Chapter 231: Boarding the Bullet

The Behemoth was a streak racing along a silver track.

Holden could see it through the cargo hold window, a quarter-mile-long fortress of armored steel moving at three hundred miles per hour through the industrial corridor. Its enchanted propulsion system left a trail of blue-white energy behind it.

The jet flew directly above it, matching the train’s speed with precision. From the ground, the jet was little more than a shimmer against the night sky, its stealth systems hiding it from anyone who happened to look up. Inside the cargo hold, however, there was no hiding from the wind waiting outside.

The cargo door opened.

The wind hit them like a wall.

Air screamed through the open doorway with enough force to shake the entire cargo hold, filling the space with a deep roar that seemed to vibrate through their bones. Talking was nearly impossible, and even breathing became harder as the cold air slammed against them.

Holden stood at the edge of the open door. Below him, the Behemoth’s roof raced through the darkness at three hundred miles per hour. The surface was flat and heavily armored, crossed by thick support beams and ventilation housings that flashed past beneath them.

He looked back at the team.

Emric was white as paper. His shield was strapped to his arm, and the glasses on his face had been secured with a strap after Renna insisted he stop losing them during missions. His mouth was moving, but the wind swallowed every word. Holden didn’t need to hear him to know what he was doing. Emric was calculating their chances of survival again.

Renna was almost vibrating with excitement. Her bow was already in her hands, her quiver full, and her eyes were wide with the kind of excitement that made Holden wonder if she had ever experienced normal fear. She had been told they were about to jump onto a train moving at three hundred miles per hour, and somehow that had only made her happier.

Lyra stood beside the door with her frost-tether in both hands. The thin line of enchanted ice shimmered under the hold’s lights as she tested it one last time. The tether would keep her connected to the jet and give her a controlled swing onto the train. In theory, at least.

Cora and Sera waited near the rear of the hold with their grappling hooks ready. The magnetic locks had been armed, and both women looked completely calm. Their faces showed none of the excitement or fear that Renna and Emric were struggling to hide. They looked like two weapons waiting to be aimed.

"Holden." Maeve’s voice came clearly through his earpiece despite the wind. "We’re approaching the intercept zone. You have a forty-second window where the jet will be directly over the train. After that, we have to pull away."

"Copy."

"If you miss, there won’t be a second pass. We won’t have enough fuel or time to circle back."

"Then we don’t miss."

"Thirty seconds."

Holden activated the Abyssal-Bone Wings. The bone struts unfolded from his back with a sharp crack, followed by the spread of the dark membrane between them. The wings caught the rushing air immediately, giving him enough stability to stand at the edge of the door without being thrown backward.

He reached for Emric first, grabbing the back of his armor with his left hand. The Kinetic-Nova Bracer pressed against the metal as he lifted him easily. At his current level, Emric’s weight was almost nothing.

Renna came next. Holden grabbed the back of her jacket with his right hand, and she immediately let out a muffled cheer that disappeared into the wind.

"Twenty seconds!"

Lyra locked her frost-tether onto the ceiling rail and gave it one final pull. It held. She stepped toward the door, her hair whipping wildly behind her.

Cora and Sera moved into position at the rear. Their grappling hooks were armed, the magnetic locks ready to catch the train’s roof.

"Ten seconds!"

Holden looked down.

The Behemoth was directly beneath them now. Its armored roof stretched forward and backward into the darkness, the structural ribs forming a pattern across the surface.

His processor calculated the drop, taking the jet’s movement, the train’s speed, the air resistance, and the wind into account. Because the jet and train were traveling together, there was almost no forward movement between them. The real danger was the air rushing around the train at that speed.

His wings would correct his position during the fall. The Twins had their grappling hooks. Lyra had her frost-tether.

The margin for error was only a few feet.

"GO!"

Holden jumped.

The world became wind.

The force hit him immediately, trying to drag him away from the train. His wings beat once, then again, each movement making small corrections to his descent. His processor tracked every change and adjusted his position before the wind could push him too far.

