The roof of the train had become a battlefield suspended between earth and sky.
Cold desert wind howled endlessly around them.
The train raced across the golden sands below like a steel serpent cutting through the night.
Stars stretched across the heavens.
Moonlight illuminated four figures standing atop the speeding train.
Rio.
Kiraya.
Sarrow.
Crow.
The atmosphere was tense enough to suffocate.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The only sounds were the train's roaring engine and the wind screaming past them.
Then—
Kiraya's legs suddenly buckled.
The Lionheart Knight stumbled.
Her gunsword slipped slightly from her grasp.
The long battle had finally caught up to her.
Ever since the attack began she had been fighting continuously.
First against Sarrow's subordinates.
Then against Sarrow herself.
She had pushed her body beyond its limits.
Now those limits demanded payment.
Kiraya dropped to one knee.
Breathing heavily.
Sweat dripped from her face.
Her arms trembled.
The strain was obvious.
Sarrow immediately noticed.
Her white eyes narrowed.
"Looks like your friend finally ran out of fuel."
Kiraya gritted her teeth.
She hated how accurate that statement was.
She wanted to stand.
She truly did.
But her body refused.
Rio stepped forward.
Without hesitation.
Without even needing to think.
She positioned herself directly between Kiraya and the enemy.
Silver hair danced in the wind.
Imperial Blade lowered.
Musket held loosely at her side.
Yet somehow—
She looked more dangerous than ever.
The meaning behind the action was obvious.
If anyone wanted Kiraya—
They would have to go through Rio first.
Sarrow understood immediately.
A faint smile appeared beneath her mask.
"Protecting your people."
Rio didn't respond.
Her blue eyes never left the enemy.
Crow stood silently beside Sarrow.
The crow-masked assassin looked completely unfazed despite everything that had happened.
The fight.
The losses.
The destruction.
None of it seemed to matter.
Because he had accomplished his mission.
Sarrow glanced toward him.
"Did you get it?"
Crow nodded.
"Affirmative."
The answer came instantly.
Sarrow released a breath.
"Good."
A small smile appeared.
"There was no way either of us could keep her occupied forever."
Her eyes shifted toward Rio.
Even Sarrow wasn't arrogant enough to underestimate her.
Not anymore.
After witnessing everything firsthand—
She understood exactly why Rio's name was spreading throughout Floor Two.
Sarrow folded her arms.
"What about Falco?"
Crow remained motionless.
The wind whipped against his cloak.
Sarrow continued.
"Did he find the skull and blood?"
Before Crow could answer—
A shadow descended from above.
BOOM!
Something landed heavily atop the train roof.
The impact shook the entire carriage.
Kiraya immediately looked up.
Rio's eyes narrowed.
Sarrow smiled.
Crow remained silent.
Standing beside them now—
Was a man nearly two heads taller than Sarrow.
Long orange-red hair.
Black armor.
A dark hooded cloak.
A massive black spear rested over one shoulder.
Strapped to his back was a large reinforced briefcase.
The man's presence alone felt oppressive.
Like a predator stepping onto the battlefield.
Rio immediately recognized him.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"...Falco."
The name surfaced instantly.
One of Epsilon Dawn's strongest combat players.
A monster even among elite guild members.
Falco looked toward Crow.
Then toward Sarrow.
Then toward Rio.
His gaze lingered.
For a brief second.
Recognition.
Then—
Rio's instincts screamed.
Move.
NOW.
Her body reacted before her thoughts did.
CLANG!
The Imperial Blade moved.
Sparks exploded.
Rio's eyes widened.
A spear tip had appeared from her left.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Falco.
The man had attacked the moment he landed.
Even Sarrow looked surprised.
"Already?"
Falco ignored her.
His spear continued pushing forward.
Rio slid backward across the roof.
The force behind the strike was absurd.
Before she could properly recover—
Falco attacked again.
Still airborne.
Still moving.
Still accelerating.
[Warrior Skill: Unrivaled Dominion]
Black lightning exploded around his spear.
