Chapter: 162. The Escape in the Rain (Part 2)
Behind the taxi.
The figure of Shūen Nagi hung suspended in mid-air.
Her long black hair danced wildly in the fierce wind, her slender yet sharp silhouette flickering in and out of view amidst the torrential rain and flashes of lightning.
In the depths of her profound eyes, a glimmer of dark purple starlight flickered subtly, resembling the only everlasting star in the night sky.
She quietly observed below.
The taxi, speeding along the winding mountain road, appeared isolated and helpless in the storm.
…..
Inside the taxi.
The battle continued, danger never far away.
The dark claws and the silver blade in Kanade’s hand collided violently again and again, sparks flying within the dim cabin, becoming the only source of light in this struggle.
At that moment.
Although it was their first meeting, Satan and Kanade managed to execute a brilliant maneuver.
He calmly pressed the accelerator, the steering wheel turning with it, the car rapidly swerving on the slick mountain path, dodging the imminent sharp claw strike of the shadow while also tossing the last remaining shadow off the vehicle.
The people inside the car momentarily gained a precious respite.
Seizing this brief opportunity, Kanade’s gaze, tinged with caution, swept toward the man in the driver’s seat.
“Why… is Tokuan SEMA helping me?”
This question that Kanade might ask had already been discussed privately by Satan and Nagi.
It was a good time to build trust at this moment, allowing Kanade to gradually lean toward Tokuan SEMA’s position and eventually become the savior of the world.
“Because our true enemy is ultimately the fantasy monsters themselves.”
Satan spoke with a firm and infectious tone, delivering a prepared statement.
“Tsukimi Kanade, we will always stand by your side, on the side of those important to you. This is the one thing I hope you can believe.”
“Stand by my side?”
Satan’s words made Kanade’s eyes narrow slightly, a sharp glimmer flashing within.
What surfaced in his mind was the scene from the previous world line, where Tokuan SEMA had spared no effort to encircle Nagi in the amusement park, attempting to kill her.
“You all viewed Nagi as the end and attempted to kill her… does that count as ‘standing by my side’?” Kanade replied coldly, his tone laced with unmistakable anger.
“!?”
“?”
Satan and Nagi both froze at Kanade’s words.
This was information they had never grasped; one could say Kanade was indeed an existence capable of drifting outside world lines. This disparity in information would greatly jeopardize Nagi’s plan—
However, Satan responded quickly, barely pausing.
“Not everyone in Tokuan SEMA holds the same views; at least, I do not.”
He was utterly unaware of the internal situation at Tokuan SEMA, fearing that speaking too much might lead to errors, he unhesitatingly distanced himself from Tokuan SEMA.
“The claim that ‘Seikyou Nagi is the end’ is ultimately just an unverified speculation.”
He maintained his pace, his tone still steady: “Considering the tragedies the end has inflicted upon Tokuan SEMA in the past, it’s inevitable that some extremists within would take action on their own.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
Satan paused, his gaze serious as he looked into the rearview mirror, making sure Kanade could see his expression.
“We are not part of the radical faction; our goal is to clarify all misunderstandings.” Satan circled back.
Kanade furrowed his brow slightly, pondering the other’s words.
Logically, there were no flaws in his statements.
Although his intuition told him that the man before him lied in some respects, there was no hostility emanating from him, and right now, the more important issue was how to escape this place, so Kanade decided to temporarily trust this representative from Tokuan SEMA.
“…… I understand.”
Kanade withdrew his gaze, his tone still chilly: “I will temporarily cooperate with you until Nagi is safe.”
As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of Nagi from the corner of his eye.
From the beginning, Nagi had kept her head down, her slender fingers tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her expression seemingly enveloped by heavy guilt.
She deliberately showed a look of remorse, as if blaming herself for dragging Kanade down.
In reality, she was frantically trying to decipher the words she had just heard from Kanade, trying to figure out what might have happened in the other world lines.
“What should we do to leave this domain?”
Kanade made the decision to consult this senior from Tokuan SEMA, hoping his knowledge could help them escape this bizarre and ominous storm.
Upon hearing this, Satan affected a serious tone.
“It’s difficult.” He said slowly.
“Typically, to leave the domain, one either needs to unravel the mysteries hidden within the domain or use sufficiently strong power to tear apart the barriers of the domain.” The implication of Satan’s words was that he did not possess the power to forcibly break through the domain.
“As for the most direct method, it’s also not easy right now.”
Satan’s gaze turned to the window.
Lightning ripped through the night sky, illuminating the roiling clouds.
Below.
The dark shadows remained standing in the pouring rain.
Endless.
As if the recent battle was just a trial, they were gathering strength, waiting for the next, more ferocious onslaught.
“This should be a ‘Lord-type’ fantasy monster.”
“Lord-type?” Kanade raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Meaning they have a powerful individual like a ‘Lord’.” Satan explained.
