Shui Hua remembered how the Liu Jin of the past could condense an Unstoppable Light Sword with a mere wave of her hand.
Now, however, she seemed only capable of producing these threads.
Though they remained sharp, their utility had certainly diminished.
“My Mana Shaping Ability has degraded significantly; I can only manage this much for now,” Liu Jin explained, as if afraid Shui Hua would misunderstand and think she was slacking off.
“However, its cutting power should be enough to slice through this.”
Liu Jin was right; her threads could easily slice through the entire cabin, provided they could be pulled taut.
However, within this enclosed space, Liu Jin had no way to find a fulcrum to straighten the Golden Silk or find the right angle to cut through the door.
Liu Jin tried several times, but the threads could not find a proper angle to cut the door.
She could only manipulate the silk to thread through the gaps, trying to reach the outside to find an angle that could catch the lock.
However, the Awakened Entity was not a stationary target, and a hum soon erupted from the engine.
“I’m starting up! I’m starting up!”
An excited voice rang out from the speakers of the Automobile Variate.
The roar of the engine intensified abruptly, the tires kicked up dirt, and the car sped forward at high speed.
A powerful force slammed the two of them into their seats.
What followed was a violent jolting that far exceeded any roller coaster.
The car did not feel like it was driving; it was bouncing across the uneven forest floor.
Shui Hua’s vision blurred as a wave of intense motion sickness hit her.
‘The only good news is that this body hasn’t eaten yet,’ she thought.
‘Otherwise, I would definitely have vomited until my stomach was empty.’
Shui Hua quickly cast Pain Masking Magic on herself, but the magic did not seem to categorize motion sickness as pain, and she continued to feel waves of nausea.
Liu Jin’s plan also failed. In such a turbulent environment, it was impossible to control the silk threads outside the car.
At first, she still tried to use the threads to scrape at the glass despite the jolting.
But as her focus began to drift, she had to give up.
She gripped the handle above the door with one hand, while the other was practically stuffed into her mouth to keep herself from throwing up.
Though there were no great drops in the forest, trees were everywhere.
The car not only made wild turns and drifts but occasionally ran over small saplings, often performing a full sideways roll before continuing its frantic flight.
At the same time, the sight of massive trees frequently whipping past — nearly resulting in a collision — kept Shui Hua’s heart in her throat.
The vertigo and tension attacked her simultaneously, keeping her nerves on edge.
Fortunately, this hellish scene did not torture Shui Hua for long, as she blacked out shortly after.
When Shui Hua came to, she realized the car had stopped.
Looking at Liu Jin beside her, she saw the girl’s head lolling against the seat, her eyes glazed, and a strand of saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth.
She had clearly fainted as well.
Shui Hua reached out and gently shook her shoulder.
Liu Jin slowly woke up, her eyes misty as her consciousness seemed to return from the heavens.
“Is this heaven?”
“It was hell just a moment ago, at least.”
Recalling the hellish ride, Shui Hua felt her stomach churn again.
She quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting bile.
“Ah… that was a truly exhilarating drive,” the voice of the Awakened Entity came through the car speakers again, filled with a sense of burnt-out tranquility.
“It reminded me of the time my master first got his license and secretly took me for a midnight sprint along the deserted Coastal Avenue. It was just as beautiful.”
“Then I can understand why your master abandoned you,” Shui Hua snapped, wiping the saliva that had unconsciously leaked from her own mouth and interrupting the car’s fond memories.
“Legend says there is a species of bird with no feet. They can only fly in the sky their entire lives, and the moment they land is the moment they die. And I — perhaps I am such a bird. Even if I must burn my last drop of gasoline, I will not grow old and die alone in a dark garage, listening to the sound of my own parts slowly rusting away.”
“Then don’t drag us into it…”
Shui Hua really could not stand these Awakened Entities that insisted on delivering a tragic speech after harming people, as if they were the victims forced into doing evil.
“I am truly happy to have carried you both through this final journey.”
As the words fell, the engine noise cut out instantly.
The lights on the dashboard gradually dimmed, and it appeared to have passed away peacefully.
“Good riddance! Time to pop the champagne!”
Shui Hua congratulated immediately.
She then tried to pull the handle, but the door remained locked.
“What is wrong with you? At least open the door before you die!”
“It seems… we have to do it ourselves.”
Liu Jin had recovered some of her spirit.
She pulled another strand of Golden Silk from her fingertips, and the sharp line easily sliced through the seatbelts, freeing them.
Next, Liu Jin manipulated the threads to slide into both sides of the door lock.
She pulled the ends tight, and the lock was quickly severed.
Liu Jin delivered a sharp kick.
With a loud *thud*, the door swung open, finally granting them an exit.
The two of them practically crawled and scrambled out of the cabin.
Upon touching the ground again, Shui Hua’s legs gave way, and she slumped onto the leaf-covered earth.
As the effects of the Pain Masking Magic faded, she felt a stinging sensation in her shoulders and abdomen.
Looking down, she saw several striking red marks on her fair skin where the seatbelt had strained against her, with tiny beads of blood seeping out of nearly every one.
“Ouch…” she hissed, quickly channeling Magic Power over the wounds.
Under the soaking of Shui Hua’s blue magic, the bloody marks healed at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Within moments, she was restored to normal, and Shui Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“It didn’t deal much damage or hurt my pride, but the level of torture was top-tier.”
“Indeed… I also feel… very unwell.”
Once she relaxed, Liu Jin felt another wave of nausea and quickly leaned her back against a tree.
“Let’s go back quickly. My vision is still a bit doubled… Let me check the navigation and see which way to go…”
As Shui Hua spoke, she habitually reached into the side pocket of her skirt and pulled out the Mobile Phone she used specifically for her Magical Girl Identity.
Unfortunately, the phone was in terrible shape.
The screen was completely shattered, and the metal frame had been twisted into an irregular curve.
Shui Hua tried pressing the power button, but no miracle occurred; it failed to turn on.
Shui Hua stared at the phone, which was beyond any possibility of repair, and remained silent for a moment.
Then, remembering she now had the money to replace it, she didn’t feel quite as sad.
“Right, Liu Jin, do you have navigation? How do we get back?”
Shui Hua turned to Liu Jin, pinning her hopes on her.
Liu Jin looked calm and innocent.
“When I go out on missions… I usually don’t bring a phone.”
Shui Hua slowly averted her gaze from Liu Jin’s face and looked around.
There were tall, unfamiliar trees, a completely deserted environment, and no trace of a signal tower even on the distant mountain peaks.
It was true that they could fly as Magical Girls, but first, they needed to know which direction to fly in.