Chapter 24

    High-Speed Escape

    The system's announcement left Möbius dazed. He now had a car as a pet. Before the system could ask him any further questions, it prompted:

    ‘Please name your pet.’

    “Black Lightning.”

    With no time to think of another name, he chose the first word that came to mind.

    ‘Please take good care of your pet.’

    [Hello, I'm Black Lightning.]

    A synthesized voice sounded, originating from the dashboard screen between Möbius and Leia, displaying a simple line-drawn face, reminiscent of the Emotion Icon she like to use on the internet.

    “We need to get out of here, Möbius.”

    Gumiho urged the young man to take them out of here again, sensing the looming threat of the massive boss slowly approaching.

    [Oh, don’t worry, I am a car engineered with lost technology, capable of accelerating from zero to one hundred kilometers per hour in just 1.5 seconds, and my top speed is a thrilling 340 kilometers per hour.

    I’m also designed for exciting, sleek performance coupled with outstanding road adherence for safety.]

    The car spoke non-stop as if it had never spoken in its life.

    “We don’t have much time left, hurry up.”

    Inari gathered her magical energy for a fight, though they stood no chance of winning.

    [Is my owner Möbius? Thank you for bringing me to life, and for bringing three beautiful ladies to ride in me right from my first run. I am truly delighted. At first, I saw other cars with pretty girls, and I wanted one too. On top of that, you gave me three at once.]

    The sleek black car continued its incessant chatter, leaving Möbius at a loss for what to do.

    Clang...!!!

    “Shut up and start the engine.”

    Leia, sitting in the front, drew a black dagger from her sleeve and pointed it at the screen displaying Black Lightning’s face, which instantly started to show virtual sweat.

    […Understood, starting the engine.]

    As soon as the synthetic voice finished speaking, the entire car shuddered slightly once.

    Vroom...!!!

    The powerful engine roared, filling the room with its rumble, as the level 666 eye-monster was merely 50 meters away.

    "This feeling, this touch, I can drive this."

    Suddenly, the young man felt a spark of excitement as he heard the engine's roar and felt the subtle vibrations transmitted to his hands on the steering wheel. He easily buckled his seatbelt as naturally as breathing.

    "Here we go, Miho, Inari, buckle up too."

    Leia, who knew Möbius's true capabilities, fastened the seatbelts for both foxes to see, and the two girls quickly followed suit. Seeing everyone ready, Black Lightning immediately transferred control to its master.

    [You have control.]

    "I have control, Möbius. Black Lightning, begin the escape operation."

    Möbius spoke his mind before fully pressing the accelerator.

    "Launching now."

    Screech...!!!

    The tires spun momentarily, emitting a plume of white smoke, before the sleek black car shot forward at high speed, just as it boasted. The eye-monster was only a short distance away, but despite the pyramid's significant height, the car that had just leaped down managed to run smoothly on the ground.

    "Möbius , will you make it before the door closes?"

    Leia asked worriedly as the giant stone slab was already more than halfway closed.

    "The eye is speeding up, be careful."

    Inari, watching the giant eye-monster, warned Möbius that the grand boss was also accelerating towards them.

    Cronos

    Möbius used Cronos for a split second to see if they would make it in time. The shadow showed that the door would close before they could reach it, but the scenario changed as the young man shifted gears and slammed the accelerator. The car sped up rapidly, allowing them to pass through the door just in time.

    Then everyone sighed in relief as they saw the giant stone door close before the giant eye-monster could reach them, but their relief was short-lived as the wall collapsed with a noise akin to an explosion.

    "Uh... if it's built and can't keep things out, then why build it?"

    Möbius looked through the rearview mirror, reflecting the image of the eye-monster that easily burst through the stone barrier. He frowned as the demon's high-speed collision with the stone wall caused several stones to hurl towards them, although several fireballs intercepted them in mid-air.

    “Miho, watch the front, I'll watch our back.”

    Inari launched small fireballs to intercept the falling rocks, then pointed out a large boulder from the collapsing ceiling blocking their exit to her daughter.

