Border region between Tossep and Addus, North Ufiga.
The blinding sun hung high in the sky, and the scorching sunlight seared the earth. Beneath its blaze stretched a dry and barren land—nothing but endless yellow terrain as far as the eye could see. There was scarcely a single moving creature in sight, save for the roaring steel beast belching smoke as it thundered forward along the tracks, and the eagles soaring high overhead in the skies.
Following the long railway line, the Desert Arrow continued barreling forward, fully loaded with cargo. It had now been a day and a half since departing from Kankdal, and not long ago, it had crossed the border of the Kingdom of Tossep into the territory of the Kingdom of Addus.
Although it had crossed the national boundary, the surroundings of the Desert Arrow had not changed much. All around was still the same endless desert. Occasionally, it paused briefly at small towns or stations to replenish coal and water, but for the most part, it remained in constant motion, plunging deeper and deeper into the inland region of North Ufiga.
At present, the train was passing through a desolate plain. Ahead of the tracks lay two stone hills—neither particularly tall—and beyond those, a deep gorge. A long iron bridge spanned the gorge, extending the railway across to the other side.
On top of the two stone hills in front of the bridge, several figures lay prone, hidden behind massive boulders.
They were all men, clad in traditional North Ufigan long robes and turbans. Their headwraps covered not only their heads but also their faces. Each of them carried a rifle slung across their back, and near the bridge sat a few more men guarding a detonator typically used in mining operations. Wires stretched from the detonator down the hillside, all the way to the iron bridge.
Lying in wait atop the rocky hill, the group of men stared intently down the tracks in the direction of Tossep. One of them held a pair of binoculars, watching the end of the railway. Through the lenses, he could see the heavy train approaching, spewing thick smoke as it rumbled forward.
“Just like the intel said—the target’s on time. Everyone get ready! Detonate the charges once the train is on the bridge!”
Lowering his binoculars, the man—clearly the leader—sharply barked orders to those around him. The rest focused their gaze, watching the column of black smoke rapidly approach from afar.With a loud humming roar echoing across the plains, the Desert Arrow quickly neared the stone hills and the iron bridge. The ambushers atop the hills waited in silence, their eyes fixed on the moment the train would enter the gorge between the two hills and onto the bridge.
Then, suddenly, a sharp cry pierced the sky.
A hawk that had been circling high above abruptly dove straight toward the hilltop, heading directly for the hiding ambushers. Focused solely on the oncoming train, none of the men noticed the bird’s swift descent. In its talons, the hawk clutched a small cylindrical object. Several black cords dangled from one end of the device, wrapped tightly around the hawk’s claws.
Just as it flew over the ambushers’ position, a flash of electricity sparked from the hawk’s talons, igniting the fuse. The bird then released the device, dropping it into the midst of the men below.
Zzzzt—BOOM!!
The explosive went off midair just a few meters above the ambushers, erupting in a violent blast. The hilltop was consumed by a blinding flash and a burst of roaring fire. Thick smoke instantly engulfed the area, and the deafening explosion echoed across the wasteland. Every passenger aboard the Desert Arrow heard the blast.
“What was that?!”
In one of the forward dining cars, Gaspard, a knight from the envoy’s guard—about thirty years old—leapt to his feet as soon as the explosion rang out. Moments later, one of his subordinates burst in from the next carriage, reporting with urgency.
“Sir! An unidentified explosion just occurred atop the stone hill ahead!”
“Explosion?!”
Startled, Gaspard rushed to the window, yanked it open, and stuck his head out. He immediately saw the thick plume of smoke still rising from the distant hilltop.
With the enhanced vision granted by his Lantern abilities, Gaspard could make out several panicked figures scrambling from the smoke, along with a chaotic group on the opposite hill. He could clearly see the rifles strapped to their backs.
His brow furrowed.
Pulling his head back inside, he turned and gave a firm order to his subordinate.
“Alert the engine—emergency stop! Once we halt, have everyone disembark and secure the perimeter!”
“Yes, sir!”
Back on the stone hill, chaos reigned in the wake of the explosion. Black smoke blanketed the summit as anguished screams echoed through the air. Many of the ambushers stumbled out in a panic, bloodied and injured—some limping, others clutching their wounds and wailing.
They had hoped to deal death… only to be the first ones blasted.
On the other stone hill, the sudden explosion across the gorge startled the ambushers there as well. The men who had been lying in wait stood up one after another, shouting toward the other side to ask what had happened—completely unaware that their actions had just exposed them to another, much more lethal danger.
All at once, without warning, blooms of blood burst from their chests and heads—one after another, beautiful and deadly. These ambushers, eyes wide with shock, experienced the searing pain of their bodies being pierced. Only as they collapsed did they hear the crack of gunfire echoing into their ears.
Far in the distance on the plain, the Desert Arrow had come to a screeching halt. On either side of the powerful locomotive, a line of guards clad in military-style uniforms with clerical embellishments had already taken formation. Rifles raised, they unleashed precise volleys toward the unidentified armed men several hundred meters away.
Each of these ten-odd guards was at least an Apprentice-rank Beyonder. With their mystical enhancements, they executed efficient marksmanship, mowing down the distant ambushers en masse. In front of the firing line, several figures were already sprinting toward the hills. Melee engagement would begin in less than a minute.
…
Time passed swiftly. Within a few hours, the blazing sun dipped toward the western horizon. A warm dusk glow spread across the desolate land, casting long shadows on the motionless train still halted on the tracks.
