The bronze-colored Kokujō rumbled out through Shitori Station's west gate. Why the west gate again?
The moment it rammed into the Kabane ranks, the carriage doors on both sides slammed open. Two neat lines of Hunters, already in position, worked the mortars — shells arcing high before crashing down into the horde.
Bang! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The first volley shredded countless Kabane, and it did exactly what it was meant to do: draw every starving eye toward the Kokujō.
ROOOAR! ROOOAR!
Like a flood, the Kabane surged for the train. Behind the mortar crews, Hunters lifted their Steam Guns in unison.
"Fire!"
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
"All units — charge!"
Biba gave the sortie order and, without hesitation, spurred his horse straight into the swarm, tachi flashing as he carved a path through rotting flesh.
Vrrr, vrrr!
Motorcycles burst from the Kokujō like unleashed arrows. The Hunters rode as if they'd been born in the saddle — one hand on the handlebar, the other steadying a Steam Gun — each shot neatly puncturing the Kabane's heart as they swept past.
Ryuji had been standing atop the wall when he spotted Biba's crimson hair in the chaos, the man on horseback cutting Kabane apart with practiced brutality. But what truly snagged Ryuji's attention wasn't Biba — it was the blonde beauty fighting nearby.
She wore long golden hair gathered into a bun, with two orange sidelocks framing her cheeks. Sword-straight brows and red eyes gave her a gallant, heroic air. She wasn't as voluptuous as Ayame or Kajika, but she could still rival Yukina in presence.
Then, right in the middle of the slaughter, she untied the black ribbon at her throat. The crimson in her eyes flared, and faint orange-red patterns bled across her skin.
A Kabaneri — just like Mumei.
'Mm. Not bad at all. But that hairstyle? Ugly as hell. I'm making her change it later.'
With that thought, Ryuji leapt from the wall — more than ten meters down — and landed smoothly, rolling with the impact like it was nothing.
The samurai, already stunned by the Hunters' methods, stiffened in fresh shock at his inhuman movement.
Ryuji reached the west gate and regrouped with the girls. Together, they plunged into the Kabane horde.
Mumei took the lead. Twin Steam Pistols snapped up, shots cracking left and right — every bullet striking true. The rounds punched through the Kabane's hardened outer membrane and obliterated the heart inside.
One Kabane moved with unnatural speed, flickering into position behind her.
"Mumei-chan, behind you!"
Whoosh!
Mumei turned just in time to see an arrow of light spear through the ambusher's heart.
Ayame stood with her Steam Bow already drawn again, calm as a still pond. She loosed another shot.
Whoosh!
The arrow skimmed the little tuft of hair sticking up on Mumei's head, then buried itself in the heart of another Kabane lunging from behind. Mumei glanced back at the fallen corpse and gave Ayame a thumbs-up.
Yukina's approach was far less delicate. A coil of semi-transparent orange-yellow aura wrapped around her fists as she charged. When she reached striking distance, she clenched her fist and drove it forward.
Boom!
The aura-wreathed punch smashed straight into a Kabane's heart, bulging its back outward before the organ and a slab of torso detonated in a second thunderous burst.
"Haa..." Yukina exhaled, forcing her breathing steady.
It was her first time killing a Kabane with a True Qi Punch, and the sensation still felt foreign — too violent, too absolute. Worse, she couldn't use it endlessly. At her current level she could manage four or five strikes at most before her Qi was drained.
{Note: Energy-type skills use Mana; martial-type skills use Battle Qi.}
Beside Ayame, Kajika formed three red orbs of light in her palm and flicked them toward Ayame, Mumei, and Yukina. The orbs sank into their bodies at once.
Power surged.
Mumei shattered a rushing Kabane's heart with a single kick. Yukina — who'd needed skills to kill cleanly — now only had to dash in and punch. Ayame's arrows began to punch through enemies two at a time.
Kajika drew a breath, forced her focus, and condensed three silver orbs. She sent them into the same trio — and the moment she did, dizziness washed over her. The world tilted; her head swam.
Her knees nearly buckled, but Ryuji caught her and pulled her close. That familiar scent steadied her, and she melted against his chest. He brushed the fine sweat from beneath her bangs.
Fortunately, as a Battle Formation Master, she could share in a portion of the kill experience simply by supporting the others. Otherwise, stacking six buffs this hard would leave her too drained to grind at all.