    “Miho, just alter the trajectory of the rocks, don’t blast them into small pieces.”

    Möbius hurriedly advised the young fox girl to conserve her strength, as the small rock fragments could be extremely dangerous at their current speed of over 300 kilometers per hour and difficult to dodge.

    “Okay~~~”

    Gumiho raised one hand and followed the young man’s instructions, launching a small fireball at the side of the falling rock that would block their path. The explosion wasn’t too powerful, just enough to slightly alter the rock’s path before it hit the ground, but it was just enough for Möbius to drive through the gap they had used to enter.

    “This narrow path should prevent it from following us.”

    Leia, unable to attack from a distance, spoke up. The passage was only about 10 meters wide but the eyeball monster was nearly 100 meters in diameter. All she could offer now was moral support.

    Initially, when the eyeball collided with the wall, it seemed it couldn't enter as Leia had thought. However...

    Creak...!!!

    The giant eyeball forcibly squeezed itself into the passage, causing the thick stone to crack all over and collapse along its path. Numerous cracks appeared everywhere, making it look menacing. Clearly, if they weren’t killed by the eyeball monster, they would be crushed by falling rocks.

    “Look ahead, Möbius.”

    Leia scolded Möbius, who was looking upwards at the ceiling. It was too early to give up because the road ahead was still passable, but that would only be after they managed to navigate the right elbow turn ahead.

    “What should I do, Young Miss? There’s no way to turn here.”

    Möbius, driving for the first time, asked Leia urgently. Even managing to drive straight was a fortune for him so far.

    “Drift it.”

    Leia said, a term very familiar to Möbius. Then, as if his subconscious took over, the young man began using the skill that had helped him throughout.

    Cronos

    Then he turned the car opposite to the turn, released the accelerator just before reaching the turn slightly, and turned the steering wheel to the right. His hand pulled something on the left up slightly causing the car to lose traction, then he downshifted one gear and floored the accelerator.

    Black Lightning skidded into the turn as if out of control at high speed, the tires screeching against the floor creating smoke and a loud piercing noise. But everything was under Möbius’s control, and with a masterful cornering, they safely navigated the sharp bend.

    "The eyeball is gone."

    Gumiho turned back and saw that the eyeball monster had vanished, the oppressive aura slowly fading away.

    "I hope it got stuck in the wall."

    Inari said with some assurance that it was not following them anymore, right after they passed a sharp bend and drove into a vast plain ending in a wide chasm over a kilometer across. Upon seeing it, Leia immediately realized something.

    "Möbius, how are we going to cross to the other side? The bridge is gone."

    "That’s right!"

    Möbius, Gumiho, and Inari exclaimed together. They had all forgotten about the wide chasm waiting for them, but the worst was yet to come.

    Suddenly, they all felt an immense pressure from the eyeball that had been behind them all along. But this time, they felt it coming from the front. A huge spherical object, pitch black and not reflecting any light, slowly rose from the chasm ahead. Its bright red eye, glowing intensively, emerged from the chasm’s edge.

    A tremendous amount of magical power was gathering in its eye, an amount that even Leia, with her limited magical capability, could feel. They all knew that it would soon unleash a devastating attack. In a situation with no way back and seemingly no way forward, the faces of the three ladies were filled with despair. Despite facing countless dire situations before, this time it seemed particularly daunting.

    However, the one who refused to give up was the weakest among them. The lone young man looked ahead determinedly, resolved not to stop here no matter what. He and all his ladies, everyone, had to survive.

    Vroom...!!!

    "Don’t give up, Inari, Miho, gather all your magical power, everyone, hold on tight."

    The sound of the large car’s engine roared loudly in response to its master’s command through the accelerator. Möbius’s voice boomed, encouraging the three ladies to cast aside despair and not hesitate. If Möbius wouldn’t give up, they wouldn't either.

    In the blink of an eye, Black Lightning accelerated to its maximum speed, but it still wasn't fast enough to escape the situation at hand.

    Grativa

    Möbius used his magic to reduce the car's weight to increase its speed, making the digital speedometer shoot up to 600 kilometers per hour. He quickly spoke to his car,

    "Black, anything else you've got to increase the speed, bring it out now."

