Just as Neko spoke, a shrill scream came from behind them. 

“What in the—” Shun spun around and gasped audibly. Right on their tails was another tram speeding along on the opposite track; the silver-haired girl flung the body of the dead driver towards the horrified passengers and reversed the tram towards them, a cold grin spreading across her face. 

“—we have to stop her!” Rya’s panicked shout snapped him out of his initial shock; he leaned out of the window and quickly fired a shot aimed at the corner of the windscreen. The glass promptly shattered upon impact; unfazed, the silver-haired girl calmly dodged the shower of glass and drew her crossbow. 

A deathly screech resounded in the air as she released a bolt. 

Rya joined his side and summoned a white magic circle around them. “《Reflect Barrier》! ”

“Good one, Rya!” Shun smiled—then his smile quickly vanished when the barrier abruptly disappeared once the bolt pierced through. It grazed past his ear, causing blood to drip onto the wooden floorboards.

“H-huh…?” Rya stuttered in shock. “M-m-my magic…how…” 

“F*ck!” Shun quickly worked the bolt and fired a retaliatory shot back, making sure not to aim at any of the passengers held hostage, and pulled her down with him below the window ledge. “Rya, are you alright?!” 

“M-mm.” She shook her head and looked at him worriedly. “I-Iʼm really sorry, please give me a moment.” Raising her hand, she healed the cut on his earlobe. 

“It isnʼt your fault, donʼt blame yourself, Rya,” he said in a firm voice. “Please be careful, something is definitely up with that crossbow of hers.”

She nodded her head firmly. “Iʼll keep that in mind.” 

“Neko, please drive faster!” Lian Xinʼs anxious shouts drew their attention. “Sheʼs gaining on us!” 

“Milady, any faster and weʼll run the risk of derailing the tram!” Neko insisted, but one look at the fast-approaching tram on the opposite track and he quickly slammed the lever even further forward. “What the hell, that Pacifist girl is nuts!” 

Sparks flew out from beneath the floor as they raced up the slope towards the Golden Temple; the wind whipped against Shunʼs flushed cheeks as he fired a volley of shots at the front of the pursuing tram, which caused the exterior wood panelling to explode in a shower of splinters. 

Suddenly, a harsh metallic grating noise punctuated the air; the silver-haired girlʼs tram screeched to a grinding halt along the track. 

“YES!” Neko exclaimed while glancing at the rearview mirror and laughed maniacally. “That dumbass bitch managed to stall the engine; now we are able to escape safely from here!” 

“OI, DONʼT PUT UP A FLAG SO QUICKLY—” Shunʼs retort was abruptly interrupted by the shattering of glass from behind. “—D*MN IT, I TOLD YOU SO!!” 

Spinning his rifle to the back while chambering the next round, he squeezed the trigger without hesitation—but the rear of the tram was empty, save for broken glass shards scattered all over the floor and seats. 

His eyes darted around the tram wildly. “W-where did she go?” 

Rya closed her eyes for a moment before snapping them open. “Shun, the roof!” 

Before he could react, the overhead ceiling lights were suddenly extinguished—plunging everyone into confusing darkness. 

“Everyone, don’t move!” Neko yelled over the din in a panic. 

There was a momentary silence as they remained deathly still, not even daring to breathe; with a piercing screech-like whistle, fireworks filled the night sky once again—the vibrant flashes outside momentarily revealed a shadowy figure darting across the middle windows. 

Shun swiftly swung the rifle along the path of the figure and fired, but there was only the dull splintering of wood; he realised too late that the muzzle flash had just given away his position to the enemy. There was a crashing noise swiftly followed the sound of rapid footsteps headed straight for him, but he was too slow in pulling out his knife. 

“《Blind》!” 

A brilliant burst of light exploded in front of Shun, causing his field of view to become fully white momentarily. Instinctively he flinched and tried to block the residual light with his arm. 

“Earth magic, 3rd tier 《Petrify》” Rya hurriedly chanted another incarnation and shouted, “Shun, now!” 

Blinking rapidly to clear the spots in his vision, he realised that Rya had managed to immobilise the silver-haired girl in stone—though the layer of rock was already cracking apart as soon as it was cast. 

“Take THIS!” He rammed the barrel into her chest and pulled the trigger at point-blank range; in that exact moment, the silver-haired girl broke free from Ryaʼs immobilisation and disappeared under a cloak of black. The unexpected violent recoil from his rifle knocked him off his feet, but Rya managed to catch his fall just in time. 

“I-is she dead?” Lian Xin asked nervously, peeking out from behind a bench. 

“No.” Ryaʼs gaze hardened. “Because she isnʼt human.” 

Shun gripped his rifle so tightly his knuckles turned white as he stared wide-eyed at the silver-haired girl. 

