Mumei Wants to be as Strong as Kurumi

The moon had yet to rise, and only a scattering of stars were visible in the dark sky.

The group moved quickly, jogging across the bridge toward the steam crane. Kurumi had proposed an alternative plan where she would loop around the scaffolding and head directly into the boiler room to activate it.

Starting the boiler wasn't too complicated. After confirming the process with Ikoma twice, Kurumi had it memorized.

…

Kurumi moved swiftly across the narrow steel frame, her speed surpassing even the samurai running on the bridge.

"Be careful, Onee-sama," Mumei murmured, her hands clasped together in front of her as if praying to the gods.

…

Kurumi threw her blade toward the glass window at the top of the boiler room. The heavy weapon struck the glass with pinpoint accuracy, shattering it and looping securely around the window frame.

With a light pull of her hands, Kurumi's entire body sailed toward the boiler room. She angled her body and slipped through the opening with ease.

The sound of breaking glass echoed like a silver bell through the night sky.

The noise seemed to startle the Kabane in the boiler room below, and the sound of footsteps running across metal floors began to reverberate from all directions.

The entire boiler room had become a Kabane nest, and now, they were frantically searching for the intruder.

"Hmm…" Kurumi paid no attention to the swarming Kabane. She nodded lightly to herself, verifying that the control panel Ikoma described was indeed in front of her.

She turned back to check the position of the steam crane, confirming that the samurai and engineers could not see what was happening inside the boiler room.

"Ara, ara… well then… let's begin our mission, shall we?"

Kurumi extended her arms, the writhing shadows entwining around her and transforming into a black and crimson gothic outfit.

"Spirit Dress of God's Authority, Number 3"

It was only in this particular, slightly revealing outfit that Kurumi felt completely at ease.

The writhing black shadows receded, pooling across the ground.

Then, thin, card-like figures emerged from the shadows, slender and graceful. A series of girlish giggles, layering and overlapping, filled the air as multiple Kurumi clones gathered around her.

"Let's begin… an endless slaughter."

The Kabane scurrying around, making noise, were a nuisance.

If that's the case, then she might as well kill every last one.

As a wandering gunslinger, Kurumi's main body indeed lacked powerful area-attack capabilities in situations where she couldn't use firearms.

But this world's steam guns, with their heavy, bulky boilers, were just far too unsightly.

Fortunately, as Time Spirit, she was never limited to one-on-one battles.

It was an absolute massacre.

Even the overwhelming numbers of the Kabane were powerless against the unstoppable Kurumi clones.

Even the most elite Kabane—the agile and deadly Wazatori types—were swept away without resistance.

Bodies and blood splattered down from the iron frames, crashing into the darkness below, with soft thuds echoing only after a considerable delay.

Within moments, the entire boiler room fell silent.

The steam boiler had been activated, and the entire room trembled as it emitted thick, gray smoke and a row of indicator lights blinked on one by one.

Meanwhile, the samurai had escorted the engineers to the steam crane and raised the fallen, crushed watchtower from the tracks.

As the main boiler roared to life, a subtle, rustling sound began to emerge from outside the boiler room.

The samurai by the steam crane quickly noticed the reason: from beneath the boiler room, countless blazing red eyes ignited, spreading like a wildfire, and the Kabane began to swarm upward.

"Kurumi-nee!" Mumei shouted, hoping that Kurumi could make it out in time.

But soon, even the area around the steam crane became overrun. Kabane began to climb up the taut cables and scaffoldings one by one.

The Kabane rasped and growled in unison, their deep, guttural cries forming a terrifying chorus.

"You all, get back to the Koutetsujou!" the Kabane-human hybrid, Ikoma, commanded the samurai. "I can handle operating the crane alone!"

"If any of you get bitten, you're done for. Even if I get bitten, I'm a Kabaneri!"

The samurai escorted the two other engineers to safety, all the while knocking down the Kabane attempting to climb up.

Once the steam crane was activated, the remaining operations would be simple enough that even one person could manage alone.

Mumei stood guard beneath the crane's control room, her dual knives already affixed to her short guns.