Emric was screaming. Holden couldn’t hear the words, but he could feel the vibration through the armor. Renna, on the other hand, was laughing, her body shaking against his grip. Fear had apparently been replaced by excitement somewhere between the jet and the train.

The roof rushed toward them.

Fast.

Too fast for normal eyes to follow, but not too fast for Holden. The steel surface grew larger by the second, the support beams becoming clearer as he adjusted his wings.

A few feet.

He shifted his body.

The wings angled downward.

Emric’s weight moved slightly to one side, while Renna’s shifted in the opposite direction.

Holden corrected.

His boots struck the roof.

CLANG!

A shallow crater formed beneath his feet as the force of the landing spread through his Aether-Steel body and into the roof plating.

Emric hit the roof beside him and immediately brought his shield down to steady himself.

Renna landed on her feet.

She slid for a few feet before digging her boots into the steel. Her bow was already in her hands, and before the train had even cleared the landing point, an arrow was between her fingers.

"BEST FIELD TRIP EVER!"

Lyra swung down on her frost-tether. The enchanted line cut through the air before lowering her onto the roof in a controlled arc. Her boots touched the steel, and frost spread beneath them, giving her a firm grip against the moving surface.

She released the tether and drew her spear in one smooth motion.

The Twins came next.

Their grappling hooks flew through the air and locked onto the roof. The lines went tight, pulling them down toward the train. Both women released the hooks the moment their boots touched the steel and drew their short swords.

Six people.

All standing.

Then the turrets appeared.

Six panels opened across the roof at once, revealing automated defense turrets rising from beneath the armored plating. Each weapon was a Rank 2 enchanted system, its barrel turning toward the six intruders while red targeting lights swept across them.

The weapons began charging.

Renna fired.

She didn’t waste time trying to destroy the entire turrets. Her first six arrows struck the targeting arrays, one arrow for each weapon. The next six followed almost immediately, striking the exposed barrels.

Twelve arrows. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Six turrets.

The first arrows shattered the targeting systems. The second arrows punched into the damaged barrels, allowing storm energy to surge through the broken enchantments.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Six explosions tore across the roof.

Smoke rose from the destroyed turrets, only to be ripped away by the wind a moment later.

[Automated Defense Turret (Rank 2) Destroyed! x6!]

[+1,500 KP! 2x Booster! +3,000 KP!]

Holden looked at Renna. She was already reaching for another arrow, eyes scanning the roof for the next threat.

"Good shooting."

Renna grinned.

"Thanks! I was aiming for something a little more dramatic, but that’ll do."

Holden turned toward the others.

"Emric, Renna, Twins. Rear cars. Clear them and secure the area. Don’t let Drask’s people get behind us."

"Understood," Emric said. The color was slowly returning to his face as he raised his shield.

"Got it!" Renna shouted.

"Yes, Master Voss," Cora and Sera answered together.

The four moved toward the rear of the train, keeping low as they ran across the armored roof. Their figures quickly disappeared into the darkness between the cars.

Holden looked at Lyra.

"Forward."

They ran.

The roof of the Behemoth stretched ahead like a steel highway. The surface was wide enough for two people to run side by side, but the wind made every step dangerous. Holden moved easily against it, while Lyra used thin layers of frost beneath her boots to keep herself anchored to the roof.

The train tore through an industrial section of the corridor. Highway signs stood along both sides of the tracks, and each one flashed past them at terrifying speed.

Holden saw the first one coming.

"Get down!"

He and Lyra dropped into a crouch just as the sign swept over them.

SWISH!

The metal sign passed only inches above their heads. The displaced air pushed Holden sideways, but his weight and strength kept him planted.

"Another one in four seconds!"

They stayed low.

The second sign passed.

Then the third.

Then the fourth.

SWISH. SWISH. SWISH.

The engine car was getting closer.

Eight cars remained between them and the front section. The armor became thicker with every car they passed, the flat roof gradually giving way to heavier plating and larger defensive structures.

Then the hatches opened.

Eight figures climbed onto the roof.

They were not ordinary soldiers.