The sky itself seemed to darken.
Electricity roared through the air.
Rio's instincts screamed again.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
She immediately grabbed Kiraya.
Without hesitation.
Without caring about appearances.
Rio pulled her backward.
The two moved several meters away.
The next second—
The black lightning struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The train roof exploded.
Metal vanished.
Steel warped.
The explosion carved directly through multiple train compartments.
Passengers screamed below.
Windows shattered.
Wood splintered.
Entire sections of the roof disappeared.
The black lightning continued downward.
Destroying everything in its path.
The train violently shook.
Inside the carriage below—
Ryota suddenly looked upward.
"...What the hell?"
Above him—
A massive hole now stretched through the roof.
Moonlight poured inside.
Pieces of metal rained downward.
Ramos screamed.
Silla ducked.
Indra immediately expanded its barrier.
Even Sugalith stopped eating.
The mercenary slowly lowered his peanuts.
"...Well."
He looked upward through the massive opening.
"That's not normal."
Back on the roof—
The battlefield had changed completely.
The explosion created a huge gap.
Rio and Kiraya stood on one side.
Sarrow.
Crow.
And Falco stood on the other.
Separated by twisted metal and destruction.
The wind howled through the opening.
Nobody moved.
Not immediately.
Then Falco spoke.
His voice was calm.
Cold.
Professional.
"We have everything."
Crow nodded.
The crow mask reflected moonlight.
Mission complete.
Sarrow smiled.
"Finally."
Rio narrowed her eyes.
Something felt wrong.
Too easy.
Then she noticed Crow's hand move.
A small object appeared.
A black sphere.
Rio immediately recognized it.
"Don't let him—"
Too late.
CRACK.
The sphere shattered.
FWOOOOOOOOOSH!
Dark smoke erupted across the entire roof.
Not ordinary smoke.
Dense.
Magical.
Impossible to see through.
The rooftop vanished beneath a sea of darkness.
Kiraya immediately raised Lionheart.
"Where are they?!"
Rio searched.
Nothing.
No movement.
No footsteps.
No silhouettes.
Only darkness.
The smoke spread further.
Covering everything.
The train.
The roof.
The surrounding air.
Then—
The presence disappeared.
Falco.
Gone.
Sarrow.
Gone.
Crow.
Gone.
Rio immediately rushed forward.
She reached the opposite side of the roof.
Nothing.
No enemies.
No traces.
No targets.
Only fading smoke.
The silence felt almost mocking.
Several seconds passed.
Then the wind finally carried the darkness away.
The rooftop became visible again.
Empty.
The three elite players had vanished completely.
Kiraya slowly exhaled.
"...They escaped."
Rio stared into the distance.
Far beyond the train.
Far beyond the desert.
Her eyes narrowed.
Crow had the book.
Falco had acquired something called the skull and blood.
And Epsilon Dawn had withdrawn immediately afterward.
Meaning—
This entire attack had never been about Silla.
Or Ramos.
Those had only been secondary objectives.
The real purpose had been retrieval.
Rio clenched her fist.
Something much bigger was happening.
And she had a feeling she already knew who was behind it.
Far away.
In the City of Sasoru.
A certain doctor was likely smiling right now.
The thought alone made Rio's eyes grow colder.
Below them the train continued racing toward the Inner Rim of Nendu.
The battle was over.
But the consequences of tonight's attack—
Were only beginning.
The final assassin fell.
His body slammed against the shattered interior wall of the train carriage before collapsing onto the floor with a dull thud.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The only sound remaining was the rhythmic rattling of the train speeding along the rails toward the Inner Rim of Nendu.
Ryota slowly lowered his sword.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
The fight had not been easy.
Dozens of assassins.
Multiple coordinated attacks.
Enemies emerging from shadows.
Explosions.
Collapsed train sections.
And now...
Silence.
"...Is it over?" Ryota asked.
A tiny blue blur immediately launched itself toward him.
"Kyuuuu!"
Indra.
