Ten Minutes Earlier...
The locomotive cab was twisted beyond recognition, with shattered engines, scattered papers, and broken bottles. "Aww shucks!" the engineer groaned, stumbling out of the wreckage. His face was a mess of blood, his hands shredded.
"What in tarnation was that?" he whispered, staggering to the window. The sight that greeted him was chaos: the whole train was crumpled.
_ whistle_ The engineer's eyes went wide. "Lord have mercy, how'd I survive that?"
As he turned back, he spotted movement. "Eek!" he yelped, but it was just the conductor, lookin' like he'd been through a war.
The conductor's face was a bloody mess, his eyes blazing with anger. "You dadgum fool!" he cursed. "If we'd rammed into that thing, we wouldn't be in a world of trouble!"
The engineer snorted. "Aw, come on, partner. If we'd rammed into that thing, we'd be singin' hymns in heaven by now."
The conductor glared, but followed the engineer out of the train. "Aww, man..." he groaned.
As the engineer and conductor emerged from the wreckage, they were met with a sight that made their blood run cold.
"What in tarnation!" the conductor yelped, eyes fixed on the approaching legion. "We're fixin' to be slaughtered!"
The engineer's face turned ashen. "Oh Lord have mercy, what do we do now?"
"Get on the radio, contact WAS," the engineer barked. They dashed back into the train, grabbed the phone, and frantically dialed.
But there was no signal. The conductor's hands shook as he redialed, but still, nothing.
"Aww, shucks!" the engineer exclaimed. "Try again!"
The conductor's face contorted in frustration. "If we'd just rammed into that thing like I said..."
Before he could finish, a dark terrifying energy surged through the air. "What in the name of all that's holy?" they gasped in unison.
Outside, a terrifying entity loomed, its maw stretching from forehead to jaw. Its pale skin seemed to suck the light out of the air.
The engineer and conductor exchanged a weighted glance, and without a word, they slowly backed out of the train and into the forest.
***
"Foolish Mortals! I am Roka, the Annihilator!" Roka's voice boomed through the forest, his maw twisted into a grotesque grin. The trees seemed to tremble with fear as he laughed, the sound echoing through the night.
Ken emerged from the trees, Alpha by his side. His gaze swept the area, taking in the battered forms of the trio. "Man, you've really had it," he said, his tone laced with a hint of concern.
Roka's eyes narrowed, his anger fueled by Ken's nonchalant demeanor. "How dare he ignore me, the Annihilator!" he seethed, his body beginning to contort into a more ominous form.
Code raised his head, his eyes blazing with anger and frustration. "Why am I so weak?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ken's gaze softened as he squatted beside Code. "True strength lies in weakness," he whispered, his words a gentle rebuke.
Code's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked up at Ken with a mix of curiosity and longing. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice filled with a deep-seated desire to understand.
Ken's expression was enigmatic. "You'll understand someday," he replied, standing up and grasping his kuro-kaze, locking his gaze in the demon before him.
As Ken began to walk towards Roka, the air seemed to vibrate with tension. Roka's eyes flashed with anger. "You insolent fool!" Roka roared. "You think you can kill me? The Annihilator!"
Ken's face remained calm. "I don't kill... I massacre!" he exclaimed, his voice roaring through the forest as he drew his twin blades.
The shockwave from the slash created a vacuum in the air, leveling some trees. Roka's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure.
"We'll see about that!" Roka exclaimed, vanishing and reappearing in an instant, before he began to release a barrage of punches upon Ken.
The combatants exchanged blows at breathtaking velocities, their movements a blur of steel and flesh. But Ken stood firm, his sword absorbing the impact of each blow. "Is that all you've got?" Ken exclaimed, his tone filled with mockery.
Roka's eyes widened in shock as Ken remained unfazed. "How?" he exclaimed, but before he could react, Ken struck.
"Gravitational Slash!" Ken exclaimed, as he landed a devastating slash that ripped off Roka's left arm, sending his body flying through the air.
Roka's eyes widened in shock as he stumbled backward, his mind reeling from Ken's unfazed reaction. "What just happened? Did he just take my punch unfazed?" he asked himself, his thoughts racing with confusion and fear.
With a snarl, Roka's body began to contort, his form twisting into a more ominous and terrifying appearance. "Only few people have survived my base form, but this is my true power. The supreme power of I, the Annihilator!" He said, as his left arm regenerated, pulsating with dark energy that seemed to corrupt the very air around him.
The trees seemed to lean in, as if anticipating the battle to come, their branches creaking ominously in the wind. "Now, let me show you!" Roka bellowed, his voice like thunder as he shot forward at an otherworldly speed.
The air distorted around him, creating a shockwave that rippled through the environment. "Death Barrage!" Roka exclaimed, unleashing a devastating flurry of punches that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth.
The sound of their battle was like a symphony of destruction, with punches landing with explosive force and sending shockwaves through the air.
But despite Roka's ferocity, Ken stood firm, his sword absorbing the impact of each blow. Roka's eyes widened in surprise and trepidation as he realized his attacks were having little effect. "Even the wind has more effect than your punches, are you sure you're not holding back?" Ken mocked.
"How?" Roka screamed, his voice hoarse from the exertion. But before he could react, Ken struck again.
"Dragon Fury!" He exclaimed, his swords slicing through Roka's defenses with deadly precision, as he slashed through his chest. Roka's body flew through the air, his face frozen in shock as he landed faraway.
"Who's this mortal?" Roka asked himself. He was totally overwhelmed by Ken's power, and that's when he noticed it - Ken was no longer there. "Where did he go!" Roka exclaimed, but in that instant, a gush of wind blew against him, and that's when he realized that Ken was right behind him.
"Spinning massacre!" Ken exclaimed, as he spun at an unbelievable velocity, his swords drawn in hand. In the little seconds it took for Roka to react, Ken's swords connected with his neck, ripping it off instantly, in a classic display of blood and gore.
Roka's head flew through the air, his face a mask of surprise. "Uh?" He exclaimed, his eyes widened in surprise.
However, Ken wasn't done. With a supernatural speed, Ken landed a crushing kick on Roka's head, sending it into the trees with a huge explosion, as Roka's headless body fell to the ground with a thud.
The forest fell silent, the only sound the soft rustling of leaves in the morning breeze. A massive crater marked Roka's demise, a grim testament to Ken's unyielding power. The dawn light cast an eerie glow over the landscape, illuminating the blood-soaked earth.
Ken stood over Roka's lifeless form, his chest heaving slightly with exertion. He stepped out of the crater, his movements economical and precise. "Was that even a fight?" He whispered, and suddenly, he stopped. His gaze locked onto the hills, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Voidius sensed his attention, his voice barely above a whisper. "Let's go."
Krator's face twisted in anger, his eyes blazing with fury. "That mere human killed my best warrior?" he growled, but Voidius's silence was a clear command to follow.
As they vanished into the darkness, Ken's gaze shifted, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. The passengers, who had witnessed the battle unfold, erupted into cheers and tears, their faces etched with relief and gratitude.
"We survived!" They exclaimed, jumping and screaming in joy.
Ken approached Alpha, who stood quietly, his swords at the ready. Code lay nearby, his chest rising and falling with each peaceful breath. Ken's lips curled into a slight smile as he gazed at his friend. "One day, you'll understand," he whispered, his voice filled with a deep conviction.
***
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