Chapter: 161. The Escape in the Rain (Part 2)
In the end, Kanade accepted the taxi driver’s suggestion.
The mountain road seemed to be the best way for them to leave Chuanxi City without relying on their supernatural abilities.
Boom—!
A blinding white light tore through the night sky, illuminating the roiling clouds in the torrential rain, followed by the deafening sound of thunder, as if the entire sky had been split apart.
The taxi’s body shook slightly as the tires rolled over the slippery mountain road, kicking up a splash of muddy water.
Everything was progressing according to Nagi’s plan.
Although she did not know exactly what had happened in the previous world line, based on Kanade’s reaction, it was clear that the location was Chuanye City. Therefore, she had been using Garuda’s power to guide herself and Kanade to Chuanye City, which was also to meet up with Miderash and obtain intelligence from the previous world line.
However, after seeing Kanade repeatedly refuse the “coincidental” arrangements, Nagi realized that Kanade had made a firm decision and activated Plan B.
The taxi that suddenly appeared at the corner was arranged by Nagi.
The elderly driver was none other than her contracted fantasy monster, “Satan.”
One must say that this fantasy monster, whose interest is “putting people on their way,” truly lives up to its reputation. Even without using supernatural powers, its driving skills were still as exceptional as ever, making even the rugged road feel smooth.
Nagi’s other plan was simple.
Since she could not reach Chuanye City to meet Miderash, she only needed to create a disturbance and leave Chuanxi City. Then Miderash, who was in the neighboring Chuanye City and could sense her aura, would definitely follow.
At this moment, Nagi was sitting beside Kanade in the back of the taxi, leaning against each other.
The warmth radiating from Kanade made her heart race, and the fluttering feelings inside her transformed into a comforting sense of safety enveloping her.
Nagi unexpectedly discovered that she liked the feeling of being embraced by others.
Especially with a bit of strong protection, it allowed her to truly feel valued and cared for.
Although Kanade’s full attention was on the road ahead, in order not to let Kanade notice her slightly flushed cheeks, Nagi slowly turned her face toward the side window.
Nagi’s gaze passed through the blurry glass to the outside.
The mountains and forests on both sides appeared particularly deep under the lightning’s illumination, the dense shadows of the trees swaying in the darkness, as the strong wind whipped through the treetops like countless frenzied black arms, emitting an unsettling low hum in the storm.
It was not until a bolt of lightning once again cleaved the sky that the entire forest was illuminated, and Nagi caught a glimpse of something that should not exist.
In the dark woods, shadows emerged through the rain.
The unexpected developments outside her arrangements made Nagi’s brows slightly furrow.
In such a stormy downpour, there could not possibly be any signs of activity in the overcast forests, unless it was the Special Circumstances SEMA personnel who had detected her movements in advance and taken action.
However, this notion was quickly dismissed by Nagi.
The reason was simple—
Pairs of eyes glowing with a crimson light were fixated on the direction of the taxi.
—Fantasy monsters.
—Are they fantasy monsters from the new era? Have they already regained their missions so quickly?
They stood in the depths of the rain, quietly watching the speeding taxi, as if staring at prey that had wandered into forbidden territory.
Thunder roared again, illuminating the dense branches—
At this point, Kanade finally noticed the unwelcome guests hiding in the rain.
Fantasy Monster – Offspring of the Storm.
A fantasy monster born from modern urban legends.
It is said that those who drive in a storm sometimes see countless black shadows standing on both sides of the road, gazing at them with glowing crimson eyes; if they cannot leave quickly, they will forever remain in the endless storm, and those black shadows will step closer, turning the people in the vehicle into part of them. In the end, when the storm passes, only a battered car will be left on the road, with the people inside disappearing forever from this world.
The taxi sped along the winding mountain road; even though it was not traveling fast in the storm, no matter how far it went, those standing in the woods remained.
They were like endless phantoms; no matter how many curves the car went through, the black shadows in the woods always remained in the same spot, always standing there, always watching them.
“What, what is that?” Satan, being the second to notice the presence of the shadows, pretended to just realize it after sensing Kanade’s stronger reaction, and asked.
His trembling voice perfectly matched that of an ordinary person encountering such a bizarre phenomenon.
This caused Nagi to blink in surprise and view him with new eyes.
Of course, Nagi wasn’t one to show weakness; she shrank into herself and gently grasped the corner of Kanade’s clothing.
“…Don’t stop,” Kanade said, gently placing his hand over Nagi’s for comfort while directing the driver.
“I, I understand,” Satan perfectly demonstrated the reaction of a knowledgeable taxi driver in such a situation.
