"Ah, no, they've already arrived too."
"We met up with Marta first, then they stayed behind to guard the Steel Fortress and those key targets while we came to find you," a male CP9 member quickly explained.
"Good, that's fine." Laskey nodded casually, continuing to watch the fierce battle in the distance. It was clear that Steve Gus was completely overwhelming his opponent.
Though both were Kabaneri transformed by the Nue, there was an insurmountable gap in their fundamental strength.
Steve Gus was a native from the world of One Piece, inherently possessing far greater physical prowess than people from this world. Add to that his mastery of the Six Styles and awakened Observation Haki, and this fight had been a foregone conclusion from the start.
He was only holding back his strength to prolong the fight with Horobi so Team Leader Ron could observe more details.
Even so, the scale of their battle was staggering—especially the spherical energy blasts occasionally fired from Horobi's mouth, which were practically demolishing Iwahato Station. Even the nearby administrative building had been reduced to rubble.
"Oh, right! We found over a hundred Kabane locked in cages inside the Steel Fortress's locomotive, along with a glowing blue heart nourished by their blood!"
"What, really?"
Team Leader Ron's face lit up with excitement as he turned to the CP9 member. Laskey smiled and added, "Not just that. Dr. Shoei, the specialist in Kabane Virus research, is also with Marta. You two should have plenty to talk about."
"Fantastic! Let's go, let's go—I need to meet Dr. Shoei right away!" Team Leader Ron urged impatiently.
"What about Steve Gus over there? Aren't you going to keep watching?"
"Tell him to capture her. Once we take her back to Mulu Base, Vice Admiral Tsuru might be able to restore her consciousness when she arrives. Tell him to hold back—don't damage her too much!"
As he spoke, Team Leader Ron hastily motioned for the nearby CP9 members to lead the way.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a gray-green-haired youth wielding a peculiar yellow canister launcher blocked Team Leader Ron's path. The two CP8 members assigned to his security instinctively stepped forward, shielding Ron.
"I don't care who you people are—give Mumei back to me!"
This was Ikoma, this world's "male protagonist"—a half-human, half-Kabane Kabaneri, and an exceptionally skilled developer of steam-powered equipment.
"Well, well, another key target," Laskey remarked quietly as he approached. "Team Leader Ron, this kid is also a Kabaneri, though they call them Kabaneri here."
"Then detain him first. We can explain things back at the base. I'm not particularly interested in him right now." Team Leader Ron waved dismissively.
Neither he nor Laskey knew that this young man was the world's only wild, male Kabaneri—someone who had transformed himself into a Kabaneri.
The second reason was that men generally couldn't endure pain as well as women. After numerous experiments, Dr. Shoei and his team had discovered that the success rate of turning women into Kabaneri was far higher than for men.
"Kid, do you want this little girl? Fine, but are you going to come with us quietly, or do you want to be knocked out and carried like her?" The CP8 member holding Mumei walked over with a grin.
"I suggest you behave and come willingly. Saves us the trouble, don't you think?"
Ikoma clenched the grip of his Piercing Gun tightly, finger resting on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment. But upon hearing the man's words, he hesitated.
He could be impulsive at times—when standing his ground—but was usually quite rational.
The current situation made it clear: with his own strength, rescuing Mumei from so many opponents was nearly impossible. It would only get him killed for nothing.
Fortunately, they had asked whether he wanted to be knocked out, meaning they had no intention of killing him—for now. In that case, the best choice was to stay conscious and follow them. Only then could he keep an eye on Mumei's condition.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
Reluctantly, Ikoma lowered the Piercing Gun he had developed himself—a weapon with far greater penetration and impact than standard Steam Rifles.
Its power could easily pierce through ten centimeters of steel plating!
In the distance, the 'Dual Nue Battle' between Steve Gus and Horobi raged on. The former seemed to be enjoying himself, showing no intention of ending the fight quickly.
The remaining CP9 members, including Laskey, watched the newcomer's playful antics with exasperation.
"Captain, should we remind him?"
"Let's observe a bit longer. I'm curious about their abilities too."
Meanwhile, back at the station, Marta and four newly arrived CP9 members had escorted Dr. Shoei, Yomogawa Ayame, Yukina, and Kurusu to the front carriage of the Steel Fortress, guarding the peculiar heart emitting a bright blue glow.
Truth be told, the object was quite beautiful.
But the thought that it had been nourished by the blood of hundreds of Kabane sent chills down Yomogawa Ayame's spine. They could hardly believe Amatori Biba intended to bring these things to the Diamond Citadel!
"Team Leader Ron and the others are on their way."
"What about Captain Laskey?" Marta asked urgently.
"The captain stayed behind to monitor the fight between Steve Gus and that 'Nue' called Horobi," the newly arrived female CP9 member replied, casting a glance at Dr. Shoei.
"Seems like everything's under control, then. That's good." Marta sighed in relief. But Dr. Shoei stared at them in shock. "Fighting Horobi? That's impossible! I know exactly how terrifying a 'Nue's' combat power is—they can demolish a section of city walls with a single strike!"
The female CP9 member sneered. "The 'Nue' you speak of? Our biochemical research division has already replicated them—and ours retain their conscious will. Right now, it's our 'Nue' battling the one you created. And from the reports, yours is no match for ours."
Dr. Shoei erupted in fury. "Impossible!"
"There's no researcher in the entire Land of the Rising Sun who understands Kabane better than I do. I've studied them for over a decade! A 'Nue' that retains self-awareness simply can't exist—or rather, no one but me could possibly create such a thing!"
"Hmph, Team Leader Ron will be here soon. You can ask him yourself then," the female CP9 member scoffed, curling her lips in disdain as she thought to herself, These locals are so backward, utterly lacking in knowledge.
Just as the argument between the two sides began to ease and Dr. Shoei was about to press further, a distant woo-woo whistle echoed through the air.
The sound made Marta instantly raise her head—it was all too familiar to her.
"What's that? Another train?"
Everyone looked up to see a second black Armored Train slowly approaching along the tracks. Since the city gates were already wide open, it didn't need to wait for entry.
"Eh? How can there be a second 'black train'?" Yomogawa Ayame asked in shock. After all, all Armored Trains in the country were white—only the Hunter Group's 'Steel Fortress' was specially painted black.
"Judging by its shape, it looks like the 'Yashiro Castle'—a type of Iron Fortress mainly used to transport Tekkai. Only the color's changed," Train Conductor Yukina, the most knowledgeable about Iron Fortresses among those present, said hesitantly.
"It's our Army arriving!"