Not everything that appears is the truth.
I followed the two of them, keeping my distance so they wouldn't notice I was trailing behind.
But where did that man come from? I hadn't sensed his presence at the Gothel station, which meant he must have already been on this train.
"Kyaaaa!!"
I heard someone scream and immediately ran toward the source of the sound.
When I arrived, I saw someone transforming into a Blightwalker. His human body swelled, morphing into a monstrous form adorned with colorful, blooming flowers. His fingernails elongated into the claws of a wild beast. Where his forehead used to be, a large hole resembling an eye emerged, with glimmering, dark purple crystals appearing within.
"Damn it! Deadly Shades!" I cursed under my breath.
The Deadly Shades curse is a high-level flower curse. Most likely, this monster's rank is A or S.
"Everyone, get out of here—"
Before I could finish my warning, it lunged at a woman who had fallen to the ground, striking her with its claw.
I quickly drew my two short swords and dashed forward to intercept its attack.
Clang! The sound of my swords clashing against the monster's claws reverberated in the air.
"What are you doing?! Get up and run!" I shouted urgently.
Fighting while protecting others wasn't my style.
"Y-yes!"
The woman scrambled to her feet and ran toward the front of the train, followed by the other passengers.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, followed by a dull sound as the bullet penetrated the monster's head. Blood splattered everywhere, and a few droplets hit my face.
Seeing the monster momentarily stunned by the shot to its head, I pushed against its claw, forcing it back, then jumped backward.
Across from the monster, I spotted two men who had been sitting in front of me—Joshua and Arion. Arion, in front, held a sleek black rifle with golden accents, while Joshua wielded a sword adorned with blue embellishments, clearly protecting the other passengers.
It seemed they had brought an artifact.
Behind Joshua, many people were peering into this carriage, their expressions filled with horror.
I wiped the monster's blood off my face.
"This is disgusting."
The monster remained still, focusing its attention on Arion, who had shot it earlier—or perhaps on the people behind them.
I took a few steps back, keeping my guard up, and closed the door to the carriage behind me.
The monster, which had been quiet, suddenly started to move. It tilted its head back and opened its mouth wide.
This was bad.
"Cover your ears, everyone!!"
Noticing something was off, Arion shouted a warning to the others.
KIIIiiiiiingg!!!
The monster's piercing scream ripped through the air, forcing everyone to cover their ears in pain.
"Ughh."
Being closest to it, I felt as if my eardrums were being pierced by thousands of needles. Blood oozed from my ears, causing them to ring.
Pushing aside the pain, I threw one of my short swords at it and charged forward, gripping my remaining sword tightly.
As my sword flew toward it, the monster ceased its scream and swatted at the weapon with its claw. Seizing the opportunity, I slashed at its arm and kicked it with my right foot, sending it crashing against the left side of the train carriage, denting the metal wall.
ROooaarrr!
Enraged, the monster let out a deafening roar.
The arm I had severed began to regenerate, returning to its original form.
"Well, it's not going to be that easy."
The monster's flesh coalesced, and its form grew even larger. It then smashed through the roof of the car and the surrounding structures.
"Uh-oh—this is getting serious."
The monster prepared to leap onto the roof of the train. Sensing this, Arion fired relentlessly at it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ignoring Arion's shots, the monster jumped onto the roof and started moving toward the front of the train.
I quickly retrieved my fallen sword and, without hesitation, followed it up top.
The wind howled fiercely, forcing me to shield my face with my arms.
"Joshua! Evacuate everyone to the front carriage! I'll try to bring it down or throw it into the back carriage!"
"Got it!"
After relaying his instructions to Joshua, Arion quickly followed suit, climbing onto the carriage.
I chased the monster and attacked it with my two short swords.
My strikes came from various angles; some he managed to block, but others hit his body. Those wounds might just be scratches to him, but I wouldn't stop. With a burning spirit, I leaped over him and landed on the other side.
"I won't let you pass any further than this"
In the distance, I could hear the commotion of people below us. It seemed they had fled to the front carriage.
Whatever happens, I can't let that monster pass this carriage. The more humans he consumes, the stronger he becomes.
The monster began to unleash its tendrils and attack in all directions.
I swung my sword, parrying the attacks of the tendrils, while Arion fired bullets from his gun. With a single shot, the tendril shooting toward him was hit one by one.
"Quite flexible," I murmured, trying to dodge and cut the incoming tendrils. However, some managed to pierce my flesh, leaving painful wounds.
Noticing the monster's attention was more focused on me, Arion took the initiative and approached it. With all his strength, he struck the monster toward me.
"Huh?!"
"Kick it down!" Arion shouted.
I kicked it aside with all my might, causing a shockwave that made the monster bounce to the ground.
"Are you crazy?!" I shouted unconsciously, shocked by his actions.
"What are you complaining about? We managed to take it down," he replied half-heartedly before continuing to shoot at the monster.
Even after I kicked it with all my strength, the monster continued to chase us at high speed, dodging Arion's shots.
He unknowingly cursed, "That damn bastard is so stubborn!"
"How are you guys doing?" Joshua's voice suddenly came from behind us. Without realizing it, he had climbed onto the roof of the train car.
"Can't you see with your own eyes?!" Arion shouted while keeping his focus on shooting.
"Whoa! Eira, you're hurt!" Joshua looked worried.
"Just a small wound," I replied with a smile, even though the pain was still there.
"It seems we have no choice but to jump down and stop it here. We can't let that monster chase this train and eat all the passengers," Arion explained.
"You're right. At least he's still weak. The three of us might be able to defeat him, especially since you both are artifact holders."
"I've already notified the main base. They'll send help soon. Luckily, there are no civilian settlements near Verdant Vale," Joshua added.
We all nodded at each other and began to find a way down from the train.
I positioned myself and jumped to the ground. Jumping from a speeding train wasn't easy. Even when I finally hit the ground, I still had to roll a few times.
Well, luckily this is a meadow, not rocky ground especially covered in snow. Otherwise, I would have been injured.
Quickly, I took off my coat and ran toward the monster that was chasing us from behind.
"Wow, she's strong!" Joshua exclaimed in awe.
"You're right. What are you waiting for? Hurry down!" Arion urged him to follow quickly.
"I'm coming with you."
"Sigh...Alright. Nendōryoku"
Without the usual comments, Arion used his stigma to descend from the train.
Seeing both of them comfortably jump down from the train, I was shocked.
Huh?! What the hell?!
Why didn't he mention that he had such an ability? If he had, I wouldn't have needed to roll around like that.