It had been a long time since the midday skirmish—though calling it a battle might be a stretch, given the overwhelming disparity between the would-be ambushers and the elite guards of the church. The attackers were utterly crushed, unable to even fight back.
Once the guards scaled the hills and initiated their assault, the clash lasted less than a minute. The ambushers were rendered completely powerless. Only their leader and deputy had mystical abilities—both of them Black Earth rank. But caught off guard by an unexpected explosion at the outset, they had no chance of withstanding the counterattack. In the end, the guards eliminated the threat without a single casualty, while the attackers suffered over two-thirds casualties.
The battle ended quickly, but the aftermath took far longer to deal with. Capturing survivors, treating the wounded, conducting interrogations, disarming the explosives on the bridge, and checking for other bombs or hidden ambushes… this whole process took the better part of half a day. It wasn’t until dusk that the situation was deemed initially under control.
Inside one of the train’s private compartments, Vania sat properly in her seat as Gaspard, one of the guards, reported to her respectfully.
“Sister Vania, the interrogations are complete. Through separate questioning of eight captured individuals, we’ve determined their identities. They’re part of a group of bandits known as Black Scorpion. They’ve long operated between Tossep and Addus, raiding trade caravans and travelers, extorting border citizens, and committing numerous crimes.”
“Their leader was a man named Banzab, a Black Earth-rank Silence Beyonder. He was once part of a treasure-hunting society. After the society dissolved, he started freelancing. Tired of the risks involved in tomb-raiding, he formed this bandit group to prey on ordinary folk instead. Banzab is now dead.”
Standing before her, Gaspard delivered his report seriously. As the chief envoy appointed by the Cardinal Council, Vania held the highest authority in the mission. Thus, even though Gaspard was a veteran and long-serving high-ranked deacon, he still showed deference to this sixteen-year-old novice nun.
“They were merely bandits?” Vania murmured in surprise.
“So they thought we were just ordinary travelers they could rob?”
Gaspard immediately clarified.
“No, they knew we were the Holy Church’s envoy group. The ambush was premeditated. According to the surviving deputy, they were hired for this job—with an exorbitant reward.”
“An exorbitant reward?” Vania repeated.
“Yes. The deposit alone was more than double what they’d ever earned from a single raid. They understood the risks but were lured by the unprecedented bounty. Since they knew they couldn’t face us in direct combat, they came up with the plan to blow up the train.”
“The Snakefang Gorge ahead of our route is extremely deep, with only the Hafr Iron Bridge as a crossing. So they planted a massive amount of explosives on the bridge, intending to detonate them as the train passed over. If that had happened, the entire train would have plunged into the ravine. Even White Ash-rank Beyonders would struggle to survive that.”
“Fortunately,” Gaspard continued, “they seem to have botched the setup. One of the explosives that wasn’t yet installed on the bridge accidentally detonated while still among them. That unexpected blast caused their own chaos—and gave us just enough warning to respond in time.”
After hearing his full report, a trace of concern appeared on Vania’s face.
“They were hired… meaning someone else is targeting us. Is there any way to find out who?”
She asked with unease, and Gaspard paused before answering.
“According to the deputy, their employer was extremely cautious and never revealed their identity. However, their late leader Banzab was a keen observer. Based on subtle clues in the employer’s behavior and attire, he deduced the person was affiliated with… the Addus Revolutionary Army.”
“The Addus Revolutionary Army…” Vania echoed, stunned. She had heard of them before—after all, before being sent to North Ufiga, she had been hastily briefed on Addus and its factions as part of her crash course.
The Addus Revolutionary Army was the most powerful of all rebel factions within Addus—a primary force behind the overthrow of the Addus Kingdom’s government. It was this very faction that had captured the Addus capital, Yadith. Among all forces in the country, it possessed the greatest influence and public support. It was also the main negotiating target of Vania’s current mission.
That the ambush had been orchestrated from the shadows by the very group she had come to negotiate with… left Vania stunned. She stood frozen for a moment before slowly speaking again.
“Their confession… is it trustworthy?”
“It is,” Gaspard replied firmly.
“I was surprised too when they revealed that the revolutionary army was behind it. So I immediately used one of the spiritual storage items we were issued to conduct a divinatory probe. The result came through clearly and unambiguously: the Addus Revolutionary Army was the one who orchestrated the ambush—they were the ones who sent those attackers.”
Gaspard spoke with gravity, and after he finished, a trace of anger appeared in his eyes. Looking at the astonished Vania, he continued.
“Sister Vania! A confirmed divinatory result cannot be wrong. The Addus Revolutionary Army wanted us dead, wanted us to fall into that pitch-black abyss. They are a band of shameless and despicable heretics—unworthy of a shred of compassion! They deceived us! They are utterly undeserving of your long journey and your attempts to bring them enlightenment. The Holy Mother’s grace should not be wasted upon them. What they truly deserve is the blazing wrath of the Holy Son!
“So, Sister Vania, stop thinking about saving these wretches. Let’s turn back at the next station! These heretics want your life—once we reach Yadith, it will only become more dangerous! They do not deserve your teachings. The Holy War will punish them in due time!”
Gaspard’s fury rang out as he spoke to Vania, while the white-robed nun sat in stunned silence, unable to speak as she stared at him.
Meanwhile, in another private compartment at the rear of the train, Dorothy sat with a furrowed brow, gazing at her palm. Resting in her hand was a coin marked with Lantern symbol—now dim and dull.
This coin bore the result of her own divination. Like Gaspard, she too had inquired whether the revolutionary army was behind the attack.
And her result… was exactly the same.