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Last Embryo Volume 2 Chapter 3 Part 5

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Taking a proper look at the tiger, Asterios saw that he had a beautiful, snow-white fur, one definitely worth of the 『Guardian Deity of the West』. When it was sure that Jin and Pest were safe, it continued to reprimand it master for his recklessness. Asterios never would have expected that a Divine Spirit of the Orient was going to make its appearance in such a place. It held so much Divine power that just a single prolonged glance at it was enough to make every hair in his body stand on their ends.

(It’s a Divine… no, a Celestial Beast-class?!)

A Celestial Beast entrusted with an entire section of heaven as its domain. 『Beastly Protector of the Star Creation』, created by one of the three strongest beings ever known in Little Garden. Even among all the Gods and Demons of Little Garden, meeting the one such as this could be said to be nothing short of a once-in-an-eternity encounter, because such a Celestial Beast would never willingly appear anywhere near human settlements without a proper reason.

Could it be that this was one of those “companions” that this boy, Jin Russel was talking about? But no matter how long he looked at him, he just couldn’t see how a runt like that would make a Celestial Beast such as Byakko obey his orders. Maybe it was because he possessed a Gift that was forcing him to obey him? That would explain their supposed master-servant relationship nicely, but in the case where he didn’t possess any kind of Gift of Obedience, it would mean that Asterios would need to be extra careful at all times.

However, both Jin and Byakko didn’t seem to pay Asterios any mind, and just observed the moving fortress that continued to dash along the surface of the Great River.

「Hmm, looks like 『The Bull of Heaven』 also began to move, which probably means that the participant must be inside of that fortress. Is he going to get away from Underwood for now?」

「Probably. But that is not good, not good at all. After all, this guy is still here.」

Only then did the two of them glanced at Asterios, who also realized it at that moment. If Saigo Homura was on board of that fortress, the he couldn’t afford to lose sight of it and get to it as soon as possible.

The question here is: how is he going to do that? After all, he cannot afford to publicly show himself with the way he is looking right now, but as he was contemplating various options and methods of approach to this problem, Jin and Byakko went down to him and said:

「Uhm, we can give you a ride to your target if you want, you know?」

「Really?」

「Yes, just as long as you don’t mind having a troublesome runt for a fellow passenger.」

「I’ll be much obliged then. I won’t be able to do anything if I won’t catch up to that giant fortress.」

Owing a favor to someone who supposedly possessed a Gift of Obedience seemed like a bad idea, but for the moment he was all out of options. So he had no choice.

「Okay, get on then. Oh, and by the way, that thing is not a fortress, and its not being use for any military purposes, in case you’ve been wandering about that.」

Jin told him that as if he just remembered it when Asterios climbed on top of Byakko and sat behind Jin and Pest.

「What? What do you mean that is not a fortress?! If that’s not what it is, then what in all hells is that abomination?!」

Asterios kept asking questions, but instead of understanding what was going on he was only getting more and more confused. Also, learning that such a hulking construct was not used for any militaristic purposes whatsoever made him feel all sorts of uncomfortable, because if it wasn’t something meant for the purpose of both attacking and being able to defend itself even against the worst possible enemies that could be encountered in Little Garden: natural disasters and both monsters and people who were like the embodiment of said natural disasters, then he had no idea for what purpose it could be used.

However, Jin Russel clearly and firmly denied Asterios’ assumptions. Out of everyone gathered at the ruins in that exact moment, he was the only one who knew that the true purpose of the thing that was heading straight towards them was something far removed from fighting. Actually, you could say that its purpose was the exact opposite of fighting. With a slightly bitter expression, Jin revealed the true nature of the thing everyone kept mistakenly calling a mobile iron fortress.

「That is the newest model o the Spirit Train, The Supergiant Model 『Sun Thousand』. It is a centerpiece of the current War for the Sun’s Authority’s Management Committee… and the greatest masterpiece created by a man whom I think of as one of my best friends, although I’m afraid that this feeling is mostly one-sided, because he would have never accepted that in a million years.」

– The Supergiant Spirit Train Model 『Sun Thousand』, Conductor’s Wagon –

Even though its appearance must have looked really flashy from the outside, the inside of the train was just as hectic. No one expected that the train’s departure was going to cause water sprays big enough to actually swallow entire buildings, and now all of the Beastmen present on board of the trains were running back and forth in an attempt to handle all of the trouble that kept popping up one after another since their explosive start. And the loudest and the most panicked of them all wa a calico Beastman wearing long leather boots. He seemed to be one of the train conductors… but was he really from the same species as all the others? His tail was split into two separate ones at the very end, he walked on his hind legs… and for some reason he was screaming at the colony of small floating Spirits inside of a spirit-fueled engine in what appeared to be Kansai dialect as he angerly jumped up and down.

「Da hell’re ya doin’ ya little shrimps, we’re goin way too damn fast! We’re like a friggin’ cannonball right now, and we definitely won’t be able to enter the Ley Line properly like that so slow down, go slower, break the breaks if ya have to!!!」

「Won’t slow down~~!」

「Won’t back down~~!」

「If we’ll do it we’ll break down~~!」

「「「Ukyaaaahahahaha~~~~!!!」」」

The colony of red mantle-wearing Spirits popped out their little heads from the burning reactor engine, acting all cheerful and merry. They looked like all they were caring about was having fun and playing around, but they were not doing so because they were inherently malicious, but rather because that was their playful and friendly nature as the Fire Spirits. On the other hand, the Earth Spirit – a one wearing a little two-pointed hat poked its head out of the mountain of coal and exclaimed loudly while pointing outside of the window in a panic.

「We’ve got ourselves a Bull, guys! A Bull is heading straight towards us from the sky! We have to run from it! We absolutely cannot slow down now or else he’s going to chomp us all down in one bite!!!」

「Okay, Alright, I heard you clearly, so there was no need for all those gory details! Nevertheless, thanks a bunch, Number 2!」

The Calico Cat raised his claws and placed them on his chin. He wanted the train to slow down so that they could enter the Ley Line properly, but with this sudden new development such an option might no be possible anymore. He understood that perfectly, but still, he wanted to search for a better way to do it. The problem was that there wasn’t any available to them right now.

「Ughhhhhh, we seem to be in a rather serious pinch here. If we continue to go that fast or speed up even more, then we won’t be able to make use of the Ley Line’s super acceleration, no to mention that making such endless high-speed rounds around Underrwood’s Great River won’t be pleasant for both the ground and the City of Water itself…」

「Oh, screw that, calico Cat, it’s going to be fine! Now, FULL SPEED AHEAD!!!」

Porol’s voice echoed throughout the disorderly engine room. It was so unusual for the leader to come all the way to the engine room filled with heat and coal that it made everyone present there stop and look towards him in silence for a solid minute. Calico Cat was the most confused of them all, but he quickly collected himself and bowed down deeply.