At Ellen’s shocking declaration, Lethe’s shoulders twitched. Ellen caught the subtle movent, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
"W-Wait a minute. Why are you asking —!"
"Just kidding!"
A foot lashed out from Lethe’s seated position. The kick connected with Ellen’s face, sending her tumbling backward with a grunt.
"...I’m seriously going to kill you," Lethe growled, pulling her leg back, her face flushed.
Despite having been kicked, Ellen burst into peals of laughter. "I know, I know! A sudden confession of feelings when the fate of the continent is at stake? I wouldn’t do anything to shake Simon’s focus. I have that much sense!"
It had been a long ti since her expulsion from Efnel, a long ti since she’d worn a school uniform (even a fake one) and just chattered with another girl her age. It used to be her everyday life, but now it was just a distant dream. She still missed it.
"Then how about this question?"
"I don’t know! Stop!"
"Honestly, forget that he’s a necromancer for a second. As a guy, isn’t he attractive?"
Lethe pulled her legs up, hugging her knees as she sighed. "Fine. I guess he’s handso, damn it."
"Oooh! I knew you thought so deep down! For real? Is that what you really think?"
The slow-learning Ellen was promptly kicked backward again.
"I’m a woman, and my eyes work just fine," Lethe retorted nonchalantly. "I know he has a pretty face, and I know he’s a good person."
"If you think that, then why...?"
"Because he’s a necromancer," Lethe stated, her voice flat. "I had a terrible experience when I was young. The word ‘necromancer’ is just horrifying to . Physiologically, I can’t feel any attraction to them. It’s just pure aversion."
Ellen blinked. "But he risked his life to save all of us, and we were complete strangers."
"So what?! In the end, he’s still a necromancer!" Lethe was getting worked up now, lost in her own argunt. "His very essence is that of a monster with a Core in his heart that raises the dead!"
Ellen was secretly thrilled. This was exactly the kind of passionate reaction she had been hoping to elicit.
"Then how about thinking of it this way?" Ellen raised her index finger, but Lethe cut her off.
"Ugh, stop with your annoying hypotheticals—!"
"What if Simon isn’t a necromancer, but sothing else entirely?"
The question stopped Lethe cold.
"Think about it! I an, where in the world have you ever heard of a necromancer who can use Divinity? He’s completely outside the box, a total anomaly! Can you really just lump him in as a necromancer because he has a Core, even though he was chosen by the Goddess to wield her power? I don’t think so. His Divinity is too pure, too warm."
Lethe’s expression was incredibly serious as she ran a finger over her lips, lost in thought. But Ellen wasn’t looking for a deep philosophical debate; she just wanted so lighthearted banter. She was about to speak again when a voice interrupted.
"What are you two talking about so seriously?"
Simon had returned, a gentle smile on his face. Ellen gave him a small, disappointed wave, but Lethe jumped as if she’d been zapped.
"Whoa, you scared ! Make so noise when you approach!"
"Hm?"
"Why do you sneak up on people like that? Are you so kind of pervert?"
"Sounds like your problem if you couldn’t even hear the compartnt door open," Simon retorted playfully, setting a large fruit down in front of them.
Ellen’s eyes sparkled. "Wow! What’s this?"
"Got it from the kitchen."
"Ooh, you’re the best, Simon! That was clever!"
The three of them began to eat and chat. Lethe was silently munching on a slice Simon had cut for her when her eyebrows suddenly twitched.
"They’re here."
She shot to her feet. The other two looked up.
"What is?"
"The detection magic circles I placed around the train have picked up mbers of the Blood Heaven Cult. Including zombies, there are at least a hundred of them."
Ellen’s jaw dropped. Simon was on his feet in an instant.
"To the engine room."
"Right."
Ellen ran to warn the others while Simon and Lethe hurried to the engine room. tin stood as they entered.
"Good timing. The fuel is about half..."
"Get everyone out of here," Lethe commanded. "We have to start the train right now."
"What’s wrong?"
"The Blood Heaven Cult is here to take the train."
tin didn’t need to be told twice; he sprinted out of the room. Lethe sat down and placed her hands on the magic circle.
With a short exhale, she focused her will, and her Divinity flared to life.
The divine magic circle activated, a vast and complex world of formulas spinning into motion.
Monts after she touched the circle, the train began to move.
"It can really go backward!" Simon exclaid in admiration.
"It’s slow since it’s in reverse, but it’ll be fine once it picks up speed," Lethe said, rising to her feet. "Now, let’s go stop those heretics."