“No matter how many ‘minions’ we defeat, we cannot inflict effective damage on it. Only by finding and defeating the Lord can this domain be completely dismantled, which is also the third method of leaving the domain—defeating the holder of the authority.”
Satan’s words reminded Kanade of something he had done before.
Past memories began to resurface in his mind.
Once, when Kanade was at the Ark Academy, he had used claws formed from black flames to tear apart the domain that enveloped the academy, successfully rescuing Nagi from the end’s grasp.
“Among those three methods, perhaps I have the ability to tear apart—” Just as Kanade was about to share his plan with Satan.
Before he could finish, suddenly—
A blinding light surged into Kanade’s vision.
That flash of brightness instantly captured his attention.
In the sky above, a colossal bird formed from lightning dove down through the storm.
Its body was made of pure thunder, pale arcs of electricity intertwining to form wings, and with each flap, large currents surged through the air, erupting in a cacophony of violent roars.
As its wings spread, countless bolts of lightning rained down like a storm.
The appearance and attack of this fantasy monster were far too sudden.
Even though Satan reacted immediately, slamming the steering wheel, the tires severely skidded on the slick mountain road, barely scraping past the exploding bolts of lightning.
But ultimately, the vehicle was struck by a bolt of lightning that descended like divine punishment, hitting the side of the car.
Boom——!
The lightning exploded, the shockwave carrying with it the raging wind and rain, the taxi was violently thrown aside by the tremendous electric force, its wheels spinning in the air, crashing heavily onto the roadside.
In the moment just before the vehicle completely lost balance, Kanade, drawing on the enhanced instincts and reflexes bestowed by Beast Mode, lunged toward Nagi, shielding her tightly in his arms and rolling out through the damaged door.
Cold rain mixed with mud splashed onto them, the two figures rolling several times down the slick slope, finally stopping at the edge of a gravel and leaf-strewn road.
The harsh sounds of metal twisting and glass shattering blended into the thunderous roar around them.
Fantasy monster – Thunderbird.
The consecutive appearances of fantasy monsters convinced Kanade that this was not a mere ambush; the fantasy monsters had been lying in wait for them, and the moment they left Kawanshi City was the signal for their attack.
Kanade opened his eyes first, quickly checking the girl in his arms.
Though Nagi’s face was somewhat pale, she appeared unharmed.
This relieved Kanade.
However, this sense of relief did not last long.
Having lost the taxi, they were rapidly surrounded by black figures lurking in the surrounding mountain forest.
They approached Kanade and Nagi with a strange, twisted gait, neither too close nor too far.
Meanwhile.
Nagi’s gaze crossed past the figures in front and met Satan, who was crawling out from the wreckage of the taxi.
The latter immediately understood Nagi’s meaning, feigning clumsiness as he stood up while picking up the silver blade that Kanade had accidentally dropped, his awkward demeanor making him look more like an ordinary Tokuan SEMA esper.
The new generation of fantasy monsters had certainly grown much stronger.
But if faced with a “God-tier” being, they were still somewhat lacking.
Yet, in Nagi’s heart, she could still faintly sense that now was not the time to hide her power.
The fantasy monsters suddenly appearing in front of her was precisely the big surprise in her plan; this way, she wouldn’t have to let her familiar pose as a fantasy monster to kill her. She simply needed to find the right moment to die in front of Kanade—
However, Nagi’s intuition sensed something was off.
—Galuuro, Midrash, haven’t you resolved things yet?
Just as Nagi felt a surge of anxiety, a flash of white appeared in the sky.
……
……
Faced with the gradually encircling dark figures.
Kanade, drenched in the rain, held Nagi’s slender waist with one hand while gripping the blade formed from black flames with the other, his expression grave as he stared at the approaching fantasy monsters.
The pitch-black flames seemed to ignore the influence of physical laws, and the roaring rain did not weaken their momentum.
—If it were just himself, these fantasy monsters posed no threat, but if he had to protect the Nagi in his arms during the fight…
For the first time, Kanade regretted not having written down abilities suitable for protecting others.
Compared to a shield, he was more like a sharp knife right now.
—Should he rewrite?
Kanade hesitated.
Out of the corner of his eye, he stole a glance at the taxi driver not far away.
The latter was struggling to fend off a shadow while shakily wielding the silver blade, looking far less capable now that he had lost the taxi as a vehicle.
He only had three rewrites left.
If he used one here to rewrite an ability that could forcibly take Nagi out of the domain—
As Kanade hesitated.
The earth trembled, as if the entire world resonated with the low murmurs of a colossal entity.
The storm swept with rain, cold droplets soaking the tips of Kanade’s hair, a dull cracking sound came from behind him, as if a slumbering monster was breaking free from the earth’s grasp.
A massive tree was suddenly crushed into splinters by some overwhelming force; branches and soil flew everywhere, the stout trunk flattened in an instant and fell heavily to the ground, sending up a splash of mud.
