*Title at the End*

Previously, Sora and Durandal finally arrived at Aragane Station, where the plot of the anime officially started. Sora almost tore a Bushi in two for lewdly staring at Durandal, witnessed the familiar scene of a man running from the inspection and being shot, plus the young man with glasses, which should be one of the main cast of the story trying to defend said man while throwing some bars towards the Bushi, and then them getting involved in it. All in all, it was a pretty eventful morning, and now, Sora, Durandal, and the party of two, which consists of a young teenage girl and a man in priest clothing are seated in a spacious room, both parties facing each other with the local lord in between, forming a triangle between the three.

(9 Hours Later)

With a simple dinner offered to them, Sora opted to also eat, even if it didn't suit his palate too much. But that would be better than not eating, as that would just be rude and disrespectful to the host. Durandal also followed after Sora, but also didn't eat too much, since Sora warned her of the event later.

"I see…you're both headed to Kongoukaku…and the young lord?" After hearing Shimon's, the man in the priest's clothing's explanation, Kenshou asked about a "Lord Shogun", but Sora already knew who it was.

"No, not at this time. That is why the two of us are going alone."

Sora was closing his eyes, but he was wide awake, he was intently listening in on the conversation, seeing if he could pick up something else other than what he remembered from the anime. Durandal was also beside him, but if he opened his eyes now, he would find Durandal's head bobbing up and down every few seconds. This means she was falling asleep, and what would Sora have done to be able to see and record this scene, sadly, he was too busy being a tad chuuni and missed this wonderful chance.

He also noticed the young girl, Mumei, yawning and then slipped away from the room. He was also sure that everyone else noticed her leaving, but didn't say anything about it. After listening to Kenshou's and Shimon's conversation, the attention of everyone in the room focused on him and Durandal, as Kenshou asked them what their purpose in being here as his guests. He actually had this sinking feeling that these two foreigner-looking individuals actually shouldn't be here, but for some reason, he was being compelled to receive them as his guests, so he didn't really mind it too much.

"Sorry for making you wait, uhmm…Come to think of it, I never really got sir and my lady's names. Please forgive me for that." Still seated, Kenshou offered a curt bow towards Sora because he actually forgot to ask for his name right after meeting them on their arrival at the station. But who can blame him? What happened earlier in the morning was too eventful and didn't allow him some leeway to actually focus on his guests.

"Ahh, please don't worry about it. We are sorry as well for forgetting to introduce ourselves. Firstly; my name is Sora, and the lady accompanying me is Bianka. As for our purpose…You can say that it is an inspection and a comparison of sorts." Sora stood up and also bows his head slightly, appearing as humble as he can get. But upon giving his reason, everyone else looked like they had question marks floating above their heads.

"Forgive me for asking, but whatever do you mean by inspection and comparison?" very interested in Sora's reasoning, Shimon beat Kenshou and asked the same question he also wanted to ask Sora.

"Of course, it is no problem. You see, where we are from, we are also experiencing the same phenomenon that the island nation of Hinomoto is currently experiencing, and by that I mean the Kabane or as we call them back home 'zombies', and also a variety of other creatures. We want to look at how other nations respond to this particular threat and compare how they are faring against these threats with how we handled them back home."

"I see…and? What have you surmised as so far?" This time, Kenshou was the one who asked. If countries other than theirs are also experiencing this kind of problem, then he would do everything that he can and learn the what, why, and how they deal with this particular problem, and then apply it to their own.

"Well, I have to say, I am really disappointed."

"…Excuse me?"

"Compared to the situation in our homeland, the situation here in Hinomoto could be called 'child's play'. You only have to deal with zombies, or the Kabane; imagine trying to slay a creature that could fly, and at speeds faster than a bullet fired from one of your steam guns. You would be hard-pressed to do so. And, instead of making an advance, which this nation can actually afford to do so, you hole up inside these fortresses, as if waiting for those things outside to starve and just drop down, never to rise again. Well let me enlighten you; they won't."

"I-is that true?" The current shogunate seems to have this idea, just hiding within the stations and waiting until the Kabane eventually 'die' out. Other than news about the son of the shogun being on the frontlines, fighting back against the advance of the Kabane, even Kenshou followed this idea, since mounting an advance means expenditures, food, clothing, weapons, and materials; everything needed to stay away for a long time and most importantly, the soldiers. Once people get bitten, they are more often than likely to turn into a Kabane, and replenishing the ranks will take a much longer time.

"I know the consequences of going on an advance against the Kabane, but who isn't? You can't fight a war without losses, same with this one. Only, your enemies won't show an inkling of mercy towards you or your loved ones. What the shogunate is doing is only delaying the inevitable, and sooner or later, this country will be lost to the Kabane."

