“How boring.”
It was a letdown to pull out any random book just for some amusement. Of all the many books, it just had to be one about religion and theology.
Seeing “God is Dead” written on the cover made me think it was some kind of fantasy novel, but alas, it was not.
All that was written in it were theoretical discussions and fundamental ideas about religion. It was definitely not a book for someone like me, who was almost an atheist.
I closed the book and placed it on the table.
Lifting my head slightly, I spotted Adele and Lily leaning against each other. Perhaps they were tired, as they were sound asleep.
Looking at them, it didn’t seem so boring after all.
“What a peaceful moment after a long time.”
Watching them made me feel drowsy myself. Of course, such a small peace wouldn’t last long.
Hmm…
“Is this a flag?”
I sensed an ominous presence through the detection magic I had prepared in advance.
It wasn’t surprising. The Imperial Family’s eyes would definitely reach even here.
But it was a bit absurd for it to align with my expectations so closely.
Hmm…
I roughly stirred the mana flowing through my body.
A refreshing sensation enveloped me, and my senses expanded. I was using mana as a sort of sensory organ.
Soon, the image of the train I was on formed in my mind.
The fierce wind brushing against the train, the slowly falling leaves, and the mana burning as the train’s power source.
A flood of information rushed into my head. I discarded most of it and focused solely on the information about the train tracks.
The detection magic had caught something on the tracks.
“There he is…”
A man was standing on the tracks.
He was a giant of a man, quietly glaring at the train with his arms crossed.
Before long, the man’s name from the original story floated into my mind.
“Huh, could it be him?”
I teleported onto the train.
As my perspective shifted, the man with red hair came into view. The rough scars marking his cheeks, arms, legs, and even around his eyes left a strong impression.
He seemed to be measuring the distance between himself and the train with his fingers before taking a deep breath.
“Ha!”
With a short shout, the man reached out toward the train. His fist pierced the air and began its slow advance.
His absurd action made me let out a laugh without even realizing it.
Boom!
His fist went right through the front of the train.
With a thunderous sound, the man started to get pushed back on the tracks. Thick veins bulged on his face.
His two feet, standing on the tracks, started to leave rough marks behind.
Creeeak…
The gears moving the wheels screamed in protest. Sparks flew between the tracks and the wheels, creating an irritating noise.
The train was definitely slowing down.
With nothing but his fist, he was stopping the train with remarkable strength. I wasn’t entirely sure, but it was undoubtedly him.
Creeeek!
I frowned at the screeching noise.
The train, which had already been slowing down, was now noticeably decreasing its speed. Soon, with a whoosh, the train came to a complete stop.
“Ha, looks like I’m not rusty yet.”
The man pulled his fist out from where it had pierced the center of the train and rolled his wrist.
He was stretching, as if warming up after exercising.
As he caught his breath and looked around, he eventually met my gaze.
“Oh.”
Whew.
I could hear the sound of wind in my ear.
Bang!
A fist came to a halt right in front of my face. I was slightly pushed back from the impact of his leap from the tracks. My still-floating hair was tousled by the gust.
“How interesting, stopping the train like that.”
“Who are you?”
“Haha, who do you think I am? Of course, I’m the chief bandit.”
A bandit chief.
Hearing that made it impossible for me to hold back a snicker.
What world had a bandit chief who could stop a train with his fist? I had never seen a bandit capable of such quick punches.
If there were bandit chiefs like this, the Empire would have been conquered by bandits long ago.
“Emperor’s Sword, Katra.”
The man’s eyes trembled slightly at my words, perhaps surprised. Did he really think he could hide his identity?
I seized the moment he revealed a gap and reached out my hand.
Bang!
A hammer-shaped spatial magic sent him flying. Perhaps caught off guard, he was slammed onto the tracks.
Dust flew everywhere and obscured the fallen man’s figure.
“Ha, just as I heard. Duke Hardenberg.”
“Is he already revealing his true colors?”
The man revealed himself from the dust cloud, walking slowly.
Katra.
A warrior from a tribe long destroyed by the Empire. A monster who had become the Emperor’s Sword solely through his battle prowess.
In the original story, he was a powerful villain who could match Abel in strength. While sheer might mattered, it was his other troublesome trait that stood out.
