Scaling the ladder by the wagon door, I quickly ascended to the roof of the wagon with the elite soldier Tag hot on my heels. Wanting to put some distance between us, I moved towards the end of the wagon we were. However, heading towards the back of the train was not an option as it would endanger the prisoners and foil our escape plans. So, I retreated to the end of the wagon we were in, step by step, until there was no more room left.

With Tag closing in on me, I knew I had to act fast. Though he looked confident that he had me cornered, I still had some tricks up my sleeve. Playing for time, I waited for him to make his move. Finally, he spoke after taking slow steps towards me.

"You're trapped, Cowboy."

But I remembered my father's words, "When trouble approaches you, take a step back. It doesn't make you a coward. The closer it gets, the more you step back. But when you run out of steps, be more trouble than trouble."

Without a second thought, I pulled out my rifle and fired poisoned bullets at Tag. I knew that his healing powers were strong, but I was curious to see if the poison would affect him.

As expected, the poison had a significant effect on Tag's body. Even though he was physically strong, the poison was too much for him to handle. I waited for him to catch the scent of the poison, so I could be sure that it had taken effect.

Despite my efforts to hit him with the bullets, Tag proved to be a formidable opponent. He dodged and weaved, making it difficult for me to aim my shots. The train's speed added to the challenge, making it even more challenging to take aim.

Tag kept running, avoiding my bullets until my gun finally ran out of ammunition. He then charged towards me, and I swung my rifle at him. Sensing his movements, I was able to stop his fist mid-air by pressing my rifle against it. I then tried to pull his arm down, but he quickly responded with his other arm.

In a swift motion, I used the tip of my gun to block Tag's fist, but in doing so, I left my stomach exposed. Taking advantage of this, he delivered a powerful kick to my abdomen, sending me flying to the other end of the carriage. I crumpled to the ground, struggling to catch my breath.

As I looked up, Lena stood at the carriage door with the prisoners behind her, ready to move to the next carriage. Concerned, she called out to me, "Hiroshi, are you okay?"

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Knowing that the safety of the prisoners was more important than my own, I replied, "I'm fine. Get everyone to the back carriage quickly. I'll take care of this."

Lena led the group safely to the back carriage, while I turned to face Tag, who had now reached me and was attempting to strangle me once again.

"Are you trying to be a hero?" he sneered. "When I'm finished here, I'll report back to the boss and have everyone, including Lena, killed."

"I'm not trying to be a hero," I gasped, struggling for breath. "I'm just doing what any decent human being would do."

As he approached me, I retrieved the poisonous bullets from my pocket and concealed them between my fingers. I struck Tag with a hard punch, managing to stab him with the poisonous bullets.

Tag reacted violently and threw himself back, the veins in his arm bulging and turning a strange color. He was having difficulty healing himself.

After a moment, I realized what had happened.

"You're not of the Cronus bloodline, you're just like us. Your powers were given to you by dark magic."

"To the nobles, we're just prisoners. But with the power the boss gave me, I felt something new, something powerful."

"He's using you, just like he's using the others."

"You wouldn't understand."

"You don't have to do this."

My words were in vain as Tag continued his frenzied attack. Keeping my composure, I countered his attacks with poisoned bullets that weakened him with each blow. When I saw the wagon pulling away, I knew I had to finish the job.

Out of pity for Tag, I hit him in the chest without using bullets, knocking him out. The poison was stronger than I expected and had a heavy effect on Tag, but I could see that he was still breathing, even though he was still breathing hard.

After Tag fell, Lena and I made our way to the moving carriage, and after making sure all the prisoners were there, we separated the carriage we were in from the train and rescued the prisoners.

As I entered the carriage that was now carrying the freed prisoners, their eyes were fixed on me with a mix of awe and gratitude. Despite my attempt to avoid their gaze, I could feel their admiration as I made my way to Lena's side. One of the prisoners who had unlocked the door approached me with a friendly expression.

"On behalf of my people, I want to thank you, Hiroshi West. We've been imprisoned for so long and now we're finally free."

I was touched by his words, but I knew that Lena was the true hero.

"I appreciate your gratitude, but I didn't do this alone. It was Lena's idea."

As we continued our journey towards freedom, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. I had fulfilled my duty as a human being and helped those who were suffering. And with Lena by my side, I knew that we could conquer any challenge that lay ahead.

Maybe I could trust him more. After all, he cared a lot about people like me.

After all, his father was a hero once, too.

I lit another cigar in this cheerful atmosphere, lost in my thoughts.