I, the Lord of the Fifth Throne, am the source of all things!

They were covered in tattered clothes, their skin was a grayish-black color as if infected by a virus, and their hands hung limply at their sides.

In their chest cavity, a heart was emitting a conspicuous red light, surrounded by veins resembling tree roots, spreading throughout the body like blood vessels.

"Ouch!!!!"

A beast-like cry came from the mouth of a zombie-like figure.

Then, countless lifeless-eyed 'people' all turned to look at Duanmu Lian and her two companions, and pounced on them like wild beasts, using both hands and feet.

Then---

Bang bang bang bang bang! ! !

Clang! ...

Kurumi Tokisaki unleashed her spirit energy bullets along with the scythe beneath her purple skirt, and the two of them, expressionless, shattered and severed all the beasts that pounced at them like wild animals.

Between the two, Duanmu Lian, who remained calm and made no move, slowly took out the Book of Omniscience and began to gather information.

The thing in front of me that looks like a zombie is called a Kabane.

It was during the time when the waves of the Industrial Revolution, originating in Britain, were sweeping across the world, and a certain rumor began to spread gradually through the streets and alleys.

Humans who should have died are resurrected and transformed into ferocious monsters that devour people.

Kabane are non-human, immortal beings that transform into man-eating monsters.

These "immortal monsters," thought to be superstition and buried in the last era, have reappeared in the world.

At first, these were just rumors.

But as small Eastern European countries were devoured by the undead overnight, people finally realized that the rumors had become reality.

As long as the steel-covered heart remains intact, it will not perish. It feeds on the blood of the living, turning them into the same monsters. These "corpses"—later known as "Kabane" monsters—explosed and spread an unprecedented catastrophe across Europe.

"Only in this way?"

As Ryuu and Tokisaki Kurumi were clearing away the endless stream of Kabane, Duanmu Lian frowned slightly as she looked at the contents of the Book of Omniscience.

Because, in his view, this world has little value.

The only thing worth collecting is the Kabane virus, a local specialty.

The benefits one can gain in this world are far less than those in the Prototype world.

"Fine, let's just destroy this world's spirit-collecting entity... huh!?"

Duanmu Lian was planning to destroy the world after extracting the Kabane virus, collect the souls he needed, and then leave. However, he discovered unusual information in the Book of Omniscience.

The timeline of this world shows signs of being restarted several times.

It seems that something else exists above time or the world.

Meanwhile, under the Omniscient Book's scan of information across Japan, Duanmu Lian discovered several unregistered individuals like himself.

..........

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.

It sounds like a city, but it's actually a mobile armored vehicle.

In order to combat the threat of the Kabane, the shogunate that ruled Japan built fortified settlements called "post stations" in various places.

The Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress was one of the armored locomotives that could travel between post stations; it was commonly known as the Junjo.

Junjo was operated by the shogunate, and the crew members collected from various post stations took turns on duty.

Each post station was able to make a living by trading their own products, while the shogunate, which managed the logistics, wielded immense power.

Contrary to its robust and imposing appearance, the Kabaneri was not designed for combat but for transporting supplies; it was not designed to defeat the Kabane but for escaping them.

At this moment, inside the carriages of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, a group of people whose attire and appearance are completely out of step with this era are gathered in the carriages.

At this moment, a woman with a refined and beautiful face and long, straight black hair glanced at her companions and said in a cool voice:

"Our mission this time, besides surviving in this post-apocalyptic world, is to kill our target, Mima Tentori. If we succeed, each of us will receive 4000 Reincarnation Points. If conditions permit, we can try to trigger other missions. However, we can only eliminate a few of the Kabane in this world. If their numbers increase, or if we encounter a large 'fusion group,' it will be quite disadvantageous for us..."

"Captain Mikasa, what should we do after we arrive at Kenjin Station?"

"Stay hidden and keep a close watch on that nameless woman, after all, she is one of Tennori Mima's people."

The black-haired woman, or rather, Mikasa Ackerman, the reincarnation apostle from the Tower of Reincarnation, was currently instructing her team members on their respective tasks.

They are all people who do not belong to this world.

They are all reincarnation apostles who come to perform missions and obtain the reward of survival.

The essence of this world is actually a trial world used to temper the reincarnation apostles, under the control of a place called the "Reincarnation Tower".

This team, led by Mikasa who entered the Tower of Reincarnation from the Trial World: Attack on Titan, is essentially a rookie team that has only recently started.

P.S.: Please vote and recommend! 8000-word update.............................................................

Chapter Seventy-Four: Preparing to Make a Move

"They're about to enter the station! Come quick, help!!!"

