Internal mechanisms on the Koutetsujo had malfunctioned, making it impossible to lower the drawbridge from the inside. Someone had to go out and manually trigger the exterior switch.
The problem was: who would be sent to flip it?
The Kabane hot on their heels had no intention of letting them go, and those wandering nearby had been drawn in by the massive noise generated by the Koutetsujo. At a glance, there were about thirty of them, with even more surging toward the tracks. The longer they delayed, the worse it would be for the train.
Sending someone out now meant certain casualties. Not everyone was a sharpshooter, and with no defensible high ground nearby, being cornered by a Kabane essentially meant the end.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kabane slammed into the various carriages like madmen. The subpar armor plating dented and groaned, threatening to buckle. Inside, people huddled together, trembling. As the Kabane swarmed, the samurai found it increasingly difficult to cope. Some were so nervous that their palms sweat, turning their marksmanship into a matter of pure luck.
Suddenly, a weak point was breached. A Kabane, god knows how long it had been starving, burst through the hole and lunged at the nearest samurai who couldn't dodge in time. It bit down instantly.
Hot blood sprayed.
"Aaaagh...!"
The samurai's scream lasted only three seconds before falling silent. Nearby unarmed civilians turned ashen, retreating like frightened beasts to escape the carnage. The greedy Kabane abandoned its lifeless prey and looked up, its distorted face covered in blood as it hissed at the crowd.
Just as it was about to pounce again, Kurusu Konochi arrived and ended it with a single shot. He immediately shouted to those around him, "Block this up, now!"
Coming to their senses as if waking from a dream, the crowd scrambled to haul over spare iron plates to temporarily plug the breach.
'Things will only get worse at this rate! Someone has to lower that bridge, or the Koutetsujo won't survive this constant battering. If the boiler takes a hit, we lose our only chance of escape!'
Kurusu was incredibly anxious. He instinctively looked toward the rear.
Would Misono Mika be willing to help them this time?
Seeing no sign of her outside, Kurusu abandoned his final hope.
'She still refuses to act. She saved so many people, yet now she chooses to watch from the sidelines... what on earth is she thinking?!'
If they couldn't count on an outsider, they had to do it themselves!
Kurusu bit his lip, glanced back toward Ayame Yomogawa's position, and strode quickly toward the skylight. Ignoring the well-meaning advice of others, he climbed the ladder and threw open the hatch.
The moment he emerged, an ugly face was nearly pressed against his own. However, a nimble figure on the roof swept in from behind, her two specialized red short-guns ruthlessly harvesting the Kabane above.
Bang!
Foul-smelling blood splattered across Kurusu's face as the Kabane before him went limp.
"Heave-ho..."
Mumei landed steadily on the roof. She looked down at the somewhat disheveled Kurusu and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Oh, it's you. If you have nothing better to do, don't come out here and get in my way. Go back inside~"
"Kabane..." Kurusu blurted out instinctively. Seeing Mumei's expression sour, he realized his mistake and quickly shifted the topic. "What are you doing out here? If no one lowers the bridge, it doesn't matter how many you kill!"
"I really don't like you. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing without you telling me. Ikoma is handling the bridge; I'm just responsible for cleaning these persistent slugs off the roof."
"Ikoma...? Can he really do it?"
It wasn't that Kurusu looked down on Ikoma, but how could a worker with no formal training be a match for those monsters? Entrusting such a vital task to someone like that—was she insane? Which idiot arranged this, not knowing how dire the situation was?!
"But Misono Mika specifically arranged for him to go. I just hope he doesn't mess up and slow us down."
Mumei dodged to the right as a Kabane behind her lunged and missed. Without looking back, she pressed her gun against its glowing heart and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Thick blood mixed with organ fragments scattered through the air like blossoms.
Kurusu: "..."
He took back his previous thought. If Misono Mika arranged for Ikoma to go, she must have her reasons; he simply couldn't fathom them.
"Then..." Kurusu hesitated, but finally couldn't help asking, "What is Lady Mika doing right now?"
Mumei looked back toward the rear of the train and shook her head slightly. "I don't know, but the Kabane attacks disturbed her rest just now. She... seems to be angry..."
Kurusu: "!"
On the other side.
"Aaaaah, die!"
Ikoma suppressed the fear in his heart. Clutching his self-developed 'Piercing Gun' with both hands, he shouted as he charged the nearest Kabane. He aimed the muzzle at its heart and slammed the trigger.
A muffled boom echoed, and a fist-sized hole blasted open in the Kabane's chest.
"I did it! I really succeeded in making a weapon against the Kabane!"
Watching the creature fall, Ikoma panted and laughed, looking back for a moment. 'Lady Mika, did you see that?! I wasn't working in vain! My Piercing Gun actually works!'
Until now, only one person had recognized his talent and acknowledged that his independently developed weapon was superior.
Misono Mika!
That beautiful girl, who had given him a place to belong at his most helpless moment, was like a light pulling him out of the abyss. Every time he thought of it, his eyes stung.
He couldn't help but recall what Mika had told him:
'Ikoma, if you want others to recognize your value and your Piercing Gun, words alone won't cut it. You need to produce the most undeniable results to shut them up! By then, even if they don't want to admit it, they'll have to take their medicine and acknowledge your merit.'
'I'm giving you an important task to prove yourself to the crowd. Those cowards huddling together will see it.'
'You are a Kabaneri; even if you get bitten, you'll be fine. Ignore the ones on the roof and focus on your mission.'
'As for the rear... leave that to me. I've run out of patience, and I need to blow off some steam.'
'By the way, have you ever seen a shooting star? They're very beautiful. Don't miss it later; enjoy the view with Mumei and the others.'
'This is my gift to the deceased. May kind souls ascend to heaven, and may lost souls find their rest.'
★ ★ ★