The longer they stayed at Yatsushiro Station, the more food would be consumed. They had to go to the industrial area of Yatsushiro Station on the night the plan was to be executed, to see if there was any food they could bring back.
Although the amount of food she could bring back alone was small, it was still more convenient for her to act alone than to bring a few dependents.
Thus, in the dead of night, while others were working, Inaba Tsukiyo left the Iron Fortress and headed towards the nearby industrial area.
There were many bloodstains around the industrial area, just like when Aba Station was invaded, almost incinerated by a large fire.
The only difference was that there were traces of damage caused by large creatures here.
"How strange. Such massive destruction could only be caused by large creatures. But... what kind of creature could cause such damage?"
Weapon Skills Kabaneri? Don't be ridiculous. Even if a Weapon Skills Kabaneri with combat experience appeared, it wouldn't evolve to such a massive extent.
But she couldn't ignore these traces. If she wasn't mistaken, this large creature that might have appeared at Yatsushiro Station was the reason for the station's fall.
Although these places looked empty, everyone was worried about Kabaneri hiding here, so no one came here to look for food.
In fact, there were really no Kabaneri here, as if the attack was fake; no Kabaneri were found at all.
Easily finding the place where food was stored, Inaba Tsukiyo found a relatively large sack, placed the easily preserved food on the ground, and then returned to the Iron Fortress.
The Bushi of the Iron Fortress and Ikoma were all working on the next day's battle plan. Mumei was not among the discussion group, nor was she playing with the children.
It seemed that the words of that one-legged guy today had affected Mumei's state of mind.
"Miss Inaba... we were all looking for you just now. Where did you go?"
Shikomorikawa Ayame found Inaba Tsukiyo and breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she saw Inaba Tsukiyo safely appear in the Iron Fortress.
As their most important fighting force, Inaba Tsukiyo's presence was essential. Without her, tomorrow's plan might very well fail.
"I... went to the industrial area. I found these things; they should be able to help a bit."
She took off the sack hanging on her body and handed the food inside to Shikomorikawa Ayame.
Although not much, if they ate sparingly, it could last for a few days.
Just as Shikomorikawa Ayame was about to thank her, she found that Inaba Tsukiyo had already disappeared, vanishing from her sight.
Inaba Tsukiyo went to the industrial area a few more times. With the experience from the previous times, she brought back many things.
Later, some Bushi wanted to follow and help, but she refused them all with the reason that 'Kabaneri were lurking in the city.' If Mumei helped, that would be fine, but others would only cause trouble.
This time, when she went to move things, Inaba Tsukiyo specifically listened for any strange sounds in Yatsushiro Station.
There were indeed no sounds of Kabaneri in the city, but below the city, near the entrance, there were many subtle movements.
The Kabaneri of Yatsushiro Station were very likely gathered in that place. Tomorrow, when they removed the debris blocking the boiler room, it was very likely to attract these Kabaneri.
But what was the black smoke from the Kabaneri that the survivors spoke of? It was due to the appearance of the black smoke that the Kabaneri entered the town.
The walls weren't damaged, so it makes sense that the Kabaneri entered the town from underground, but these massive destruction marks… it feels like… a super-large Kabaneri might appear? She hoped it was just her imagination.
At dawn, Inaba Tsukiyo, who hadn't slept all night, gathered in the Iron Fortress's cockpit.
The operation plan was simple: enter the boiler room, light the fireworks, and then have the others use the steam crane to move the observation deck.
"Miss Inaba… are you alright? You haven't slept at all; are you really okay?"
All night, Inaba Tsukiyo went to the industrial area to find food, bringing back a large quantity by herself.
Everyone was grateful for Inaba Tsukiyo's contribution but also worried about her mental state. Any misstep now could lead to a collapse.
"It's fine; not sleeping for one night won't have any impact. Let's start the mission quickly; I hope nothing unexpected happens."
The Iron Fortress drove to the closest passage to the steam crane, making it convenient for Inaba Tsukiyo and the others to evacuate when using the steam crane to move the obstructing observation deck.
The survivors from Yatsushiro Station also boarded the Iron Fortress, making the once spacious Iron Fortress feel a bit crowded.
After the Iron Fortress reached its target location, Shikomorikawa Ayame instructed the remaining Weapon Skills Kabaneri to stay on the Iron Fortress as backup.
Inaba Tsukiyo and the others walked towards the steam crane. As they advanced, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't notice Un'yō's whereabouts.
Then, Inaba Tsukiyo saw a figure rushing towards the boiler room alone.
'Un'yō? Why?'
Inaba Tsukiyo didn't understand what Un'yō wanted to do, but her rushing to the boiler room alone likely meant she wanted to fight the Kabaneri by herself.
"What does this fellow… want to do?"
Before Inaba Tsukiyo could think further, Un'yō kicked open the boiler room door, the loud noise startling the Kabaneri inside.
