-Frey Starlight’s Pov-
“This is incredible.”
I muttered under my breath as we reached a place I never thought I’d see in my lifetime.
A massive bridge suspended in the sky, with a colossal train speeding across it at an astonishing pace.
Snowflakes continued to fall relentlessly, covering the mountaintops in a thick, white blanket.
The atmosphere was shifting at a visible rate, but thankfully, I had packed enough winter clothes.
The bridge stretched endlessly before us, making it clear that we’d be on it for quite some time.
“Hey, take a look at this.”
Both Ghost and I were mesmerized by the scenery outside the train window, but Danzo’s words drew our attention elsewhere.
He pointed toward the front of the cabin, where a lone man sat.
“He’s huge…”
Ghost’s observation was spot-on.
The man’s massive frame occupied two seats. He wore a long black coat and a wide-brimmed black hat, his broad back facing us.
“How did we not notice someone like that before?”
I narrowed my eyes, my instincts tingling.
A figure that conspicuous shouldn’t have escaped my notice.
“I don’t get it either… I swear he wasn’t there before. It’s like he just appeared.”
Danzo sounded just as wary as I felt.
“I’ll check him out.”
Ghost straightened slightly, his expression cold and calculating.
“You sure?”
I asked, doubtful.
He nodded. “Stealth is my forte.”
“Just make yourself a useful corpse and don’t get caught.”
Danzo’s teasing remark made Ghost’s eyes swirl with black vortexes.
He was about to make his move when—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out, freezing us in place.
The shockwave rattled the windows, causing cracks to spread across the glass.
Passengers screamed in terror.
Then, the worst happened.
I activated my Hawk Eyes, flooding them with aura to push the Skill to its limits.
Through enhanced vision, I saw beyond the walls, as if observing everything from above.
And in that instant, I caught sight of something that confirmed our worst fears.
My voice came out weak, my face draining of color.
“The bridge… it’s been blown up.”
Danzo and Ghost reacted instantly.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
I grabbed onto the nearest support beam.
“Brace yourselves! We’re about to fall!”
“Shit!”
Danzo punched the steel wall, his fist sinking into the metal as he held on tightly. Ghost vanished into the shadows.
A violent screech of twisting metal filled the air as the train trembled, trying to halt—but at over 500 km/h, stopping was impossible.
A sinking sensation gripped my stomach, my organs seemingly shifting as the train plummeted.
It was like the sensation of a plane taking off—only a hundred times worse.
Panic clawed at me as my mind scrambled for a way out.
If we crashed from this height, survival was out of the question.
No, forget survival—there might not even be bodies left.
Should I blow a hole in the train and try to latch onto something using Balerion?
No.
There was nothing to latch onto.
We were free-falling in the goddamn sky !!
The screams of passengers blurred my thoughts, worsening the chaos in my mind.
Then, my eyes landed on Selena.
“Right! She’s a mage!”
She might have an ability that could save us.
I was about to launch myself toward her—
But then something unbelievable happened.
The train… stopped falling.
Bodies slammed onto the floor as everyone tried to process what had just occurred.
I glanced out the window, heart pounding.
We were still in the sky.
Somehow, the train had halted midair—suspended as if held by an invisible hand.
Only one person remained completely still, as if none of this concerned him.
The giant sitting at the front.
All eyes .. Danzo’s, Ghost’s, the girls’—were locked on him.
The suffocating aura radiating from his body left no doubt.
It was him.
He was the one holding up the train.
Sensing our gazes, he finally rose.
And only then did we truly grasp the enormity of his size.
He turned slowly, revealing a steel mask with a single eye gleaming beneath his black hat.
Without preamble, he raised a hand toward us.
Then, a deep, metallic voice rumbled from behind the mask.
“Shall we get rid of the unwanted guests?”
At his words, a crushing force descended upon us.
I felt my body grow ten times heavier.
The train windows shattered under the immense pressure.
I dropped to one knee, struggling to endure it.
But the weaker passengers?
They were flattened against the floor, unable to move.
“This… is gravity?”
The masked giant extended a single finger toward the exit—
And the invisible force hurled all the passengers out of the train.
Only the five of us—those strong enough to resist—remained.
Satisfied, the giant spread his arms wide.
“Now then, come to me.”
We all froze at his invitation.
“Who the hell are you?”
Danzo’s voice was sharp, matching the weight of the masked man’s presence.
But the response we got was… peculiar.
The giant tilted his head, speaking as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Someone who wants to kill you ?”
His tone was casual.
And that made it even worse.
His strength was on an entirely different level.
This man—this steel-faced monster—was holding up the entire train in the fuckin sky while having a conversation with us.
How the hell were we supposed to fight someone like that?
His patience seemed to run thin.
He took a single step forward—
And the gravity doubled.
“You won’t come? Then I’ll do it myself.”
Despite his sheer bulk, his speed was inhuman.
At the same time, Seris let out a sharp cry, ice aura bursting around her.
“Everyone, fight!”
She unleashed a devastating frost wave, freezing the entire cabin and attempting to encase the giant in ice.
But the moment the frost touched him, it shattered under the sheer force of gravity.
“Pointless tricks.”
If even Seris Ice couldn’t slow him down… we were in serious trouble.
“Screw it.”
Danzo lunged, silver aura coating his fists like solid steel.
Ghost had already vanished into the shadows.
Seris and Selena prepared ranged attacks from the back.
This had officially become a battle to the death.
I drew my sword from my ring, scanning the situation.
Escaping was the most logical option.
But there was no way this monster would let me.
The other cabins weren’t any safer—the clashing auras from distant battles told me that the higher-ups were already fighting their own wars.
That left one option.
I had to face him.