Chapter 138: Kazuichi’s Stronghold’s Completion, And The Fall Of Ice Wing Stronghold

Kazuichi Stronghold,

Fujima Jurou, the Bulwark Hybrid who’d been looking after Kazuichi pre-apocalypse, was assigned against his will to look after the stronghold while Arisu located Kazuichi beyond Yamanashi Prefecture. He knew just how dangerous and tense it was over there, but he didn’t bother stopping Arisu since he’d most likely get hurt doing so.

Besides, Arisu already awakened the Blood Art, unlike him, which put her in a much higher rank compared to a Bulwark (for the most part, Hounds are weak against Bulwarks)

Although Fujima Jurou was Kazuichi’s personal assistant in the past, he still respected his wishes not to go inside his place. Granted that Arisu had given him permission to do so, he decided to stay with the stronghold residents while he overlooked them.

"Sir!"

A group of rugged men greeted Jurou early in the morning just when he was drinking his early morning rice coffee. There was no sugar available, but the rice coffee was tasty enough for his liking.

Greeting the group with a nod, Jurou stood up. "Are you done for the day?" He asked, offering them the coffee he just made.

"Yes, we’re done for the day. We’ve set up the perimeter and checked on the rice fields. The fruit trees are growing nicely as well."

"And the dogs? How about the dogs?" Jurou checked.

"They’re doing well. The other Hybrids are also guarding the place with a decent rotation."

"Lastly... how about the waterwheel?"

"It’s working. We have to dig a little deeper and divert the river nearer. But after a couple of weeks, it’s already working." One of the men called out.

Jurou nodded his head. "Great work."

A couple of weeks ago, the waterwheel was built with the trees by the mountains. However, it became too big and too heavy that no one, not even the Hybrids, could lift it. After much contemplation, they decided to divert the river directly from the top of the mountain and dig it deep so the raging waters would be strong enough to keep it running.

It was a painstaking project, just like the rice fields and the fruit trees. But with the community working hard to build everything together, it didn’t take long before these long-term systems were up and running.

Now, with everything set in place, the only thing they had to do was increase the security of the place. They had a number of Hybrids on their side, but that didn’t mean they could absolutely defend the stronghold if there was an invasion.

A huge zombie horde, a group of Hybrids, or a nest of Aberrants hunting are just a few of the threats that they had to deal with. Adding to that, there was also the threat of other strongholds trying to take over.

"In terms of trust, these guys trust each other. It’s a close-knit community that would never betray each other, like a brotherhood. However, there will always be the risk of impostors, and betrayal can be bought with someone’s personal bond or money." Jurou said to himself as his expression tightened.

However, it only took a couple of seconds before the creases on his face relaxed. There was no point worrying about things that were inevitable. Right now, the most they could do was set up precautionary measures and continue building the stronghold. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Once Kazuichi takes over, this place will get better. That guy’s meticulous when it comes to his property. Jurou inwardly said.

As he sat down, he watched the sun peek over the horizon and light up the entire mountainside. The once silent atmosphere was now filled with the chirping of birds and movements by the forest. The once-dead forest of the mountain was now renewed, cleared of Hybrids and zombies alike. As such, life has returned, and the territory officially became part of the Kazuichi stronghold.

"Ah, Jurou-san, good morning." A family of two bowed in front of Jurou.

"Good morning."

It was a peaceful morning once again, and Jurou hoped that it would continue for an indefinite amount of time. However, hoping for that to happen was just wishful thinking. In an apocalypse such as this, the days could be so peaceful, and then everything would be laid waste by tomorrow. The uncertainty of the time made everyone walk on eggshells as they stayed vigilant.

This uncertainty also led Arisu and Jurou to agree on networking— sending scouts all over the neighboring prefectures. They have a rotation, and their routes were planned perfectly so that they’d be able to gather news and report it to the stronghold as quickly as possible.

In cases of emergencies, the news would take at least a day or two before it reached the stronghold— just enough time for them to prepare if something were to go down.

Currently, Jurou was idling right by the main entrance of the stronghold. It was heavily guarded, but its walls were easy to infiltrate. After all, it would only be counterproductive if they put up a huge fortress-like wall since that would pretty much invite a siege.

Today, just like any other day, one of the scouts would finish his rotation and report about the neighboring prefectures. There was a time frame when Jurou waited, and at first light, one of the scouts was expected to come.

Just in time, one of the scouts could be seen running uphill, waving his ID to prove that he was a bona fide scout sent out by the stronghold. He didn’t scream, but it was obvious that he had some important news to report. It was written all over his face, after all.

Jurou gulped as he signaled for one of the lookouts to open the main entrance gate.

"Sir! Sir!" The scout started hysterically calling out to Jurou as he collapsed on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

"Calm down, what happened?"

"I have two bad news. A huge Omega Zombie had destroyed the Ice Wing Stronghold. Also... the North Yamanashi Stronghold had fallen, and a huge stronghold war had started between the three other strongholds in Yamanashi." The scout briefly explained. "What do we do now, sir? Yamanashi is right by the corner of Tokyo. Wouldn’t we get swept into the war as well?"

"I see... the time has come. We have to prepare for the worst-case scenario." Jurou let out an exhale. He was trying to maintain his composure as he dismissed the scout.

Arisu, Kazuichi, I hope you’re both all right.