“Toma, now!”

“I know!”

“Combined attack!”

Both voices rang out at once, sharp with focus, and in the next instant two figures launched through the air. Their movements blurred beyond human perception, two wooden katanas flashing as they converged on their target from opposite sides.

The blades thrust forward, aiming to skewer Inspector Carter at the exact same heartbeat.

But Carter slipped between them with a movement so quick it felt unreal.

The boys’ strikes slammed into other instead.

“Damn it, that hurt!” Toma stumbled back, clutching his side.

“You’re telling me!?” Arlen winced, teeth gritted. “If these were real swords, you would’ve stabbed me right in the gut!”

“Yeah… sorry…” He shook out his aching arm before glaring across at Carter. “But Inspector Carter, how can you be so fast? It was like you teleported…”

“I’m already approaching the speed of light,” Carter answered, his tone calm and matter‑of‑fact.

Both boys froze for a second, the words sinking in.

“Approaching… the speed of light…?”

“As I told you before,” Carter went on, “it’ll take months—or even years—of training to reach that level. If you have captain‑level talent, maybe you can do it within a year. If not, expect about three years.”

“Holy crap…” Toma’s eyes widened.

“Training every single day… and it still takes three years to get there? That’s insane!” Arlen couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his voice.

“Don’t worry, Arlen.” Carter’s gaze swept between them. “It might sound insane now, but don’t treat it like some far‑off dream. Make it your unshakable goal—something you will achieve, no matter what.”

The two straightened, their wooden swords still in hand, their chests rising and falling with exertion.

“Understood!” they answered together, their voices firm.

“Oh, and there’s something else,” Carter said, as if casually remembering.

Toma tilted his head. “What is it?”

“For over a month now,” Carter began, “we’ve been training non‑stop. But during that time, I’ve also been monitoring demon activity. Recently, it hasn’t been anything major… but something interesting did happen this week.”

Toma’s eyes lit up. “What happened?”

Carter’s lips curved faintly, knowing that spark of eagerness. “I thought this would get your attention, Toma. Recently, there’s been a rising number of people vanishing without a trace from trains departing the station at the far end of the city. I suspect it’s connected to the criminals we’ve been tracking. And since I promised that once you grew stronger, you could take on a mission… well, both of you have made tremendous progress over the past few weeks through intense training. That’s why I’m assigning this mission to you two.”

After that, Inspector Carter drove them to the train station in his sleek black limousine. The city lights glimmered off its polished surface as they pulled up beside the massive terminal, where the futuristic trains stood ready like silver spears aimed toward the horizon.

“Alright, Arlen,” Carter said as they stepped out onto the platform, “let’s go over the plan one more time. We’ll be riding and investigating these trains all day.”

“Hey, these aren’t just any trains!” Arlen shot back, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. “This is the X2000 TDI! They’re the fastest and most advanced trains in the world! They only launched service last year, and they can reach speeds of 2,000 kilometers per hour!”

Toma raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “So what? I can fight at 100,000 kilometers per second.”

“Yeah, but that’s still nowhere near the speed of light—about 300,000 kilometers per second—like Inspector Carter was talking about!” Arlen fired back quickly. “And these trains don’t accelerate using aima; they run purely on technological innovation!”

“Whatever,” Toma muttered with a shrug. “Let’s just get on one already.”

As the two boys bickered lightly, Carter hung back for a moment, his expression unreadable. The steady hum of engines and the rhythmic calls of announcements filled the station around them.

I’m sorry, boys, Carter thought silently, his eyes narrowing as they swept across the bustling platforms. During this past month we spent training, I continued my investigation… and I’ve located the criminals’ hideout. But it’s far too dangerous. That’s why I’ve decided it’s best to leave you out of this. I hope you’ll understand someday.

“So this is the place…” Kiron’s voice carried a cold edge as he stood on the balcony of a towering penthouse, the city skyline blazing behind him like a sea of neon. “Quite a nice penthouse. But it’s time to break in.”