Maro proceeded to the engine room after eliminating most of the mercenaries on the train, but it was too late to prevent the train from overspeeding.

Maro and I were on a train that was nearing the end of the track. Despite Maro's efforts to stop it, the train couldn't be halted. While he tried to prevent the crash, I kept an eye out for any mercenaries who might be after us. Some of them managed to jump off the train and save themselves, but others stayed until the end to complete their mission, the same mission their leader had failed to accomplish.

My heart pounding, I stood ready for whatever was about to happen. My new mission was to protect Maro at all costs and give him the time he needed to stop the train from crashing and derailing. Suddenly, four assassins charged towards me. But these were not like the others I had faced before. They were faster, more agile, and more experienced. They fought with a level of skill and precision that caught me off guard. Despite their increased strength, I stood my ground and prepared to defend myself and Maro.

As I stood there, two assassins approached me at a fast pace, while the rest simply stood still. I found it odd that the other assassins were not moving. I turned back to see if Maro was safe, and when I looked back again, the two assassins that were approaching me had vanished. It was as if they had never been there, but were just an afterimage that faded away.

As the first two assassins attacked, one threw a kunai at me. I was able to dodge it, but the other one caught me off guard and kicked me from the right side. I felt my energy starting to deplete and knew I had to act fast. With quick thinking, I managed to grab one of the assassin's legs and throw him out of the moving train. The second assassin was taken care of with a swift slash from the leader's katana, leaving him split in half. I knew I had to be fast and precise to survive.

The situation didn't appear to be concluding anytime soon. The two individuals who were left standing hesitated for a few moments before one of them began to approach me slowly and deliberately. I could see him tightening the grip on his weapon as he got closer. Suddenly, without warning, he lunged towards me with a fierce attack.

“Maro! You better be working fast. I can’t seem to hold on to these assassins now!”

“Just give me a little while Sir! I’m almost done!”

“A little While is what I don’t have Maro! These two don’t seem to be like the other assassins.”

The last two assassins appeared to be similar to the Humanoids I had previously fought. The first one was clever and moved with great precision. Suddenly, he created an afterimage on my left side and attacked my head from the right side. Fortunately, I was able to dodge his attack, and fell to the ground.

The other assassin was just standing behind and not moving an inch. It was as if he were calculating my movement to somehow beat me. As the first assassin jumped and threw a kunai toward my face the second one disappeared without even leaving a trace. I felt a big bump as if something was stopping. As it Turned out Maro had fixed the braking system back and made the train stop.

Maro burst out firing his gun. He quickly created some distance between me and the first assassin. Maro's aim was so precise that he was able to shoot the arm and leg of the assassin. However, it soon became clear that these were the same humanoids that I had fought in the past.

“Sir, now I do believe that we should rethink the situation and retreat instead of fighting these “things”. They don’t seem to be bleeding or showing emotion of getting hurt.”

Maro's words were interrupted by the sudden appearance of the other assassin who leaped through the window and pulled me up onto the train's roof. He removed his cowl, revealing a face that, despite its human appearance, was no longer entirely human.

As I looked at the humanoid before me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The left eye was marred by a massive scar, while the jaw was made of cold, unforgiving metal. Wires snaked their way from the figure's brain to his broad shoulders, giving a distinct impression that he was not a human.

“It seems we have encountered each other earlier than it was written. Well, no matter. Your history shall be changed and rewritten.”

“What are you on about?”

“Oh, it seems your loyal servant hasn’t told you anything even when he told you about your so-called past life.”

“Who sent you?”

“You already know. Or perhaps you soon might be able to encounter that person.”

The assassin was not my main concern anymore as the tracks were about to end. If the train crashed on the highway road, many lives would be lost, and I couldn't afford to let my guard down, not even for a second.

“Can’t we settle this peacefully? I don’t know who sent you and what I did to offend your people. But you can tell your leader or whoever the person sent you that I don’t want any problems with him or his people.”

“Now I can’t do that so easily. However, if you give me some of your fingers or your head off then perhaps, we can agree.”

