Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 366: Arc 5, - 60: The Chase

The rumbling-roaring engine slithered onto the dark cobble road. Headlights of yellow cut through the low-lying fog and guided the way into the forthcoming midnight as bouts of thunder bellowed in the darkened sky.

Past streetlamps and through a straight unbusy road—she pressed her foot down further, but the engine only rattled in response.

Both her arms were outstretched halfway to hold the large steering wheel. She steered around the bend in the road, scaring the local cats and dogs that rooted through scattered trash.

Fumeko stuck her head out the window and looked back; she noticed beams of yellow light travelling behind them, getting brighter, "They’re catching up, can’t this thing go any faster!?" she shouted over the engine.

The blonde checked her single rearview mirror, "Wait a minute," Jotou looked the levers by her side and grabbed one, "One of them must be reverse, which must be that whole maze there," she muttered.

"So," Jotou quickly scanned the pattern of the gearbox. She shifted the lever right then back. With that, the engine roared louder and thicker loops of smoke trailed behind them.

Everyone felt themselves sink into the back of their seats as Jotou managed to grip the steering wheel in time. She glanced to the speedometer and what was a bronze needle stuck at the fifty to sixty mark, began to move into the seventies.

However, her gaze was drawn to the maximum speed of eighty kilometres per hour and she eased off of the accelerator paddle by a smidgen—lest the car breakdown without warning.

Narrow were the streets of southeast Mandrake and every bump in the cobblestone made the car jump, only worsening the fear that it might flip or crash.

"PING!" Everyone flinched. No matter the speed, the assailants behind had a straight shot to their vehicle. The beams of light spotlighted their expeditious retreat.

"Tiffany, can you blast them back? I’m sure one scream and those cars are done for," Fumeko glanced back.

Tiffany sat in the middle and held her throat. Her head moved from side-to-side in a daze before she shook her head proper, "ScreAming’s one thIng, but I-I feel nauseous," her voice croaked and cracked.

Hotaru put a hand under Tiffany’s chin and placed her other hand coated in glowing water onto her neck, "Your vocal chords are pretty much gone, give me a few seconds. And your mana’s probably drained too."

"Can you rejuvenate her?" Fumeko suggested.

"Once I can heal this. I don’t heal throats too often, I can’t rush it; unless Tiffany doesn’t mind sounding different or feel her voice clog up at random," Hotaru concentrated.

Tiffany shook her head with a small whimper of denial. The cars could keep up, but barely could gain unless Jotou stepped on the brakes to make slight turns left and right.

Crappy apartments and establishments flanked the streets; from the windows of some houses, lights began to turn on as the loud rumble of zooming cars would race through their neighbourhood.

However, as any onlooker saw the trails of smoke and the headlights in the distance, they would see a shadow cover what little glow the dark midnight skies had to offer.

Large, encompassing, fast—the shadow would wash over the streets right after the speeding vehicles. It was followed by the sound of leathery flaps that gusted down onto the borough.

"Uh..." Fumeko’s eyes were on the verge of ejecting out of their sockets—her head out the window and facing behind, her hair being blown back.

"What?" the blonde gave a sharp reply.

"...Dragon."

Despite her voice barely beating that of the engine, the three at the back turned and looked; Jotou kept an eye on the road. Contesting the velocity of the cars behind them was no challenge to this flying creature that casted a shadow over them as it passed.

It was too dark to see complexion and too high to examine most of its features. However, the large leathery wings, the stout maw, two stocky legs, the tail with several sharp barbs at the end—all they could notice while it flew closer and closer.

"Hotaru, it’s amazingly spectacular to see that thing, but how much do you know about dragons from adventuring stuff...? Maybe, how to beat one...?" Asobi’s eyes were glued to it.

"W-why would I know that?" her ears folded onto her head. She got a hold of Tiffany’s neck quickly to continue her healing. She stuttered a bit before she answered, "Anything about dragons, it’s, it’s a myth.

Dragons are a myth and even if they’re not, they’re long extinct. So, no, I wouldn’t know anything about a weakness."

"Well it’s not like that new god is a dragon, he probably just shapeshifted into one. He’s giving chase, we better figure out what to do before it lands and do who knows what," Fumeko stated.

The creature caught up and flew right overhead their car. Jotou took a turn to the left and drove down the straight road, before she stuck her head out the window and looked to the thing above.

She blinked a few times, unamused. The blonde stuck her head back into the car, "Yeah, I’ve played enough games to know that’s not a dragon—not that all my knowledge would apply in this world, but hey, I’m sorta right about ghosts."

"Then what the hell is that thing?" Fumeko held onto the door tightly and kept an eye on it.

"I guess a wyvern. Bat-like wings, doesn’t have arms and too small to be a dragon. Probably benefits him to be smaller to follow us through the streets without buildings getting in the way."

"Right, because that thing’s inconspicuous," the brunette pursed her lips.

"What about why-verns Aru?" the elf asked once more.