    [Acknowledged, sir.]

    Overdrive System Activate

    Vroom…!!!

    A burst of deep orange flames jetted out from the twin exhaust pipes at the rear of Black Lightning, accompanied by a sound resembling that of a rocket. The car's speed suddenly surged, pressing all passengers firmly against their seats. It knew well how critical the situation was, as it was built for such moments, before entrusting itself to Möbius.

    [Please take care of the life you've just given me.]

    'Hands of Möbius, Particle Knowledge – Aggregate'

    Möbius attempted to use the ability that said he could aggregate things with the same elements. He combined the remaining stone fragments from earlier separations in the fourth dimension into a large jump platform.

    Cronos

    'Hands of Möbius, White Hole, Jump Platform'

    Möbius used multiple abilities simultaneously to minimize errors. He calculated to use enough magical power to propel the jump platform in front of the car under speeds exceeding 800 kilometers per hour. With his ability to predict, he released the jump platform at the chasm's edge just fractions of a second before the eyeball monster could fire its beam. He then concentrated all his magical power into the levitation spell, turning the spell's faint glow beneath the car into a visible dark hue.

    Grativa at full power.

    At that moment, a bright red beam was released by the eyeball monster at high speed. As the black car nearly reached the chasm's edge, the size and speed of the beam made it impossible to dodge left or right. However, thanks to the young man's superhuman calculations, Black Lightning managed to ascend the jump platform in front and soared into the sky just moments before the red beam reached it.

    "Everyone, hold on tight."

    "Screams..."

    "Yeah… Go Möbius."

    "Let's do this again next time."

    [I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky.]

    The red beam shot at the jump platform that Möbius had just released, disappearing while the black car flew over the eyeball monster at high speed. Möbius was continuously drinking a blue potion to keep reducing the car's weight as the eye monster, emitting red beams, rotated itself upwards, aiming its beam at the black car hovering above it in mid-air.

    "Miho, Inari, get ready to unleash the Foxfire Piercing the Ninth Heaven on my signal."

    Möbius, calculating that even though the car was speeding over 800 km/h and was lighter, they would still not reach the other side, was fortunate to have the two foxes with him. As the altitude and speed of Black Lightning gradually decreased due to the diminishing thrust, and the red beam of the eyeball monster nearly hit the back of the car,

    "Now, fire."

    At Möbius’s signal, the two foxes released their final blow, a beam of gold and silver fire from the back like a rocket's tail. It hit the eye of the monster perfectly, but it did not damage it. However, Black Lightning gained additional thrust from the foxes' beams, allowing it to fly across to the other side. Yet, the new problem arose as they were moving too fast, which might cause the car to shatter upon landing. But Möbius, who was frantically drinking the blue potion, would not allow that to happen.

    Cronos

    'Hands of Möbius, Particle Knowledge – Aggregate'

    He created a large ramp in advance and shot it out quickly. Although Black Lightning vibrated greatly when it hit the ramp due to the angle created by Möbius’s predictive abilities, the black car managed to land safely and maintain its speed. But the trade-off was that he could no longer use Cronos due to time constraints.

    Nevertheless, he continued drinking the blue potion non-stop to compensate for the magic power he had used earlier. Fortunately, he had rested enough today, so he wasn't easily worn out.

    [Thank you, Mr. Möbius.]

    Black Lightning was very grateful that Möbius had sacrificed a great deal of power to ensure a smooth landing. Even with lost technology, the impact from landing at such a high speed would definitely damage its suspension.

    "Black, engage overdrive again."

    Möbius commanded as he observed through the rearview mirror the relentless pursuit of the red beam zigzagging to catch up with them, urging him to descend the ramp as quickly as possible to dodge to the side.

    [Acknowledged. Overdrive System Activate.]

    Black Lightning accelerated once more, desperately fleeing from the approaching red beam that everyone was certain would be fatal if it made contact.