Her gaze lingered toward the boiler room, but the Kabane had reached her.

She tore the ribbon from her neck, and as she did so, her Kabane heart began to burn brightly.

Golden-red light shone, so intense it was visible even through her clothing, lighting her up like a beacon in the dim night.

Not only that, two blazing magma-like lines began to stretch across her body, one on either side of her face, the one on her right extending a little further.

Her heart pounded in rapid succession, a dozen beats in an instant, pumping searing blood through her veins before it gradually slowed, each beat steady and strong.

She truly was evolving.

Mumei felt that even if she faced the "Nue" injected with Black Blood by her brother, she could stand a fighting chance now.

"Fifty seconds," she murmured, pressing the stopwatch on her steam-powered short gun with a confident grin.

She tore through the air, hurtling toward the Kabane with lightning speed.

Time itself seemed to slow in her eyes, and every sound and movement around her was crystal clear. She could predict exactly when and how the Kabane would charge at her.

The glowing hearts were practically begging to be struck.

Bang—

Bang—

Each shot landed squarely on target, each burst piercing the Kabane's hearts, not a single bullet wasted.

Yet the stronger she became, the more she realized the vast distance between herself and Kurumi-nee, and the more she grew to fear Kurumi's strength.

Perhaps she could convince herself that Kurumi-nee was a "goddess," but Mumei knew that was only a comforting illusion.

She was still far too weak, and the weak are inevitably discarded.

The last Kabane, a Wazatori wielding twin blades, staggered toward her, turning and swinging its long sword.

Mumei watched it and suddenly understood… she saw right through it.

She leveled her short gun, extending her blade, and remained still as the Wazatori practically threw itself onto her blade.

Bang—

She pulled the trigger, blue light flaring from her weapon as the Kabane collapsed, lifeless.

Pathetic.

Mumei glanced at the stopwatch on her short gun—thirty-three seconds.

But… she still wasn't strong enough.

If only she could be as strong as Kurumi-nee.

After her recent strengthening, Mumei's combat abilities had become extremely powerful, showing no signs of fatigue at all. The blood in her veins boiled, and faint wisps of steam could be seen rising from her delicate skin.

However, this "boiling blood" state was not without side effects—at the very least, she was extremely thirsty.

But this wasn't just a normal thirst; it was an intense craving for Kurumi's blood, and her mouth tingled with the memory of that clear, sweet taste.

Tilting her head back, her lips parted slightly as she inhaled softly, nearly dazed with desire.

All she wanted… was to throw herself into Kurumi's arms.

…

Ikoma knew the urgency of the situation, operating the crane to lift the watchtower from the tracks. Under Mumei's cover, things were going surprisingly smoothly.

…

Leaning against the window, Kurumi glanced down at the crane as it lifted the toppled watchtower from the tracks. She then took note of the Kabane, swarming like waves as they climbed up toward the boiler room.

Due to the forced operation, the giant boiler had begun to make strange noises, with steam escaping in huge volumes and the entire structure looking as if it were swelling.

Having seen explosions from arcane boilers before, Kurumi was hardly a stranger to this sight.

Oh, just a little explosion.

One particularly fast Kabane was almost at the boiler room's top level. Kurumi gave one last glance at the watchtower, confirming it was finally clear of the tracks, and slipped back into her shadow.

Allow me to add the final straw.

One of Kurumi's clones, hanging near the edge of a scaffold, grinned mischievously and shoved a heap of pale green grenades over the side.

A group of her clones had gathered there, kneading the grenades together for quite some time.

…

BOOM—

With a cascade of explosions, the entire boiler room erupted, collapsing upon itself. High-pressure steam burst into the air, sending up a cloud of dust as rubble scattered in all directions.

All the surrounding scaffolds and metal structures were obliterated.

Luckily, Koutetsujou had chosen to dock near the central tower.

—

"Onee-sama!" Seeing the boiler room collapse, Mumei instantly panicked.

Her eyes welled up as she prepared to run toward the boiler room.

"Hey! Mumei!" Ikoma shouted, rushing to stop her.

