Turn Around, Forward March!
22: Antimatter Legion?
Turn Around, Forward March!
The Astral Express’s Trailblaze journey, with the addition of Mercy the “snack enthusiast” (specifically, Stellarons), had skyrocketed in efficiency.
But they still inevitably encountered the occasional troublesome roadblock.
For example, small detachments of the Antimatter Legion, either drawn by Stellarons or simply wandering aimlessly.
One day, the train was preparing to cross a somewhat empty star system en route to its next destination.
Suddenly, strong spatial fluctuations were detected ahead.
Then, like scattering beans, densely packed Voidrangers poured out of a warp point.
Tramplers, Distorters, Reavers.
They instantly clogged the navigation lane.
Their crimson electronic eyes locked onto the Astral Express.
Destructive energy gathered on their grotesque limbs.
They clearly saw this beautiful train as their next target for destruction.
“Alert!
Alert!
Antimatter Legion formation detected ahead!
Numbers are…
uh, quite a few, pom!” Pom-Pom’s voice came over the speakers, carrying a note of tension.
In the parlor car, Himeko set down her coffee cup, her gaze sharp.
Welt gripped the Star of Eden, ready to deploy a gravity field at any moment.
“How tiresome,” Himeko said with a slight frown.
“It seems we’ll be delayed.” Welt adjusted his glasses.
“Prepare for battle.
We’ll clear the lane as quickly as possible.” However, just as the two were about to act, Mercy, who had been lounging on the sofa with a fluffy interstellar hamster plushie from Kara in her arms, lazily raised her head.
She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and looked out the window at the vast swarm of the Antimatter Legion.
Her expression was like someone spotting a group of ants blocking the road.
“Oh, them again.” Mercy’s tone was as flat as if she were discussing the weather.
“Honestly, no situational awareness at all.” She slowly crawled off the sofa, straightened her (energy-simulated) casual clothes, then cleared her throat toward the window.
In a tone hovering between impatient and commanding, she called out: “Hey!
You lot over there!
Yes, you!
What are you looking at?
Can’t you see a train is passing through?
You’re in the way!
Hurry up and turn around!” Her voice seemed to carry a peculiar pressure, an authority belonging to the upper echelons of the Destruction Path.
It pierced through the train’s soundproofing and reached every Voidranger’s sensor outside with perfect clarity.
What happened next was jaw-dropping.
The Voidrangers, who had been radiating killing intent and surging with energy, all froze in unison.
Their crimson electronic eyes flickered, as if processing this sudden, incomprehensible command.
Then, under the stunned gazes of Himeko and Welt Yang, this sizable Antimatter Legion formation, like well-trained soldiers (though their movements were somewhat stiff and awkward), actually turned around in perfect unison.
They presented their metal backs and energy cores to the Astral Express, completely defenseless.
Mercy nodded in satisfaction and continued issuing orders.
“Now march!
Go as far as you can!
Don’t loiter here!” The Voidrangers received the command again.
With steps that weren’t exactly synchronized but were definitely leaving, they marched off in a grand procession away from the train.
A few slow Tramplers were even shoved by the Distorters behind them, nearly tripping, looking quite pathetic.
In less than a minute, the previously clogged navigation lane was completely empty, as if the Antimatter Legion had been a collective hallucination.
In the parlor car, dead silence.
Pom-Pom’s mouth hung open, the rag in his paw falling to the floor.
Himeko’s coffee cup froze mid-air, the rim just a hair’s breadth from her lips.
Welt’s hand, adjusting his glasses, stopped mid-motion, his eyes behind the lenses wide open.
Mercy, as if she had done something utterly trivial, clapped her hands and turned toward the small refrigerator in the corner of the carriage.
She muttered, “Finally, some peace and quiet.
Conductor Pom-Pom, I remember there’s still some of that Starry Vortex cupcake I bought yesterday, right?” She opened the fridge and happily pulled out a beautifully packaged little cake topped with edible glitter and mini planet chocolates.
Then she scooped up Pom-Pom, who had been hiding behind Himeko’s skirt with only his two terrified big eyes peeking out, and cradled him in her arms.
“Come on, Pom-Pom, have a bite.
It’s really good!” Mercy used a spoon to scoop a small piece of cake, trying to feed the stiff, statue-like Pom-Pom.
“P-Pom-Pom doesn’t want any…
Pom-Pom needs a moment to calm down, pom…” Pom-Pom’s voice was tearful, his little paws weakly pushing away.
“You…
you just…
to the Antimatter Legion…
you told them to turn around and march?!
