Chapter 175: Silver Wolf: You Mean a Star System, Right? Kabane, Armored Train!
[Silver Wolf: "You're missing a word, right? Did you mean a planetary system?"]
[Ren: "I can collapse a planetary system with one kick. Destroying a star system spatially is no problem at all. Destroying a galaxy cluster... now that would take some effort."]
[Silver Wolf: "..."]
[Silver Wolf: "6."]
[Inorin's Note: "6" or "666" is internet slang, often used in Chinese gaming communities, to mean "awesome," "cool," or "smooth."]
[Momonga: "Boss is awesome!!!"]
[Rory Mercury: "So... so powerful!"]
Under the influence of the group chat, Rory Mercury had also come to understand the concepts of planets, the starry sky, and the vastness of the universe.
She was deeply, profoundly shocked.
[Mikoto Suoh: "..."]
Thinking of their last brief meeting, Mikoto Suoh felt a chill.
That very easygoing person, who had casually sat with them, actually possessed the power to destroy galaxies. It was terrifying.
...
Mumei and Horobi stood against the wall in a corner of the station, away from the bustling crowds.
"What are they talking about? I can't understand it at all," Mumei murmured to herself, staring at the chat screen only she could see.
Horobi heard Mumei's murmur and frowned, but didn't ask.
From the moment they arrived, Mumei had been distracted and acting strangely.
"A Hayajiro is about to arrive at Aragane Station!"
Someone suddenly shouted from the watchtower.
This made many people stunned.
Their own Armored Train had just arrived not long ago, so why was a new Hayajiro coming?
To counter the threat of the Kabane, the Shogunate had built massive fortresses called 'Stations' in various places.
Only armored steam locomotives, commonly known as 'Hayajiro', could travel between these Stations. One such Hayajiro was the Kōtetsujō—the Armored Train.
Hayajiro were operated by the Shogunate, with crew members recruited from each Station taking turns on duty.
Each Station maintained its livelihood by exchanging its local products, and the Shogunate, which managed all logistics, held immense power.
Contrary to its sturdy and imposing appearance, the Armored Train was not primarily used for combat, but for material transport.
It was not a vehicle for defeating Kabane, but for escaping from them.
Aragane Station was one of the largest, a Station that thrived on heavy industry such as iron manufacturing and steam engines.
Most Hayajiro cruising various places were produced and maintained at Aragane Station.
Therefore, the entry and exit of Hayajiro at Aragane Station were frequent, and the risk of Kabane flowing in was also greater.
But even so.
Aragane Station had never experienced a situation where another Hayajiro arrived so soon after one had just pulled in.
Soon.
The spotter on the watchtower noticed something was terribly wrong.
His eyes widened in terror, and he screamed, his voice cracking.
"The Hayajiro isn't slowing down! It's been overrun! It's Kabane! Quickly, close the main gate!"
The people below changed their expressions drastically. Panic erupted as the guards and engineers rushed to the giant manual crank, their movements suddenly speeding up, trying to desperately close the massive steel gate.
However, the speed of the out-of-control, multi-ton Hayajiro was simply far beyond what human hands could achieve.
BOOM!
When the gate was halfway closed, the steel Hayajiro crashed straight into it.
The gate was breached by the immense, unstoppable force.
A earth-shattering sound echoed, a shriek of tortured metal and a deafening explosion that everyone in Aragane Station heard.
Some people were still wondering what the noise was.
The next second.
"WOOOOO!!!"
A long, piercing, agonizing alarm blared through Aragane Station.
Hearing this alarm, everyone knew what had happened.
Aragane Station had been breached by Kabane!
The quiet and peaceful Station immediately became a chaotic, screaming mess.
"Kabane are here! Everyone run!"
"Get out of the way, don't block the path!"
"Don't push me! Ah!"
Just as they were in disarray, a stampede beginning.
A samurai shouted: "To the Armored Train! Everyone, immediately head to the Armored Train!"
They were the samurai of the Yasukawa family, the leaders of Aragane Station.
With their guidance, the panicked people immediately found their anchor and surged in a wave towards the Armored Train.
"Something like this happening at this time," Horobi muttered, drawing her blade. She was very helpless. "Mumei, let's go! To the Armored Train!"
Mumei nodded, her expression hardening. "Mm."
...
What Mumei didn't notice was the new notification sent by the chat.
[Doom Companion mission has been activated!]
[Companion Target World]: Mumei (World Doomsday)
[Companion (6)]: Ren, Mumei, Mikasa, Vivi, Saiki Kusuo, Seitenshi
[Companion Time]: Two days
[Companion Missions]:
Do your best to eliminate Kabane. (Rewards based on contribution)
Kill the reincarnated cultivator, Moxiu. (Group Mission)
[Companion Doomsday (New) detected!]
[Doomsday Type]: Doomsday End
[Companion Time]: Unlimited
[Companions]: Unlimited
[Companion Mission]: Eliminate all Kabane.
[Exusiai: "Oh, the Doom Companion is here!"]
[Saeko Busujima: "What a pity... the monsters are zombie-like creatures. They're relatively easy to deal with, so being chosen would definitely earn a lot of points."]
[Vivi: "Eh? I'm in it! I'm actually chosen!"]
[Mikasa: "I am as well. What do I need to prepare?"]
[Exusiai: "Probably your best weapons, and mental preparation. Good luck!"]
[Tendo Kisara: "Live stream, live stream, and live stream! Please!"]
