In the war-torn galaxy in the 41st millennium, the chainsword could be said to be the most representative weapon of the Space Marines.
It was not merely a tool of slaughter—it was a roaring machine-spirit, an extension of the warrior's own limbs, the embodiment of the Emperor's divine wrath.
In battle, this weapon did not only cleave flesh; it cleaved fear, despair, and every obstacle that stood in a Space Marine's path forward.
Unfortunately, after Ignis crossed over, the body he obtained was tall and robust, and he was assigned as an Aggressor wearing Mark X Gravis Power Armor—thus having no chance to wield such a weapon of mechanical beauty.
He had often envied his brothers whose chainswords roared in their grasp. During his spare time, he even forged one for himself. But as a warrior, he had his duties, and no superior officer would reassign him just because a chainsword looked cooler.
He could only console himself that his power fists were stronger, and they had a disintegration field. But... but... but it just wasn't as cool as a chainsword.
And now, before his eyes appeared a serrated blade so sharp it tore through the carriage's metal without the slightest sign of wear—just like the indomitable resolve of warriors. The power unit roared loudly, its wild machine-spirit yearning to unleash its fury.
If it had a flaw, it was that the weapon did not use a chain blade but a circular saw, and by appearance, it was actually a long-handled electric saw meant for trimming tree branches.
What's more, hanging from its power unit was a pink teddy-bear head. If only it were a skull instead—it would've looked much better.
"Ah, s-sorry! I think I scared you all!" The petite maid switched off the saw and immediately bowed in apology.
She was exceptionally small—even smaller than Nekomata. The maid had violet eyes and ash-green hair tied into twin tails.
Over her black dress, she wore a white apron adorned with buckles, chains, and screws. On her back was a brown teddy bear toy with an open abdomen, inside which a pulsing red device could be seen.
"A maid… with a chainsaw?" Ignis was momentarily dumbfounded. It wasn't a combination one often saw.
Corin Wickes.
"My name is Corin Wickes," the little maid said as she introduced herself, propping the saw upright in the ground. "I'm an employee of Victoria Housekeeping Co. Pleased to meet you, Investigator. I've opened the carriage for you."
"You're seriously a housekeeping employee?" Belle circled Corin with amused curiosity.
"The Bangboo spoke?" Corin froze for a moment at the sound of the mechanical voice, then bowed again. "Are you an Investigator from the Hollow Investigative Association's Bangboo Division? I didn't mean to question your identity."
"Relax. As long as you don't ask unnecessary questions, we'll get you out of here," Belle stated, setting her condition.
Corin looked as if she wanted to ask something but, realizing it wasn't the right time, she nodded sharply in agreement.
"Alright, let's move. The train won't wait." Ignis reached forward, tore open the rest of the carriage, and moved through.
After being carried through by Nekomata, Belle looked at the towering giant walking ahead and thought he was acting off today.
Usually, he was the calmest and most composed among them—but today, he was impatient.
It must be because Nicole and the others were trapped in the blast zone. When they'd gone searching for the safe earlier, he hadn't been like this.
Belle felt she had to say something to steady Ignis's nerves. Controlling Eous, she accelerated to catch up.
"Ignis, don't worry. We'll make it."
"We must make it," the Salamander corrected her firmly. "According to Nekomata, there are at least several hundred people there. If their demolition plan succeeds…"
He didn't finish his sentence. His enormous fists clenched until they creaked.
Belle felt as though she was facing a volcano—a volcano straining to contain the magma about to erupt.
"Trust me. The route I calculated is flawless," Belle tried to reassure the giant. "Once we redirect the train toward the tunnel entrance, the plan won't fail."
"Understood." Ignis nodded, slamming his fist into the bridge railing and prying loose a slab of construction material.
"I think this will do." The Salamander showed the piece to the Proxy. "Weight and size are both suitable."
"I-I'll help too." Corin, though unsure why they needed to destroy the bridge, figured it was important and started up her saw.
The petite maid sliced off another chunk of railing.
"I'll carry that," Ignis said, stepping forward to lift the concrete block.
"It's… it's fine, I can manage." Corin bent her slender arms and hoisted the concrete up with surprising ease.
Kids these days are this strong? She's so small, yet she lifted it like nothing…
"Wow, what strength!" Nekomata's eyes went wide.
"Where should I take it?" Corin asked, looking at the stunned trio, unsure which direction to go.
"Ah—this way." Belle hurried to lead.
Corin truly was an obedient girl—just as she promised, she didn't ask any extra questions.
She remained almost completely silent; Nekomata had been trying to strike up a conversation with her the entire time, but failed.
After they jammed the remaining two track changers with the construction debris, Belle reported that the train's path had been modified and was now heading toward the tunnel.
"Then we'd better hurry," Nekomata said, stretching lazily. "The train won't wait, nya."
