“Boring.”
It was bad luck that I had picked out any random book for entertainment. There were so many books, yet out of all of them, it just had to be one about religion and theology.
[THE GOD HAS VANISHED]—I thought it might be some sort of fantasy novel, but it wasn’t.
All it contained were fundamental discussions and theories about religion—certainly not something that someone like me, who leaned close to being an atheist, would want to read.
I closed the book and put it back on the table.
When I looked up slightly, I saw Adelle and Lily leaning on each other. They must have been tired because they were sound asleep.
Watching them like this made the scene seem far less dull.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had peace.”
Looking at them brought an unexpected sense of relaxation to my body. Of course, this little peace wouldn’t last long, though.
Uuung…
“A flag, huh.”
An ominous sensation rippled through the detection magic I had set up earlier.
It wasn’t surprising. It was almost impossible for the royal surveillance to not reach this place.
It was just somewhat amusing how everything unfolded just as I had expected.
Uuung…
I harshly awakened the mana coursing through my body.
A refreshing sensation swept over me, expanding my senses. This was the method of using mana as a sensory organ.
Soon, the image of the train I was on appeared in my mind.
The fierce wind brushing past the train, the leaves slowly falling, even the mana burning as the train’s power source—I could sense it all.
An overwhelming flood of information flowed into my mind. I filtered out most of it and focused solely on the train’s tracks.
Since the detection magic had triggered, I needed to confirm the tracks.
“That’s…”
A man stood on the tracks.
The hulking man stood with his arms crossed, silently staring down the train with an intense glare.
Before long, the name of the man I had seen in the original story surfaced in my mind.
“Huh, could it be that guy?”
I teleported onto the train.
As my vision adjusted, the man with red hair came into view. Notably, rough scars marred his cheeks, arms, legs, and even the corners of his eyes.
He seemed to be measuring the distance from the train to himself with his fingers, then took in a deep breath.
“Hnngh!”
With a short shout, the man stretched out his hand toward the train. His fist pierced through the air and slowly approached it.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of his action.
BOOM!
The train’s front was pierced through by the man’s punch.
With an explosion, the man started to slide along the tracks, and thick veins popped out on his face.
The man’s two feet planted firmly into the track left rough imprints.
KREEEAK!
The gear that controlled the train’s wheels screamed as it collided. Between the tracks and the wheels, sparks flew and a grating sound filled the air.
The train was definitely slowing down.
He was blocking the train with sheer brute strength using only his fists. I had my doubts at first, but now it was clear who he was.
KREEEEEEK!
I frowned at the screeching noise.
The train, which had already been slowing, was now visibly moving slower. Finally, with a heavy sighing sound, the train came to a stop.
“Hngh, seems like the old tricks are still in play.”
Withdrawing the fist that had pierced through the center of the train, the man rotated his wrist.
He appeared to be stretching his shoulders and the rest of his body as if recovering after an intense workout.
Taking even, deep breaths, the man glanced around and locked eyes with me.
“Hooh.”
Whoosh.
CRASH!
A punch stopped right before my eyes. The force of his leap from the tracks pushed me back slightly, and my neatly arranged hair ruffled violently.
“Interesting. You managed to block that.”
“Who are you?”
“Hahaha, who but the leader of bandits, of course.”
Leader of bandits, huh.
Upon hearing this, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Which world’s bandit leader can stop a train with their fists? And who has ever seen bandits that strike so quickly that even my reaction speed can’t keep up?
If the world was filled with bandit leaders like these, the empire would’ve been conquered by bandits ages ago.
“The Emperor’s Blade, Kartra.”
At my words, uneasiness flickered in the man’s eyes. Did he actually believe he could stay hidden?
I didn’t miss the small break he gave before reaching out.
THUD!
A hammer-shaped spatial magic flung him into the air. Clearly caught off guard, the man was sent flying into the tracks, creating a loud crash.
Dust flew everywhere, obscuring the fallen man.
“Hmph, just as I’ve heard. Duke Hardenberg.”
‘So, he’s already revealing his true colors?’
The red-haired man slowly walked out of the dust cloud.
Kartra.