He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, only to have Mumei twist, throwing him over her shoulder and slamming him to the ground, leaving him seeing stars.

But he knew he had to hold her back no matter what.

Lying on the ground, Ikoma clung desperately to Mumei's leg, taking several kicks without letting go.

"This kid… is she some kind of monster? She's way too strong. Who'd dare marry her?"

Luckily, the strength boost from her "boiling blood" state began to fade quickly, and soon Mumei's strength was waning, her vision turning hazy.

"So… so thirsty…"

Seizing the moment, Ikoma landed a precise chop to the back of Mumei's neck, hoisting her onto his shoulder as he stumbled back.

On the bridge, a single ribbon lay abandoned, drifting away in the wind.

—

The boiler room explosion seemed to have awakened something.

Far down the western path, a massive creature began to rise.

What had once looked like a dark, towering structure, a writhing mass of Kabane, began to move, its strange, dark-grey tendrils binding the Kabane together into one giant monster.

In response to the explosion, it rose quickly, contorting into a gigantic black creature. The sight was enough to crush any will to resist, the countless blazing red points on its body enough to make one's skin crawl.

"So… that's the Black Fog?"

The people on the Koutetsujou watched the massive black creature solemnly, a sense of powerlessness rising within them.

It was no wonder that Yatsushiro Station, with walls so strong, had fallen so easily… could such a creature truly be defeated by human hands?

…

Ikoma carried Mumei back to Koutetsujou as fast as he could.

But as soon as he stepped into the carriage, someone kicked him in the back of the knees, sending him staggering.

His load suddenly felt lighter—someone had taken Mumei from him.

Looking up in irritation, Ikoma saw only a pair of smooth, white legs. Before he could look further, someone grabbed him by the collar, dragging him away.

"Hey, what are you doing with my little Mumei?" A sultry voice rang out. It was Kurumi.

"Ugh—" Ikoma hissed, drawing a breath as he slowly got to his feet, only for Takumi to kindly hand him his glasses. "Seriously, what's with these women? Each one's stronger than the last."

…

"Onee-sama…" Mumei murmured weakly, "You're okay… I'm so glad."

"Eh?" Kurumi tilted her head. "How could anything have happened to me?"

…

"Onee-sama…" Mumei burrowed into Kurumi's arms, "I… I'm so thirsty."

Kurumi noticed Mumei's body temperature was alarmingly high, almost too hot to touch.

She glanced at the onlookers around them, then carried Mumei to Ayame's private quarters.

There, she slashed her wrist, bringing it to Mumei's lips.

Mumei drank softly, her small nose twitching as if Kurumi's scent brought her immense comfort.

Quickly, her clarity returned, and she became acutely aware of her embarrassing situation. She struggled to pull back, yet at the same time, felt reluctant to leave Kurumi's warm, soothing fragrance.

Mumei realized… she might be addicted.

She reached out, instinctively searching for her ribbon-like restraint, only to find it missing.

Her face fell, and her panic grew.

"Kurumi-nee, have you seen my ribbon?" Her voice trembled, nearly on the verge of tears.

"No, I haven't." Kurumi replied.

"What do I do… what do I do?" Mumei's panic escalated. "I can't… I don't want to turn into a Kabane!"

Seeing Mumei's distress, Kurumi drew her close.

Then, from her storage space, she took out the relic-like ribbon Saber had won for her, gently fastening it around Mumei's slender neck.

"Next time… be sure not to lose it, okay?"

Mumei froze.

The new ribbon was like silk, a soft pink adorned with snowflake patterns.

Instantly, it suppressed the turbulent power within her.

Her blood circulated through her heart and gradually cooled down.

Mumei slumped against Kurumi, weak but relieved.

"Thank you… Kurumi-nee."

"Say, 'Onee-sama'!"

"Yes! Onee-sama!"

…

Below the bridge, the colossal creature had lumbered its way to the ruins of the exploded boiler room.

Just as Mumei had said, it was an extraordinarily greedy monster, gorging itself on the Kabane corpses left scattered in the rubble.

For the Koutetsujou, this would be a momentary reprieve.

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