With the double buffs in place, Mumei and the others not only hit harder but moved faster, their kill rate nearly matching the Hunters' — and that was against dozens of motorcycle riders who almost never missed. It said everything about how terrifying a Formation Master's support could be.
Ryuji felt Kajika's softness pressed against him. His hand slid, unhurried and shameless, into the collar of her clothes and cupped the full swell he still couldn't completely cover — still tender from last night's "special care".
"R-Ryuji... we're still outside..." Kajika's pale face flushed a vivid, tempting red.
"It's fine. It's through the clothes — no one can see. And the men are far away; they won't notice." As he spoke, his fingers pinched the sensitive little bud he'd tormented the night before.
"Mmm... b-but... it's so embarrassing out here..." Kajika covered her face, mortified — because she could feel a gaze from the side.
No need to guess. Lady Ayame must be looking... ahhh, so embarrassing!
But Kajika couldn't resist him. She could only hide her burning face against his chest like a rabbit burying its head.
"Let's do something we should be doing on a battlefield." Ryuji said lightly, "Kajika, want a cream puff?"
Kajika froze. She lifted her flushed face and stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Ahem... I mean, cream puffs replenish mana. Want to try?"
The way he said it was strangely hypnotic. Kajika swallowed.
And so, a bizarre scene unfolded at the edge of the battle. A boy stood just outside the swirl of slaughter, his oversized coat hanging bulky and unnatural. If anyone looked closely, they'd notice two pairs of feet under it — pointing in opposite directions.
Kajika obediently let Ryuji's big hand guide her down... until she lined up with the "ultimate weapon", the so-called baguette. Only then did he stop. She took the initiative, undoing her waistband and zipper, tugging down her underwear as the buffed 'baguette' — heated as if it carried a fire attribute — tapped lightly against her nose.
"Mmm-nyah..."
The touch coaxed a cute, nasal sound from her.
She stared at the steaming, fire-attributed 'baguette,' licked her lips, and then — hands trembling — gripped her 'future.'
For some reason, ever since she'd had 'cream puff' once that morning, the thought wouldn't leave her. While Mumei and the others ate until they were full with one mouth, she'd eaten until she was full with two — no wonder she'd been so much more stuffed than the others at breakfast.
Licking her lips again, Kajika pressed the 'baguette' down with both hands and parted her rosy mouth.
"Ahm..."
That sudden bite nearly made Ryuji throw his head back and howl — he barely held it in.
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"Eh?! Isn't that Mumei? Why is she fighting over there — and that strength...?!"
Biba, still on horseback, cut a Kabane clean in half. When he looked up, he spotted a smaller figure one or two hundred meters away tearing through enemies at inhuman speed.
His eyes widened.
With every kick, that figure practically blew apart a Kabane's upper body, leaving only the legs swaying for an instant before collapsing.
Beside her, a short-haired redhead wasn't as outrageous as Mumei, but she still killed Kabane barehanded with a single strike. After watching her punch straight through two Kabane at once, Biba didn't even dare to call it "probably" anymore.
There was also a girl firing arrows like beams of light, but he assumed it was some new Hunter weapon and didn't pay her much attention.
If Ayame heard him dismiss her like that, she would definitely demonstrate Phoenix Arrow: Limitless — and let him savor what a heart-piercing, flesh-grinding shot felt like.
Of course, with Ayame's gentle temperament, she'd probably just smile and let it slide.
"Hm? And what's with that boy?"
Biba noticed Ryuji standing beside Ayame with his coat bulging unnaturally and frowned, confused. The boy seemed to sense the gaze from that distance and turned, smiling back.
Such sharp perception. Even from hundreds of meters away, he could feel my eyes.
Biba gave him a wary look, then returned to cutting down Kabane.
Ryuji withdrew his gaze. Beneath the coat, his hidden hand pressed down unconsciously, and his whole body shuddered.
"Mmm... gulp, gulp..." Kajika swallowed with difficulty, only stopping when she felt her stomach was about to burst, "Haa... gulp..."
She finally released the 'baguette', swallowed the remaining 'cream puff', and stood.
"Good work." Ryuji kissed her forehead.
Kajika flushed even deeper, covered her mouth, and hurried behind Ayame.
After 'stretching the baguette's tibia,' Ryuji felt like stretching too. The Kabane swarming his girls in growing numbers made the perfect chance to farm Energy Points.
Unrivaled Mode — activate!
✦✦✦
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $1, as well as smut chapters ($2) or spicy images ($5) or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)