"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

Touhou Elementary school had been breached "them". The teachers and students had barricaded themselves inside the classrooms using whatever they had available to block the door. The class that the Mihoshi sisters resided in wasn't an exception. Everyone was scared; friends tried to console each other by holding hands and keeping close to one another. Chihiro was sitting next to the teacher, holding her sister in an almost motherly fashion. Rise had calmed down a bit from their previous encounter with one of them, but it was far from over as more were swarming the second floor. The reality of the situation was, only a door separated them from the walking dead.

"Focus on what you can do..."

It was a simple statement, but those few words had a profound effect on Chihiro. "When this whole mess started I just sat there and cried, but you were there to protect me… just like that last time. Even now, while I sit here safe and sound; you're out there fighting to protect us. I want to help you, but I know I'll just be in your way. That's why I'm going to stop feeling sorry for myself and stop worrying about what's out of my control. It's like you said, right? I need to focus on what I can do. The only thing I'm capable of doing at this moment; is to act like the older sister that I am and keep Rise safe. So please… No matter what happens… Stay alive, Senpai."

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

*Slash!*

Ryuji's zanbato had connected with the walking corpse's head. The blade ripped through its flesh and bone splitting him in half. Fifteen minutes had passed since he engaged them, but the hoard showed no signs of thinning out. As soon as he would cut one of the undead down, several more would take its place. "There's no end to these things." He sliced through several more corpses and all the while he felt his body starting to burn up.

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

"What the hell are you guys moaning about?" Ryuji asked in a sarcastic tone.

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

"To think, that I was asleep a couple of hours ago only to wake up to this shit…"

*Slash!* *Slash!* *Slash!*

Wave after wave of the decaying flesh eaters kept shuffling towards him. Constantly fighting for an extended period of time would take a toll on a normal person, but the opposite effect seemed to be happening to Ryuji. The more he fought, the faster and stronger his attacks became. He was starting to enjoy himself despite the situation he was in. "Is it hot in here or is just me? My body feels like it's on fire. Was it from that bite? No… This is different. This feels… familiar…"

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

Several of "them" were slowly creeping up behind him. Ryuji turned around and swung his sword in the shape of a cross, slashing the enemies within range. A cross of blood formed from his attack which traveled a short distance, cutting down everything in its path before disappearing into nothingness. The swarm of corpses that crowded the halls behind him lay before him in a bloody mess. The gory scene of blood and guts stretched for almost the entire length of the hallway. Ryuji's zanbato was glowing with a bright red hue and his body was emitting a crimson red aura. "Is this… my power?"

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

Before he could get an answer, the other half of the hoard had already come upon him. Almost on instinct Ryuji grabbed the first of them that came within range, gripping its head with his demon arm. The undead monster's skull was being crushed as it struggled under demon knight's superhuman grip. Focusing his power, he emitted a shockwave from his demon arm sending the lot of "them" flying down the stairs. He stood there for a moment in disbelief at what he was able to do. His crimson red aura disappeared and the strange red glow from his sword returned to normal. He felt his body start to cool down as when he calmed himself. "Why does this feel so familiar? Was I always able to do this?" He was confused by the change his body was undergoing. It certainly wasn't something he's ever experienced before, but at the same time it felt nostalgic. "Why…?"

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

The undead were slowly recovering from his attack. "There'll be plenty of time to figure this out later. Right now…" Ryuji tightened his grip on his blade. "…I have a job to finish" He jumped down the stairs cutting them down as he trailed a path to the first floor.

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

The radiant glow from his blade was bright enough to illuminate the darkened hallway so he could clearly see. The situation was worse than he imagined, the hallways were teeming with the undead. "Just how many of them are here anyway?" Having no sense of sight or touch, these monsters relied upon their sense of hearing. This was how they hunted, this was how they fed. Some of "them" kept walking into walls while others bumped into each other. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It is the end of the world after all." It was then that he noticed, some of "them" walking up one of the stairwells. Knowing the ramifications of letting even one make it back to the second floor, he acted.

*Thud!*

He had punched the wall making a very sizable dent in it with his demon arm. All of "them" stopped moving and turned their heads towards the noise. "I don't appreciate being ignored. If you want feed on something, then try me." Ryuji stated in a dead serious tone.

