san, you really are great!"

"I'm just making the most of the weapon. It's true that the inside of this monster is still flesh and an explosion from within can kill it!"

"This information will be of great help! By the way, were you hurt?"

That's right, am I hurt? That question didn't appear in my mind after the battle was over.

"... Not a thing, I guess. I think it was just a sprain in the wrist and shoulder earlier. I have fixed it!"

Anthony looked deep in thought.

"We have to move quickly! The possible sound of the explosion earlier made the enemies there realize that there was an attack. If we fail to do it stealthily, then we will abort this mission!"

That's right, we should have moved quietly.

"I am sorry!"

"No, instead we are grateful that Tanaka-san killed one of the monsters that destroyed our family!"

"That's right, Tanaka, I should be the one apologizing for dropping the weapon. I'm sorry!"

"Heya, why are the people in your camp so apologetic? You guys are too polite. It's nobody's fault. Let's have to move fast!"

And we continue our plan.