Kanade abruptly turned his head, and what came into view was an enormous shadow that could not be fully seen, lurking in the depths of the rain.
Its body lay sprawled on the earth like some kind of monster residing in an abyss, countless tentacles slowly writhing in the darkness, each undulation accompanied by tremors that crushed everything in their path.
The surface of the tentacles was covered in overlapping scales that gleamed with a chilling light in the lightning’s reflection, resembling the reanimated remains of some ancient reptile, twisting slowly with an indescribable aura.
“…… This can’t be real?” Kanade said in astonishment, gazing at the suddenly looming monster behind him, equating its size to that of a small mountain.
Yet the tentacles seemed unwilling to grant Kanade any time to breathe.
The air was suddenly torn apart as a giant tentacle shot out from the rain, hurtling toward Kanade with a devastating force.
In the mere moment of its swing, the air erupted with a deafening sonic boom, and the violent air currents swept through furiously, scattering the rain and revealing the layered, chilling scales of the tentacle.
Those scales radiated a cold glow in the lightning’s light, and with each movement, bone-crushing cracks echoed as if numerous steel mechanisms were at work within.
The earth quaked, trees splintered; it felt as though even the horizon might topple under such colossal power!
Kanade reflexively attempted to shield Nagi from this blow, but at the same instant, his body froze.
With the instincts and bodily functions granted by Beast Mode, he should have easily evaded it.
“What?!”
Given the instincts and bodily functions bestowed upon him by Beast Mode, he should have been able to evade easily.
His body was filled with the impulse to escape, his muscles all set to evade, yet—he couldn’t even move a finger!
In the corner of his vision, a new figure slowly emerged from the rain.
A black cloak fluttered in the wind, crimson pupils piercing through the black mask’s gaps, coldly staring at Kanade.
The light from the nearby lightning illuminated Kanade’s body, casting a long shadow beside him.
And the feet of the newly emerged fantasy monster were firmly planted on Kanade’s shadow.
For the first time, Kanade was astonished at the coordination between fantasy monsters.
His previous understanding of fantasy monsters had merely been that they understood how to create chaos and panic.
But what they were revealing now was an incomprehensible level of cooperation.
Even with three chances to rewrite, Kanade found himself in a deadlock at that moment.
There was no time left to rewrite.
The incoming tentacle was mere inches away.
The air was pressed out with a resonating hum, Kanade could even clearly see the scales of the colossal creature rapidly expanding, a vast shadow enveloping him, and the violent force came crashing down unrelentingly.
—I truly was too naïve.
Once again granting himself memories and knowledge beyond the current world’s understanding had, in effect, made him arrogant.
He had once thought that as long as he stayed away from Kawanyoshi City, he could keep Nagi safe from all threats.
But he had never considered that the presence possibly endangering Nagi wasn’t just Tokuan SEMA, but the fantasy monsters as well.
They had evidently been lying in wait long ago.
The moment they left Kawanshi City was the signal for them to act.
—This idiot… what again? What rewriting the world.
Just as Kanade was about to resign himself, preparing to embrace defeat—
In his arms, a gentle but immensely firm force suddenly pushed him away.
“——!”
Kanade’s pupils quivered slightly.
It was an unwavering, resolute power.
Before he could respond, a familiar figure forcibly broke free from his embrace, using all her strength to push him away fiercely.
“Little Nagi—!!”
His body skidded across the muddy ground, the howl of the storm raging in his ears. The instant he raised his head, he saw the slender silhouette of the girl standing alone in the wind and rain.
Nagi stood there, her long black hair billowing in the fierce wind, her delicate frame appearing so small under the vast shadow.
On her beautifully delicate face, a warm and satisfied smile now graced her features, as if she felt content with the fact that she could save her most important lover.
“Live… Kanade-kun…”
Nagi’s lips moved, leaving behind her final words.
The annihilating shadow was about to completely engulf her—
At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
In the world, there was only her.
—And then, the tentacle mercilessly smashed down!
Kanade’s pupils constricted violently, his heart feeling as though gripped tightly by a cold hand, suffocating pain coursing through him.
“No—!!”
He reached out desperately, wanting to grasp something, wanting to rush forward, wanting to save her—
But he couldn’t.
He couldn’t look.
He couldn’t witness her death with his own eyes.
In that instant, his brain screamed and struggled wildly, every corner of his heart cried out for him to turn back— to look at her, to save her, to remember her last appearance!
But… he couldn’t.
If he looked, he would no longer be able to rewind time.
If he looked, Nagi’s death would become an unchangeable “reality”.
Why?
Why did this hurt more than last time?
Kanade’s teeth clenched tightly against his lower lip, blood seeping out, a suppressed whimper escaping his throat. Just before the tentacle fell, he shut his eyes, forcing himself to turn away.
Not to see.
Not to hear.
Not to imagine.
Not to remember.
Because he knew, he would come back.
He would definitely come back.
“Once more!”
