Tower of God: Sequence Strength

Chapter 102: Hell Train



"Have you heard? There's word that a super strong regular is going to get on the hell train this year?"

"Who told you that?"

"Emily! She said it's going to be a strong regular and their team!"

"I heard about that too! She also mentioned something about the Silent Leviathan! Apparently, there's a possibility he might appear as well!"

"You still on with that nonsense? I'm telling you man, the AI will take over the tower one day."

"Pfft~ As if. Lord Jahad will never let anyone else take command. His Empire has stood for time immemorial."

A group of regulars sat around a train cabin. The entirety of the cabin was empty, holding only the 4 of them.

The outside blizted past them in a constant blur of motion, turning into a static mosaic.

One of the regulars, holding a cup of tea in his hand, snickered.

"Jahad's rule is as thin as paper when talking about irregulars. Don't you remember Phantaminum? I didn't see Jahad when he stormed his castle."

"Shhh!" One of then immediately shushed their brave, or perhaps idiotic friend. "Don't stay stuff like that aloud. You never know when a concealed light house is around. What you're saying can be considered a form of treason you know?"

The man only shrugged.

"Heh. What of it? It ain't like the army can interfere with regulars anyway." He chuckled. "Enough about that." One of them exploded, making the others quiet down.

His sharp eyes, the kind that seemed to stare into your soul, wandered around their figures.

"You people seem awfully prepared."

The others snickered.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Relax. We have everything you said you wanted. It'll be alright."

"We know how to carry our weight." The one who held the tea cup took another sip, his lips shivering with a barely concealed smirk.

"Is tha-"

Silence graced the entire cabin.

Layers of stillness draped over the area, creating a tense sensation that kept everyone from speaking aloud. The shinsu in the air seemed strange; with a particular density almost.

They felt the weight of the 'air', their movements turning frighteningly sluggish. One of them glanced at the windowsill. From the metallic surface, a single red droplet slowly oozed out and floated up the glass.

The seats began to bleed red, the shinsu jutting out of them as if trying to escape the clutches of it's captors.

Their blood was frozen solid, held in place by a transcendent feelings of fear. No, more than that. Dread.

The door at the end of the cabin opened up with a mechanical sound.

Тар. Тар.

And with the hallowed sound of lone footsteps, a man came into view.

His hair was as crimson as blood and his striking red eyes that scanned the surroundings with the sleekness of a predator did little to alleviate the deep foreboding in their hearts.

The man calmly, without haste walked up to their seats and smiled at them.

"Gentlemen, may I have your tickets?" His words were calm, almost serene in how he said them.

The silence persisted. And the man sighed.

"Well, that's another cabin cleared I guess." He shook his head.

The four regulars tightened their jaws and clenched their fists hard. Their eyes rapidly turned blood shot and through the nose of two of them, blood spurted in waves.

Splat! Splat! Splat! Splat!

The shinsu which was slowly turning red was then saturated with very real blood.

The heads of everyone present popped like watermelons, the shinsu pressure having proved too much for them.

The man looked into the window; a far cry from it's previous unshaded and transparent appearance. It had taken on a deep tone of black, from which the man's face could be seen clearly.

He brushed a hand through his hair and sighed again.

"Still can't get used to the colour change." He shook his head and walked towards the next cabin.

And as he stepped through the gate, an announcement stopped him in his tracks.

"Attention all regulars! The train is arriving at Train City! Prepare to leave!"

The man smiled.

"Isn't that great." His toothy grin was once again reflected in the rapidly darkening glass.

And as he once again took a glance at his reflection, he felt the sudden urge to pinch his right

eye.

Strangely, the urge disappeared as soon as it came.

Weird...

Ran's team, comprised of himself, Dan, Novick, Beta and XiaXia stepped into the entrance floor.

His eyes scanned the surroundings. A strange pressure culminated in the area and a lone figure that stood beyond the large ravine seemed to be the cause. The man had his back turned to them. His long hair draped over his shoulders and extended to his back. He held his hands still and down while various dark spears floated in the air around him.

"What is that?" Ran asked, seemingly to nobody.

His remark sparked a number of comments from his team, who also wondered about this

man's origin.

"Is he strong?" Novick asked, scratching the back of his head.

Ran felt a frown grow on his forehead. He walked forward and just as he did, something dashed through the air, cutting through the shinsu!

Whooosh!

Boom!

Ran jumped into the air, as did his teammates. Landing squarely on the ground, he eyed the

strange figure with vigilance.

"The entrance is closed. Come back tomorrow." A deep voice bellowed.

The silence persisted for a few moments.

"So... now what?" XiaXia asked, sweat already growing at her temples.

"What else?" Ran answered, popping his neck and creating a shinsu lightning pill.

"We break through with force." He said, placing the pill into his mouth.

Zzzzztttt!!

Lightning exploded. The shinsu rippled with electricity as plasma formed into arcs upon arcs, rippling through the transparent droplets of the shinsu and causing an effervescence to brew!

Novick and Dan jumped back while Beta grabbed XiaXia and also retreated.

"Taking a lightning pill right off the bat?!" Dan exclaimed in surprise.

But there was little time to speak about anything.

Ran jumped again into the air, arcs of lightning jumping around at his feet. He held out his

hands and rapidly, a gigantic spear of plasma gathered!

"Mashenny Style - Shinsu control skill." A faint whisper.

"Lightning storm: Spear of Light!"

Lighting burst forth at half the speed of light, reaching the figure in mere nanoseconds!

And so, the lightning spear, as large as a bus, exploded at a singular point!

Booooommm!!!

Zzzzzzzttt!

Shaaaa!

Dust clouds covered the other side of the gap, concealing the figure in a veil of smoke.

Ran landed back on the ground.

"Is he dead?" XiaXia asked with a smile, feeling confident as Ran's display of power.

However, as the smoke cleared, her expression fell.

The figure emerged unharmed and still in place. He had not moved an inch.

Ran's eyes widened, "No damage?" He muttered in disbelief.

But without any time to think, the five spears of the figure extended towards him, and fired.

Ran jumped back, trying to warn his teammates.

"Get back! Take co-"

Boooooooommm!!!!!!

The entire area was uprooted. The metal turned into molten lava right off the platform and

the door behind them was charred beyond recognition.

Yet, somehow, Ran's team emerged unharmed.

How?

In front of them, like an unshakable wall, stood a figure draped in a black robe.

The figure had blood red hair and had his back turned to him.

"Now now. You shouldn't be doing this." The man looked over his shoulder, staring at them

with his red eyes. He smiled.

"That's the Guardian of the Train. Or to be more specific, he's an extension of the guardian. In

simpler terms, he's not real." He explained. "No attacks you make on him will work. He will simply shrug them off. There's nothing you can do except wait for tomorrow. He will be gone by then."

The man turned around and walked upto Ran.

Then, he extended his hand with an easygoing smile.

"Myself Theolis." He said. His smile seemed to widen. "And I'm currently working with

FUG."

A/N: I'm going on a Holdiay Trip people. So sadly, there won't be a chapter until 30th. Maybe

I'll try to make a mass release on new year to make up for that.

Anyway, throw some stones!

And happy holidays!!!

Cheers~~