As the interior of the Hell Express was supposed to be a compressed spatial dimension, even those with the ability to teleport through space would find it remarkably difficult to enter without one of the 100 Express Tickets issued each year. The Laws of the Tower prevented these tickets from being sold, so, unless you participated in one of the many tournaments offering Express Tickets as a prize, the only way to obtain one was to steal it from another Regular.
Though there was no actual difference in the accommodations afforded to lower-numbered Tickets, it had become a tradition of sorts for people to compete for Express Tickets numbered 1-10. It was a common belief amongst Regulars that only the most powerful among D-Rank were able to secure these particular Tickets, so, more often than not, those seeking a free ride on the Hell Express would gather around the rooms assigned to the ‘Top 10’ D-Rank Regulars. For this reason, those who had boarded the Hell Express in previous years had become known as Ticket Hunters, powerful Regulars who would gather numerous tickets in order to reduce the amount of competition they would face during the Special Tests present on the unique form of transportation.
Each year, countless Regulars would compete for the opportunity to board the Hell Express, as, like the named suggested, it was the ‘express’ way to move up the Tower. It was a locomotive that had the ability to transfer between Floors, so, by boarding it on the 35th, you could effectively ride up to the 44th in a remarkably short period of time. There were also valuable prizes and numerous secret chambers found aboard the express, and, according to legend, it was the method that had allowed Jahad and the Ten Great Warriors to gain the strength that allowed them to conquer the Tower. For this reason, those who had successfully completed the trials of the Hell Express came to know it as the ‘Revolution Road’, the turning point on their journey to become one of the truly powerful.
Vahn was pretty confident in his ability to simply sneak onboard the Hell Express, but, not wanting to draw ‘too much’ attention, he currently found himself blocking the elevator connecting the train platform to the residential area above. Any Ticket Holder that wanted to enter Train City would have to pass through him, effectively allowing him to decide who was allowed to board the Hell Express. This had allowed him to gather a total of eleven tickets, five of which had been given to a group of Regulars who had managed to stick together since the Floor of Tests.
Unfortunately for the other Regulars attempting to enter Train City, the only method of reaching the Second Floor Residential District was to pass through him. If the Law of Identity determined them to be of a despicable character, he would rob them of their tickets before sending them back the way they came. As for the opportunistic Regulars who were intending to crowd around the quarters that were provided to Ticket Holders, they were also turned so that the Administration wouldn’t have an excuse to host an elimination competition that forced Regulars to put their tickets on the line.
Though some viewed his actions as ‘despicable’, the builders of Train City had designed the facility with this strategy in mind. It was for this reason that there was only a single elevator connecting to the entire facility, and, had he not done so, another group of Ticket Hunters would have posted a team to block the entrance. After all, the resources and prizes aboard the Hell Express were limited so they were strongly incentivized to eliminate as much of the competition as possible prior to the departure…
—
With a perpetual smile on his face, Vahn continued to calmly emanate a predatory aura throughout the Platform filled with Regulars. Several hundred had gathered at this point, and, though he made short work of every team who had stepped forward, it didn’t scare off the more opportunistic of the bunch. They believed it was only a matter of time until he either took a break or someone defeated him. This would provide them the perfect opportunity to secure their own passage on the Hell Train as it was already well-known amongst the camping Regulars that he had quite a number of Tickets on him.
Unfortunately for them, even with four days remaining until the departure, Vahn had no intention of abandoning his post. Though there would be Regulars attempting to board from higher floors, the vast majority did so from the 35th Floor. As for why he decided to guard the Elevator, it was due to the fact that he disdained the way in which people who had already boarded the Hell Express came back to the 35th Floor in order to bully weaker Regulars. There were even groups that had boarded the train hundreds of times, denying the opportunity to others in the pursuit of their own, personal, objectives.
Though he understood the motivations of those responsible, the methods they had used weren’t so easily justifiable. They might have a valid reason for what they were doing, but they had mercilessly crushed the dreams of countless others in an ultimately fruitless pursuit. Some even had the blood of thousands on their hands, as, due to the boons they had received on the Hell Express, they were much stronger than the average Regular. In other words, they had become Tyrants in their personal pursuit, and, though they should have understood better than most how wrong their actions were, it didn’t prevent them from killing those who stood in their way.
Of course, there were other reasons he had chosen to block the Elevator, primarily to interfere with the actions of FUG, but those were largely secondary at this point. Now, he just wanted to ensure as many good people as possible were provided the opportunity to board the Hell Express. The Tower was constantly beating down those with kind hearts so it was high time they were provided with an opportunity to succeed.
With this in mind, the edges of Vahn’s smile curled up as a group of five people, led by a very large hermaphrodite, departed the recently arrived train. Their presence caused quite a bit of excitement among the other Regulars present, as, with the exception of two of their members, the other three were exceptionally famous. This was especially true for their leader, Aka Williams, one of the ‘Top-3 Predators’ who had dominated the Hell Express for the last 600 years.