Slowly she unfurled the large pair of jet-black wings that shielded her from the bullet, appearing to dominate the entire width of the tram. Her crimson-red eyes flared; a searing heat seemed to come from them. 

“A faerie…” Lian Xin breathed shakily. “So they really do exist…” 

“F-faerie?” Shun swallowed his fear and boldly raised his rifle up. “F*ck that, one move and Iʼll shoot!” 

“...oh?” 

The silver-haired girl smiled all of a sudden. “Go ahead, I dare you to, you who are blessed by the Creator.” 

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Blessed by the…Creator?” 

Ignoring his question, the silver-haired girl glanced towards the front of the tram. “Weʼre running out of time, so let us introduce ourselves properly next time we meet. For now—” she flapped her wings suddenly to create a strong gust of wind, catching him off guard briefly, and snatched Ryaʼs silver necklace off her neck in one swift and precise motion. “—please excuse me.”

“You—” Before Shun could reach his hand out to grab onto her, the silver-haired girl beat her wings and drove up through the roof into the night sky. “F*ck!” 

“She flew off in a blink…” Rya muttered, staring up through the massive hole created in the ceiling. 

“Guys, we have a bigger problem here!” Neko hollered from the front. “I canʼt stop this damn tram!” 

“Huh?” They snapped their heads towards Neko together. 

“That bitch faerie disabled the brakes!” He jumped out of his seat and desperately rang the bell with both paws. “Boy, do something!” 

An announcement crackled over the overhead speakers while the tram screamed downhill. “The next stop is Hshiwara. For your safety, please hold on to the handrails when standing.”

“What do you want me to do, you bastard cat?!” Shun yelled, rushing to the nearest window and sticking his head out. “YO, THEREʼS A TRAM IN FRONT!!” 

“Thatʼs why Iʼm asking you to do something, dammit!” Neko tried to pull the emergency brake, but the tram showed no signs of slowing down as it barrelled down towards the next stop.

“Screw you to hell!” Shun huffed, then suddenly, a heavy object slammed into his head from behind. “Ouch, what the f*ck?!” 

The divine manuscript dropped onto the floor with a heavy thud and opened up to a very familiar-looking page. 

Tell Rya to activate her magic and say “schadenfreude” if you need help getting out of a pinch! 

“Ah, sh*t, I forgot this stupid book is here too…” He turned to Rya, then remembered she didnʼt have her necklace anymore. “Then how am I supposed to tell her to activate her magic, d*mn Goddess??” 

“Shun, do you have an idea?” Rya asked hurriedly. “What do I need to use my magic for? Hurry, please tell me!” 

“E-eh?” He blinked in surprise. “Rya, I thought—” 

She reached into the inside of her dress and withdrew an exact copy of her silver necklace. “What she took was a fake one I created just in case while we were being chased. My replication skills arenʼt half bad, are they?” 

“W-whoa, I couldnʼt even tell that you were wearing a fake,” Shun murmured with an impressed smile. 

“OI, CAN YOU TWO CUT THE DAMN TALK?” Neko screamed, perching at the edge of the door together with a pale Lian Xin. “Weʼre gonna abandon ship if yʼall canʼt come up with something!” 

Rya sucked in a deep breath and cupped her necklace in her hands tightly.

“Schadenfreude!” 

The next moment, a whooshing sound akin to the susurration of wind filled Shunʼs ears; the glittering lights of the city became muddled and faded, replaced by the inky darkness of night.

Slightly disoriented, he reached out to hold Ryaʼs hand—but he grasped nothing but air. 

“Rya?” A lump formed in his throat as he frantically searched the empty interior of the tram. “Lian Xin? Ne—” 

“H-here…” From under the driverʼs seat, the cat half-stumbled, half-crawled out. He tried to continue talking, but instead puked on the floor. 

Shun rushed to the front in alarm. “Neko, are you alright??” 

“What do you think?” he snapped in between fits of nausea. “Iʼm not too good with teleportation magic…”

“Where did we end up?” He looked outside the windows and noticed that they were seemingly in the middle of a vast expanse of flat featureless terrain.  

“Far away from the Pacifists, I hope,” Neko groaned. “Are milady and your girlfriend not here?” 

“Y-yeah…” 

“They must’ve teleported someplace else then.” He shook his head and curled into a ball. “I’m going to rest for a while first. You should do so too, boy.”

“What—” he spat. “—you’re just gonna go and sleep like this?!” 

Neko rolled his tired eyes. “We have to wait till sunrise before we can try to search for their location, so why not? Besides, those two ladies are pretty strong in my opinion, so at least have some faith in them.” 

“What are you saying…huh?” Feeling his adrenaline running low, Shun was suddenly overcome by lethargy so intense he could barely stand. “Maybe…” 

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before he collapsed and blacked out from exhaustion.