"I have a proposal," Ignis crouched slightly. "Your speed is too slow. Climb onto my shoulders—I can move faster."
"C-can we?" Corin looked up at the giant hesitantly.
"Yes. Time is critical." The Salamander extended his hand. The tiny maid, while holding Eous, clambered up his arm and settled onto his shoulder plate.
"You're not planning anything funny, are you, nya?" Nekomata teased, but still obediently climbed onto the other shoulder. "Alright, let's move."
"Hold tight." The Salamander broke into a sprint under the Proxy's guidance.
His massive frame made a thunderous commotion as he ran. To reach their destination faster, Ignis charged straight through every obstacle in his way, like a human bulldozer carving a path by sheer force.
The noise inevitably drew several Ethereals, but none could stop him.
Those that did try were simply smashed aside, sent flying and embedded into walls or rubble.
"This is so thrilling, nya!"
The cat's balance was extraordinary. Even though Ignis ran as smoothly as he could, the motion was still rough—especially when skirmishing briefly with Ethereals along the way.
Yet Nekomata had no trouble at all. Finding the shoulder too dull, she clambered onto the Fragstorm Grenade Launcher mounted on his back, like a lookout perched atop a pirate ship's mast.
"There's a small group of Ethereals ahead, nya!" she called out. "Speed up and smash through, nya!"
"Corin, are you alright back there? Holding up?" Belle couldn't turn around, so she shouted.
"I'm fine, holding tight!" Corin answered. "It's just… my first time traveling like this. Am I too heavy?"
"It's fine. Completing the objective comes first." The Salamander barreled through another Ethereal. "How much farther?"
"Almost there. Turn left—cut through that cargo yard. There's a rift inside; Corin can exit through there," Belle reported.
"R-really, thank you so much…" Corin's words of gratitude were cut short as Ignis crashed straight through the cargo yard wall.
"Waaah!" Nekomata nearly fell off, clutching the grenade launcher tightly. "That debris almost hit me, nya!"
"There's a big one coming. Stay alert." Ignis's enhanced hearing caught the heavy thuds of footsteps; he stopped immediately and let the passengers dismount.
"I-I'll help too." Corin said, starting up her saw once again.
"So, it's a fight with the Ethereals after all." Nekomata drew her pair of short blades with D-type guards. "Let's make it quick, nya."
The Salamander didn't reply. The disintegration fields on his power fists flared to life, electric arcs dancing blue along their surface.
With a roar, a massive monster—taller than Ignis himself—charged forth. It resembled an oversized gorilla, its undersized lower body forming an inverted triangle.
"It's a Farbauti," Belle warned. "That giant Ethereal's strength is immense—don't get hit!"
"The big one's mine. Handle the rest," Ignis said, and charged toward Farbauti.
The Ethereal's Ether-crystal body gleamed lead-gray, its fists enormous. Seeing Ignis coming, it swung its right arm and shifted its weight to the left, slamming down a heavy punch.
Such a crude attack couldn't possibly hit the Salamander.
Ignis sidestepped with practiced agility, closing the distance, and slammed a fist toward the black-hole-like core in its chest.
But Farbauti was far more cunning and swift than expected; using its already-swung arm, it rolled aside at the last second, evading the strike.
Thinking itself in Ignis's blind spot, Farbauti swung again from the side.
This time, Ignis wasn't playing around—he met fist with fist.
A deafening boom resounded, so loud Nekomata clutched her ears, regretting her sharp Thiren hearing.
Meanwhile, Corin shouted repeated apologies—"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"—as her deafening chainsaw shredded Ethereals left and right.
One Tyrfing took advantage of Nekomata's distraction, slashing downward—but feline reflexes weren't so easily caught.
She twisted aside, the blade grazing her clothes without harm, and countered instantly. Her twin knives flashed in a flurry, severing both of Tyrfing's arms and destroying its core.
That was Nekomata's way of fighting—close in, swift strikes with twin blades and agile kicks, always aiming for the vital points.
The two titanic fists collided again; the disintegration field activated, erasing part of Farbauti's right arm. The creature staggered backward, alarmed.
"Careful! It's drawing Ether from the air!" Belle shouted. Green lines began glowing along Farbauti's gray body, shifting into iridescent hues.
Ignis wouldn't let it recover—he charged in again.
Facing an opponent missing an arm and unstable on its legs, Ignis went straight for crippling blows.
His power fist smashed into Farbauti's remaining arm—once both were gone, the upper body would collapse under its own weight.
Boom! The punch landed solidly; even Ignis felt the jolt through his armor.
But Farbauti's left arm didn't completely shatter—the active Ether field blunted part of the disintegration effect.
One punch isn't enough—then I'll add a few more.
Ignis's fists thundered in rapid succession, pounding Farbauti's torso again and again.
The giant beast seemed dazed, unmoving, letting the Salamander's relentless strikes tear apart most of its chest until its glowing core was exposed.
