“Master, doesn’t this belong to the Reincarnators...?” Sid asked with some difficulty, sticking his head out from behind Nue, who seemed to be enjoying herself.
“Yeah. But it’s mine now. I stole it.” Dill laughed. His rusty hair fluttered behind him, becoming one with the wind. “I had to break a lot of these before I finally figured out how to ride one!”
“Hey, hey, don’t say that. You were starting to act cool for a second there.”
“Dill doesn’t need to act to be cool! He’s my papa!”
“You little rascal.” Dill put an arm on Nue’s head and pulled her close. Sid, squeezed tightly in between them, had trouble breathing, but he was happy.
Explosions roared behind them. The other four bikes, in dogged pursuit, were gaining on them. They all rode identical vehicles, the road was straight, and they were running at full throttle. However, Dill’s bike, which also carried the two children, was unstable and more encumbered.
The castle walls drew closer. The sun was high in the sky, and there was no sign of anyone walking in the crater. It was already apparent that Vulcan of the Eleven Cities would be surrounded by Reincarnators and put under siege.
The Reincarnators were all silent for a moment. Then, without a word, one of the Reincarnators, who had finally caught up to Dill, readied his gun and aimed for Dill’s rear tire. Dill steered the vehicle from side to side, evading the gunfire. The bullet ricocheted and grazed the seat.
The following shot sent the muffler flying. Dill somehow managed to avoid getting hit, but he wasn’t sure how many more shots he could dodge. He couldn’t hold out much longer.
To make matters worse, a circle of light cut through the air next to Dill. The work of a Jumper’s teleportation Skill...
“Enemy reinforcements!” cried Sid in despair, his words faltering.
“Thanks for the fresh delivery!” Before the new Reincarnator could make it all the way through, Dill pulled the bike up beside the portal and made a merciless attempt to crash into him. He pressed his upper body down firmly on top of the children on his knee, nearly squishing them. He would not let go of them no matter what.
The new Reincarnator concentrated his strength in his slender arms. The moment before Dill’s bike made contact, a burst of flame from his elbow accelerated his unarmed fist, which struck Dill and Dill’s vehicle, four times.
“You...!” Failing to make contact and instead pushed back by the assault, Dill’s eyes widened.
“It is I, Dill Steel-Link. You will be supplying us with a new body!” It was the Reincarnator Dill had retired not long ago. A man...no, a woman!
“You came back in a woman’s body. More importantly...long-distance teleportation between the Imperial City and Vulcan should be impossible. You scum must have built a respawn base near the sacred city of Vulcan,” muttered Dill, clicking his tongue in annoyance. The woman did not respond, instead turning to her comrades behind her.
“Your help will not be required. Fall back. I will be the one to enlighten this man. Don’t needlessly damage a precious A-rank body with bullets.”
At the woman’s instruction, the four bikers kept their distance from Dill, forming a loose circle around him.
The woman was tall and dressed in a straitjacket, her hair wet and reeking of formaldehyde. Atop her bike, she smiled coldly. She slid her bike closer to Dill’s, crashing into it in retribution for his attack. The smell of burning rubber filled the air as both tires on the woman’s motorbike emitted fire, accelerating the bike beyond its normal limits!
Dill’s vehicle swayed dramatically and the children buried in his chest screamed. Dill endured the impact, and tried to regain control of his bike. The woman swooped in for the coup de grâce, accelerating her fists with her pyrokinesis. One punch—two punches! The impact was painful. Despite the change in sex, the Reincarnator’s power exceeded corporeal limits, her blows obviously even more powerful than before. His hands full with guarding the children and steering the unfamiliar vehicle, Dill had little chance of dodging!
“Grrraa!” Red eyes flashed. Slithering out of Dill’s grasp like a snake, Nue Kirisaki leaped into the air. Her pearly white teeth were pushed out of her gums by suddenly sprouting fangs, with which she made to bite through the Reincarnator’s skull!
“Out of my way, monster.”
“Nue!” cried Sid. The Reincarnator swept her arm around with the speed of flames and flicked Nue away. The girl’s fangs, worthy of a large carnivore, were shattered into dust. Caught again in Dill’s arms, Nue frantically choked up blood and fragments of teeth.
“Was I of some help, at least?” Nue forced a smile. Between her lips, a new set of normal teeth could already be glimpsed sprouting from her gums.
“Y-You’ve got some guts!” said Sid supportively. Nue gave him a thumbs up and a smile! On the other hand, Dill’s eyes were boiling with rage at the sight of seeing one of the children hurt. It was as though the rust had fallen away and bare metal shone out from underneath. He stared straight ahead.
As Dill attempted another attack, the Reincarnator tilted her bike away from him. At the same time, the other Reincarnators, who had followed and formed a perimeter around them, all slowed down at once. The castle wall was very close. In just over ten seconds, they would crash into it.
The female Reincarnator ceased her attack and tried to drop her own speed, but realized that Dill’s bike wasn’t slowing down at all.