Chapter 29: The great bridge.

The silhouette of a steam engine crossing an ancient bridge formed a picturesque sight as it crossed the crimson pink aura of the setting sun.

In the guard cab Shipo grew bored of watching water go by under the bridge and wondered when Okimodo would be back. He had been gone for almost twenty minutes now and the train was currently crossing the eastern channel at two hundred kilometres an hour.

Perhaps Okimodo had gotten lost, or perhaps he got bored and decided to go back home. Shipo ran his fingers through his neck length ash blonde hair as he sat down on the couch. He then suddenly heard a thud on the train roof outside.

Okimodo struggled to land properly due to the speed at which the train was moving. On his back he carried Hiro whose hair had become completely unsightly due to the intense wind. He quickly opened the door to the guard cab and rushed in before slamming it shut, throwing Hiro off his back as he spun around. Her posterior collided with the hard floor causing an agonised screech to rattle the entire carriage.

“Aren’t you that Hiro woman?” Shipo immediately smelled something fishy. “Okimodo have you finally gone fully insane? Why the hell would you bring this woman anywhere near the train?” Shipo’s tone was incredulous. “If we fail because the prime minister dies, you owe me one hundred contribution points and fifty thousand bucks.”

“Calm down I’ve worked out a plan with her.” Okimodo rolled his eyes before chuckling and rubbing his hands together. “Right, here’s the plan, she helps us get rid of the assassins and then we complete our duties and collect our rewards.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a plan.” Shipo wasn’t having any of it.

Okimodo rolled his eyes before saying. “She’s going to kill him after he meets his wife in the hospital, meaning that our jobs will be long done and we’ll already be paid when he dies.”

“So you’re a criminal now?” Shipo wasn’t impressed.

Okimodo sighed heavily before grabbing his bow. “There are currently five assassins in Pursuit of the train. Hiro showed them to me on the way back here.”

Shipo got up and said. “I don’t care what happens to Benjamin. All I’m saying is that I want you to pay me my money back if your plan fails.”

Hiro who had been silently observing the two brothers from the side finally spoke up and said. “You don’t need to worry about us failing, I’m very good at what I do.”

“You sure are.” Shipo sighed. “I wonder how Bonvalior’s family is doing? I’m sure they must miss their father.”

Hiro gritted her teeth as Shipo struck her sore spot. “Shut up…”

She then transformed back into an ephemeral black mist before reappearing as a rather plain looking brunette woman. “For obvious reasons I’m going to be disguising myself. I’ll lure out the Assassins and you guys will finish them off.”

Shipo yanked at a lever off to the side of the staircase leading to the rest of the carriage.

*HONK*

*HONK*

*HONK*

A horn roared across the train alerting everyone on board to the presence of the assassins.

In his compartment, the Coronation nationalist party candidate Benjamin Norton choked on a biscuit as a result of shock. Hiruru who had switched places with one of the other guards quickly ran to his side. She slammed her hand against his back and the biscuit flew out before landing on the table covered in mucous.

“G… get into your positions.” Several strands of Benjamin’s slicked back hair came loose as he caught his breath. “No matter what happens, don’t leave this compartment.”

Outside Ishik firmly held the gangway door leading to the fourth carriage shut. On the other side the partially panicked and partially livid crowd slammed, punched and kicked the steel door hoping to reach the first two carriages where most of the train crew was.

In the first carriage of the train, one of the train conductors as well as the staff leader where trying their best to control the uproar.

“Please everybody calm down!” The short and bald conductor yelled as he was assaulted with enraged questions.

“Why the hell did you let that bastard on the train if you knew there’d be assassins.” One of the passengers demanded to know.

“If I’m surviving this, the imperial railway is getting sued.” Another customer added.

In the same carriage a father sat in one of the compartments with his wife and daughter. He was running his hands through his hair in frustration as he glared at the crowd outside in the corridor. It was just his luck, he just had to go and book the same train as Benjamin Norton, one of his employers. He did remember receiving a job request from him which he declined. Who would’ve guessed that it was about a trip to Corone.

