There was a name for the giant trains and their weight classifications. The normal everyday trains were called were called ‘Commute’, with the larger, luxurious variants called Cruisers.
The slightly larger and highly armored variants used to imprison people were called Leviathans. But there was another lesser-known category of trains.
The Behemoth.
What the Amalgam and nearly all Beholders of the Nexus boarded was one of the largest trains created by Caldera Industries. It was a moving fortress the size of multiple Cruisers combined. The length alone was roughly six hundred meters in length and was easily twice the width of a normal Cruiser.
Yet this was one of Caldera Industries’ smallest variants just barely able to fit within the Nex Megalopolis. It was encased in an alloy using one of their special building blends, used to chemically reinforce the structure. Therefore, unlike the Leviathans, Behemoths did not use rebar or other reinforcement aside from the building blends.
It was a masterclass of engineering, with the insides as pristine as a regular Cruiser, boasting more than five floors rather than three. However, this was not a ship tailored for respite. Within were battlements that controlled cannons and all manners of weaponry.
Controlling it was a sophisticated team of Train Conductors, each carrying the Train Core on their chest. It was strapped onto them. Holding it in the palm of their hands would spaghettify their fingers. It was not a structure that could be controlled by one Core due to the number of moving parts.
The pistons that would work on steam were powered by gravitational attraction and powerful orbits. An orange and blue color theme brushed everything within, from the seats to the walls, to the kitchens and even the bathrooms. Floating chandeliers lit every spacious room. An auxiliary armor peeled open, revealing rays of light from beyond tiny portholes.
A crew of two hundred was required to adequately man just one of these. Few were what Caldera Industries considered valuable personnel, with the rest being mere fillers to keep the machine running.
A discrete line designed specifically for the Leviathans and the Behemoths was used. Buildings were kept out of reach from its immense span as it chugged down the rail at lightning speed.
The nearby crowds were dwarfed by the size of the object, and yet not a single person batted an eye when it blitzed through. This was because it was encased in an Isolation Sphere.
“It only works on the move if it’s anchored to something big enough. I think the Isolation Sphere synergizes with Aspects of the Gravity Engine.” Jury suddenly spoke.
Frost and all Beholders stood around on the roof of the Behemoth, watching the sun above remain in the same place as it had an hour ago. The Isolation Sphere did not project the world outside accurately. At times it felt like they were stuck inside of a frozen bubble.
Likewise, what was within an Isolation Sphere was invisible to the rest of the world unless someone passed through its boundary. This made travelling with the Isolation Sphere extremely difficult, because at times they’d be engulfed by a tunnel of darkness, which would then be all that existed behind them.
No. It was more mind-bending than that.
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“Terrell-Penrose Rotation.” Nav explained but one of the phenomena.
Objects in front of them were shorter than usual, giving them a curved appearance as they passed by. Frost interpreted the buildings as contracting in length, but also seemingly rotating into itself.
Soon, their field of view beyond the Isolation Sphere ahead contracted as if everything in the world was coming together.
“You are not moving at any percentage of the speed of light. Yet a similar phenomenon associated with immense speed if on full display as Jury describes.”
Could it also be because of the gravity the Behemoth has?
“Very possible. But this phenomenon is more based on speed. You are seeing aberrations of light. Or in simple terms, displacement of light. I’m more impressed that you are able to observe this without losing your mind.”
Believe me, it feels like we’re travelling to another galaxy.
The scenery ahead then shifted towards a bluish tint.
“Infusion S never showed me such a scene. This is extraordinary.” Beholder E. was amused by it all.
“That’s the result of the doppler effect. Everything’s blueshifting because we’re receiving so much light at once.” Jury explained casually, using her finger to draw a wave in the air with increasingly shorter intervals.
Frost had forgotten that Jury was secretly an outspoken physics genius having read books that even she would have difficulty understanding. Not to mention that her understanding of time was also a skill she could put into practice.
“Oooh~! I don’t get it.” Enoch approached, clapping her hands together with childish enthusiasm.
“Don’t try to wrack your head, Enoch. It’s knowledge from a time beyond mine.” Galia hummed, appearing from behind Jury’s shoulder. “But I too would like an explanation. It seems that Earth has undergone drastic scientific revelations since my untimely departure.”
“Assuming that it comes from Earth? The old world carries more knowledge than the ‘big blue’.” Satania said, appearing over Jury’s other shoulder. “You should forget about your home planet already.”
“I’ve dealt with worse.” Enoch shrugged, looking for a way to join in but gave up with a disappointed sigh. Her eyes then moved around the deck of the Behemoth, her eyes sparking with glee as she closed her fists and wore a face of ecstasy.
“Isn’t it fantastic?” She began. “The Beholders are moving as one now. It feels like we’re on our way to declare war on the Impuritas.”
“That’s a certainty.” Knalzark spoke over her, barely acknowledging Enoch as he kept his gaze onto light ahead. His mere presence caused the incredibly resilient metal beneath him to groan. “This will not bode well for them. The Amalgam vowed for a counterattack as soon as we amend the situation.”
“Odd to hear you excited to save lives.” Beholder E. jabbed.
“It’s my gateway into entering their territory. I will not give it up.” Knalzark assured.
“So meaningless. Not many of us will be of use. They’ll disappear by the time we arrive.” Beholder Umbra said with a dreary tone.
“It’ll be our statement. I’m aware that not all of you are on board to lend a hand, and you’d rather be elsewhere.” Frost’s voice resonated across the deck. Her tone was low, but all could hear her. “However, this is the perfect opportunity to show them that we are united. An attack on one is an attack on all. I hope you all understand the value of our unity.”
“But we are on board.” Beholder Marionette jokingly hummed, approaching Frost from behind like a specter. “The cuts we agreed on has unfortunately allowed the Impuritas to gain the upper hand over us. However, one thing confuses me.”
“What is it?”
“The Fate Mechanism does not predict. It only attempts to drive fate into the intended direction. Therefore, I find it strange that the Sect of Gears were able to find the one perfect time to strike with how infinitesimally small their influence is compared to ours.”
“Let’s not underestimate them.” Frost urged. “They’ve done enough damage to us all. The sooner we treat them as world-ending threats, the more prepared we’ll be for them. Beholder Knalzark.”
“Yes, Amalgam.”
“How confident are you with directions?”
“Flawless.” He crushed the air with a surge of gravity.
“Good. I have something that you might like. How does paying a visit to the Derma Layer sound?”
A black hole formed in the palm of his hands, and he extinguished them with a mighty clench. And with a rugged voice yearning for blood, he prepared himself to finally let loose in the domain of the Impuritas.
“Exemplary.”