…

Upon this realization, even Shimon was quiet. They had their own agenda to fulfill, but being exposed to this certain realization, even he had to have second thoughts. What's the purpose of their cause when it will only add more fuel to the fire? Sooner or later, the history of this land would likely fade away with them, remembered only through texts. What's worse, they would be remembered as cowards, losers who decided to let fate take hold of their and their loved one's destiny. He would rather die fighting the Kabane than hide in some hole, waiting for his death.

"Then, what does sir recommend for us to do?" Kenshou was very eager. If it meant the liberation of their country from this curse, he would do whatever it takes, bar going over the last line of using his fellow humans to achieve victory.

"You already have the technology. What you lack is the means of improving upon it. We noticed earlier that the bullets coming from your steam rifles take more than one to pierce that heart-cage. What you need is something that will be able to pierce that in one bullet. Not only will that save resources, it also means one bullet can keep those things from approaching you.

Contemplating, Kenshou then raised his head and asked. "I understand, but in regards to skilled inventors, this station is unfortunately lack-"

"No, you have them."

"…Pardon?"

"That young man with glasses earlier, he was a…steam smith, if I recall. He's a capable one, isn't he?" Sora knows that by doing this, he would be essentially pushing Ikoma away from the path to becoming a Kabaneri, but he couldn't care less. His mission tells him that he should stop Amatori Biba from reaching Kongoukaku, so they really wouldn't need any protagonist luck.

"Well, I suppose so. Many commend him for his expertise on the subjects related to his profession, but what does that have to do with being an inventor?"

"You forget that young man's expression from earlier. The looks in his eyes say that he will do whatever it takes, bar harming his fellow humans, just to achieve his goal. And, it is painfully obvious what his goal is, am I correct?"

…

Silence reigned in the house that they are currently in. Every one present during the event earlier saw the conviction in the eyes of the young man. He even had the courage to stand up toward those of higher stature than him, and that speaks volumes in this fear-ridden world.

"I understand. I will have him released as soon as possible and be brought here." Kenshou just nodded his head and decided to take Sora's advice. It wouldn't hurt to try anyway, right?

==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==

(Night, Western gate)

*Locomotive horn noises* (A/N: Because *Pooooot2x*, *Fwooooot*, and the like are overrated IMO XD)

"It's here! It's the Fusoujou!"

"It's right on time."

Two steam smiths are on the watchtower nestled above the western gate. Another below then used the lever that controls the rail drawbridge and silently waits for the incoming train to arrive.

A few minutes after the drawbridge is fully lowered down, they can finally see a light coming from deep within the tunnel. What's weird though, is that it's going too fast.

"Hey, it's going too fast!"

"Slow down!" the steam smith on the bridge signaled the train with a torch, but the train didn't slow down at all. As the train was gradually approaching the gate, they can see the front is smeared with red, almost like paint was wantonly thrown on it. Some specks of orange light can also be seen here and there all around the cars of the locomotive.

"Damn it! Raise the bridge! Hurry!"

The Bushi ordered the steam smith, who also rushed to the lever to raise the drawbridge back up. The Bushi even went as far as aiming his gun at the steam smith, as if his actions will cause the steam smith to move faster. A moment later, the steam smith managed to move the lever, which also got the drawbridge to finally raise itself, albeit slowly. And at the current speed of the train approaching the gate, the force would be enough to flip the cars inside the gate.

"It's…too late…"

With the realization of what was about to happen next, apparent horror was plastered on the faces of the two men near the drawbridge. They attempted to run away, but what happened next doused their fervent efforts to be at least even a meter away from the gates.

*BANG!* *BOOM!* *CRASH!* *MORE BANGS AND BOOMS AND CRASHES!* *WHOOSH!* *CRASH V2!* *BIG-ASS EXPLOSIOOON!*

In a span of a few seconds, the rogue train managed to barely make it before the drawbridge could raise itself to a height that would prevent the train from flipping towards the direction of the gate, and like a slithering snake, the train threw itself towards the gate, destroying it. Some cars of the train were also detached due to the collision and were like thrown blocks of wood, soaring through the air and then hitting buildings and sliding some distance after landing. One such car managed to hit a tank, and sure enough, this caused an enormous explosion that could be seen from almost all throughout the station/fortress.

"What happened!?" Hearing the loud booming noise, Kenshou jolted up from his seat and asked a question to no one in particular, since they were pretty far away from the source of the noise, and with this world's technology, the report would arrive not later than 20-30 minutes later.

"I believe this is what I mentioned earlier becoming reality. Let's go, Durandal."

Remembering this part of the plot would be the cue to his mission officially starting.

==+==+==+==+==+==

Mission: Defend and Conquer!