Just as Ignis raised his fist for the final blow, Farbauti exploded in a brilliant burst of light.
Intense Ether radiation washed over him—his HUD flashed with blinding red alerts.
The Salamander felt the armor's joints seize up, movements sluggish, every motion requiring greater effort.
Even worse, the monster's shattered limbs began regenerating—the entire struggle seemingly in vain.
He could already hear the train's approach. His armor's cogitator calculated: two minutes remaining.
No more time to waste. It would end here.
Ignis forced his armor into motion, punching Farbauti and making it stagger back.
That single misstep was enough—the Salamander shifted his stance, slammed an upward elbow, forcing another stumble.
Then he lunged forward, twisting, seizing Farbauti's regenerated arm, and hurled it over his shoulder with a brutal throw.
The beast struggled to rise, but Ignis gave it no chance—his one-ton frame crashed atop it, knees pinning its shoulders, fists raining down like meteor strikes.
The crackling disintegration field clashed against the creature's radiating energy, yet sheer brute force alone was enough to pulverize it.
Lead-gray shards flew in every direction as Farbauti's resistance faded beneath Ignis's relentless pummeling.
At last, its radiation field vanished, and the power fists, at full output, shattered its core—reducing half its torso to ash.
HUD: 30 seconds remaining.
"Sorry, M-Mr. Ethereal, I couldn't cut evenly…" Corin apologized to the scattered chunks of Ether remains as Ignis scooped her up and sprinted off.
When she looked for help, Nekomata was already perched atop Eous, ready to move.
20 seconds left.
"Till next time—if fate allows."
The Salamander said this as he followed the Proxy's instructions, reaching the Hollow's exit and setting Corin down.
"Th-thank you so much…" Her voice faded as Ignis turned sharply and dashed toward the tunnel.
The train was already approaching, speed reduced but still fast.
"Nekomata! Go!" The Salamander hurled her with all his might—she clutched Eous as they flew through the air.
"I'm not a damn baseball!" Nekomata yelled, twisting mid-air to ensure a safe landing.
She landed perfectly at the tunnel's mouth—Ignis's calculation was flawless.
"Your turn, Proxy!"
Next, Eous was thrown.
With a thud, the Bangboo landed steadily atop the train roof.
Clumsily, it stood and waddled toward a ventilation hatch, prying it open before dropping inside.
"Ugh, this mission's a pain. Did we really have to dress like this?"
"Deal with it. My shoes don't fit either."
"Hey, Captain says the route's off—what happened?"
The Bangboo had landed amidst a group of people in Public Security armor, each armed with standard bullpup rifles.
Everyone froze. A second later, dozens of guns were trained on Eous.
"This train isn't carrying just explosives! The news never mentioned that!" Belle's voice trembled—she hadn't even closed the comms channel.
"Calling command! A talking Bangboo just dropped through the roof—orders? …Yes, sir. Eliminate immediately!"
We're screwed! Belle watched in horror as they flicked their safeties off.
"Hey!" Just then, Nekomata smashed through the window, kicking one of them down.
"What the hell—?" The space was too cramped, overfilled with people. Crouched low, Nekomata darted between them, twin blades flashing as she slashed their legs.
From the torn armor, it was clear they weren't Public Security at all—their underclothes varied wildly.
Packed together, they couldn't fight back. Nekomata tore through them with kicks, slashes, and swift strikes, leaving a trail of screams.
"Something's wrong. We're pulling out." Nekomata grabbed Eous. "The big guy's waiting outside."
With a kick, she shattered another window and leapt out.
Flipping midair, she landed perfectly on her feet.
"What now? We're just letting them go?" Belle's voice quivered with urgency.
"They'll be delayed. The train's compromised, their suits damaged. Many of them will turn into Ethereals." Nekomata sheathed her short blades into her thigh guards. "This train's as good as done—they'll need to send another."
"We'll need a new plan," Belle muttered, scratching her head. "Come on, let's get out of the Hollow first."
Sure enough, when the three finally left the Hollow, the televisions in roadside shops were already broadcasting the news.
"Vision Corporation's planned demolition was halted due to an Ethereal attack in the Hollow. The new demolition time is set for tomorrow. Public Security is deploying additional forces to assist in clearing the area."
"Too risky," Ignis shook his head. "What if they don't turn into Ethereals?"
"Ethereal adaptation isn't that common," Nekomata replied, pulling open a truck's cargo door. "People killed by Ethereals often become new ones. In that cramped space, guns are useless."
"You sound awfully familiar with that. Seen it firsthand?" The Salamander eyed the cat suspiciously.
"Yeah, seen it plenty." Nekomata nodded, closing the truck's doors. "Let's get the Proxy back first, then you."
"Leaving you behind was the right call," she added, starting the engine. "You really are their trump card."