"My name is Silent Suzuka."
"…"
I knew it!
Rhode's mouth twitched slightly.
Are you sure you're not messing with me?
The land blessed by gods… The Three Goddesses are also gods, right!
A cruel battlefield where countless strong individuals compete… Indeed, no matter how much Uma Musume love each other, there can only be one ultimate winner, which is indeed quite cruel.
Although the system's description was indeed correct.
But damn it, this gacha result was completely different from what he imagined!
What kind of gacha pool did you open for me?
Anyway, the dream of a grand slaughter was completely shattered.
…Forget it.
Now, the key is to call for reinforcements. While a complete wipeout isn't possible, a great escape isn't unacceptable.
Rod looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and smiled with relief.
"Since that's the case, then I'll ask Silent Suzuka to do what she does best. I'm too weak right now, so I'll leave it to you."
"What I do best..."
Silent Suzuka hesitated in Rod's mind, seemingly recalling the information Rod had shared.
"But the adventurers in this world seem very strong. Can I really do it...?"
Rod interrupted her, asking with a smile.
"Who are you?"
"Eh, I... I'm Silent Suzuka."
Rod denied her somewhat nervous answer, then showed a confident smile.
"No, you are the 'Escapist from Another Dimension'!
"!!!"
"How could a mere group of Lv1 nobodies catch the phantom runaway horse who was undefeated all year!"
"Master..."
"Run, run to the ends of the world, and witness that No one scenery at the forefront in this other world too."
In her mind, the originally timid Silent Suzuka lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, then slowly looked up, revealing the fearless smile she used to have when she stepped onto the track.
"....I understand!"
"I will not let you down and will witness that scenery with you!"
Although they seemed to have communicated for a long time, in reality, only a brief second had passed.
The man clutched his stomach, his eyes bloodshot, and roared.
"Damn it, a good-for-nothing who isn't even an adventurer dared to ambush me... What are you standing around for, attack together!"
At this moment, he still didn't know about the changes happening to Rod.
Two grinning adventurers ran out from the secret passage ahead, almost blocking the only escape route.
— Treat that as the starting gate.
"Rod" took a deep breath, raised his right hand high, his dark eyes filled with fighting spirit and determination.
Two men in black shouted from behind, chasing after him.
— Treat them as the chasing horses.
Before, I ran for victory; now, I run for the lives of my companions!
I'm staking everything on this battle, and I absolutely cannot lose!
"Rod" suddenly retracted his right hand, simultaneously stomping his right foot on the ground with full force.
— Pegasus, activate!
Boom!!!
The adventurers blocking the way only blinked, and a blur of a figure dashed between them like lightning.
The storm generated by the extreme speed directly sent both of them flying!
"What the hell happened?"
"My ribs are broken.... It hurts so much!!!"
Sorry, I thought it was a gate. If you have any issues, talk to my insurance!
"Rod's" messy hair fluttered in the wind, his pupils contracted to pinpricks, and everything in front of him seemed to slow down.
The outlines of buildings on both sides distorted into color blocks during the high-speed movement, and his heart pounded against his ribs like an engine.
Rod, sharing all senses, saw a completely different scenery!
My body... so light. My steps... so fast.
Effortlessly leaving the dumbfounded minions behind.
Silent Suzuka felt comfortable and at ease, as if she had returned to leading the race on the track, feeling no fatigue at all, only the joy of enjoyment.
Their minds achieved perfect coordination at this moment, and both understood each other's feelings.
"Go this way."
After being rejected by Loki Familia, Rod did not waste his life.
Riveria of the Elf Royalty, whom he met at the door that day, concerned about Rod's livelihood, introduced him to a job within his capabilities.
— Delivery driver.
Her original intention might have been to make him experience the hardships of surviving in Orario, thereby making him abandon unrealistic ideas and return to the life of an ordinary person.
However, thanks to this, Rod memorized most of Orario's complex routes in a very short time!
The Dark Faction's stronghold was located in the seventh district of the northwest main street, and the place he needed to go for help was in the northern district of Orario.
He quickly made a decision.
On the way to the Court of the Stars, he would make a slight detour to the area near the city gate.
Because that's where the Twilight Manor of Loki Familia, one of Orario's two strongest Familias, was located!
If he only brought members of Astrea Familia, it would be far from safe enough.
If it weren't for the high probability of being ignored if he, a stranger, sought help from Freya Familia, he would even risk being targeted by Freya to call for people!
According to the timeline, the two hegemons at the core of the Great War would not appear so early at this time.
But if an unexpected situation arose, having one more person to take the fall would be excellent.
"Excuse me... get out of the way..... Watch out!!!"
Orario's main roads were not empty racetracks after all; having to split attention to avoid pedestrians prevented Silent Suzuka from reaching her top speed.
But even so, passersby still felt a strong gust that seemed to tear through the surrounding air.
His legs became two afterimages, and the sound of his feet alternately landing on the cobblestone path was like dense thunder before a downpour, drawing surprised glances from everyone.