Surprised by the large crowd of Regulars hanging out on the Platform, Aka couldn’t help but raise their brows, eyes wandering over the masses before settling on Vahn. This caused their expression to immediately turn into a deep frown, a disdainful look flashing across their eyes as they stepped forward and said, “You must possess some strength if you’re able to block the Elevator by yourself. Join my team and I will guarantee you a place on the Hell Train.”
Though he was already aware of Aka’s aggressive and greedy nature, Vahn couldn’t help but shake his head, smile fading away as he answered, “You have lost your way over these six-hundred-years. I understand your reasons for boarding the Hell Train, but your tyrannical methods will no longer be tolerated. The Hell Train is meant to help those with grand ambitions ascend the Tower at a quicker pace. It was never intended to be a place where those who have lost their way crush the dreams of others just so they can make themselves feel better. You have no right to board the Hell Train.”
Replying before Aka could, a man with ashen blue skin, grey-blue eyes, and dark-grey hair showed an expression of contempt as he asked, “Who the hell do you think you are? Sir Aka has more of a right to board the Hell Train than any of the trash gathered here. It isn’t called the Pony Express. It is the ‘Hell’ Train. If they aren’t strong enough to secure their own place, they shouldn’t be boarding in the first place.”
With what could best be described as an incredulous deadpan, Vahn briefly directed his attention towards the man and asked, “Are you an idiot? If your predecessors behaved like you, there would be no new Rankers since the Age of Genesis. The Hell Train is meant to allow people to advance to a higher floor. It was never intended to allow selfish assholes to continually backtrack for more than six-hundred-years, denying the opportunity to others. It is time-”
Pausing his words, Vahn extended his hand in a casual manner, catching the fist thrown by Aka. This caused the giant’s eyes to widen slightly, but, before they could regret their actions, a golden ripple knocked the entire group back several tens of meters. This silenced the Regulars who had started to jeer the moment Aka took action, their mouths open in expressions of shock as the giant fell to one knee and coughed a spatter of blood.
Since the other side had already taken action, Vahn no long had a reason to try and talk things out with them. His aura began to surge outward like a tide, and, though the lighting above the Platform was more than adequate, everyone present felt as though the world around them was turning dark. Shortly after that, people began to drop like flies as Vahn walked forward, eyes blazing like golden suns as he said, “Hand over your tickets. If you simply wanted to board the Hell Train, you could do so on a higher floor. Instead, you double-back to the lowest possible floor just to crush the dreams of others and manipulate the odds in your favor. Pain and loss do not give you the right to inflict the same onto others. If you are unwilling to hand over your Express Tickets, prepare to do so with your lives…this cycle ends now…”
Raising his head to stare at Vahn, a soldier’s conviction could be seen in Aka’s golden eyes as they answered, “I don’t have a choice…I ‘must’ board the Hell Train…it is the only thing that gives my life meaning…”
Rather than respond to Aka’s words, Vahn shifted his attention to the other four members of their team, asking, “Is riding the Hell Train every year the reason you started climbing the Tower? Are you prepared to die for another person’s pursuit of absolution?”
Though two of Aka’s team members seemed to seriously consider retreating, resolution filled their gazes when the former suddenly began to produce fiery Shinsu from their body. This was a special ability known as ‘Combustion’, and, despite being one of the three strongest D-Rank Regulars, the traits that made Aka truly unique was their heritage as a Native One and their Special Position as a Defender.
Restraining a sigh, Vahn extended his hand to grab the metal staff used by the blue-skinned man, tearing it from his grasp and tossing it to the side. The latter had attempted to use Reverse-Flow Control to restrict his movements, but, due to the insurmountable gulf in both their control and reserves, Vahn was completely immune. Rather, if he really wanted to, he could hold everyone present in place for the next four days, forcing them to remain statuesque even whilst sleeping.
Taking advantage of the man’s momentary stupor, Vahn used Telekinesis to grab him out of the air before promptly smashing him into one of the Platform’s pillars. Then, in response to Aka’s charge, he raised his right hand, freezing the colossal figure mid-step before smashing them into the floor and ceiling over and over until their body became limp. He didn’t actually intend to kill them, but, in the hopes of teaching them a lesson, it was necessary to injure them to a point that prevented them from boarding the Hell Train even on higher floors.
With the two strongest members of their team defeated in an instant, the other three members of Aka’s group immediately tossed down their weapons, hands raised in a gesture of submission. This spared two of them a beating, but, as one of their members had attempted to lie about the number of Tickets in their possession, Vahn had little choice but to ‘compel’ the truth from him. In the end, he forced them to hand over all nine of their tickets, two of which possessed coveted single-digit numbers. This brought his total to fourteen, and, if he counted the five he had previously given out, he had effectively secured one-fifth of the total number of Express Tickets with approximately four days remaining…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘You, shall, not, pass…!’,’I bet the team he let through was filled with beautiful women…’,’Bitter medicine or Just Desserts…?’)
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