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

The hoard shuffled towards the lone demon knight with gaping mouths. He felt his body start to burn again in anticipation of the fight that was about come. "It's time for Round 2!"

*Slash!* *Slash!* *Slash!*

He cut through the decaying bodies ripping through their flesh, guts, and bone with each attack. The few walking corpses he felled made little more than a dent in the oncoming hoard's number. His body temperature steadily rose beyond human limits as he fought the never ending battle. How many more times would he have to swing his blade? The undead spanned the entire length of the hallway and more kept coming. There may have been more of "them" here than at Fujimi High. "No matter what happens, I'll keep my promise to you." This thought was first and foremost in his mind as he fought. However, even with his strength, Ryuji was just one man against what seemed like the rest of the world.

He felt one something grab his leg. He looked down to see a grotesque hand attached to the decaying upper body of a corpse he had cut in half. They could only be killed by striking them in the head. He tried to shake it off, but in that moment another undead body latched on to him. "Dammit…" Ryuji grumbled. He felt another hand grab his shoulder. He looked back up to see the hoard was already upon him. Manhandling one or two of them at a time was one thing, but trying to overpower an entire army proved to be futile even with superhuman strength. The lone demon knight was slowly forced to the ground as he was buried under a mass of corpses. The stench of death that permeated the hallways was enough to make him almost pass out. He struggled with all his might to push the dog pile off him to no avail.

*Crunch!* *Crunch!* *Crunch!*

Several of them started to feed sinking their teeth into his flesh. However, despite the situation he was in, he wasn't afraid. No, a different feeling was welling up inside him. His body temperature was rapidly rose at an accelerated rate. "There's that feeling again. I feel like I'm being roasted in an oven right now. What is this?" Ryuji wondered completely tuning out the mass of corpses on top of him. The change his body went through back on the second floor was starting to take effect again. "I understand now… This feeling… it's…" The searing pain that shot throughout his body as they fed on him only served to speed up the process. "This is my RAGE!" An intense crimson red aura emanated from his body. "Get off me!" A pillar of crimson energy exploded from his body tearing all who were within its range to shreds. The wounds he sustained regenerated as he stood back up. The glow of his sword changed to a red hue and his eyes glowed red with rage.

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

The undead were unfazed by the imposing figure standing before them as they continued to shuffle towards the lone demon knight. He focused his power as the crimson aura emanating from his body became more intense. He swung his blade diagonally to the left, then diagonally to the right forming a giant cross of blood spanning the width of the hallway. Finally, he raised his zanbato above his head and vertically slashed the giant cross in front of him propelling it forward. The attack cut up everything in its path like the blades of a blender as it painted the hallways red with blood and guts.

*CRASH!*

His attack traveled the length of the hallway and exploded out the front of the school taking out the remaining undead left outside the building. The gore cross kept going as it traveled across the street, whizzing pass the parked cars before finally slamming into another building and completely demolishing it.

"Take… that…" Ryuji gasped in between breaths as his body returned to its normal state. The glow from his sword had faded. He had slain the last of "them" in vicinity. However, that last attack took more out of him than he'd care to admit. He was so exhausted, the moment he took his first step his legs had buckled underneath his own weight. "Why… am I so tired? This isn't the time to be resting…" He tried to use his sword to recover his balance, but it was no use. He had lost all feeling in his body and before he knew it, he was already lying on the blood-soaked ground. One moment, he had the strength to fight an army of the undead and the next moment, he doesn't even have the strength to stand on his own two feet. "What's happening to me…?" What used to be the front door was now a giant hole in the front of the school. The beautiful picturesque pink sky illuminated by the setting sun shone beautifully over the city despite the horrible state of things. He gazed outside at the setting of the yellow orange sphere in the sky as his eyes grew heavier and heavier. "Dammit…" Ryuji grumbled as he slowly lost consciousness.

AN: Alright here's chapter 3. It's a little short, but I sort of wrote myself into a wall at the end. So instead of making you wait any longer, I decided to post it so you have something to read till then. I know what I want to write, it's just a matter of how I should write it that I'm drawing a blank on. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the DFO action I've showed you thus far. There will be more in the upcoming chapters. That's a promise.