"Clang—!"
With a crisp clash of steel against steel, Fang Li fiercely severed the coupling connecting the two Hayajiro with the katana in his hand.
"Toot toot toot toot toot—!"
Amid the blaring whistle, the Iron Fortress sped forward at full speed, pulling away from the Hunting Group's Hayajiro after their connection had been cut.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!"
Yet the gigantic monster roaring atop the Hunting Group's Hayajiro continued to charge madly onward, trampling the roof and crushing the carriages. Like the avatar of a demon that destroyed everything in its path, it viciously flung the Hayajiro beneath its feet away, landed on the tracks, and kept moving forward.
At once, the speeding Iron Fortress was pursued by a gigantic monster no smaller than itself, charging ahead as though fleeing for its life.
"This... this can't be real, can it?"
Ikoma, Yomogawa Ayame, Kurusu Kunoichi, and the others stared helplessly at the sight before them, their faces filled with shock.
The sight of that monster desperately running in pursuit at a speed no slower than a Hayajiro was simply too overwhelming.
No, that wasn't right.
Its speed was clearly even faster than the Iron Fortress's.
As a result, the distance between them kept shrinking.
Being caught was only a matter of time.
"You..." Kurusu Kunoichi could not help shouting at Fang Li. "Just what kind of monster did you bring here?!"
"I'd rather ask why you're still here." Fang Li gave a bitter smile. "Didn't I tell you to cut the connection as soon as you heard the huge commotion on the Hunting Group's Hayajiro?"
"Sorry, but I just couldn't do that." Ikoma's voice gradually lowered, but his eyes remained firm as he looked at Fang Li. "I couldn't just leave you behind, and Lady Ayame agreed with me."
"Lord Mima's target