"What incredible speed!"
"Is that an adventurer from some Familia?"
"What a handsome young man... I don't recognize him."
"Although I don't know why he's running so fast, it gives me a very inspiring feeling. Go, young man!!!"
A cat-girl by the roadside, holding a bento box, looked up at Rod in surprise, her eyes momentarily bewildered.
"Bro... brother? No, that's not right. Although he's fast and emanates a very oppressive aura, it's far from Lv4."
"Anya, what are you looking at?"
The girl speaking wore a long dress and a purple cloak, a common street girl's attire, and her light gray hair tied behind her head swayed.
"No, I was mistaken. It's just an ordinary adventurer."
Syr propped her slender chin with her index finger, gazing in the direction the boy disappeared, narrowing her similarly colored eyes.
"Ordinary, huh...?"
"Here!"
"While your speed did surprise us, this is as far as you go!"
Lv2 adventurers forcibly shortened the distance between them by leaping across rooftops.
Silent Suzuka was a little surprised and glared back, huffing.
"Eh, they can do that? That's cheating, definitely cheating!"
At the same time, a tiny hint of excitement and eagerness actually arose within her.
"What should we do, Master?"
Rod calmly pointed out a narrow street in his mind.
"I anticipated this possibility. Go this way, force them into an environment where they can only compete with you in direct acceleration! This is a rarely used, narrow alleyway with complex routes, making it impossible to see the path of people below by running on rooftops."
"As expected of Master! Leave it to me!"
"Rod" darted into the alley and disappeared in a blink, the pursuing adventurers cursed with ugly expressions.
"Damn it, is that guy really not an adventurer? How can he run so fast!"
"What the hell, at this speed, you'd think he was riding a horse!"
"Stop talking nonsense! If you don't want to be tortured to death by that adult when we go back, hurry up and catch him!"
Dozens of adventurers shivered involuntarily at the thought of Witte's brutal dismemberment of enemies, gritted their teeth, and resumed their pursuit.
"Rod" was running while discarding the debris that had been blown onto him by the wind.
Those were the burdens he accidentally picked up while running on the main road.
Throw away the vegetable leaves, throw away the hair ornaments, why are there still flowers and plants, throw them away too....
"Master?!"
At the instant her pupils contracted, Silent Suzuka cried out in panic in Rod's mind.
Ahead of this narrow path, barely wide enough for one person, a woman with closed eyes was slowly walking towards them!
"Is she blind? What should I do, what should I do? I can't stop now!"
Silent Suzuka had never encountered such a situation and completely panicked. If she crashed into her at this speed, she would probably turn the other person into a pile of flesh with only two arms left.
"Damn it, let me!"
In a moment of urgency, Rod didn't have time to think, instantly took over the body, quickly scanned the surroundings, aimed at the steps on the side, and pushed off with his toes.
His knees almost touched his chest, his spine curved like a tensed bowstring, his arms swung back like an eagle retracting its wings, and he leaped with force.
The moment he cleared her head, as his body fully stretched out, the gust of wind lifted her cloak, and her gray hair fluttered in the wind.
"?!"
Seeing that exquisite face, a name immediately popped into Rod's mind, and his scalp instantly tingled.
Damn it, why are you playing me like this! To encounter her here, is this a joke of fate...?
The moment gravity recaptured his body, Rod's shoulder and back touched the ground first, completing a roll with the momentum.
Gravel pierced through the fabric, stinging his skin, finally landing on one knee five meters away.
The gray-haired woman slowly turned, frowned slightly, and was about to say something when Rod immediately interrupted her.
"Sorry, it's a matter of life and death. Consider this an apology."
Rod casually threw the bunch of flowers and plants he had on him towards her, and without waiting for her reaction, secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forcibly called out the still-shaken Silent Suzuka, and had her continue running.
Are you kidding? Before he fully developed, this woman at this time was definitely the person he least wanted to encounter!
The gray-haired woman looked at the jacaranda quietly resting in her palm, and her tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
"Jacaranda, does its flower language mean tranquil melancholy...? A coincidence? Never mind, I'll let you off this time."
However, the brief silence was once again broken by noisy sounds.
"Hey, you stinky woman, did you see where that man just ran off to?"
"Speak up, are you mute?"
"Are you his accomplice?"
The adventurers who rushed in pursuit were completely unaware that death was approaching, brandishing their swords and threatening the woman, shouting harshly.
The woman closed her eyes and sighed.
"One after another, the noise just won't stop. There's not even enough silence for a short nap...."
The gray-haired woman crushed the jacaranda in her hand.
A terrifying, heart-freezing silence instantly enveloped the entire alley.
Moments later, the gray-haired woman emerged leisurely.
The alley was left with a ground full of corpses, their eyes wide open in death, their expressions horrific, as if protesting the unbelievable monster they had seen before dying.
"Ah, what a pity, I really hate this place…".