On the distant horizon, a train formed from the will of Trailblaze charged straight in the direction the navigator pointed, unstoppable and utterly overwhelming.
The train shone as it slammed into Inukai's chest with a roar.
Inukai, who had been so outrageously arrogant a second earlier, had the Astral Express pass straight through his chest.
After the violent collision, the Astral Express sped away again with a dinging whistle. Finally, the train manifested from the will of Trailblaze dissipated among the stars after completing its attack.
"So it doesn't actually drive over and run him down."
Himeko was a little disappointed. She had thought the Astral Express itself would crash into him.
But a moment's thought made it clear that [Long Tone of the Distant Horizon] had been used to ram Sunday in a dream back then. It had never been the actual Astral Express.
At least she wouldn't have to worry about how to wash the train.
"It can unleash this skill without the power of Harmony... could Sunday be stuck in the engine?"
Obviously not. There wasn't that much room in the Astral Express's engine. Perhaps the other passengers were scattered across the various stops too, and she would have to retrieve them one by one.
March 7th having ended up so far away already said plenty.
Without any suspense, the train's impact scattered Inukai's pieces everywhere. There was no putting him back together.
The surreal sight left everyone speechless.
[?]
[What do you mean, a Dayun truck came charging out of the sky?]
[You had a skill like that and didn't use it sooner? You looked so serious and cautious that I actually thought you were scared.]
[No wonder Pom-Pom can't leave the train. Turns out the conductor's sitting on a skill that brutal.]
[Imagine if that pantsless plush toy could get off the train!]
[If I remember right, the Astral Express can move without tracks. Doesn't that mean Pom-Pom really can drive it into people?]
[Give it a rest. What if you hit a wall and damage the front of the train?]
[String Bean, String Bean, Himeko's shown even greater strength. What angle should we haters take to keep trashing her?]
[Does the will of Trailblaze mean running over anyone you don't like?]
[After all that, you still have to put it together yourself.]
[The big boss just died like that? No earth-shattering battle where Himeko starts off outmatched, runs out of everything, then suddenly powers up on the brink of death and unleashes a massive burst of willpower to turn the tables?]
[When you're driving a Dayun, would you really fear some wild animal darting out from the roadside?]
[Not so. As everyone knows, the Tiger is the king of beasts. A truck going full speed couldn't withstand a single cannon shot from a Tiger.]
[Which Tiger are you talking about???]
At the amusement park,
Even with Himeko alone, her will of Trailblaze was not to be underestimated.
After swiftly and cleanly dealing with Inukai, who had fused with all kinds of monsters from the instance, Himeko received the hidden reward.
[You uncovered the conspiracy hidden within the amusement park and turned this place upside down. Your determination to get to the bottom of things has earned recognition.]
[From now on, the amusement park stop will be permanently open to you. Wherever you are, simply turn around, and you can return to the amusement park. Leaving the amusement park will also allow you to head to the next stop, whether unexplored or currently being explored. Once the amusement park resumes operations, special travelers may appear. Perhaps they will wish to accompany you.]
"The hidden reward is actually a plot of land?"
Once she blazed a trail through an area, it belonged to the Astral Express...
That sounded seriously messed up. How had she ended up looking like some sort of colonizer?
After his internal organs were crushed beneath the train and he lost all vitality, the fleshy plants spread throughout the area rapidly withered into puddles of sludge. The ground shook, and space began to shatter.
The amusement park's two sides gradually merged. As the disturbance slowly subsided, the night receded, and time aligned with the outside world, returning to sunset.
The damaged buildings, including the Haunted House and the Restaurant, all returned to their original state. The only difference was that the entire amusement park was covered in black sludge left behind by the rotting fleshy plants, practically identical to the black-sludge coffee Himeko brewed.
A pungent, sour smell drilled into Himeko's nostrils. All she wanted was to find a cleaner immediately.
After the amusement park resumed operations, numerous uniformed employees emerged from the Wax Museum and began tending to the park in an orderly fashion.
Piloting Shut Up, Himechi Cat followed the crowd over to Himeko, drawing out her words.
"Woooow-it stinks. Does this mean we cleared it?"
"Yes. There's nothing much left to explore in the amusement park."
Exploration Progress was maxed out, and the boss was dealt with. All that remained was to plant an Astral Express flag in the amusement park and declare who owned the place.
"Time to set off again and head to the next stop!"
Sitting on Shut Up's head, Himechi Cat scratched excitedly at his bald scalp.
"Lady Wax Hime, please calm down."
Shut Up's steady voice played aloud. Ignoring Himeko's speechless look, he went on explaining his own terrible joke.
"Himechi Cat contains a large proportion of wax figures, hence the abbreviation: Wax Hime. An amusing joke. If you do not like it, I can provide you with more amusing jokes."
"No, no need."
Himeko held her forehead, utterly helpless against Shut Up. "Let's head back to the train first."
Before leaving the amusement park, Himechi Cat was still a little apprehensive.
As a creation of the Wax Museum, she wasn't quite certain whether she could actually leave the amusement park. Himeko saw her concern and gestured for her not to worry.
The Wax Museum essentially did nothing more than separate out the emotions hidden within contestants' hearts and store them in wax figures.
Being unable to leave the Wax Museum was a restriction imposed by the wax-figure body. After Himeko's extensive modifications, she could naturally leave as she pleased. Not to mention that Himeko intended to upgrade Himechi Cat again and turn her into a full-fledged Imagenae.
For an outstanding graduate of the World-Painting Academy, wouldn't that be a piece of cake?
She walked out through the gates with Himechi Cat and Shut Up.
Though Himechi Cat felt unwell, she didn't abruptly ascend to Fox Planet with a snap. She simply hung her head listlessly, like a frostbitten eggplant, a detective unable to pay his banana fees, a manga artist captured by the company, Sesame Crisp after going hungry for three minutes, or the Trailblazers after tasting Himeko's new dishes.
While Himeko was away, Pom-Pom had worked hard to clean the Observation Car inside and out. Though it was still missing plenty of things, it was much tidier than before.
"Himeko, you're back, pom!"
Holding a bucket, Pom-Pom looked up and saw Shut Up beside Himeko, along with Himechi Cat on Shut Up's head.
"Himechi Cat? But our current stop isn't Dual-Phase Paradise, pom... could the train's positioning system be malfunctioning, pom!?"
Pom-Pom's first reaction was to hurry off and repair the train's positioning system, lest the train get lost and stray into some strange, dangerous region.
Only after Himeko explained the whole story did Pom-Pom understand.
"So that's what happened, pom. But with the train in its current state, there doesn't seem to be a suitable room for Himechi Cat to stay in, pom."
Pom-Pom pattered back and forth, pondering how to reopen the sealed cars.
Before you continue