Becoming Their Guiding Spirit

# Chapter 42: Noble Phantasm! ”Hurry up and accelerate!! M-Miss M!! Those disgusting creatures behind us are about to catch up!!”

It was too dark outside. Even with the headlights on, the visible range was only a couple of meters. From the side, she couldn’t see the situation outside at all. But from the rumbling of the earth and the dense red glows in her ears, the highly perceptive Franka could still vaguely judge that the number of enemies was definitely not small... at least several hundred, maybe even a thousand...

And these Originium Slugs were quite disgusting in appearance, like hermit crabs from the seaside.

The upper part of their body was a large lump of hard keratin similar to a rock, and inside the ’rock’ was the slug’s internal structure and multiple sharp claws like a crab’s.

This sort of thing...

Could already be described as a ’minor Catastrophe’. Even an elite Operator, being a mortal, could not possibly survive under this tide of insects, unless they were a fully armed army equipped with large-scale firepower.

”Little Franka... I can’t go any faster!!”

Magallan was also anxious.

She didn’t expect to run into something like this right after setting out.

”The wilderness at night is very dangerous. You don’t know where the cliffs or rock walls are. If we accelerate too much, we’ll die for sure...”

The vehicle’s speed was only thirty mph, but these seemingly clumsy Originium Slugs moved faster than thirty mph. The swarm of slugs following behind the vehicle was getting closer and closer, and the sound of the ground trembling echoed incessantly in everyone’s ears, making their faces turn pale.

More and more large Originium Slugs leaped up and clung to the vehicle’s outer armor. However, they didn’t seem to be very smart. Their sharp claws didn’t focus their attacks on the relatively fragile windows, but instead hammered away at the incredibly hard alloy armor plates.

The slugs’ metal-like sharp claws scraped against the alloy armor plates. The screeching sound produced by the collision of these two objects was incredibly clear inside the vehicle. It could be heard even with one’s ears covered, making one’s scalp tingle and mouth go sour.

”Don’t panic!”

Magallan reassured them.

”These wilderness creatures have a very strong sense of territory. As long as we leave their territory, we’ll be completely safe.”

”Then... how much farther is the nearest one...”

”Thirty kilometers...”

”....”

The people in the car looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for words.

Thirty kilometers.

On a normal day, it wouldn’t be far at all, just a twenty-minute drive. But now... with the vehicle’s speed limited to thirty mph, it would take at least an hour or more.

These Originium Slugs were getting closer and closer.

Many of them were already clinging to the car.

It was questionable whether the car’s outer armor could even last for an hour.

Everyone in the car was starting to get anxious.

The most anxious of all was the ’old driver’ Magallan. After all, she was the client. It didn’t matter if she died; as an explorer who wandered everywhere, she had long since put life and death aside. But what if little Franka and the others died because of her...

Magallan sped up a little more.

Increasing the speed from 30 mph to 35 mph.

This speed was the limit.

Even with the high beams on, the visibility in the dark, misty wilderness was only so much. Any faster, and even if they reacted, the vehicle wouldn’t be able to swerve out of the way...

There should have been weapons mounted on the outside of the vehicle!! Or an ultrasonic scanning function...

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so blind in this environment.

Crack!

The bulletproof glass on the left side finally cracked under the relentless assault of the Originium Slugs. Spiderweb-like patterns spread across the small window. More and more slugs climbed onto the top of the vehicle, covering both sides of the roof. From a distance, the vehicle’s surface seemed to be covered with bizarrely shaped rocks, a sight that made one’s skin crawl.

Franka felt helpless.

She was clearly skilled, but here, her skills were useless. She could only sit there and wait.

”Jessica, quickly ask your almighty Genie Lucas Reeve to think of a way! We’re about to be done for. Can’t he grant any wish? Hurry up and find a way to get us out of this mess!”

”Mr. Reeve!”

”Understood. Leave it to me.”

Lucas Reeve took control of Jessica’s body.

In this situation, simple breathing styles were useless. He needed some other useful abilities.

[Does the system need to assist (9/10)]

[1. Riding: A 2. Noble Phantasm: Knight of Owner 3. Infinite Nitro]

As expected...

The system only provided abilities that could potentially get them away from these Originium Slugs. As for whether they could survive after escaping the slugs, it didn’t care.

Riding: A was a good choice. It would allow one to handle any vehicle with great skill, even making an old clunker drive like an AE86. But the ability was quite limited, only effective on vehicles. Although it could solve the current situation, Lucas Reeve didn’t know how many times he would be able to use it in the future.

As for infinite nitro...

Forget it...

It could definitely get them away from the Originium Slugs, but who knew if they would fall off a cliff.

Comparing the options...

There was only one choice left.

After Lucas Reeve chose the second ability.

The ability of Noble Phantasm: Knight of Owner and all its effects were branded into Lucas Reeve’s soul like a sudden enlightenment.

”Miss Magallan, please move aside. I have a way to get us out...”

Lucas Reeve stood up and said to Magallan, who was driving.

Magallan didn’t know what was going on. She didn’t understand why her friends kept calling out ’Lucas Reeve’... who was that?

And why did Jessica suddenly seem like a different person?

”Finally, someone got my name right!!! Jessica, you can drive?”

”Yes! Please hurry.”

Bang!

Just then.

A crisp sound.

The glass on the left side, which was already covered in cracks, finally shattered.

The Originium Slug’s sharp claw tried to reach in, but unfortunately, its head was too big and couldn’t get through the small window. Seeing this, Franka immediately stood up, drew her rapier, activated her Thermite Blade, and the sword became scorching hot. The temperature inside the car seemed to rise continuously.

The searing Thermite Blade stabbed through the window and into the Originium Slug’s body.

No matter how tough it was, it was no match for the 2500-degree heat of the Thermite Blade.

However.

With the death of the first Originium Slug, it seemed to instantly enrage all the others. Not only did their pursuit speed up, but the frequency of the attacks from the ones already clinging to the car also became much faster.

”There’s no time, Miss Magallan!”

”But... but I’m driving right now. I don’t dare to just let go of the steering wheel in a place like this and let you...”

”Then let’s do it this way.”

”Miss Magallan, you lean back a bit.”

Since Jessica’s body was quite petite, she simply sat on Magallan’s lap and gripped the steering wheel.

[Noble Phantasm! Knight of Owner]