After the snowstorm that raged all night, morning in Niigata Prefecture was greeted with a clear blue sky and bright winter sun, reflecting dazzling light on the expanse of white snow.
On the Shinkansen track covered with thick snow, seven figures moved at an extraordinary speed for ordinary humans—about 80 km/h.
Actually, there were eight people; one female figure was carried on a man's back, protected from the cold wind by his thick jacket and tight embrace.
They were Azlan, Akane, and the six automatons called Squadron.
Since the six Automatons didn't have the ability to fly, Azlan decided to return home on foot or more precisely running.
Of course, he had tried to find vehicles that still functioned in the surrounding area, but found none that were usable. So, he carried Akane on his back and began running accompanied by Squadron.
To maintain speed balanced with the six automatons that could run stably without signs of fatigue, Azlan strengthened his body with Touki. A faint white aura enveloped his legs every time he stepped, leaving shallower tracks in the snow than they should have been.
"They don't know the meaning of giving up. They've been following us all this time."
Hugging Azlan's neck tightly, Akane looked back.
Those she referred to were none other than Titans. Titans with size variations from 5 meters to 20 meters ran with strange or awkward movements in the distance, trying to chase and prey on their group.
"Just ignore them. They'll stop on their own when we're out of their sight range."
But each time Azlan spoke, his breath formed white vapor in the cold air. The blue scarf Akane gave him was wrapped tightly around his neck, providing extra warmth.
"Azlan-kun! There are Titans ahead!"
"I know."
Without needing Akane's reminder, Azlan whose eyes were enhanced with Ki to provide clairvoyance or long-distance vision effects, had already seen the threat first.
"Kamakiri. Finish them."
"Yes, Master."
The blue-haired automaton girl with a ponytail—Kamakiri—immediately reacted.
*ZING!*
She drew her weapon, a large scythe with a coldly gleaming blade. The space around her suddenly vibrated with faint magic energy fluctuations, and then, her silhouette simply vanished from her position.
*SWISH!*
Kamakiri reappeared right at the neck of one of the 12-meter tall Titans several dozen meters ahead of Azlan. She landed gracefully on the giant's shoulder, and without hesitation, her scythe swung in a perfect cutting line.
*SWOOSH!* *PUCHI!*
The horrible sound of flesh and bone being severed. The Titan's head was decapitated and flew in the air before falling heavily into the snow. Its large body collapsed forward, causing a loud vibration in the ground.
But Kamakiri was no longer there. She had disappeared again, appearing at the next Titan's neck, and repeating the same deadly action.
Spatial Transition.
That was the magic ability embedded in Kamakiri's magic circuit. With this magic, she could instantly teleport according to her will, and could even bring others to teleport, making her a very great threat.
"Teleportation... a very useful ability."
Akane was mesmerized watching Kamakiri annihilate the frightening Titans as if cutting cabbage.
"If only teleportation could be commercialized in my original world, daily life would be much easier..."
"Once my Senjutsu level is high enough, I can also learn teleportation."
Azlan commented while jumping over the still-warm Titan corpse, followed agilely by Hotaru, Tamamushi, Kagerou, Himegumi, and Mitsubachi.
"I believe it won't be long before Azlan-kun reaches that stage." Akane said with full confidence.
"Where does that confidence come from, Akane?" Glancing at her, Azlan was amazed.
"Consider it a woman's intuition." Akane answered with a mysterious smile.
"Completely illogical..." Azlan grumbled, but there was a small smile that accidentally appeared on his lips.
As they chatted, Kamakiri had finished clearing the path of the remaining Titans. With graceful movements, she teleported once more and returned to her position in the running formation, as if nothing had happened.
Their journey became smooth again, speeding along the snow-covered rails, leaving footprints and freezing Titan corpses behind, heading to their home on the rooftop of a distant skyscraper.
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The straight distance from Gala Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture to Shinjuku in Tokyo was about 180 km. If Azlan and Squadron could maintain a constant speed of 80 km/h, they would ideally reach Shinjuku in about 2 hours 15 minutes.
Of course, it was impossible for Azlan to maintain his peak speed constantly, especially while carrying Akane. Moreover, there was another invisible burden: he had to continuously supply magical power (Mana) to the six automatons to maintain their autonomous and combat functions. Without the flow of magical power from the puppeteer, they would become luxurious moving dolls.
Fortunately, Azlan had power reserves he stole from the Winter Shogun through Divide and stored in his Divine Dividing. Those reserves now became a very valuable 'battery'. If only relying on his own limited Ki capacity, he wouldn't be able to support all six automatons simultaneously for long.
After about 45 minutes of running at high speed through snow-covered countryside and suburbs, Azlan decided to stop. His breathing began to get slightly labored, and he could feel his Ki reserves decreasing, though not yet critical.
"Let's rest for a moment."
He slowed his pace and finally stopped in front of a building that appeared to be a former roadside convenience store. Its glass windows were broken, and the shelves inside empty, but the structure was still intact and could provide protection from the cold wind.
They entered inside. The atmosphere was quiet and dusty, but at least warmer than outside. Azlan carefully lowered Akane from his back.
"You must be tired."
Akane immediately took out a clean handkerchief from her 4D Pocket and gently wiped the sweat from Azlan's forehead and temples that had begun to sweat coldly despite the very cold air.
"Sit down first."
Azlan nodded, sitting on an overturned empty box. Akane then took out a bottle of cold mineral water from her 4D Pocket, opened the cap, and offered it to Azlan.
"Drink. Don't get dehydrated."
"Thank you."
Azlan accepted the bottle and gulped the refreshing cold water. It felt very soothing in his dry throat.
Meanwhile, the six automatons—Hotaru, Tamamushi, Kamakiri, Kagerou, Himegumo, and Mitsubachi—showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
No heavy breathing, no sweat on their smooth foreheads. After all, they weren't living creatures; they were dolls moved by Eve's Heart.
Without needing orders, they immediately acted. Hotaru gave a small signal, and the six of them scattered silently to various corners of the not-too-large convenience store.
In a few moments, the sound of small impacts and final groans was heard from the back corridor—probably remnants of hiding zombies—before returning to silence.
After ensuring the area was safe, they returned to positions around Azlan and Akane, forming a loose but effective defensive formation. Four of them faced the door and windows, while the other two vigilantly watched the inside of the room.
Akane, who was sitting beside Azlan, observed them with admiration.
"They're really efficient and obedient, aren't they? As if they've been working together for years."
"Mm." Azlan said while gulping water again. "They were indeed designed as one unit. Squadron."
He looked at those automatons, his eyes full of consideration. With these six loyal guards and Akane's healing abilities, their survival in this dangerous world had increased drastically.