He was a pure battle fanatic.
“I dislike jabbering and chatter.”
He cracked his knuckles and stared at me.
Soon, a red aura erupted from Katra’s body. Had he stopped the train using only physical abilities without relying on aura?
His strength vastly deviated from those I had encountered before.
“What a coincidence. I feel the same way.”
“Then let’s have a match.”
His red aura swirled around. Before I could even react, his fist came rushing toward me.
However, it stopped just a mere inch away from my face.
If we solely measured physical prowess, Katra was indeed above me. However, my main power was magic.
With a punch that hadn’t reached its full potential, I wouldn’t be able to counter it.
Boom!
A flurry of punches flew at me. Each strike, relying solely on aura and physical ability. Yet, every single one of them was neutralized right before my eyes.
“What kind of trickery is this?”
Katra’s face contorted in anger.
Despite the powerful attacks fueled by thick veins bulging in his arms, he couldn’t deal any damage to me.
“It’s just ordinary magic.”
Magic that seized control of the very fabric of space.
A realm that Abel in the original story had never managed to reach.
By simply willing it, I hold power over the space itself. And I nullify any type of energy that exists within that space.
In essence, I was Katra’s perfect nemesis right now.
“Ha, how amusing,” he scoffed, taking a step back.
“I didn’t want to use underhanded tactics.”
As Katra snapped his fingers, men in black masks appeared from all directions.
They hadn’t simply been hiding; if that were the case, I would have noticed long ago.
It was more akin to a teleportation method.
‘An artifact, perhaps?’
No, there was no time to analyze.
If I just stood here, Adele would be in danger.
The masked men broke into the train through the windows.
The Emperor’s Hand.
As that term popped into my head, I used teleportation magic.
As my vision shifted, I saw the inside of the train.
A cacophony of screams pierced my eardrums. The windows were already soaked in blood. Those who had dared to resist met their end within moments.
It was sheer chaos.
“Lily, stay back!”
Adele was calmly dealing with the Emperor’s Hand while holding a shield. Though it looked quite precarious.
Bang!
As she extended her hand, one of them flew up to the ceiling. His head burst like a watermelon, scattering indistinguishable fragments everywhere.
She magically erased the bloodstains covering her shield. Noticing me, Adele hurriedly grasped my hand.
“Abel! What’s happening?!”
Her voice rose sharply, unusually frantic. Her face was unmistakably flustered.
“It’s an ambush. It’s clear who’s orchestrating this.”
I answered her while reaching out my right hand toward another attacker closing in.
The assailant was hit dead-on by an unseen hammer and was flung into a seat, then out of the train.
“…How did you know?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure.”
If I said I didn’t know, it would be a lie.
But in this situation, I didn’t want to speak up. After all, this was a top secret of the Imperial Family.
“More importantly, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But…”
Adele trailed off and turned her head slightly.
Ugh…
Then I saw Lily, who was hunched over, gagging.
In response, she patted Lily’s shoulder to calm her down.
“Because of Lily’s condition… Huh?”
Adele quickly spun around, noticing an attacker sneaking up behind her.
Bang!
The door to the train car burst open and collided with the man lurking behind her. With a crunch, the door slammed him into the ceiling before he could even exhale.
As I turned my gaze, Evan wielding a sword cloaked in blue aura caught my eye.
“I’m sorry, Duke. I’m a bit late.”
He wiped the blood streaming down his forehead while taking heavy breaths. Though he was covered in blood, most of it didn’t seem to be his.
When I checked his status with mana, it wasn’t nearly as serious as it looked.
“Evan. Protect her.”
Before I could even finish my sentence, an instinct warned me.
Suddenly, a massive white magic circle filled my field of vision.
The impact reverberating from beyond the magic circle was leagues more intense than the earlier attack.
Had I been a moment late, both Lily and Adele would have lost their heads. That chilling truth made all my nerves stand on end.
“Ha, can you block this?”
“What the…?”
Maybe because she was struck right in front of her, Adele’s legs gave way, and she sank to the floor.
Katra seemed unaffected by such things, quietly staring us down.
“Then let’s start again, Duke.”
The red aura blazed like flames.
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