The small dragon slammed directly into Ryota's chest.
"Woah—"
Ryota almost lost his balance.
Indra wrapped itself around him like an excited puppy and immediately started licking his face.
"Hey!"
Ryota laughed.
"Stop!"
The dragon only licked harder.
"Kyuuu!"
Its tail wagged wildly.
Clearly happy.
Very happy.
Ryota couldn't help smiling.
"Yeah, yeah."
He scratched under its chin.
"You did great."
Indra puffed its chest proudly.
The barrier surrounding Ramos, Silla, and Sugalith slowly dissolved into countless blue particles before disappearing entirely.
The danger seemed gone.
At least...
That was what everyone thought.
Ramos collapsed backward into his seat.
His entire body felt weak.
His legs had stopped working somewhere halfway through the attack.
He wasn't sure when.
Silla sat beside him.
Equally exhausted.
The two of them looked around at the destroyed carriage.
Broken seats.
Bullet holes.
Blood stains.
Cracked walls.
Smoke drifting through the air.
And somehow...
They were alive.
Ramos let out a shaky laugh.
"...We survived."
Silla nodded.
Her shoulders finally relaxed.
"We survived."
For the first time since the attack started...
Both of them smiled.
Then—
A metallic sound echoed.
SHING.
The smile instantly vanished from Ramos's face.
Every instinct in his body screamed.
Danger.
His eyes widened.
Slowly...
He turned.
And froze.
Sugalith had drawn his dagger.
The mercenary sat casually in his chair.
One leg crossed over the other.
His expression unchanged.
Calm.
Lazy.
Almost bored.
But the dagger...
Was pointed directly at Ramos.
Silence filled the carriage.
Ramos's blood ran cold.
"...W-What?"
Ryota spun around.
His eyes widened.
"Sugalith!"
Silla immediately stood.
Fear appearing on her face.
Even Indra growled.
The tiny dragon's scales lit up blue.
"Grrrrr!"
Sugalith ignored all of them.
His eyes remained focused.
Locked.
On Ramos.
The dagger never moved.
Ramos felt his heart stop.
His body refused to react.
His breathing stopped.
His mind went blank.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Not now.
Not after everything.
Not after surviving.
Not now.
The dagger suddenly moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Ramos screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He squeezed his eyes shut.
Certain he was about to die.
The dagger came closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
Nothing.
No pain.
No death.
No darkness.
Only silence.
"...Huh?"
Ramos slowly opened one eye.
Then the other.
The dagger was there.
Right in front of his face.
So close that he could see his reflection on the blade.
But...
It wasn't touching him.
It had stopped.
As if something invisible was blocking it.
Everyone stared.
Confused.
Then—
Blood appeared.
Floating in midair.
A crimson line suddenly formed around the dagger.
As if someone invisible had been cut.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"What?!"
More blood appeared.
Dripping.
Suspended.
Visible despite no body being there.
Then suddenly—
A figure emerged.
The invisibility shattered.
An assassin appeared.
A man wearing dark clothing.
His eyes wide with shock.
The dagger from Sugalith had pierced directly through his chest.
The entire carriage fell silent.
Ramos stared.
Silla stared.
Ryota stared.
Nobody understood what they were looking at.
The assassin coughed blood.
"...S-Sugalith..."
His voice trembled.
"Why..."
Sugalith slowly withdrew his dagger.
The assassin collapsed onto one knee.
Blood poured from the wound.
The mercenary sighed.
Actually sighed.
As if he were annoyed.
Not angry.
Not emotional.
Just...
Annoyed.
Very annoyed.
He looked down at the dying assassin.
Then pointed toward the floor.
Everyone followed his finger.
Four crushed peanut packets lay near the assassin's feet.
Completely flattened.
Silence.
Sugalith's expression darkened.
"Didn't I tell that blonde shortie guild leader of yours Sarrow and the rest of your guild?"
His voice remained calm.
Dangerously calm.
"I was on vacation."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody interrupted.
Sugalith pointed again.