“Judus, no matter what you can’t let that man spot you, he’ll surely try some underhanded tactics to get you to protect him.” His wife, Rosa massaged his hand as she sat next him. “If I’m not mistaken the train is going to stop in the town of Benzi an hour from now. Let’s depart there and stay the night and then resume our journey in the morning.”

“That’s a good idea.” Judus nodded in approval.

On the roof Hiro gazed out across the vast horizon. Only water was visible to the left and the right with the cliffs of the coastline in the distance. She tensed her eyes and her pupils dilated as she activated one of her school’s resonance abilities called Unravel life. Countless white flames revealed themselves before her, darting along the bridge supports dozens of metres below. These white flames were the life energy of the resonators pursuing the train. There were about twenty individuals visible to her causing a cold sweat to run down her face.

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Behind her Okimodo and Shipo observed as sweat started to pour down her neck.

“I’m guessing there’s more of them now?” Okimodo stepped forward with his bow drawn. “Just tell me where they are.”

“Hold on a second.” Hiro closed her eyes shutting out any external stimulation and focusing exclusively on the life energy in front of her. She carefully marked out every individual in her mind before activating a second resonance ability.

Both Okimodo and Shipo watched on in fascination as Hiro’s pores began to expand. Countless tiny white particles escaped her body, flying around in the air before heading down into the depths of the bridge.

Okimodo and Shipo leaned over the side of the carriage watching as the particles seemed to gravitate towards certain points far beneath in the passing bridge pillars.

“What did you just do?” Shipo asked curiously. “I still don’t see anyone.”

“That’s because they’re all using various resonance abilities to conceal themselves.” Hiro explained as she wiped herself of sweat. “It’s useless against people like me from the school of life and death since we can see the life energy of others. I attached a bunch of death seeds to most of their bodies, the ones at the back were able to avoid them though. The death seeds will gradually drain them of life energy unless they destroy them which few schools have the ability to do. The only other way for them to get rid of them is to kill me. So one by one they’ll come and be cut down by us.”

“So you’re planning to force them to confront us head on?” Okimodo smiled as he got pumped up. This was his kind of girl.

Out of nowhere, a long ambiguous appendage formed of mostly raw muscles with no skin grabbed on to the end of the carriage with its two massive fingers before suddenly contracting. The carriage creaked and tilted slightly as something massive attempted to pull itself up.

Okimodo and the other two watched as a deformed mesh of fleshy limbs and organs climbed onto the roof to join them.

“Hey there handsome!” Okimodo greeted the transformed resonator with a shit eating grin.

“You can make fun of my appearance as much as you want.” The super resonator said. “We at the Formless flesh school take pride in improving and modifying the human body to make it more efficient. The core principle is effectiveness not aesthetic appeal.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little stupid to rush us like this?” Shipo looked the heap of flesh up and down before chuckling.

The looming figure then turned several of his eyeballs towards Hiro. “Why are you of all people protecting that man? Did really you think a mere shapeshifting resonance ability would’ve stopped me from discovering you?”

“Because his death has to be done the right way.” Hiro answered flatly.

“The right way?” Some how in a disgusting manner, the super resonator wore a baffled expression. “I get it! You want clout! Why don’t you just kill him now and parade his body around the train. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of brownie points.”

“No.” Hiro grinned as she stepped forward before Okimodo held out his hand to stop her.

“You should save your strength.” Okimodo said as he stepped forward infront of her while looking back at her and smirking. “As a man, I can’t just let a beautiful young lady get her dress covered in blood. Allow me to deal with him.”

Hiro smiled warmly at the boy’s flattering words. “Go on then, a princess like me needs to be taken care of.”

Shipo as well as the creature both stared at the two incredulously.

