The Hunt and Eve.
Their strength was unquestionable.
Facing the Hunt in Overdrive mode, Ain found that his trusty [Village's Best Sword], which had never failed him in ordinary times, could not easily pierce through the Hunt's defenses.
Even with the boost from his [Execute Evil] talent, against the Hunt—which possessed the concept of [Evil]—he could only break through the clouds swirling around it, dealing slight damage to the Hunt's mechanical dragon scales.
But those wounds would be restored in no time under the repairs of the [Gear Damage Control Squad].
He wasn't exactly weak himself—he ranked among the stronger Train Conductors in the thirty-plus level bracket.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have lasted this long.
Still, this didn't make Ain feel afraid. His eyes blazed with intensity as he stared at the Hunt's massive form, gripping his sword with both hands.
"Ha... you really are strong, Senior Altos."
He shifted his gaze from the Hunt to the figure high in the sky above.
"But I haven't lost yet. The leader helped me a lot. I can't give up so easily on what he asked me to do."
Several enhancement modules with the [Hero] prefix interconnected.
A scorching light erupted from his body.
The [Village's Best Sword] in his hand rose above his head, and he let out a fierce roar.
"I'll defeat you!"
The sound of mechanical drives rang out.
The Hunt circled in the sky.
Clouds gathered around it.
The [Hero] named Ain launched his challenge against the [Evil Dragon] that ruled over all.
And the [Evil Dragon] would not retreat an inch.
Its master was watching from above—it would not lose, and it could not lose.
Just a mere human.
Heroes—it had seen far too many of them already.
Maybe this human was stronger than those Goblins, maybe he possessed power that could target [Evil].
But so what?
It was the Hunt-Patrol Mech-Dragon, the first mechanical lifeform under its master!
A mere hero—
What right did he have to think he could defeat the [Evil Dragon]?
"ROAR!"
The Overdrive Dragon let out a furious bellow.
Clouds converged, forming a tornado of mist around the Hunt that surged toward Ain.
Ain dodged, but the tornado cloud locked onto him like it had a mind of its own.
Unable to evade, he had to face it head-on.
Ain raised his sword and swung.
A sword light, charged with accumulated power, was forced out to clash against the tornado cloud.
His [Execute Evil] talent activated continuously, yet still—unlike the stories where courage and faith alone could stop an [Evil Dragon] far stronger than oneself—this was reality.
This was a Station World in the Wasteland.
This... was real life.
Heroes could fail too.
The tornado cloud swallowed the sword light.
The clouds that should have been soft had been turned into a devastating blow by the Hunt.
Ain was caught up in it, slammed violently into the ground.
The tornado cloud pressed down on him.
The armor of the Hero cracked and shattered.
Bloodstained gashes burst open, and crimson blood spilled across the ground.
[Hunt-Patrol Mech-Dragon · Overdrive Mode (Level 13)]
Level 13.
The power of this level could not be bridged by courage, faith, or anything else.
Perhaps... a miracle could.
But unfortunately, the little Flower Demon capable of creating miracles would only ever stand on Ye Qiyan's side.
The tornado cloud dispersed.
A deep crater was pressed into the ground.
Ain's body was soaked in his own blood.
His fingers twitched as he struggled to his feet, using the [Village's Best Hero Sword (Level 11)] that the village chief had given him before he left his birth world to slowly rise.
"Ha... ha... so strong. As expected, Senior Altos's mechanical dragon... is truly, cough... worthy of being the companion of a top-tier Train Conductor."
He quietly pulled a photograph from his chest.
It was a picture taken before he left that world—with the village chief and the girl next door who had been his childhood friend.
The photo was a little worn. He forced a faint smile, using his sword to prop himself up as he pointed it toward the sky.
"Maybe I'll die here today. But before I came, I already thought this might happen. I just didn't expect the gap to be this huge. A top-tier Train Conductor... unfortunately, I won't get the chance to become one."
Ain shook his head slightly and tucked the photo back into his chest.
"I still have... one last sword..."
————
On the other side of the battlefield.
The fight between Eve and Koleira was nothing like the one between the Hunt and Ain.
The Hunt and Ain were a straightforward head-on clash.
But here, Koleira's talent had set her on the path of [Assassin], [Assassination], [One-Hit Kill], [Speed] ever since her first station in the Wasteland.
She considered herself a genius, so she had made clear plans for every upgrade option.
Since she didn't have enough proper Train Coins, everything she bought leaned toward those four categories.
Increasing speed, poisoning, corrupting machinery, slowing opponents...
She would use any means, no matter how shady, as long as they were effective.
Koleira didn't care about the method—only about defeating her opponent.
In her eyes, these tactics were all normal strategies.
If anyone called her despicable, she would just sneer and tell them they didn't understand combat.
Because of her admiration for Ye Qiyan, she had studied every bit of power he had ever revealed to outsiders in great detail.
This bunny-eared Mechanical Girl hadn't been around long, but she seemed to lean toward speed and ranged weapon attacks.
So before the fight with Eve even began, Koleira had already thought up many tactics.
If she could just chip away at her opponent step by step, Altos would see her ability, and then he might go easy on her, spare this bunny-eared mecha girl, and she'd have a reason to stand before Altos and...
Ask for his autograph!
It was a nice thought.
But reality was harsh.
Eve was strong.
Even though her rank was only 12 after activating [Mode · Overdrive Star]—one level weaker than the Hunt's Overdrive mode—
She had something she was most proud of.
That was her master's affection~
When it came to who among Ye Qiyan's companions had the most items...
Without a doubt, it was Eve.
Her Weapon Wings spread wide, unleashing a barrage of all kinds of weapons at Koleira, leaving her thoroughly battered.
Tactics?
A joke.
Under absolute suppression.
If she wanted to execute her tactics, she'd first have to dodge the Gravity Cannon, Self-Destruct Tungsten Nails, Great Compassion Heavy Machine Gun, Six-Barreled Ice Pulse... and a whole series of other weapon attacks.
Clearly, she couldn't.
Under normal circumstances, if ranged combat didn't work, you closed the distance.
But...
Eve was faster than her.
Even without going full speed, Eve was still faster than Koleira.
Speed—if you were just a little bit faster, your opponent could never keep up.
Koleira couldn't win.
As a Gravity Cannon blast struck her body, Koleira was hurled into a tall building.
Her abdomen was bleeding.
"Cough... no way, I can't... lose here... I haven't even gotten to say a single word to Lord Altos yet... So I have no choice... but to use that move..."
————
[Birds of Paradise Guild · Hiroshi Fuji]
[Enhancement Module · Shadow Clone Ninja]
His figure simultaneously appeared behind Ain and Koleira, both of whom were at death's door and gravely wounded.
"Hehe~ Two reckless young folks. Let me take your heads and offer them to that lord. Only then can I survive~"
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