“What is your name?” Saint Dio asked.
“Yomogawa…
Ayame.” Her voice trembled, yet she struggled to maintain her composure as the heir of the Yomogawa Family.
A flicker of recognition crossed Saint Dio’s eyes.
It seems I’ve found the right person.
He was about to speak when a panicked shout erupted from the samurai on the train’s roof: “Kabane are coming—!” Everyone turned toward the sound.
On the distant horizon, a black tide was rapidly closing in.
It was a swarm of Kabane, numbering in the hundreds, perhaps thousands.
They surged forward like a burst dam, their footsteps shaking the earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The sheer number of them was enough to make anyone’s scalp crawl.
The samurai on the roof descended into chaos.
Some raised their steam guns, others began to retreat, and others screamed for more ammunition.
Ayame’s face turned pale.
She struggled to stand, urgently pleading with Saint Dio, “My Lord!
Whatever you have to say…
please, let’s discuss it on the train!
The Kabane are almost here!” Saint Dio merely scoffed.
“How dare you interrupt me.” He was deeply displeased.
In his eyes, the oncoming Kabane were not a lethal threat, but a swarm of flies who didn’t know their place.
He released Ayame’s chin and gave a casual wave of his hand.
Behind him, Sandersonia and Marigold received the command.
Their massive bodies began to shrink rapidly.
Scales receded, and serpentine tails withdrew.
In the blink of an eye, the two terrifying Snakeman giants reverted to human form.
Though they had returned to their human shapes, they still stood nearly three meters tall, towering over the crowd like cranes among chickens.
The samurai on the train’s roof watched this unfold, their jaws dropping.
Those two monstrous creatures were actually two young women in disguise?
What in the world is going on?
Saint Dio ignored the shocked stares.
He turned to face the oncoming black tide, slowly tightening his grip on Jormungandr and resting the blade on his shoulder.
He intended to use this blind swarm of Kabane to demonstrate his power.
Jormungandr’s weight began to increase exponentially.
Tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
The terrifying gravity surged through the sword’s hilt into Saint Dio’s entire body.
His feet slammed into the ground, and the earth beneath him cracked and collapsed, sending shards of stone flying in all directions.
The veins on his arms bulged, and his muscles trembled under the extreme load, yet his expression remained as calm as still water.
The power was fully charged.
Saint Dio swung the sword!
An indescribable, colossal wave of sword qi tore free from Jormungandr’s blade and roared outward.
The sheer scale of the attack seemed poised to split heaven and earth in two.
As it tore through the air, it left a trail of sharp sonic booms, plowing a deep furrow into the ground.
The sword qi swept through the oncoming tide of Kabane like the scythe of a Grim Reaper.
Every Kabane it touched was sliced in half in an instant.
Whether they were running, leaping, or snarling, they were as fragile as paper before that blade of energy.
Severed limbs and shredded flesh sprayed into the air, yet not a single drop of blood even managed to touch the sword qi.
The attack’s momentum did not fade, continuing to hurtle forward for hundreds of meters before finally striking the earth.
BOOM!!
With a deafening roar, the ground was brutally cleaved open, creating a bottomless canyon hundreds of meters long.
Debris and dust erupted into the sky, forming a small mushroom cloud that billowed upward.
Aboard the Koutetsujyo, everyone stood frozen in shock.
The samurai gaped, their steam guns nearly slipping from their hands.
They stared at the canyon carved into the earth, then at the white-haired youth resting the sword on his shoulder without a single breath out of place.
Only one thought echoed in their minds: What kind of monster is this?
Saint Dio casually sheathed Jormungandr behind his waist.
He turned, his gaze falling upon the pale-faced Yomogawa Ayame, and asked in a flat tone: “Any more questions?” Ayame knelt on the ground, looking up at the white-haired youth.
Her lips trembled a few times before she finally managed to squeeze out a shaky reply: “N-no…
none.” Her mind was a complete blank.
The canyon carved into the earth was still wisping with smoke, the terrifying sight seared into her retinas—a memory she would likely never forget.
The tall man before her possessed such an inconceivable power.
It far exceeded her very understanding of the word “strong.” Saint Dio withdrew his gaze, satisfied.
Just then, Stussy and Hancock leaped down from Sandersonia, landing gracefully beside him.
Stussy smoothed her slightly disheveled lapel and nodded slightly to Saint Dio, signaling that she would handle the rest of the negotiations.
Saint Dio left the subsequent explanations and communication to Stussy.
She did not disappoint, using her silver tongue to weave a carefully crafted tale for Ayame and the others aboard the Koutetsujyo—explaining Saint Dio’s identity and their purpose for this journey.
Of course, she couldn’t tell them the whole truth.
In her narrative, Saint Dio was portrayed as a deity descended to this world to save it from the Kabane’s rampage.
The only condition was that people must hold him in awe and revere him with piety.
As for the two giant Snakemen, they were explained away as the deity’s guardian generals.
Ayame, having witnessed Saint Dio’s world-shattering power with her own eyes, believed this without a doubt.
After all, how could a mortal possess such strength if he weren’t a god?
Everything seemed to support Stussy’s story.
The Koutetsujyo returned to the rails, its steam engine roaring back to life.
The wheels ground against the tracks with a rhythmic clatter-clank as it continued its journey toward Aragane Station.
Only this time, the train carried a few uninvited guests.
Ayame specifically ordered her subordinates to clear out one of the cargo cars, creating space for Saint Dio and his companions to rest.
Though the conditions were crude, it was the best the armored steam locomotive could offer.
As for Sandersonia and Marigold, they both stood nearly three meters tall, making it impossible for them to fit through the doorways of a standard car.
They had no choice but to sit on the roof, exposed to the wind and sun, though they seemed content enough with the leisure.
Inside the cargo car, the light was dim, and the air was thick with the smell of coal and rust.
Supply crates and miscellaneous items were piled all around, and the floor was still covered in coal dust that hadn’t been fully swept away.
Saint Dio sat atop a stack of cargo boxes, one leg crossed over the other, his hand propping up his chin as he idly scanned his surroundings.
He frowned slightly.
Accustomed to the pristine, luxurious, and exquisitely designed living quarters of Mary Geoise, he found this dusty, grey cargo car to be quite a surprise.
However, he was not the type to throw a tantrum over poor conditions.
When necessary, he could endure any environment.
Before him, Yomogawa Ayame sat kneeling in a perfect posture, her hands folded before her knees and her forehead nearly touching the ground.
This was the standard dogeza pose, a gesture of ultimate respect and submission.
After hearing Stussy’s account, she dared not show the slightest negligence to this white-haired youth who claimed to be a “god.” Whether out of reverence or fear of his power, she knew one thing for certain: the person before her was absolutely not someone she could afford to offend.