    As soon as they came off the ramp, Möbius immediately jerked the steering wheel to the right to steer his vehicle away from the path of the red beam, which erased the ground it touched into a long strip. However, the trail of destruction stopped at the cave wall on the exit side. Looking around, Möbius noticed that although the entire ceiling of the cave shook, this side remained intact. He concluded that this part of the cave was much stronger and could likely trap this boss inside.

    This prompted him to drive straight for the exit. Once they made it through that passage, they should be safe. The red beam had now ceased, and the eyeball monster made another high-speed charge at Möbius.

    "What kind of speed is this?"

    Gumiho watched the eyeball monster rushing towards them at a shockingly high speed. She thought Black Lightning was already moving fast towards the front channel, but the eyeball was rapidly closing the distance. However, before it could catch up, Möbius managed to drive into the channel.

    Boom!!!

    The large boss slammed into the cave wall, causing a loud echo throughout the area. This time it couldn't break through the wall like it did on the other side, comforting everyone in the car. But when they looked at the monster's bright red eye again, it transformed into a large gate with a one-meter eye using spider-like legs to walk out from the red eye.

    Not just one or two creatures, but a whole army of them, thick enough that the floor of the path was completely obscured. Then the system announced the name, level, and number of these creatures, heightening the anxiety of everyone in the vehicle.

    'Mr. Möbius encounters 333 mini destruction monsters, each at level 333.'

    "This means they can definitely come out here. And at that level, it's just insane."

    Leia turned to look at the disgusting eye monsters running in a dense pack. Initially, she thought they might stand a chance, but once the level of the monsters was announced, the small-framed girl felt that sticking to the original plan was best, the fleeing for their lives plan.

    "Monster type destruction detected in the exit shaft area. Initiating explosion of the shaft in... 10 seconds."

    The emotionless voice echoed from a small hole in the ceiling, causing Möbius to glance towards the exit elevator, over a kilometer ahead. Now, with no obstacles in front except the swiftly ticking clock, the young man could only drive straight forward to reach the door in time.

    "9... 8... 7..."

    "Will we make it, Möbius?"

    Inari asked with concern, as she and Gumiho fired spells to intercept the eyeball monsters chasing them, but the eyeballs didn't slow down at all. Fortunately, Black Lightning was slightly faster, maintaining a safe distance for now.

    "6... 5..."

    "We'll make it, don't worry. Hang in there, Black."

    Möbius adjusted the Grativa’s magical circle to make the front of the car lighter, allowing it to lift off the ground slightly as it entered the lift shaft, slowing down.

    [Just hoping I can escape this hell alive, that’s enough.]

    "4... 3..."

    Thud!!!

    Black Lightning surged into the elevator shaft, the front wheels lifting off the ground as they touched the lift's walls. Möbius adjusted the gravitational pull to the lift, miraculously allowing the sleek black car to cling to the walls. The trailing eye monsters, unable to stop in time, fell into the remnants of the lift below.

    "2..."

    [Overdrive system activate]

    As if understanding Möbius's needs, Black Lightning immediately activated its abilities to increase its speed from zero to maximum, causing the tires to screech against the lift shaft.

    "1..."

    Möbius drove his car forward at high speed, now just needing to get out.

    "0..."

    Boom, boom, boom!!!

    Explosions violently erupted from the bottom of the lift shaft and gradually ascended upwards, providing the young man a moment of relief as they exploded upwards like this. If it had originated from above and descended, it would have been much harder for them. However, they are not out of danger yet and must survive this explosion.

    The sight of the black car racing up the lift shaft, with explosions trailing behind, reminded Leia of a movie scene she had seen. Certainly, she was determined not to look down.

    At that moment, Gumiho spotted an eye monster with legs rushing up from below, clinging to the lift walls and quickly running after the car she was sitting in. She alerted everyone and began casting her spells at it.

    "Möbius, one of the spider-eyed creatures has escaped."

    The fox mother and daughter relentlessly casted spells at the last surviving spider-eye creature, but it appeared unharmed as the difference in their power levels was almost 300 levels apart. Fortunately, it could not retaliate due to injuries from the explosion and its high-speed chase. However, it was slightly faster than Black Lightning and was gradually closing in on them.