Untying the ribbon around her neck, the steam gun in her hand had already started its countdown.
The moment the door was kicked open, a large number of red lights appeared in the dark boiler room. Un'yō's actions successfully attracted the Kabaneri's attention, and the Kabaneri gathered there rushed towards Un'yō.
Un'yō threw the self-destruct pouch she carried towards the Kabaneri. The moment the self-destruct pouch neared the Kabaneri, Un'yō pulled the trigger of her gun, precisely hitting the self-destruct pouch.
The self-destruct pouch ignited, and the internal bomb exploded, eliminating all the Kabaneri in front.
Un'yō rushed into the thick smoke without hesitation. Facing these ordinary Kabaneri, Un'yō easily defeated them, shooting through the steel pipes above to kill the remaining Kabaneri.
However, the number of Kabaneri was greater than she imagined. Even if these Kabaneri weren't Weapon Skills Kabaneri, Un'yō was already very tired.
"Perfect… I haven't had enough fun yet, so you all…"
"Calm down."
Inaba Tsukiyo, who had arrived at some unknown point, pressed on Un'yō's shoulder. Her cold voice pierced Un'yō, slowly calming her agitated emotions.
Un'yō could feel that Inaba Tsukiyo was very angry, extremely angry. If she didn't obey, she would be severely reprimanded.
"Why did you come to deal with these Kabaneri alone? What do you want to prove? To prove the superiority of Kabaneri? To prove that you haven't weakened?"
"No… none of your business! Besides, wouldn't getting rid of all the Kabaneri here also allow us to start the steam crane? I know what you all want to do, but that's too troublesome."
"Troublesome… I originally didn't say anything to avoid making others nervous, but do you really think the Kabaneri in the boiler room are all of them?"
Inaba Tsukiyo pointed downwards. The boiler room was connected to the lower levels, and that steel pillar could allow monsters to climb up from below.
"I'm telling you, during the time you caused that commotion, the Kabaneri below have already heard the sound. There are at least dozens of them. Regardless of whether there are Weapon Skills Kabaneri among them, I heard a very loud sound in this city. This commotion isn't something ordinary Kabaneri or Weapon Skills Kabaneri can make."
While Un'yō was killing Kabaneri, a huge commotion could vaguely be heard approaching.
"Very loud sound? Not ordinary Kabaneri or Weapon Skills Kabaneri? Could it be… a fused horde?"
The ability Inaba Tsukiyo displayed made Un'yō believe her words.
Besides ordinary and Weapon Skills Kabaneri Kabaneri, the most special type was the fused horde, which was a giant monster formed by hundreds or even thousands of Kabaneri merging into one.
"Tell me, are you afraid of being abandoned? Un'yō. By that so-called 'Brother'?"
Pressing Un'yō's shoulder, Inaba Tsukiyo said in a deep voice.
"…Don't interfere! You've only known me for a few days! How could you know about my affairs!"
"You're right, I don't know what you've been through in the past. I don't know how you became a Kabaneri, nor do I know why you have a name like Un'yō that doesn't sound like a name at all. But… what does that have to do with me?"
Ignoring Un'yō's struggles, Inaba Tsukiyo looked at the approaching Kabaneri, raised her weapon high, and instantly appeared above the Kabaneri.
"Un'yō · Thunderclap!"
"Boom!"
The powerful attack killed all the Kabaneri in front, and the entire boiler room began to shake violently.
With just one strike, the boiler room began to shake violently. This was Inaba Tsukiyo's human physical limit, not even counting her magical power.
"I don't care how dark your past was, nor what happened to you in the past. As I told you before, dwelling on the past is merely an act of cowardice. Why do you need to prove your worth? To whom do you want to prove it? That 'Brother'? Why do you need to prove it to him? Are you living for him, or for yourself?"
"Will you become a cold weapon, alienated by everyone, or become a hero who protects humanity, just like you've been playing with the Iron Fortress children these past few days?"
"I can see that when you play with the children, you are very happy, truly very happy. Everyone on the Iron Fortress has accepted you and made you their hero. But what are you doing now?"
A series of questions made Un'yō constantly recall the events of the past few days.
Whether it was the fear of being abandoned, or being abandoned by the children with whom she had already formed good relationships, Un'yō didn't want to see it happen.
But she was very confused now. Even after resting for a night, even if she tried her best to calm down, her heart was truly in turmoil.
'What should I do?'
She didn't want to be abandoned. In fact, she wanted to be human. She also wanted to be like other twelve-year-old children, not thinking about these problems.
But… if she lost this ability, what else would she have?
"You still have me!"
May I ask if changing from three updates to two updates is acceptable?
To be honest, the pressure of three updates is really immense. It's fine when I don't have a cold, but every time I catch a cold, I have to force myself to complete the task.
I've been staying up late all this time, and I feel like I'm going crazy.
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