Chapter 48

After The Selection (選定の先, Sentei no Saki) is the 48th chapter of the To Your Eternity manga.

Summary
Hayase's Yanome guards finds out Fushi is missing and worry about what to tell Hayase. She suddenly appears behind them and asks what happened to Fushi. Another guard comes running informing her an incident has happened in town.

Meanwhile, Tonari and Fushi prepare to set sail. However, the Beholder informs Fushi that a Nokker has risen twenty minutes west of them and is attacking the town. Fushi apologizes to Tonari and tells her he has to go and Tonari figures out it's a Nokker. She tells him to ignore it and that they should leave but Fushi is worried. She tells him that everyone worth saving is already off the island and that if the criminals and their family are worth saving then God will intervene. Her words unsettle Fushi and he runs off telling her to leave if she wants. Fushi heads towards the town and the Beholder appears and tells him he made the right decision. He tells Fushi that although the Nokkers are powerful, not fighting them will make them even more so. Fushi demands the Beholder to tell him where the Nokker is and the Beholder tells him not to worry and that a single sword should be enough to stop them. He then summons a sword from Fushi's hand for him. Fushi asks the Beholder why didn't the Nokkers come to him to which the Beholder shrugs and hypothesizes they might have plans of their own too. Hayase and her guards overlook the town towards a pile of dead bodies. One of the guards points out something bubbling up from the pile of corpses. All of a sudden, a corpse rises up from the pile seemingly controlled by a Nokker. There are veins covering the corpse's body.

Fushi arrives in town to find hundreds of reanimated corpses wandering the streets. Other islanders are fighting off the hoard as Fushi makes his way down to join them. He notes that he can't feel the corpse's pain. He yells at the islanders to run and leave the rest to him and they rejoice at his arrival. Fushi is confronted by a female corpse and he curses that it takes the form of a human. An islander yells at Fushi not to worry and that the zombie came from the corpses pile. Fushi stabs the female zombie but misses and she chokes him. The Beholder tells Fushi to aim lower and he complies killing the zombie. A Nokker emerges from the zombie and runs away but is quickly stabbed by Tonari. She scolds Fushi for running off alone and he yells at her asking why she came back. She explains there's only one boat and she plans on taking Fushi with her.

Another zombie appears behind Tonari and Fushi yells to warn her, but the zombie is swiftly knocked out by Mia's chair. Tonari's group appears, ready to join the fight. Tonari asks why they came back and Mia tells them, "better two than one, and better many than two. Isn't that right, Fushi?" Fushi thanks everyone for coming and tells them to be careful. He tells the zombie Nokkers will continue to move unless their inner core is destroyed. The group battles the onslaught of zombies. Sandel wonders how many zombies there are and Uroy tells him that seven-hundred people die a day and hopes he's prepared. Fushi asks Sandel to cover him as he heads into the heap, and the rest charge in after him. Oopa trips and a Nokker vine wraps around her leg. It stabs her and she calls out for help. The Nokker quickly takes control of Oopa. Mia quickly comes to her aid and reaches out her hand to help her up but she's then stabbed by Oopa. She falls over to Fushi's horror.

Chapter Notes

 * We learn that the Nokkers are able to take control of corpses and even alive beings.