Meanwhile, Kanade slowly sat up straight, his gaze sweeping cautiously over the direction of the shadows through the rain-slicked window.
Even though the taxi continued to move forward, the surrounding scenery gave an eerie sense of stillness, as if their progress was just going around in circles.
Realizing something was off, Kanade frowned and asked softly, “……Is this mountain road really this long?”
Kanade’s gaze slowly shifted forward.
The path ahead was swallowed by darkness; the rain obscured vision, making it impossible to gauge how far the road stretched. Within the range illuminated by the headlights, the muddy mountain road still twisted onward, but no matter how long they drove, there was no end in sight.
As if they had entered a road with no visible end.
Domain.
Though Kanade did not yet know what kind of authority the other party possessed, just the ability to create a domain indicated this was a “Crowned Class” fantasy monster with a threat level above 8.
Boom—!
A blinding white light once again ripped through the night sky, illuminating the rolling clouds in the torrential rain, followed by the thunderous roar.
At the same time, the black shadows finally moved.
They leaped from the shadows of the forest, moving swiftly like beasts, their pitch-black claws slicing through the rain, charged with a chilling sharpness, leaping towards the taxi.
Rip—
The hard metal body of the car emitted a piercing cry as it was clawed apart.
The rear window was slashed open with a deep crack, and rainwater gushed in, bringing the cold night wind to Nagi’s face.
Prepared for battle, Kanade’s eyes flashed with golden magical light, and a silver ring on his right hand instantly transformed into a silvery blade. Just before the black shadows could reach Nagi, the silvery light cut a fierce arc through the darkness.
At the moment the blade clashed with the claws, a deafening sound of metal clashing erupted, sparks flying.
This sensation made Kanade glance gravely at the shadow that was so close.
Clearly, it was just a single ordinary individual among the black shadows, yet it could withstand the full force of his attack?
Kanade realized that the fantasy monster before him was entirely different from what he had seen before.
The shadow was pushed back half a step by Kanade’s formidable strength, but immediately, more black shadows surged in, their crimson eyes fixating intensely on a certain target in the vehicle—
It was Nagi.
In an instant, Kanade sensed their target, recalling what Kurokawa had said in the previous world line: “Hoshimiya Nagi is the true protagonist.”
His gaze darkened as he reached out to pull Nagi to the other side of the back seat, ensuring she was temporarily out of the shadows’ attack range.
However, just as Nagi steadied herself, her back collided with a cold presence.
Kanade noticed this through the sensation in his hand, an indescribable chill crawled up his spine.
The corner of his eye quickly glanced back.
Unbeknownst to them, on the other side of the back seat, another person had appeared.
The humanoid shadow sat quietly, its face hidden in the dimness, only a vague outline visible, with a pair of crimson eyes glimmering.
Its hands rested steadily on its knees, and one hand held an axe, the sharp blade reflecting the weak light inside the taxi.
Fantasy monster – The Stranger in the Back Seat.
A fantasy monster born from urban legends, it is said that if one drives alone at night and another vehicle is flashingits high and low beams while closely tailing them, don’t rush to flee or get angry, because the driver of that car might be desperately warning you — there’s a stranger with an axe in your back seat.
This unexpected scene and the approaching dark humanoid shadows left Kanade unable to take action.
But surprisingly, this fantasy monster, which had terrified countless night drivers from the back seat, seemed unable to move an inch in front of the delicate dark-haired girl; its hands gripping the axe trembled slightly, possibly due to the bumps on the ground.
The momentary standoff ended when Satan deftly jerked the steering wheel and suddenly yanked open the car door.
The powerful centrifugal force violently threw the fantasy monster sitting in the back seat out, the shadow tumbling through the air and crashing into the guardrail, disappearing into the rain.
Before Kanade could be shocked, another black shadow in the woods darted toward the open door on the other side of the taxi, attempting a sneak attack.
However, Satan skillfully turned the wheel, and the rear of the taxi kicked up a spray of water on the flooded mountain road, smashing accurately into that shadow.
“Bang—!”
The muffled sound of impact erupted in the rainy night, the shadow was flung away like broken paper, tumbling and vanishing at the end of the road.
Kanade looked astonished at the experienced driver in the seat, while the latter merely shrugged, a smile of familiarity appearing on his face.
“Professional habit, kid.”
In his shock, Kanade’s mind rapidly processed the situation and reached a conclusion—
“Special Circumstances SEMA?” This was the only rational explanation he could think of.
Satan, upon hearing this, restrained the smile at the corner of his mouth and nodded:
“Yes.”