“Aren’t you quite the little womaniser.” The creature roared with a mocking laughter before he swung one of his massive limbs straight towards Okimodo.

At the next moment Okimodo was gone causing the creature to hit nothing.

“So what’s it like to live as a walking raw meatball?” Okimodo asked as he sat on the creatures head.

“Do you know who the fuck I am?” The super resonator asked, his voice trembling with anger. “I won’t stand for this.”

Okimodo quickly got up and jumped backwards off the resonator’s back while saying. “Do something about it then.”

As he fell towards the water he drew forth his bow.

The super resonator quickly leaped after him, hurdling down towards Okimodo with his massive body.

Simultaneously four other super resonators climbed on to the roof of the train to confront Shipo and Hiro. They all had similar fleshy characteristics to the large resonator but toned down quite a bit.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to kill you before big brother Belnus kills that pretty boy you’re friends with.” One of the four resonators taunted as she circled around the two with her three companions.

“You’re going to kill me?” Hiro laughed as her brunette hair blew wildly in the sunset. “Do you know how many people have tried to do that?”

As Okimodo neared the water below him, he reached for his right hip where he retrieved an arrow from his quiver. He effortlessly hooked it into the bow before pulling it back while aiming at the descending giant. The feeling of the tension building in the bow, the process of calculating the ever diminishing distance between himself and his enemy, the process of factoring in the speed of the air and how it may affect the arrows path. To many it may seem like a complex process, but to Okimodo it was as natural as breathing air. He pulled back the shimmering metal arrow and released it.

The arrow ignited with a crimson blaze as it converged with Belnus before simply going through him as if he was made of butter. The super resonator became limp as he fell towards the water with a gaping hole through his body.

Back on the speeding train, the six who were on the roof all looked as a pillar of flames shot high into the sky far down the bridge.

“That must've been the soul of your friend flying up to the spiritual plane.” The female resonator laughed along side her three companions.

Four flaming arrows suddenly impacted the train striking all four of the enemy super resonators and blasting through their chests. The three other super resonators aside from the woman were all killed instantly. The resonance abilities they were using to stick to the roof of the carriage deactivated upon their deaths and their bodies were sent hurdling off of the end of the train.

The woman had a completely stunned expression as if she had just experienced a paranormal event. She staggered backwards a few steps before she jumped back down to the bridge pillars for Safety.

“Karma’s a bitch.” Shipo shook his head. “That’s what you get for running your mouth.”

Belnus collided with the surface of the water producing a massive splash. He floated for a few seconds, a massive hole was where his torso would normally be had he not been an abomination. Soon he slowly sank to the bottom.

Okimodo laughed as he flew up above. “To think you just went and died like that. I would have expected more from someone with such a monstrous appearance.”

“Belnus? BELNUS WHERE ARE YOU!” The female resonator clung to the side of one of the bridge pillars as her eyes scanned for the missing man. She then noticed Okimodo flying in a circle just above the water not too far away back in the opposite direction of the train.

“It can’t be…” The woman frowned. Noticing the bow he held with him, a natural conclusion was reached in her mind. “That’s the bastard that killed the other three. I’ll make him pay.”

“I know you’re still alive.” Okimodo sighed as he stared into the blue depths beneath him. “Just drop the act.”

One by one, bubbles began to arise on the surface of the water before a huge figure could be seen emerging from the depths below.

Belnus soon exploded out dawning a new transformation. His size had expanded greatly and he now had two massive fleshy wings with bone like feathers. Several of his eyes locked on to the boy flying above him as he began to speak. “That was only a slight miscalculation on my part. Fortunately I’ve made modifications to my body so your arrows won’t be as effective.”

“And you won’t be alone.” A third voice spoke suddenly.

Okimodo immediately turned to look at where it came from. Along one of the intermediate walkway bridges among the massive pillars stood around six or seven super resonators.

“Shit.” Okimodo cursed as the situation suddenly became more serious.