"Ghost, respond immediately—you've entered the emergency braking zone."
"Ghost God, reduce your speed at once."
"How are there still signs of acceleration… Miura, Miura, respond immediately!"
With no reply coming through, the connected departments instantly fell into panic.
Although space-door travel has become the primary mode of transportation, the scarcity of slots—and the taboo nature of some transported goods—means the old-era rail network has resurged in popularity. Trains remain crowded daily, and safety protocols have always been extremely reliable.
But now—the Ghost God had suddenly gone dark.
This had never happened before.
Everyone realized something was very wrong. If the Ghost God continued at this speed, it would collide with the terminal within a minute.
And the terminal wasn't just another stop—it was a major transit nexus, linked to multiple space doors across the empire. The flow of people was enormous.
A crash here would mean catastrophic casualties.
Inside Carriage No. 1, ten armed men stood guard with assault rifles, their expressions menacing as they stared down the passengers.
Under their predator-like gazes, the passengers lowered their heads one after another.
No one dared to speak, much less resist—they prayed silently for survival.
A one-eyed man with a dragon-like presence strode in from the front car. His sharp, beastlike eyes swept across the trembling passengers.
"We are members of Dawn Ori. This train is under our control. As long as you cooperate, you'll remain unharmed."
He paused.
A cruel smile crept across his scar-lined face.
"But if any of you try something stupid… I'll kill you all. So keep each other in check. Don't drag yourselves into a grave."
Fear rippled through the carriage. No one dared resist, and they even began warily watching each other, terrified of being blamed and executed.
Inside the cab, a muscular man held a rifle inches from the conductor's back.
"Follow the plan. Push the train to maximum speed."
Cold sweat soaked Miura's forehead.
"You can't! We're close to the terminal—if we accelerate to max, even with an emergency brake, we—"
"Don't give me excuses!"
Izumaru jammed the barrel harder against Miura's skull.
"I'll count to three. If you don't want a bullet in your head, do as you're told."
Miura felt the icy steel against his forehead. His face turned ghost-pale, but he still clenched his teeth.
"No—I won't endanger the passengers!"
"…A tough guy, huh?"
Izumaru lowered the gun—
Then suddenly pointed it at Kentaro, the deputy conductor.
"Wait—"
Bang!
Kentaro's eyes widened. He stared in disbelief at the blood soaking through his uniform, then collapsed.
"What are you doing!?" Miura roared.
Izumaru pressed the gun back against Miura's head.
"I'm done talking. You say you won't put the passengers' lives in danger? Fine. If you don't cooperate, one person dies in each of the ten carriages—every ten seconds."
His voice dripped with malice.
"Now choose."
Rage flushed Miura's face, but there was nothing he could do.
Shaking, he pushed the throttle forward and boosted the train's speed.
"Smart choice."
Izumaru smirked and then slammed the emergency brake.
"What are you doing!?" Miura shouted. "You'll kill all of us!"
Izumaru only laughed.
"No—we're getting off. Only you die here."
Thinking of the imminent collision between the Ghost God and the terminal, he sneered proudly.
"I hope Ryoma appreciates this gift."
This was their entire mission:
To demonstrate Dawn Ori's power—
Even if they couldn't face Ryoma directly, they could cause chaos.
So many ordinary people existed in this world. A single act of terror could destabilize society.
But at that moment, the entire train suddenly jolted—as if something massive had slammed into it.
Ryoma stood on top of the Ghost God. He had sensed the anomaly long before through his sensory field.
Placing his palm gently on the metal exterior, he released an invisible force that wrapped around the entire train. His perception swept through every carriage, isolating each threat.
In the next instant—
Ryoma vanished.
The violent tremor shook Carriage No. 1, sending a wave of panic through the passengers.
"What was that!?"
"Are they trying to blow up the train!?"
A few terrified riders clasped their hands and muttered prayers.
"The Six Paths Sage above… please protect us…"
As fear spread, several men gathered the courage to stand up.
The one-eyed dragon snarled, "Sit down! Move again and I'll shoot!"
He swung his pistol toward the nearest man who had risen.
"D-don't shoot! I'm sitting, I'm sitting!"
The man with the flat-top haircut raised both hands and dropped back into his seat, face ashen.
Following the one-eyed dragon's lead, the other thugs raised their rifles, reasserting control over the frightened passengers.
Seeing the carriage settle, the one-eyed dragon jerked his chin at his subordinates, signaling that he would check the neighboring carriages. But as soon as he turned—
His pupils constricted sharply.
Several thugs who had been guarding the adjacent cars came sprinting toward him, their faces soaked in blood.
"Run! Run!" they screamed.
But before they could reach him—
A blur sliced through the air.
Boom!
The man at the front erupted into a mist of blood.
The one-eyed dragon staggered back, yelling in terror,
"Be careful! It's a ninja!"
The moment Ryoma appeared, the ten remaining gunmen raised their rifles.
Sparks ignited—
Gunfire exploded—
And a storm of metal tore toward him.
But within Ryoma's high-speed perception field, everything slowed to a crawl—
Like a scene out of The Matrix.
Bullets dragging trails through the air.
The twisted hostility on the thugs' faces.
The terror frozen on the passengers' expressions.
All of it unfolded clearly within his gaze.
Eleven armed men. Ten here. One still in the cab.
One crew member dead. No passenger casualties.
The train's interior is too fragile—use genjutsu first.
Countless pieces of information flashed through Ryoma's mind in an instant.
Then—Chakra surged out of him, condensing in midair.
The bullets halted, suspended in the void around him.
Like a miniature chakra cloak—similar to the Nine-Tails' shroud, but extending several meters out—his power stopped every projectile at once.
A faint ripple passed through Ryoma's eyes.
And all ten thugs collapsed simultaneously, unconscious before their bodies even hit the ground.
Ryoma hadn't even cast a formal genjutsu.
Against ordinary people, a single intent was enough to plunge them into unconsciousness for half a day.
To the passengers, however, it looked like magic—
The gunmen fired… and then simply fell over.
And the bullets floated in midair.
Clink… clink…
The bullets dropped to the floor as Ryoma released the field.
Facing the stunned passengers, he spoke calmly:
"It's over. The bandits have been handled. Until the train comes to a complete stop, stay in your seats and don't move."
Just as he finished speaking—
A flash of white light flickered before him.
A young woman had rushed forward, phone raised, snapping pictures excitedly.
"It's Lord Ryoma! We're saved!"
"It's Ryoma! Ryoma!"
More passengers pulled out their phones, cheering as relief washed over them—
Voices trembling with the joy of narrowly surviving disaster.
…
(End of Chapter)
🦊 Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin
😊 Thank you for your support!