"Altair-sama, how do you plan to deal with Amatori Biba?"
On the way to the station, Kenshou followed closely behind Altair, asking for instructions. The samurai from the manor were all behind them as well. This was a full deployment, meant to put an end to Amatori Biba.
"Altair-sama, I believe the best way to handle a traitor like him is immediate execution by beheading!"
"No, I think we should hand him over to the shogun, let the shogun announce his crimes to the entire nation."
"Silence! It's not your place to decide such matters. Everything will be determined by Altair-sama!"
Kenshou silenced the other samurai's opinions, knowing that Altair already had a plan, and no amount of their talking would change it.
"Altair-sama."
Kenshou questioned as they walked.
"Once their train enters the city, have everyone disembark. Chain them all up and lock them away. No one gets left out, understood?"
"Understood!"
Kenshou nodded, then turned to the samurai behind him and gave the orders. These samurai, who had been beaten down during recent training sessions against Kabane under Altair's control, were desperate for a victory to prove they weren't useless.
They might not have been able to defeat the Kabane blessed by Altair's strange powers, but surely they could handle Amatori Biba!
Driven by this belief, the group of samurai charged towards the station with great determination. Among them was Kurusu, who, for the honor of the samurai, had set his sights on taking down Amatori Biba himself.
While they marched towards the station, Altair alone ascended the walls. He took one look at the train approaching from beyond the drawbridge and confirmed it was indeed Amatori Biba's train. He signaled Kenshou to let them inside.
Kenshou nodded to the samurai manning the drawbridge, and the bridge was slowly lowered.
The people aboard Amatori Biba's train saw the bridge come down and restarted their train, slowly driving it into Aragane Station.
Once the train was inside, Kenshou gave a sweeping gesture.
"Raise the drawbridge! Shift the iron barriers on the tracks to block them from escaping! Surround the entire train, search every corner, and don't let a single person slip away! Everyone, gear up to avoid infection!"
"Yes, sir!"
Over a hundred samurai brought from the manor, along with station workers, all geared up and surrounded the train, leaving no way out. Inside the train, Amatori Biba frowned as he watched the situation unfold.
"What's going on out there? What are those people doing?"
"Biba-sama, something seems off with the situation outside."
"That's Yomogawa Kenshou. He should recognize me. Why is he bringing so many people all of a sudden?"
"They don't look like they're here to welcome us, Biba-sama."
"They've already raised the drawbridge and blocked the tracks ahead. Our train is stuck; there's no way forward or back. We'll have to disembark."
Amatori Biba's subordinates reported the grim reality. They were trapped.
"Everyone except the train crew, get off and prepare for battle. Find a way to lower the drawbridge. Train crew, and maintain pressure. As soon as the drawbridge is down, we'll pull the train out of here."
Given the current situation, releasing the Kabane was not an option. They didn't have enough Kabane on board to wipe out all the samurai outside, and any losses on their side would be disastrous. Their only option was to get out of this predicament and then think about taking revenge on Aragane Station later.
"Follow me."
Amatori Biba gripped his custom gun tightly... a unique firearm equipped with a bayonet, somewhat resembling a Type 38 rifle.
Leading the way, Amatori Biba's subordinates followed closely behind, all fully armed and ready for battle.
But as soon as they stepped out of the fortress train, they were met with an array of steam rifles pointed directly at them, which made them tense.
Although each of Amatori Biba's men was a Kabaneri, with strength beyond that of normal humans, they were still mortal. Getting shot at such close range would kill them just the same.
"All of you exiting the train, drop your weapons! Kneel with your hands on your heads!"
Altair had already identified Amatori Biba as the leader of the group. His unique pink hair made him stand out too much to be mistaken for anyone else.
With that, Altair calmly drew his magical Desert Eagle... ready to enforce his authority like a federal officer.
"I am-"
Amatori Biba didn't know who Altair was and assumed he was just one of Kenshou's subordinates. Having a gun pointed at him made Biba furious, but with his extensive experience, he kept his expression composed, even wearing a slight smile as he prepared to introduce himself.
"I couldn't care less what your damn name is. Drop your weapons, kneel with your hands on your head, you long pink-haired freak!"
"!!!"
Altair's blunt, law enforcement-style command left almost everyone on the scene speechless.
"You..."
Amatori Biba was enraged. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his subordinates nearly charged forward to attack Altair, but Biba held them back forcefully. Taking a deep breath, he tried to maintain his calm and graceful demeanor as he addressed Altair again.
"Your city... "
Bang!
Before Amatori Biba could finish his sentence, a magic stone-powered shot pierced straight through his forehead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In a mere second, three more shots followed... one to his throat, one to his heart, and one to his liver.
Within the blink of an eye, Amatori Biba was dead, shot four times. Given the power of the magic stone Desert Eagle, it could have fired dozens of rounds, but Altair decided that four shots were more than enough to ensure Biba wouldn't survive.
Everyone was stunned. Even the samurai on Altair's side, who had known they were going to kill Biba, hadn't expected Altair to shoot so abruptly, without even giving Biba a chance to speak.
Biba's followers, of course, were in complete shock.
"Biba-sama!!"
They caught Amatori Biba's lifeless body as he collapsed, screaming in anguish.
"Fire! Kill them all!"
Kenshou quickly gave the order, and all the stunned samurai immediately pulled their triggers. In no time, every one of Amatori Biba's followers who had exited the train was shot dead, with not even the Kabaneri among them able to escape their fate.
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