“Haha... that won’t be happening. It seems you don’t understand the reason for my being here in Japan. But I guess I’ll have to risk a fight then. To have my life forsaken and yours to be taken.”

“You are just as arrogant and selfish as the order told us you were. Well, no matter, that’ll all be over in a minute. I’ll kill you off and that butler of yours then I’ll make sure this train crashes and you get the blame for it-”

I rushed towards him and made a small cut on his face before he could even finish his sentence. However, my move was reckless, as he quickly blocked my attack and delivered a powerful punch to my chest, pushing me back. I couldn't predict his attack patterns. He landed a punch from the left, then from beneath, and another from the left again. It was as if he could anticipate where I would try to block his attacks.

The series of attacks were relentless, coming one after the other in an unpredictable pattern. I was caught off guard and before I knew it, I was hit hard by a sudden and unexpected blow that made me lose my balance. It all happened so fast that I couldn't even see what was coming towards me.

“Look at you, Pathetic. This is what the Organization's Ripper can do. It wasn’t even a fight for me, it was like I was bullying you to the core. Come on Ripper, I’ll give you a head start now. Punch me, right here in the face.”

I was on my knees, my vision was blurred. It seemed as if I had lost, but I was not going to give up now, not after finding a person who knew about my life.

I urged my body to get up, pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion. We needed to at least cut off one of his arms. If I was going to fall, I might as well take down one of the enemies with me.

“Sigh…. You’re making this boring and tough for me. I took this contract so I could have fun, and have the time of my life. Yet I get this disappointment. A child who is so weak that he could only beat some low-level bullies.”

“No, I’m not weak... you want a time of your life. I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you strike after strike.”

“Sure you will, and I look forward to that. But not right now. You are far too weak even to land a punch on me. Get stronger first, then find me. I could kill you now, but looking at your pathetic state I feel petty.”

“Hah... just do what you came to do. The track is ending already. If you don’t kill me, your partner might kill you then.”

“Oh, you mean that guy behind me? Look closely reaper. It seems as if your sight of view is also weakened.”

“An afterimage. How is it possible? You were fighting me all the time.”

“Was I? Think it through. And next time we meet, I’ll be killing you. Remember your past, and remember who you were and what you did Ripper. And another thing I’ll be paying a visit to your beloved.”

He jumped off the train after uttering his final words. Maro rushed to assist me, despite his injuries. However, I was unable to move or even twitch a muscle.

“We have to stop the train… The train… *cough*”

“I’m sorry sir, the train has been damaged quite enough. There is no option to stop this train. We must jump.”

“I’m not leaving this catastrophe to kill innocent civilians. If you know me well then help me stop this train.”

“Alright, sir. I will aid you in stopping the train. But first”

As he said that I felt a slight finger pressure on my neck. Maro knocked me out and asked me to forgive him for his actions. But how could I? How could I have trusted him in a matter of minutes for a dire task like this? I promised myself that I wouldn’t have people get killed in front of me.

I was slowly fainting but I heard voices. Voices of explosion, and crashes and screaming. A horror that I only witnessed in my dreams slowly coming to life. But these voices also started to faint away.

Not sometime later, I opened my eyes. I saw the bright blue sky, a grassy field, and a tree on which I was resting my body. As I got up and tried to walk all I saw was a vast land and no human near.

Where am I? What is this place? Have I died? I questioned myself. But no matter how much I tried there was no answer to be found. I must have died. This could be heaven.

“This isn’t heaven.”

I thought so. I should be in hell right now.

“You are not dead”

I should stop talking to myself.

“Look behind you.”

Why am I thinking like this?

“RYUSUKE!”

What was that shaking? Why would I call my name like that? Stupid questions were coming to my mind.

“Would you shut the hell up with the thinking and look behind, you idiot?”

Wait are those voices are not mine? The voices didn’t come from my mind but there was a person behind me. That person was someone whose face I would never forget. A person whom I hated and felt angered towards.

That person was me.