The two of them left the engine room. Simon stared out a passenger car window into the empty darkness. And then he saw them.
Just as Lethe had warned, zombies began to swarm the train.
The train hadn’t gained enough speed yet, and the undead easily caught up, clawing their way onto the chassis. Screams erupted throughout the cars as monstrous faces appeared at the windows.
Simon imdiately threw open the ceiling hatch and climbed onto the roof.
The cold wind whipped at him as he looked down at the writhing mass of black and red. He swiftly pulled on his robe and donned his mask.
He kicked away the first zombie to reach the top, then summoned the last zombie from his Subspace.
"Prince. Ti to get back to work."
He spoke to the ring on his left hand before touching it to the zombie’s body. A bolt of black lightning struck, and Prince rose with a yawn.
[You called back already? Is it those Blood Heaven Cult guys again?]
"Yeah."
More zombies were scrambling onto the roof. Prince focused his gaze on them.
The zombies’ eyes flashed gold. They imdiately turned on their own, kicking the undead climbing up behind them before tumbling off the train themselves.
Leaving the front to Prince, Simon sprinted across the roof to the next car.
’Bone Armor - Handgun Mode’
He equipped the Bone Armor Handguns on both arms and continued his dash down the length of the train, firing a relentless barrage of bullets. Zombies dropped from the sides while he kicked off those that had already made it onto the roof.
"Back for more?" a voice called out.
It was tin, fighting on the roof just as he was. He spoke playfully, but Simon ignored him and pressed on.
"Block them!"
"Get them off!"
The priests and clerics among the passengers were proving invaluable. They unleashed their own attacks, clearing out any zombies that breached the cars, while the non-magic users barricaded the broken windows, everyone working as one.
The train was picking up speed. Simon ran frantically from the front to the back, firing nonstop.
Panting heavily, he finally reached the tail car. The zombies could no longer keep up. All they had to do now was break through the ones ahead. But...
"...What in the world is that?"
Simon couldn’t believe his eyes. Zombies were swarming the tracks ahead, forming a grotesque wall of flesh. Since they couldn’t match the train’s speed, they were going to stop it with their bodies.
’I have to clear them now!’
Simon brought the ring on his left hand to his lips. "Prince! Get to the tail car! Now!"
Before he even finished speaking, a thunderous stomping echoed from the front of the train. A mont later, Prince’s body landed beside him with a deafening crash. The roof buckled, and surprised shouts rose from the car below.
[I’m here. What is it?]
"See those zombie walls? Use the crown’s power to take control of a single zombie in the middle of each one."
[Ah, okay. I see what you’re planning.]
Prince’s eyes glowed. In the center of the first wall, one zombie’s eyes flashed gold. Simon unleashed the spell he had prepared.
"Corpse Explosion!"
’Kabooooooooom!’
The targeted zombie detonated with a deafening roar, and the wall of flesh collapsed. Bodies flew through the air as the train plowed straight through the breach. With a sickening crash, zombies were flung aside like firework debris.
[Simon! There’s another wall behind it!]
"Keep going!"
He’d wondered why the attack had been delayed; they’d been busy with this little trick. The pattern repeated: Prince would seize control of a zombie, and Simon would detonate it.
After they had obliterated five of the grueso barricades, the tracks ahead were finally clear. The train had reached a speed that even the swift Blood Zombies couldn’t match. The priests inside finished off the last of the undead clinging to the cars.
"We did it! We’re saved!"
"Yaaayyyyy!"
The passengers who had fought side by side erupted in cheers. Simon collapsed onto the roof, a weary smile on his face.
[Hey.]
Prince held out his palm, looking almost shy. Simon gladly gave him a high-five, but then Prince turned his palm downward.
Simon looked at him, confused.
[Ugh, when you start a high-five, you’re supposed to go palm-slap, palm-slap! Fist bump! Then slap-slap, tap-tap!]
Simon blinked, utterly confused. "Uh, you an a handshake?"
[Yeah, that!]
In the end, Simon had to go through a bizarre ritual of slapping palms top and bottom, bumping fists, touching elbows, and even turning back-to-back. Only then did Prince flash a satisfied smile.
[Yeah! Yeah! That’s it!] The undead boy was practically vibrating with excitent from their first successful team-up. [From now on, you have to do this whenever you summon ! When I hold out my palm, we do the whole thing! morize the order!]
"...Where did you even learn sothing like that?"
[I just thought of it myself!] Prince declared proudly, conveniently omitting the fact that Richard used to play with him like this all the ti.
User Comments
0 comments from readers