Eater Blade: Grinding in Apocalypse
Chapter 25: THE ANOMALY QUEST.

Chapter 25: THE ANOMALY QUEST.

[WARNING!] [WARNING!] [WARNING!]

A loud ping screamed in their skulls.

[SYSTEM NOTICE!]

— ANOMALY QUEST DETECTED!

[All Eater Blades within this zone have been forcibly linked to a temporary squad.]

Location: [Mall by the Seaside]

Nest Level: [C-Tier]

[LOCKDOWN IN PROGRESS...]

The air shifted violently like pressure from a descending storm. The windows facing the outside world flickered, then warped like old glass being melted in reverse. The exits vanished under pulsing waves of distorted light. From every corner of the building, a shimmering glitch field expanded outward. Ribbons of static-light stitched together, crawling over doors, vents, broken windows, ceilings.

From the outside, the mall now resembled a sealed data vault. Glowing, flickering with unreadable code, as if it were being erased and re-rendered in real time.

Nothing could come in. Nothing could leave.

The shieldbearer backed away from the spreading field, his breath catching.

"What... what the hell is that? What the fuck is happening?!"

The archer staggered, nearly slipping on the tiled floor as he clutched his head.

"It’s locking us in, it’s sealing us in! THE FIELD! Look at the exits! They’re gone!"

Up in the casino, Johnquis braced himself against a still-lit roulette table, the Runner crouched low beside him, its eyes narrowing at the pulsing glitch field now encompassing the mall

The spearwoman groaned through her dislocated shoulder, her voice shaking.

"We’re trapped. Completely sealed in. This isn’t just a quest anymore..."

[LOCKDOWN COMPLETE.]

[ENVIRONMENT RE:BOOTING...]

The mall trembled.

Everything froze...

For a full three seconds, everything was silent. Not a single movement. Not a breath. Like time itself was paused.

Then—

TCHHHHHHH—CRACKKKK!

Reality fractured.

A wave of shimmering energy pulsed through the entire structure. The broken walls, the bloodstains, the collapsed tiles—all blinked out for a moment, turning into static, like shattered pixels trying to realign.

Every inch of ruin began to rebuild itself.

Flickering code ran through the cracks in the floor. The shattered columns grew whole again with glitchy, jittering pulses. Broken glass reassembled in midair and slotted itself neatly back into its frames. Lights blinked on fluorescent and soft. Neon signs sputtered once, then glowed with inviting colors. Storefronts came alive, glistening glass, freshly stocked shelves, untouched mannequins in new seasonal wear.

Somewhere, soft music began to play. A cheery mall jingle from decades ago.

Elevators pinged.

Vents hummed.

The food court buzzed with simulated lighting. The popcorn machine spun in perfect working order.

The mall had returned to a perfect, haunting replica of itself—

before the apocalypse.

But it was wrong. Too perfect. The lights were too clean. The colors too vivid. Every movement echoed like it was trying too hard to be real.

Rex looked around the mall, eyes twitching at the lights, the colors, the flickering signs, his blade still bloodstained. His face was a mask of disbelief, but his tone was edged in fury.

"What kind of sick fucking joke is this? These lights, these colors—whatever’s in here is making my head spin!"

He rubbed his temple, teeth grinding.

"It’s like the whole damn place is trying to... pretend."

Up in the casino, Johnquis stood slowly. The slot machines blinked. The carpet was flawless. The shattered ceiling now whole again, clean and fresh but behind it, he could still feel the wrongness pulsing in the air.

He whispered.

"It rebuilt the whole place, this entire mall just RESET."

Down below, the archer backed up against a wall, gasping, panic rising in his voice.

"WHAT DO WE DO?! THIS ISN’T REAL—IT’S NOT FUCKING REAL—SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!"

The spearwoman grabbed him by the collar, eyes wild.

"SHUT UP! JUST—STOP SCREAMING!!"

Then it came.

PING.

A final chime, cold and mechanical.

[RE:BOOT COMPLETE.]

A system voice followed, blank and heartless:

[OBJECTIVE ACTIVATED]

— Eliminate all Eaters within the Nest

— No Time Limit

[SURVIVE THE ANOMALY]

The mall’s loudspeakers crackled to life with a glitching, cheerful tone:

"Welcome shoppers... today’s special promotion is... death, de-death."

A cheerful jingle echoed through the space. A Peppy, childlike and Out of place.

"It’s a bright and sunny day at Seaside Mall—"

Music bounced between the clean walls and freshly restored glass. A soft tune of innocence, like a children’s commercial, began playing on loop:

"We’re so happy you are here At Seaside Mall, bring the cheer!"

The smiles of painted carousel horses turned slowly beneath flickering lights.

Johnquis clenched his jaw. The wrongness was no longer just a feeling—it was singing.

Below, the archer screamed:

"ARGHHH—STOP! MAKE IT STOP! THIS ISN’T RIGHT! STOP STOP!!!"

The second floor trembled. Something was climbing.

SNAP.

A pale limb slapped onto the edge of the floor. Then another. And another.

Dozens.

Bone-thin arms. Warped hands. Joints bent at impossible angles—Eaters, fresh and hungry, flooded upward, clawing onto the polished floor like spiders bursting from a nest.

Their shrieks rang above the music.

"SSHHHHRRRRRAAAA!!!"

"KRRRIIIIIIIHHHH!"

From the first floor, they swarmed.

One by one, they poured into the second floor, climbing on top of one another, ripping through the clean illusion as their bodies dragged blood and ash into the newly restored mall.

The mall lights flickered, trying to maintain their artificial perfection but already the world was cracking again.

The spearwoman scrambled to her feet, face pale.

"THERE’S TOO MANY!"

The shieldbearer raised his shield with a snarl.

"FRONT LINE! FRONT LINE—NOW!"

The archer fired a quick arrow that pierced two skulls as the first Eaters lunged.

"FUCK THIS MUSIC!"

But the jingle played on—

"We’re glad you came! It’s time to play! Let’s make your shopping bright today!"

Up in the casino, Johnquis stared through the broken ceiling as the wave of pale, crawling death surged upward.

Beside him, the Runner tensed, one arm still half-regenerated.

Johnquis grabbed its wrist.

"Come on... we need to get you out of sight. Your healing comes first."

They bolted deeper into the casino.

Down below, Rex grinned savagely as the Eaters charged in all directions. His blood-soaked face turned wild.

"I don’t have time for weaklings."

He raised his arm.

FWIP!

A grappling hook shot from his belt, anchoring to a fractured balcony high above. In one motion, he launched upward, the hookline pulling him.

"YOU AND YOUR RUNNER... WILL BE CLEAVED IN HALF!"

The mall shook.

And the second floor became a battlefield.

Eater Blades versus wave after wave of twisted monstrosities. Screams and shrieks blended with the crack of bone and blade. Arrows soared. Shields shattered. The music still played.

"It’s a perfect day to shop and play..."

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