    "I truly appreciate the effort, but no matter what, I, Möbius, still have something to protect."

    Möbius stated while driving with one hand, the other hand wielding a shotgun slung over his shoulder. Leia was holding several bottles of blue potion ready. Möbius glanced at the eye creature through the rearview mirror, the shotgun on his shoulder gleaming increasingly brighter.

    "What lies at the end of this dark path is the outside world, brimming with life."

    "And I cannot allow you, demon, to go out and destroy the light and beauty of the outside world."

    Möbius aimed his gun at the ground in front of the car.

    "Return to the underground from whence you came."

    Cool shot.

    Bang!

    The young man fired his finishing move at a rock slab ahead, confusing the three women about his intentions. The shot hit the middle of a rock slab forming part of this lift shaft, and the explosion that followed him originated from the middle of the rock slab, just like where Möbius shot his finishing move.

    The presence of only one spider-eye monster confirmed that the explosions chasing them had been effective, otherwise, there would have been many more. Soon, they drove past the point where the shotgun pellets were embedded, and just as the spider-eye creature was about to reach that spot,

    "Adiós."

    Möbius pointed his finger, flicked it slightly at the tip of his eyebrow, and pulled his hand back slightly, a short version gesture of his Cool Shot finisher.

    Boom!!!

    A number of glowing white shotgun pellets exploded simultaneously right under the feet of the pursuing spider-eye, triggering another massive explosion planned in its path. The creature lost its footing and fell immediately below.

    "I really hope this is the end."

    Inari, feeling that this period of time was dragging on excessively, furrowed her beautiful eyebrows together. It was truly the first time she felt this exhausted from suspense.

    “The final sealing of the grand boss level monster is now commencing..."

    The emotionless female voice echoed again from the walls, causing everyone in the car to look at each other, wondering what would happen next.

    "It seems it's not over yet."

    Möbius, already exhausted, took the third bottle of blue potion Leia handed to him.

    "At least it said it’s the last time."

    Gumiho, who also took a swig of the blue potion from her lace bag, tried to comfort everyone, including herself.

    Creeeeak...!!!

    A large slab of stone was moving to block their path ahead. Although it was moving slowly, they were still a considerable distance away. Möbius was unsure if they would make it in time as his ability to use Cronos had already expired.

    Trying to delay the closing stone slab, the young man fired his pistol at it, hoping that the gravity bullets would slow its movement. However, his poor accuracy resulted in several missed shots, leading him to grumble in frustration as the exit was now more than half shut.

    "Damn it, why can't I shoot straight at a time like this?"

    " Möbius, it is narrower than Black’s height now."

    Leia said from the front, her face filled with alarm, but they were only about 10 meters away now.

    "We have no choice, this might get dusty, sorry everyone."

    Möbius didn't want to do this, as it would hurt the girls. But there was no other choice as it was better than being blown up by the chasing explosions.

    'Hands of Möbius, Black Hole.'

    He suddenly drew Black Lightning into his left hand, causing all four of them to float in the air at a speed of 340 km/h, squeezing under a door only 1 meter wide.

    Leia flew through the door, unfurling her wings immediately. Though slightly disoriented, she felt better once out of Möbius's ability range. Gumiho and Inari, after sliding under the door, pushed off from the walls gracefully to stand on the now closing door.

    "Argh, argh, argh!!!"

    Möbius, on the other hand, was in worse shape. After slipping under the door, he lost balance and rolled towards the wall for a considerable distance, unable to maintain his ability to manipulate gravitational pull, causing him to uncontrollably fall to the floor where the ladies stood, already dusting themselves off, leaving no one to catch him.

    "Ouch... the escape mission is complete."

    Even face down on the ground, Möbius still declared that this time they had successfully escaped, just before a clear ringing sound was heard and the door in front of them slowly opened.

    Ting...!

    Creeeeak...

    "... "

    Leia, the least tired, poised to fight again upon hearing another strange noise. Did the system’s justice really not let up at all?