Ryn took Penglaiji Ryn and headed in the direction Himeko and the others had gone, hoping to rendezvous with them and deliver the last words of the deceased.
But on the way, they saw the abandoned train...
The train that should have been towed by the Hyperion, transporting the civilians and supplies, was simply left on the tracks.
Countless Honkai Creatures swarmed it, covering it completely, howling incessantly.
Was anything alive in there?
Perhaps...
If Honkai Zombies counted as living things.
Soon after... Ryn followed the tracks and the tremendous roar to find the rampaging Hyperion.
If they had already reached the point of cutting off their own tail to survive, how much better could the Hyperion be faring...
A dense mass of Honkai Creatures enveloped the train, wrapping it into a disgusting sphere...
Propelled by the Hyperion's immense power, it continued to speed forward.
But the constant ramming and corrosion from the Honkai Creatures had ruptured the Hyperion's hull, causing fires and leaving many areas in a precarious state...
"You go help inside. I'll clean up the outside."
"Okay."
Ryn threw Penglaiji Ryn through a rupture in the hull, then activated his Heat Vision to start clearing the Honkai Creatures from the ship's exterior.
After entering the ship, Penglaiji Ryn took a couple of deep breaths. Although she and Ryn had talked a lot on the way, comforting each other for a long time, her heart still couldn't calm down upon stepping onto the Hyperion...
The Hyperion was a fully enclosed warship. Inside, you generally couldn't see the outside except from the command room and bedrooms. So, to everyone but Himeko in the command room, Penglaiji Ryn was already dead...
"..." Seeing Penglaiji Ryn appear alongside Honkai Creatures, Emisha paused in thought.
"Holy crap, even you've turned into a Honkai Zombie! Don't worry, I'll definitely avenge you!"
Emisha raised her gun, about to open fire on Penglaiji Ryn.
Penglaiji Ryn, who had been hesitant and unsure of what to do, was instantly jolted to her senses.
"Emisha! Friendly! Don't shoot!"
After speaking, Penglaiji Ryn raised her dual daggers and plunged them into the heads of the two stunned Honkai Creatures beside her.
Hearing that Ryn's sister could still speak, Emisha knew she'd made a mistake. She began providing covering fire for Penglaiji Ryn while moving closer to her.
"You little...! You scared me to death! They said you were in the main cannon's blast radius. I thought you were dead too!"
Penglaiji Ryn nodded, "Yeah... If my brother hadn't saved me, I probably would be dead..."
"That bastard Himeko... Let's not talk about it. Let's just focus on surviving. The situation is not looking good right now."
"Right."
Penglaiji Ryn continued to fight the Honkai Creatures inside the ship, while Emisha left to rally other personnel.
...
"You there! Forget the supplies, get to a safe area!"
"Report, the fire from the forward cabin is spreading this way!"
"A fire? Then what are you doing reporting to me! Go put it out!"
"But... there are still Honkai Creatures there..."
"Honkai Creatures... so what? If we don't put out the fire, we'll all burn to death in here!"
......
"Yiselian, what are you doing hiding here! Where's your Homu robot! Get it activated and help out!!"
"They're gone... they're all gone... My life's work, it's all ruined..." Yiselian lay in the warehouse, her face ashen.
"Don't play dead with me, get moving!"
Emisha angrily pulled Yiselian to her feet and dragged her into the inferno to fight the fire.
"No! Don't! Don't drag me into the fire!"
......
Seele's face was grim as she fought alongside the troops inside the ship. Her scythe cut through one Honkai Creature, and another immediately rushed forward to take its place.
Even the Hyperion's defenses had been breached. Seele didn't even have to think to know what had happened to the regular train the Hyperion had been pulling...
......
"You killed them! You bastard, those people were our family. They gave their hearts and souls to you without reservation, and you just killed them!!" Bronya angrily interrogated Himeko.
It wasn't just because Himeko had once again fired on the combat personnel clearing the path ahead, or because she had closed the hatch, leaving people behind... but also because, a short while ago, she had severed the connection between the Hyperion and the train, using the people in the rear train as bait.
"..." Himeko remained silent for a long time, letting Bronya question and curse her.
"Bronya... you've lost your composure. Calm down first..."
"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down... They're all dead! All of them... We built the shelter, we established the Fire Moth... wasn't it to protect them... but now they're all gone..."
"But that was the best possible outcome... If we hadn't done that, we might have died in the thunderstorm, or to the Honkai Creature attacks..."
SMACK—
Bronya slapped Himeko across the face.
"I don't believe you didn't see what was happening behind us... Ryn could have stopped it... You ruined everything."
"We can only trust ourselves..."
"So you killed everyone else!!"
——————————————
With Seele and Penglaiji Ryn attacking from both sides, the Honkai Creatures inside the ship were dealt with. Emergency damage control in the damaged areas was complete. Emisha had led people to extinguish the fire, the wounded had been moved to safety, and Ryn had cleared the Honkai Creatures swarming the exterior.
The Hyperion was safe for now... cruising smoothly along the railway, heading towards an unknown destination.
Bronya locked herself in the warehouse. The remaining survivors gathered in the command room.
Himeko looked at the few people left and asked Emisha in a hoarse voice.
"Emisha... do you have a headcount of who's left?"
Emisha glared at Himeko. "Anyway, all the people you deemed unimportant are gone. Are you satisfied now?"
"..." Himeko's eyes dimmed slightly.
Emisha left with Yiselian and Seele; they still needed to comfort the others.
"I'm sorry... I was too hasty. Bronya was right, I messed everything up..." Himeko apologized to the bowed heads of Ryn and Penglaiji Ryn.
"It's in the past... there's no point in talking about it now."
Penglaiji Ryn shook her head, not accepting Himeko's apology. Although she understood Himeko's actions, she couldn't get over the order to fire that cannon.
"They died for us, the survivors...
They said... you remembered everything about them. Himeko... can you give me a list of those who were sacrificed?"
"Okay... I'll compile it for you in a bit..."