They were cyborgs, half flesh and half machine, their bodies covered in dark armor that had been bolted directly into their limbs. Their hands had been replaced with weapons. Blades, hammers, and heavy flails extended from their arms.

Each one was a Rank 2, 5-Star combat unit.

Built to kill anyone who tried to board the Behemoth.

They spread across the roof, blocking the path forward.

Red lenses glowed from their armored faces as their weapons rose.

"Contact!" Lyra shouted. "Eight cyborgs! Rank 2, 5-Star!"

She didn’t wait.

The frost-spear struck the roof.

Ice exploded outward from the point of impact, spreading across the steel between them and the cyborgs. Within seconds, the entire section had become a sheet of slick frost.

The cyborgs stepped forward.

Their metal feet were built for traction on steel.

Not ice.

The first two lost their balance immediately. Their systems struggled to adjust as their feet slid out from under them.

CLATTER!

Both went down, sliding across the roof while their weapons fired wildly into the sky.

Holden activated Void-Step.

SHHP.

He appeared behind the third cyborg.

The machine’s red eyes remained fixed on the spot where Holden had been standing only moments earlier.

Holden placed one palm against its back.

He didn’t punch.

He pushed.

The force of a Rank 3, 8-Star cultivator exploded through the construct’s body.

BOOM!

The cyborg flew off the train.

Its limbs flailed as it disappeared into the darkness.

"Careful, guys," Holden called. "It’s a long way down."

SHHP.

He appeared behind the fourth.

Another palm.

BOOM!

Gone.

The fifth barely had time to turn before Holden vanished again.

SHHP.

Palm.

BOOM!

Gone.

The sixth.

SHHP.

BOOM!

Gone.

The seventh.

SHHP.

BOOM!

Gone.

The final cyborg finally understood what was happening.

Its brain processed the data. Six units had been eliminated in less than two seconds. The enemy was appearing behind them without warning and throwing each unit from the train.

It turned and ran for the nearest hatch.

Holden appeared in front of it.

SHHP.

The cyborg stopped.

Its red targeting lenses flickered as its system tried to find a way around him.

There wasn’t one.

Holden’s palm struck its chest.

BOOM!

The final cyborg flew backward over the edge and disappeared into the night.

The roof was clear.

[Mechanical Cyborg Guard (Rank 2, 5-Star) Defeated! x8!]

[+1,000 KP! 2x Booster! +2,000 KP!]

[Multiplier: 10,000x]

[KP Booster: 2x Active]

[Fighter Rank: Rank 3 (8-Star)]

Eight cyborgs had been removed from the fight without a single one getting close enough to land a hit. Behind them, the train continued racing forward as if nothing had happened.

Holden looked ahead.

The engine car was only fifteen feet away. A heavy steel hatch sat in the center of the roof, locked from the inside.

Lyra ran up beside him, her spear still in hand. Her silver hair was tangled from the wind, some strands stuck against her face, but her blue eyes remained sharp.

"Rear cars?" she asked.

Holden’s earpiece crackled.

"Rear cars secured," Emric reported, his voice distorted by the wind. "Twelve mercenary guards neutralized. The Twins are holding the corridor."

A burst of static followed.

"Renna is shooting everything that moves."

"I’M SECURING THE PERIMETER!" Renna shouted through the comm. "WITH ARROWS! LOTS OF ARROWS!"

Emric sighed.

"That is, in fact, what she’s doing. The perimeter is secure. Or at least, everything inside it has arrows in it."

Holden glanced at Lyra.

"Sounds like they’re doing fine."

Lyra smiled faintly.

"Renna always does."

Holden turned toward the engine car.

"Rear is clear. We’re at the engine."

Lyra tightened her grip on the frost-spear.

"Then let’s go inside."

Holden drew the Eclipse-Sun Sword.

The black and crimson blade appeared in his hand, its dual-element energy pulsing through the weapon. The dark surface seemed to swallow the starlight around it while faint crimson light moved along the edge.

He stepped toward the hatch.

Then drove the blade straight into the lock.

CLANG!