Has Pom-Pom not woken up yet, pom?!” Himeko finally found her voice.
She set down her coffee cup, took a deep breath, and looked at Mercy, who was happily eating cake while holding Pom-Pom.
Her tone carried a mixture of absurdity and amusement.
“Mercy…
what you just did…
was that…?” “Oh, you mean them?” Mercy licked the cream off her spoon, looking completely matter-of-fact.
“They’re all working stiffs under Boss Nanook.
I’m at least a department manager (self-proclaimed Lord Ravager).
Isn’t it normal for me to ask them to make way?
Did you expect me to go down there and fight them myself?
So tiring.
And if I broke something, I’d have to pay for it…
uh, I mean, it would look bad.” Welt finally lowered his hand from his glasses.
He looked at Mercy, his expression as complex as if he had swallowed an uncompressed Stellaron whole.
“…So, you devour Stellarons, and now you can directly command the Antimatter Legion…
Aren’t your Lord Ravager privileges a bit too high?” He couldn’t help but comment.
“Hehe, maybe the boss just appreciates me?” Mercy wagged her head proudly and scooped another spoonful of cake, this time successfully shoving it into the still-dazed Pom-Pom’s mouth.
Pom-Pom chewed instinctively.
The sweet flavor melted in his mouth, and a bit of life returned to his eyes.
But he still muttered, “Making the Antimatter Legion make way with a command, pom…
Who would believe that if word got out, pom…” In this atmosphere of absurdity and sweet cake, Mercy’s chewing suddenly paused.
Pom-Pom, in her arms, keenly felt her body tense for an instant.
“What is it?” Himeko noticed her abnormality.
The relaxed smile on Mercy’s face faded slightly.
She frowned, a cold glint of gold flashing through her blue eyes as she gazed at the deep starry sky behind the train.
“Nothing…
I just feel like we’re being watched by an old friend.” Her old friend, of course, referred to Zephyro, the one obsessed with the aesthetics of destruction.
Her hasty escape last time seemed to have only made this colleague more interested.
He had found a fascinating observation subject.
This time, the aura lock was more subtle, and more persistent.
A few days later, when the train passed by a long-dead planet, reduced to a gray rocky shell and broken planetary rings, Mercy sought out Himeko and Welt.
“Sister Himeko, Uncle Yang,” her expression was unusually serious.
“I want to get off here for a while.” “Get off?
Here?” Welt looked out at the lifeless, seemingly forgotten dead star, his brow furrowing.
“The environment is harsh, and…
did you sense something?” Mercy nodded, not hiding anything.
“Mm.
I have some personal business to take care of.
Running away all the time isn’t a solution.
I need to have a proper chat with a certain enthusiastic colleague, so he stops thinking about visiting the train.” Her words carried a hint of dry humor.
Himeko looked at Mercy’s serious eyes and understood who she meant.
She pondered for a moment, didn’t ask further, and simply took a sip of coffee.
“Be careful.” Welt also nodded, adding, “…Come back safe.
The train…
still needs its supply keeper.” He paused, as if feeling this was a bit out of character for his usual stern demeanor, and adjusted his glasses.
Pom-Pom nervously clutched the hem of Mercy’s (energy-simulated) clothes.
“Passenger Mercy!
You must be careful, pom!
If you can’t win, just…
just command them to turn around again, pom!
Or run back quickly, pom!” Mercy was amused by Pom-Pom.
She ruffled his head (this time Pom-Pom didn’t dodge).
“Don’t worry, Conductor.
I’m someone who eats Stellarons as snacks.
I won’t go down that easily.
When I get back, I’ll bring you…
uh, this dump doesn’t seem to have any specialties.
Forget it.
When I get back, I’ll make you a cake!” With that, she waved to everyone and walked toward the airtight hatch.
The moment the door opened, the heart-stopping dark-golden energy of a Lord Ravager flickered around her.
Then she stepped out and vanished onto the desolate surface of the dead star.
The train slowly settled into orbit around the dead star, waiting quietly.
In the parlor car, Pom-Pom paced anxiously.
Himeko silently brewed coffee.
Welt gazed at the gray planet outside the window.
They all believed Mercy would return safely.
After all, a Lord Ravager who could order the Antimatter Legion to turn around and march, eat Stellarons like candy, and dream of petting the conductor’s ears…
was clearly not a normal character.
Against another abnormal colleague, she might just have a unique advantage.
(T/N: Petting Pom-Pom’s ears is as difficult as fighting 67 Emanators.
This information is completely factual and confirmed by an Aeon themselves, namely Mythus.)