At this moment, a group of Reincarnation Apostles, led by Mikasa, began fighting inside the Kabaneri Castle.

Every time Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress approaches an abandoned station, they must be wary of hordes of Kabane attacks.

This is when Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is at its most dangerous.

The Reincarnation Apostles, armed with sharp kunai and high-frequency blades, faced little obstacle in dealing with the Kabane, who resembled zombies in this world.

Most of the samurai who entered the steam age carried steam guns instead of swords.

Because ordinary samurai swords simply cannot kill Kabane.

To kill a Kabane, besides beheading them, you must destroy their heart.

However, the Kabane's heart is covered by a steel membrane.

Unless it breaks through the membrane and destroys the heart inside, the Kabane will continue to crave human blood and remain active.

Using the steam gun, the primary weapon of the era, to destroy the heart membrane was extremely difficult, and it was virtually impossible for ordinary samurai to defend against the Kabane invasion.

"Get away from me!!!"

"hateful!!!"

Samurai wielding steam guns roared and pulled the triggers inside the carriage, firing continuously at the Kabane outside.

Unfortunately, the bullets fired from the steam gun could only knock them away at best, and could not cause fatal damage that could stop them from moving.

"Thorn--!"

With a blank expression, Mikasa held a high-frequency blade and easily severed the Kabane's hand that had reached into the carriage.

A high-frequency blade is a high-tech cold weapon that heats the blade by high-frequency vibrating particles, causing objects to be automatically peeled away at the particle and molecular level, thus achieving the effect of cutting through iron like mud. It can basically cut through most substances composed of basic particles.

In other words, this method causes the blade to vibrate at high speed, thus sawing through objects like pulling a large saw.

Cutting Kabane with this knife is as easy as cutting tofu.

While the other team members did not display extraordinary strength, they still managed to suppress the Kabane who tried to rush into the carriage using only their weapons.

In the end, they made it through the abandoned station, or rather, the fortress that had been captured by the Kabane, without any major incident.

The remaining enemies are the scattered Kabane soldiers clinging to the top of the Iron Fortress. Once they are all knocked off the train, we will be safe.

..........

On the other side, Duanmu Lian, holding the Book of Omniscience, knew everything that had happened inside the Iron Fortress from a great distance.

As for Tokisaki Kurumi and Ryuu, they had already cleared out all the Kabane around them.

The place where they came into this world was actually a fortified town that had recently fallen.

Those who didn't become Kabane have all run away long ago.

"Something is definitely not right. The clothing can be explained by foreign attire, but those high-tech cold weapons are something that this world can't do in the present era."

Dense particles of light drifted out from the pages of the Book of Omniscience and then coalesced around Duanmu Lian into Honjou Nia, who was wearing a nun's habit.

"Could you please change your clothes before coming out, or at least wear something thicker?"

Duanmu Lian glanced at Honjou Nia, who was standing next to her with a serious expression, and then said in a calm and collected tone.

However, upon hearing this, Honjou Nia smiled happily and whispered playfully in Duanmu Lian's ear:

"Oh my, are you shy? Don't you think big sister's spirit outfit is quite sexy?"

"......"

Duanmu Lian's gaze was calm, completely ignoring Honjou Nia beside her.

The other person's outfit, which was so transparent that you could vaguely see their panties, could be described as indecent no matter how many times you saw it.

Although Duanmu Lian didn't care about the other person's personal appearance, she still hoped that the other person could wear thicker clothes.

Because Honjou Nia had no feminine charm in his eyes, when she wore that outfit and twirled in front of him, Duanmu Lian felt as if a handsome young man was wearing lingerie and acting provocatively in front of her.

It lacks romance, yet inexplicably has a hint of homoeroticism.

"A vulgar/troublesome woman."

Ryuu and Tokisaki Kurumi glanced at Honjou Nia, who was making a fool of himself in mid-air, but did not stop him.

After all, they were quite familiar with Honjou Nia's personality; she was a complete slut who loved doing erotic things.

However, Duanmu Lian is not like Itsuka Shido, who would blush and have his heart race if she were made to blush by this timid woman.

"We may encounter our peers, or we may intrude into a world controlled by others."

He raised his hand and lightly flicked Honjou Nia to stop her prank, then looked at Ryuu and Tokisaki Kurumi and said.

Competitors? A world controlled by others!?

Ryuu, Kurumi, and Nia were stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

"Fellow travelers" refers to those who are like them, a group of people who travel through the world.

The fact that others controlled the world reminded Liu Zi and Er Ya of the vast marble universe that Duan Mu Lian had in the spatial interior.

"...Are you, like us, a traveler who doesn't belong to this world?"