Captain Touri's heart pounded like a war drum. The dim glow of the control panel flickered across his face, highlighting the sweat beading on his brow. His fingers tightened around the console as his worst nightmare took shape before him.
Crown Emperor is the name of an elite faction known as the Hanawa, a group of exceptionally powerful beings.
And their leader — CrownKing — was relentlessly pursuing the Crown.
A suffocating silence settled over the control room. The soldiers around him held their breath, their eyes darting between the monitors that displayed the incoming figures. Even the hum of the war train's engine seemed muted, drowned by the weight of impending doom.
Touri exhaled sharply. His mind raced through strategies, possible contingencies—anything that could turn the tide. But against them?
There's no running. No surrender.
They had one duty. One mission.
To protect the Crown at all costs.
"Captain, what are your orders?!"
a lieutenant barked, his voice laced with barely contained panic.
Touri's jaw clenched.
There was only one response.
"We fight."
The words cut through the tension like a blade.
"We are soldiers!"
His voice roared through the cabin, igniting the fire in his men's hearts.
"We stand. We hold the line. If we die, we die as warriors! Now, to your positions!"
"YES, SIR!"
The control room burst into motion. Squad Force A rushed to the windows, mounting their rifles and locking onto their targets in the night sky.
Touri's mind flashed back to the professor's warning before their departure.
"Captain, see that red button?"
"Yes."
"Press it when absolutely necessary. And if the enemy tries to stop the train, don't worry… The more resistance it faces… the faster it will go."
His hand shot forward.
He slammed the button.
"CATASTROPHE TRAIN, ACTIVATE!"
The entire train shuddered.
Gears churned. Metal screamed. The floor beneath them trembled as the true nature of the train was unveiled.
Thick layers of armor unfolded, covering the frame like an indestructible exoskeleton. Every Three baggage cars shed their walls, revealing tank turrets gleaming under the moonlight.
The locomotive's front end elongated, twin cannons emerging, their barrels glowing with raw plasma energy.
At the rear, a nuclear warhead armed itself, pulsing with deadly anticipation.
From above, the soldiers in the escorting helicopter could only gasp.
The train was no longer a train.
It was a fortress of death.
Touri's voice boomed through the comms.
"Squad Force B! Take control of the turrets! Turn this battlefield into hell!"
Squad Force B armed the heavy artillery—massive rotary cannons, missile launchers, and energy turrets. The train wasn't just a transport vehicle.
It was war incarnate.
And tonight, it would become a slaughterhouse.
The air vibrated with the promise of annihilation. Soldiers readied their weapons, their fingers tensing on the triggers. Eyes hardened.
The moment of truth had arrived.
The Encounter
A shadow loomed above the train.
From the skies, a figure descended effortlessly, as if gravity held no authority over him. His presence alone sent a chill through the battlefield.
Crown Emperor Rank 3.
His arms were crossed, his eyes gleaming with amusement. He hovered in place, utterly unshaken by the monstrous war machine beneath him.
Touri's muscles tensed.
"OPEN FIRE!"
The battlefield erupted.
A thunderstorm of lead and fire rained upon him.
Gunfire. Rockets. Artillery shells. Missiles screeched through the sky, carving a path of devastation.
Flames. Smoke. Shrapnel.
And yet—
Rank 3 dodged everything.
A blur in the night, twisting and flipping through the air with inhuman grace.
Every bullet, every explosion missed him by mere inches.
"WHAT THE HELL?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
The disbelief turned to dread.
They noticed that Crown Emperor Rank 1 and 2 stood motionless, so they redirected their fire towards the two figures.
Then—
BOOM.
The nuclear warhead launched.
A blinding detonation swallowed the battlefield whole. Fire consumed the night.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
Cheering.
"WE GOT THEM!"
The celebration lasted only a second.
Then—
A voice.
Cold. Emotionless. Unstoppable.
"Is this really the best thing you can do?"
The smoke cleared.
The Crown Emperors stood unharmed.
The battlefield froze.
A heavy, suffocating aura of death settled over them.
From above, the helicopter pilot screamed—
"HE'S ON TOP OF THE TRAIN!"
Rank 3 had landed.
The gunner instinctively pulled the trigger—
BOOM.
The helicopter exploded, torn apart like paper. Burning debris rained down upon the battlefield.
Touri's stomach twisted. They're dead. All of them. In an instant.
But there was no time to grieve.
He pushed the train to maximum speed. The tunnel was near. If they could just—
A blur.
Crown Emperor Rank 2 moved.
He landed in front of the train.
He caught it.
The war machine trembled against his grip. Metal screamed. The wheels screeched, sparks flying.
Touri's breath caught.
The bar indicator on Rank 2's forearm glowed.
15,300 Strength.
It kept rising and he grew bigger.
Rank 2 smirked. The ground shattered beneath him.
A pulse of raw power erupted from his body. Trees flattened. The air howled.
Yet—
The train did not stop.
Instead—
Rank 2 was hurled backward.
Then—
A shadow loomed over him.
Crown Emperor Rank 1.
Slowly, he raised a single finger.
The train stopped instantly within his finger.
Inside—chaos. Soldiers slammed into walls, weapons ripped from their hands. Touri's head crashed against the console, blood trailing down his face.
Silence.
Rank 2 staggered to his feet.
His indicator bar read:
61,900 Strength.
He grinned.
Then—
He sprinted forward.
He raised his fist.
The air trembled.
The force could shatter mountains.
BOOM.
The train was obliterated.
Steel twisted. Flames devoured the wreckage. The Crown lay within the ruins.
They took it.
And vanished.
Aftermath
By the time the soldiers from Area 959 arrived, it was too late.
The once-mighty war machine was nothing but wreckage.
Then—
A weak cough.
A single survivor.
Captain Touri.
Commander Henn rushed to his side, his expression a mix of relief and worry.
"You're safe now," he said, his voice firm yet gentle. "I'm glad you made it—but tell me, what happened?"
Touri's fingers clenched weakly.
"Commander… they're not just thieves…"
His voice trembled.
"They're the Hanawa."
Henn's eyes darkened.
Touri's breathing grew labored.
"I saw him."
Commander Henn froze. "Saw who?"
Touri swallowed.
"…CrownKing."
Suddenly—
A hand burst through his stomach.
A single eye opened in its palm.
And it spoke.
End of Chapter 2