Mission Objectives:

Ø Successfully escape Aragane Station with Yomogawa Kenshou, the main cast, and not less than 50 civilians (0/3)

Ø Defeat the Yuugou Guntai (Fused Colony/Black Smoke) without using the Type-48 Cannon (0/1)

Ø Defeat Amatori Biba before he reaches Kongoukaku (0/1)

Ø Liberate and Unite at least 60% of Japan (0/2)

Ø Find out what the Anomaly is and execute appropriate action towards it (0/1)

==+==+==+==+==+==

"What are your orders, captain?"

While they were walking out of the mansion, Durandal, who was walking slightly behind Sora, already materialized a mass-produced lance and is currently holding it in her right hand.

"We suppress the situation at the gate, for the time being, give more time for the civilians to run away. Kenshou would approach near the east gate, where the Koutetsujou is currently parked. After we block the Kabane, immediately proceed and protect Yomogawa Kenshou. As for me, I'm going to aid that idiot steam smith. His invention is needed for the plot to progress smoothly, and I'm not gonna take any chances of something unexpected happening, what with us being here and all."

(A/N: Some minor mistakes, Wiki spelled it as 'Yomogawa' while it showed as 'Yomokawa' in the anime. Same with the train 'Fusoujou', as it was called 'Husoujou' in the anime. I'll probably stick with the info coming from the wiki. Also, it wasn't exactly specified where the Koutetsujou was parked, so I just improvised. That's all for now.)

"Understood."

"Humu. Well then, let the operation "We probably changed something, so let's go and make sure that the plot at least stays on the right track" commence! SHINZOU WO SASAGEYO! SUSUMEEEE!!"

….

"*Cough!* Sorry I was…caught in the moment…let's go?"

"Yes."

And with that awkward moment, the two went towards the direction of the Western gate, to where the chaos was.

==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==

…

The people that were near the Western gate were the ones that were shocked the most, since they were very near, they immediately heard and felt the shockwaves that came from the huge explosion. Some civilians and Bushi that were very near the site where a car fell decided to check it, but that was the worst mistake that they did.

Not long after they arrived, they saw a few figures emerge from the wreck. They thought that it was the passengers of the car and were even implying to help, but after taking a closer look and seeing an orange glow in the chest where the human heart should be positioned, they were immediately overtaken by fear, and hurriedly turned and ran away as if-no, because their lives really did depend on it.

"Aaaahhh!"

"It's the Kabane!"

"Run away!"

"NIGERUNDAYOOOO!"

"Out of the way!"

*Bang!*

The civilians ran while screaming or shouting. Fortunately, the Bushi near the area converged there and tried to stop the Kabane from advancing, with one shooting a Kabane and knocking it down. Unfortunately, this did nothing but rile up the Kabane, causing them to enter a frenzied state and attack both the Bushi and the fleeing civilians.

"Aaahhh!"

"Raaaaagghhhhh!"

"Aaaghhh!"

*Chomp* *Splurt!*

The scene was nothing short of hell on earth. Fires raged near the crash site, dead bodies, Kabane attacking a civilian by biting on the shoulder and making copious amounts of blood spurt out from the civilian's body, it was...horrendous, if the word even brings any justice to the current scene.

"…"

"…Remember, either the head or the heart; but most preferably the heart."

"Understood. Durandal, advancing!"

"Raaa-"

*Metal grinding noises*

"-ghck…"

Arriving at the scene, the two couldn't help but close their eyes in silence. A few moments later, Bianka exploded with great speed, her target being a kabana that was aimlessly walking around. It noticed her and was about to do a cry or something, but it was interrupted midway by Bianka, who was already a few inches away from the Kabane, with her lance running through the heart-cage after it made a screeching noise. With its heart pierced through, the Kabane uttered one last weak syllable, then the glow from its body and eyes died down, a confirmed kill.

"Hmph."

Bianka did a spartan kick and kicked the Kabane that she impaled, freeing her weapon. She then proceeded to her next target, continuously piercing the Kabane's hearts or bonking their heads and making them explode, much like whacking a watermelon.

"Impressive, as always."

Nodding his head, Sora also unsheathed the Plasma Kagehide from his waist, walking forward in a steady rhythm. He didn't need to approach any of the Kabane, since they were the ones madly running towards him.

"Raaaagghhh!"

"Grouuggghhhh!"

The Kabane pounced toward Sora, but this didn't even make him flinch. Not a step out of beat, he dodged the pounces by shifting his foot, followed by his body leaning towards a direction, causing him to dodge the pounces with minimal effort.

And, Sora wasn't just dodging as well. For every pounce that passed by him, he also positioned his katana so that when the Kabane flew past him, its neck or left chest would meet the freezing cold blade in his hands, effectively decapitating them or just plain draw a straight line starting from the left armpit reaching to the point where the heart is located.

And so, from the wake of these two, bodies of Kabane were strewn all around, either beheaded, has a line running from the left armpit, or has a huge-ass hole running through where their hearts should be.

Title: Fall of Aragane Station