Hotaru sighed and shrugged, "None that I know of in Kria. Still would’ve only read them in books and there are some accounts of wyverns, sparsely. They’re said to be venomous."

"Ping!" "Pnfg!" Bullets ricocheted off of the road and pavements. Some hit the nearby bins and lampposts- "CRASH!"

"AH!"

"UGH! GRr..."

"Screech!"

Asobi and Hotaru ducked down, while Tiffany coughed in surprise; the back window shattered inwards. Jotou winced and lost control of the steering wheel for a moment, but she veered the car back onto the road before the tyres go too far onto the pavement.

Fumeko held on tightly onto the door for the ordeal and then sat inside the car proper. Shards of glass bounced on the seats and the clothes of the backseat passengers; wind which previously wooshed evenly within the car, now squalled through the interior. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Do you know where you’re going?" Asobi made a white block of light to block the broken window.

"Don’t put a light there, I can’t see!" Jotou closed an eye and lost all vision of their assailaints.

"Sorry!" Asobi dispelled it. "I can make the car invisible-"

"Then how’s Jotou supposed to see where she’s going!?" Fumeko shouted out.

"Oh, right."

Jotou took a left at an intersection, "I’m just gonna keep heading west for now, we’ll reach Fleur at some point."

Thunder boomed above and the blonde kept speeding till sudden thick droplets of water showered over the car and pinged off of the metal.

Splats of rainwater sprayed and bounced into the car, drizzling on them as the tyres splattered into dips of water in the slick and wet cobble roads. "Tsss..." The engine sizzled as rain evaporated on its surface.

Water trickled and freckled over the blonde’s face and hair—a smirk danced onto her lips as she felt the rush of cold air. The light of the car barely cut through the shine and shimmer of rain splattering harshly onto the street.

’Hey rain.’ Her whole mind felt a sigh wash over it. ’I haven’t failed yet. You want to pursue us still? Let’s see how much fun we could have, shall we~?’

Through her fluttering blonde bangs, her eyes darted to the rearview mirror. She could faintly see the lights of the cars pursuing them into the storm.

"Sobi, could you make a beam of bright light on the hood of the car facing forward?" Jotou requested.

"I sure can!" with a flourish of her wand, Asobi pointed forward and a glowing greenish-white frog appeared on the hood of the car. It croaked once and out came a beam of white light from its mouth continuously.

The road ahead was little more clear and the rain glimmered in droplets of rainbows before them. "Tiffany, once you’re healed, you know what to do to our friends trying to catch up."

Tiffany nodded.

"Meko, eyes on the oversized iguana?"

Fumeko half-closed her eyes and looked up out the window. The creature appeared larger and more details of its scales and other features were noticeable. "It’s flying lower, but it’s still right above us."

"Alrighty. Aru, some protection in case this all goes south?" Jotou cooed.

"Aegis-Aura," with her unoccupied hand, each drop of rainwater splashing into the car glowed a brilliant blue and coated the five of them in a bluish aura. "Try not to let it go south please."

"Don’t worry," Jotou held the steering tighter and her eyes sparked while focusing on the road ahead. "I may’ve not driven in almost a year and I barely know how to drive stick. Plus, with the rain, this ride isn’t exactly gonna be smooth.

Even so, I’d make a pretty big bet that I’m still better than every single on of those drivers behind us combined." As she said it, she- "Screeeeeech!!!"

She shifted her whole body as she turned the large steering wheel all the way to the right while slamming her foot down on the breaks.

The car drifted and almost fishtailed into the side of the building. Everyone was flung to their left side while the car came to an abrupt halt at the intersection.

Jotou without pause proceeded to accelerate into the right turn and the engine made a noise that it probably shouldn’t... But the car did roar and pick up speed in the direction of the sharp turn.

"Are you trying to throw me out the window!?" Fumeko stabilized herself.

"Sorry detective~" Jotou gave an awkward chuckle. "I trust that you’d blink back to us."

Fumeko’s brows furrowed; then she placed a hand to her chin.

"In any case, don’t worry about the drivers. I’ll focus on the road and get us back in one piece—mostly. But I don’t think I can do much against that wyvern other than misleading it and steering clear of it. I’m not really sure how good its eyesight is."

Behind them they heard; "Screeecch-CRASH!" "Scrh! CrAsH!!!" It was followed by a few sounds of drifting tyres against the drenched road.

"One, two," Jotou stated. The rain went down their adventuring gear like water off a duck’s back.

"Swoosh...! Fwoosh...!" Rain no longer hit the car, nor did they feel it. The creature from above swooped down and its tail swiped at the-

"Squeak!" The car tyres slid against the cobblestone. "THUD! Crumble..." "Hhhaaer!" The creature let out this, screeching and hissing roar as its head slammed into the upper corners of two buildings and crumbled the roof tiles.

Jotou drove the car into a narrow alleyway and crashed into the bins in the way. She drove slower through it till she could turn into another end of the alley and sped up.