A warrior of a barbaric tribe that the empire had wiped out. A monster who gained the title of the Emperor’s Blade with nothing other than his battle prowess.
In the original story, he had been powerful enough to rival Abel, making him one of the most powerful villains. His brute strength was overwhelming, but there was something even more annoying about him.
He was a pure battle fanatic.
“I dislike those who babble nonsense.”
With clenched fists, he glared at me.
Soon, a fiery red aura surged around Kartra’s body. So, he was only using physical strength to stop the train before, huh?
This was a different level of power.
“Coincidence, I suppose. I agree.”
“Then, let’s fight.”
The red glow in his eyes swept toward me. His punch arrived faster than I could react.
But it stopped inches away from me.
Kartra was undoubtedly stronger in sheer physicality, but my true power lies in magic.
Even with his impressive skills, he can’t break through yet.
BOOM!
A flurry of punches flew toward me. Powered by only the red aura and brute strength, these punches were effortlessly negated before reaching me.
“What kind of trickery is this?”
Kartra’s face twisted.
Even with the bulging veins on his arms, these powerful attacks failed to affect me.
“It’s a simple spell.”
A magic that dominates the space itself.
An achievement Abel from the original story never reached.
Just by willing it, I could control space and nullify all types of energy within it.
In other words, I am Kartra’s perfect counter.
“Hoho, intriguing.”
He flicked his nose and stepped back.
“I didn’t want to resort to cowardly tactics, but…”
When Kartra clicked his fingers, men masked in black appeared from all sides.
It wasn’t simple hiding—they must have used some kind of teleportation technique.
‘An artifact?’
No, I don’t have time to analyze this.
If I stay here, Adelle will be in danger.
The black-masked men broke through the windows to invade the train.
The Emperor’s Hand.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I teleported.
The view shifted, and the interior of the train came into sight.
A cacophony of screams pierced my eardrums. The windows were drenched in blood. Anyone who dared to resist was beheaded in an instant.
It was utter chaos.
“Lily, stay back.”
Adelle was calmly keeping the Emperor’s Hand at bay with her shield. Even so, it was clear she was in a precarious situation.
CRASH!
A flick of my hand was enough to send the man flying into the roof. His head exploded like a melon, scattering unrecognizable fragments everywhere.
I wiped the blood from her shield with magic. Sensing my presence, Adelle quickly grabbed my hand.
“Abel! What’s happening?!”
Her unusually high-pitched voice and panicked face betrayed her distress.
“It’s an ambush. Who’s leading it is obvious.”
While responding to her question, my outstretched hand caught a man lunging with a knife.
With a single invisible hammer blow, the man crashed into the seats and flew off the train.
“How did you know?”
“Hmm, I’m not entirely sure.”
It’s a blatant lie if I said I didn’t know.
It’s just that I don’t want to speak about it in this situation. Moreover, this is the royal secret, so I shouldn’t talk about it anyway.
“Anyway, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But…”
Adelle hesitated and slightly looked away.
Uh..
At that moment, I noticed Lily, covering her mouth and heaving dry retches. Seeing this, Adelle began patting Lily’s shoulder to calm her down.
“It’s because of Lily’s condition… huh?”
She suddenly noticed the man who was sneaking behind her and quickly turned around.
CRASH!
The train’s door flew off and collided with the man sneaking behind her. With a gasp, the man crashed into the ceiling.
Looking around, a blue-auraed Evan was visible.
“My apologies, Your Grace, for my delay.”
He wiped the blood from his forehead with a rough breath. Though covered in blood, it didn’t seem to be mostly his.
And the check with mana confirmed he wasn’t in a critical condition.
“Evan. Protect her,”
Even before I finished speaking, instinct screamed a warning.
Suddenly, a massive magic circle filled my vision.
A powerful shockwave far beyond anything seen before hit me through the magic circle.
Had I reacted any slower, Lily and even Adelle’s head would surely have been blown off. The chilling thought put me on edge.
“Ho, you blocked that?”
“What…is that..”
Right before her eyes, witnessing the attack, Adelle’s legs gave out and she collapsed.
Not caring about that, Kartra continued staring at me, unfazed.
“Then, let’s continue, young Duke.”
The fiery red aura surged again.