[Silver Wolf: "Forget the Kabane, didn't you notice the new enemy? 'Reincarnated cultivator, Moxiu'?"]
Ren also thought of this concept immediately. Reincarnators.
[Ren: "No matter what the enemy is, less talk. Let's go over there first."]
[Seitenshi: "Mm. I am ready."]
...
"Hahaha! This world is truly wonderful! I am Moxiu! I'm going to be invincible!"
A man with sickly pink hair spread his arms, laughing wildly and unrestrainedly.
He stood on the roof of a multi-story building, looking down on a different Japanese city.
And the city below him had already become a living hell.
A massive, gray, formation-like pattern was etched into the very ground, covering the entire city.
Above the sky, a tattered, dark banner covered with screaming skulls hovered, pulsing with dark energy.
Both Kabane and the few surviving humans trapped in the city were screaming in agony.
Pale, soul-like substances poured out of their mouths and were forcibly sucked into the banner in the sky.
"Another city harvested! As long as my Soul Refining Banner is complete, I will be invin..."
The man's wild laughter abruptly stopped.
...
"This is... the Otherworld..."
Suddenly transferred from her barracks to an unknown, steam-filled area, Mikasa felt a moment of intense surprise.
"Roar!"
A guttural roar pulled her back to reality.
Turning around, she saw a person—or what was a person—with a glowing yellow-red chest, yellow patterns on their body, and glowing eyes pouncing on her.
Mikasa's mind instantly recalled the monsters called Kabane mentioned in the group chat.
She remembered that the administrator named Ren said that Kabane's weakness was their heart.
Mikasa, making a calm judgment, gripped the hilts of the blades inserted into the front of the box-shaped three-dimensional maneuver gear at her waist with both hands.
She rapidly lowered her body, then moved like lightning, pulling out both blades simultaneously.
The sharp steel blade was swung upwards diagonally.
Clang!
Although it was a monster transformed from a human, the blade striking its heart produced the sharp sound of steel colliding.
With enough force to cut off a Titan's nape, the blade sliced open the tough, steel-like membrane over the Kabane's heart.
Mikasa then turned with the momentum, and the blade in her other hand plunged straight into the cracked, glowing heart.
Hiss!
Yellowish fluid and hot blood splattered. Mikasa's first reaction was to pull back and cover herself with her jacket.
Everyone in the Doomsday Chat Group had mentioned that Kabane were infectious, and she wasn't sure if touching the unknown yellow liquid from the heart would lead to infection.
"Your movements are very fluid."
This was Ren's compliment.
Mikasa looked up and saw the golden blood suspended motionless in mid-air, inches from her face.
She quickly drew her blade and retreated, while four other figures appeared not far from her.
Mikasa didn't know the others, but she had seen the administrator, Ren, in a live broadcast.
Saiki Kusuo looked at the golden blood suspended in mid-air, not falling, and muttered without opening his mouth: Time Stop.
Ren glanced at him again.
Not speaking aloud. It's definitely Saiki Kusuo.
He also had time-related abilities, so Ren wasn't surprised he could tell.
"That's about it."
Time flowed again.
The blood splattered harmlessly onto the ground.
"Thank you." Mikasa's gaze was fixed on Ren as she thanked him, re-sheathing her blades.
"Hm."
Ren looked around; the station was in complete chaos.
People were running and screaming, being attacked and bitten by Kabane, and then rising seconds later as new Kabane.
Bloodshed and terror. Fear and escape.
These were the defining words for Aragane Station at this moment.
Saiki Kusuo watched these scenes, his calm face showing a slight frown.
Yare yare... what a troublesome situation. Even for a Psychic like him, facing such a scene instinctively made him want to act.
Vivi seemed a bit nervous; she knew her strength wasn't great and was afraid of holding them back. So, to be of some use, she simply started a live broadcast.
[Ding! Vivi has started a live broadcast!]
[Silver Wolf has entered the live stream room!]
[Exusiai has entered the live stream room!]
[Nami has entered the live stream room!]
...
Seitenshi spread her pure white wings and halo, transforming into her 'Redemption Angel' form.
This radiant, angelic appearance drew the attention of the other three.
Seitenshi looked at Ren, her blade already in hand, prepared to act. "Ren-san, what should we do?"
"Let's go find Mumei first. Our mission isn't just the Kabane; there are also the so-called Plunderer demonic cultivators."
"I've already found Mumei's location," Ren said, having scanned the entire station. "Let's go."
Space fluctuated, and the five of them vanished.
...
Near the Armored Train.
"Everyone! Please quickly enter the Armored Train! The Armored Train is about to depart!"
A woman with a kind face and a look of compassion was shouting at the entrance of the train.
The terrified crowd quickly surged into the carriages.
Mumei and Horobi moved swiftly and lightly among the swarming Kabane.
One used her twin pistols and devastating kicks, the other her blade, easily killing one Kabane after another, their hearts exploding.
To the astonished gaze of the woman at the Armored Train's entrance, they were already nearing the front of the train.
However, five figures suddenly appearing from thin air blocked their path.
Horobi's eyes sharpened. She instantly raised her blade and shouted, "Who are you?!"
"Mumei's friends."
Ren looked at Mumei, who had paused in her advance, and said with a smile, "We're here to help. What do you say?"
Mumei was briefly lost in thought, wondering if she really knew these people.
Suddenly, she saw the flashing notification in the Chat Group.
[Doom Companion mission has been activated!]
People who came from... across worlds?
Does such a thing really exist?
[Inorin Note:
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