The claws of the creature, which were at the centre of its wings, grappled into the stone. Rain slithered down its scales and muscly, veiny limbs before it lifted off in pursuit of its prey—the sound of an engine and tyres were all it needed to track after all.

Jotou soon found herself chased by the same vehicles from before, having slowed down to shake off the winged reptile. Fumeko looked above, her bangs drenched, "That thing’s a compass for them to follow us."

"And those cultists may know the city streets better than Jotou. They’ll take any shortcut they know of," Hotaru reasoned and lifted Tiffany’s chin; she placed a couple of fingers and began healing more precisely.

Jotou let out a breath and spun the wheel into another turn, not even sure west from east at this point. All that mattered was shaking them off, navigation can come later.

Her eyes kept a watch on the speedometer, making her ease her foot off of the pedal before it hit eighty. All of them held onto the seats or the doors to keep themselves from flying out any side.

"Pang!" Who knew how many bullets they had wasted at this point. The one stray bullet hit the side of the door to Asobi’s side—the only one they could hear from the thundering shower.

The raven-haired woman held the back seat and popped her head up the back window. She saw beams of yellow light through the rain and pointed her wand.

She aimed and shot a little butterfly towards it with her tongue out. A little white butterfly of light sizzled as the rain hit it in its mission. The butterfly got smaller and smaller; Asobi could barely see it, much less concentrate on it at the speed they were going.

However- "Th!" "Squeaaak-Screech!" It hit the front wheel of the frontmost car and popped the tyre, causing it to swerve and spin out in the middle of the street.

The elf beamed wide and held onto her hat, "Three!"

"Thud!"

The entire car jumped up and down, but Jotou managed to keep the car from slipping and slammed on the accelerator instead of the brakes.

The blonde put her left arm out and caught Fumeko before she flew through the windshield. "Hell, sorry, must’ve been something on the road." She huffed and kept her heart from jumping out of her chest. The brunette caught her breath.

Jotou swerved and swerved, into roads that did not even need that sharp of a turn; all in an effort to avoid the creature swooping down and clawing into the roof.

In the distance, she could spot the end of the storm. The wet rubber tyres spun onto dry brick roads, yet to be touched by the rain. ’Are we in Fleur now? Or just more less rural Mandrake?’

"You’re good to go," the wolf-girl took her hands away. "Rejuvenate!" she splashed a large bubble onto the pale blonde as it got absorbed into her skin.

"Ahem," Tiffany puffed out her chest and raised her shoulders. She looked back out the broken window and saw the last two cars. Hotaru’s ears folded down and Asobi covered her pointy ears.

"...AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Rippling translucent white waves blasted out. The street cracked and crumpled backwards and the cars... "Kwing!" "HNGH!" "CRASHHH!!!"

The front engines dented and the metal bent inwards. All the glass shattered in that direction, including the windows of homes, lampposts and other buildings.

Jotou gripped the steering as the back of the car jumped forward and the entire vehicle got boosted forward. The bronze needle in the speedometer went well past the eighty mark.

Tiffany took a breath and watched the beams of yellow light, dim more and more. Until they were not even in view and left in the dust behind them.

"Yay! Nice work Tiffany!" Asobi cheered.

Tiffany laughed vivaciously, "Thine praise is acknowledged by one such as mineself as well as the void~!" she proclaimed.

"No more cars; Aru, d’you know the way back. Any directions if you could?" Jotou asked while the wyvern loomed over them.

"You have the map!" the redhead replied.

"Hold on," Fumeko climbed over the gears and levers; she fished her hands into Jotou’s coat pockets, prodding at her as she did—Jotou’s elbow flapped in an attempt to elbow her face.

Fumeko took out a map and it unfolded immediately. Hotaru grabbed it, but it flapped and fluttered into her form. Tiffany and Asobi held it down; Hotaru quickly began scanning the map over.

Streetlamps all lit, drunkards singing by the pavement and several bars with neon lights as well as natural lamps, down the road—Jotou took caution, but still could not slow down.

By shady-looking rundown inns and hotels, scantily dressed women, sleezy-looking men, homeless people on makeshift beds by the corners and alleys—all of them witnessed the bright white light emitted by a frog on the hood of a speeding car.

Which was followed by a massive winged form that flew right above, a mere few metres away. Screams and shrieks echoed down the street and people pulled others under shelter, while some cowered where they could.

Fumeko huffed, "So much for off the books..."

"I’m sorry, but we barely had any say in that matter," Jotou replied. ’It was bound to happen eventually anyway.’

The brunette glared out the window... "What’s the plan then? Drive with this thing on our tail till the company? If that thing gets there and decides to destroys the place that’s on their case the most..."

"I’m open to suggestions detective, my only idea’s pulling over and fighting that thing. And if that shapeshifter wanted to do that, it could’ve done that long before this; the building isn’t much of a secret."

...

"I have a plan," Fumeko uttered.

"That would be?"

"Woosh!" Into shadows Fumeko disappeared out the window of the car.

"Meko!" Jotou’s head twisted.