At the peanuts.
"My vacation."
Another point.
"My snacks."
Another point.
"My peanuts."
The assassin blinked.
Confused.
Even while dying.
Sugalith clicked his tongue.
"You stepped on all four."
The carriage became silent.
Ramos looked at the peanuts.
Then at Sugalith.
Then back at the peanuts.
Then back at Sugalith.
His brain stopped working.
That...
That couldn't possibly be the reason.
Right?
Right?
The assassin seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"S-Seriously...?"
Sugalith looked offended.
"Do you know how difficult it is finding good train peanuts?"
The assassin stared.
Speechless.
Sugalith crossed his arms.
"I specifically bought those and now your stinky foot had ruined all of them."
Nobody knew how to react.
Not Ryota.
Not Ramos.
Not Silla.
Not even Indra.
The little dragon tilted its head.
Completely confused.
The assassin coughed blood.
"You..."
Sugalith shrugged.
"I warned everyone and I'm not the person who would take insults lightly"
He pointed toward himself.
"This is all pure ego you're looking at and I'm proud of it"
Then pointed toward the assassin.
"You're annoying guild had bothered my vacation."
Then pointed toward the peanuts.
"And you stepped on my peanuts."
A pause.
Then—
"So who's really at fault here?"
The assassin looked like he wanted to argue.
But couldn't.
Because somehow...
The logic made sense.
In the most ridiculous way possible.
The assassin collapsed.
Dead.
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody knew what to say.
Then—
BOOM.
The front door opened.
Everyone immediately looked.
A familiar figure entered.
Covered in blood.
Covered in wounds.
Covered in cuts.
Sayanaki.
She stepped inside casually.
As if she hadn't just fought one of the strongest assassins on Floor Two.
Her crimson hair was messy.
Her clothing was torn.
Several bandages were stained red.
And yet—
Her expression remained calm.
She glanced around.
Then noticed everyone staring.
"...What?"
Nobody answered.
Because the sight behind her was even more horrifying.
The corridor beyond the door was covered with bodies.
Assassins.
Everywhere.
Like a trail of destruction leading all the way through the train.
Ramos immediately looked away.
Sayanaki casually sat down.
"...I'm tired."
That alone terrified him more than the corpses.
A few seconds later—
The rear door opened.
Hinabi stepped inside.
Unlike Sayanaki, she wasn't covered in blood.
But her clothes were damaged.
Burn marks covered portions of her sleeves.
Her hair was messy.
And her face looked exhausted.
Still...
She was standing.
Alive.
"Looks like everyone survived."
She smiled weakly.
Rio chose that exact moment to enter.
The silver-haired guild leader stepped through the destroyed roof section and landed inside the carriage.
Kiraya followed shortly after.
The former Lionheart Knight looked exhausted.
Her armor was damaged.
Her legs were still trembling from the battle against Sarrow.
Yet she remained standing.
Rio looked around.
Everyone present.
Everyone alive.
Ryota.
Sayanaki.
Kiraya.
Hinabi.
Silla.
Ramos.
Indra.
Even Sugalith.
The tension that had been building for hours finally eased.
Just a little.
Outside the windows—
The scenery changed.
The massive walls of Nendu's Inner Rim came into view.
Golden lights illuminated the horizon.
Gigantic bridges stretched over the enormous central lake.
Towering buildings rose into the sky.
The train began slowing.
The speakers overhead crackled.
A voice echoed throughout the train.
"Arrival at Inner Rim Central Station."
"Please prepare to disembark."
The words felt surreal.
After everything that happened.
After all the fighting.
After the assassins.
After the ambush.
After nearly dying multiple times.
They had actually made it.
The train finally stopped.
The brakes hissed.
The doors opened.
Fresh air entered the carriage.
Nobody moved immediately.
Everyone simply sat there.
Taking in the moment.
Then Rio spoke.
Her voice calm.
Steady.
"We're here."
Simple words.
Yet somehow they carried weight.
Because Floor Two was finally ending.