Chapter 127: Doomed 2

For a short while, the vehicle was filled with nothing but the sound of the engine and the tyres moving across the road. Streetlights passed overhead in regular intervals, briefly illuminating the occupants before leaving them in shadow again. The city was quieter in this part of the district, though distant traffic could still be heard from the busier streets. Most of the buildings were closed for the night, and only a few windows remained lit.

Rita gradually settled into the drive. Her earlier confidence appeared justified as she navigated the road without difficulty, occasionally adjusting her speed when another vehicle passed. Bronx continued to observe her, but he said nothing for several minutes. Even he had to admit that she was managing reasonably well.

Rita caught him glancing at the dashboard.

"See? I’m doing fine."

"So far."

"Must you add that every time?"

"Experience has taught me not to celebrate too early."

"Experience has taught you to worry about everything."

"Someone has to."

Rico leaned forward slightly from the back seat, looking between them. "Since we’re apparently having a family meeting, does anyone remember what the boss said about our next mission?"

Bronx shifted his attention towards him. "What about it?"

"He mentioned giving us some new equipment. I heard the weapons are supposed to be much more advanced than what we’ve used before."

Rita scoffed. "What kind of weapons?"

"Superadvanced weapons, according to what I heard. Apparently, they’re being constructed by a secret corporation that specialises in dangerous equipment with enormous energy potential. The boss said we’d get more information after this job."

Rico sounded genuinely interested. Unlike Rita, he understood that specialised equipment could make a significant difference, even for a summoner with powerful abilities. A weapon designed to channel mana or reinforce a summoner’s natural strengths could turn a difficult fight into a manageable one. The thought of gaining access to such technology was enough to make him curious about their employer’s plans.

"Imagine what we could do with something like that," he continued. "If the weapons are as good as he claims, our next missions could be much easier."

"Or much more dangerous," Bronx replied. "People don’t hand out expensive equipment without expecting something in return."

"That’s true, but I’d still like to see it."

Rita gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fuck that. I don’t need weapons to prove myself. I’m already a superpowered, ranked summoner. Giving me some fancy piece of equipment would be an insult to what I can do naturally."

Bronx raised an eyebrow. "An insult?"

"Yes. If our boss actually trusted our abilities, he wouldn’t feel the need to give us toys to reinforce our little asses. Maybe he thinks we’re not strong enough to handle the work without them."

"That’s one way of looking at it," Rico said. "Another way is that he wants us to become stronger."

"Then he can improve our pay instead."

Bronx shook his head. "You would complain even if he gave you everything you asked for."

"Only if he gave it to me in the wrong way."

"That doesn’t even make sense."

"It makes perfect sense to me."

Rico chuckled, but his amusement faded when he noticed the road ahead. The conversation had distracted him from the passing scenery, and something unusual had entered his field of vision. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as he tried to make out the shape in the distance.

At first, he assumed it was a person standing near the centre of the road. That alone would have been strange at this hour, but it was not entirely unheard of. Perhaps someone had suffered a vehicle breakdown or was trying to flag down passing motorists.

Then he noticed the figure’s height.

The stranger stood so far above an ordinary person that the difference became apparent even from several blocks away. Her long legs were clearly visible beneath her silhouette, and her upper body rose far beyond the height of the surrounding roadside barriers. She did not wave for help or move aside as the vehicle approached. Instead, she remained perfectly still in the middle of the road, facing them as though she had been waiting for their arrival.

"Rita," Rico said slowly. "Do you see that?"

Rita was still looking ahead, but her expression changed as she focused on the figure. Her foot eased off the accelerator, and the vehicle’s speed began to decrease.

"What the hell...?"

The stranger’s size became increasingly difficult to ignore as they drew nearer. She was a towering female figure with a powerful, slender build, her long legs alone appearing taller than the vehicle’s front end. Her silhouette stood against the road lights with an unnatural stillness, and there was something intimidating about the way she held herself. She did not look lost, confused, or frightened. She looked prepared.

Bronx followed Rita’s gaze.

His expression stiffened as he took in the stranger’s proportions. He had encountered powerful summoners before and had seen people with unusual abilities, but this woman was unlike anyone he expected to find standing alone in the middle of a quiet road. Her height was extraordinary, and the confidence in her posture made her presence feel even more threatening.

"What’s... what’s that?" he stammered.

For once, Rita had no immediate insult ready.

"I have no idea who she is," she replied, her voice losing some of its earlier playfulness. "But I know she’s in our way."

The woman was Cassandra, appearing in her Super Mode at her regular size. Her transformed body towered more than twelve feet above the road, making her look like a giantess positioned to block the vehicle’s path. Her stance was firm, her shoulders set, and her attention fixed directly on the approaching criminals. There was no uncertainty in her expression, only the quiet determination of someone who had already made up her mind.

The light caught the contours of her powerful figure as the vehicle’s headlights reached her. She remained unmoved, even as the brightness spread across her body and illuminated the road around her. Nothing about her suggested that she intended to step aside.

Rita’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"Who stands in the middle of a road like that?" she muttered. "Does she think she owns the place?"

"Maybe she’s trying to stop us," Bronx said.

"Why would she be trying to stop us? She doesn’t even know who we are."

Bronx gave her a pointed look.

Rita scowled. "Don’t look at me like that. We haven’t been identified."

"That doesn’t mean we haven’t been followed."

Rico leaned forward again, his earlier curiosity replaced by caution. He studied Cassandra’s position, then glanced at the empty stretches of road on either side of her. There were no other people in sight, no parked vehicles nearby, and no obvious reason for someone of her size to be waiting there alone.

The situation felt wrong.

"I would’ve preferred to ram straight through her and keep going," Rico said, his voice lowered, "but there’s no point rushing into something we don’t understand. If she’s deliberately blocking the route, this could be a trap. We should consider turning off before we get any closer."

"At least one of you is thinking sensibly," Bronx said.

Rita’s eyes narrowed as she examined the roads ahead. "Fine. I’ll take the left route. If she wants to stand there all night, she can do it without us."

She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel and began preparing to turn left. Her attention moved briefly towards the road branching ahead, and she checked the mirror before making the manoeuvre. The vehicle slowed further as she started turning the wheel.

But before she could complete the turn, the entire vehicle jolted.

A sudden force struck from beneath them, lifting the front of the vehicle with such ease that the tyres lost their contact with the road. The suspension groaned, and the trunk rattled as the stolen valuables shifted inside their containers. The engine continued running, but the vehicle’s forward movement came to an abrupt halt.

Rita gasped and clutched the steering wheel.

"What the hell is happening?"

Bronx grabbed the dashboard to steady himself as the front of the vehicle rose higher. His eyes widened when he realised they were no longer simply dealing with a giant woman standing in their path.

Someone was lifting their vehicle from below.

The force continued to raise it, tilting the bodywork at an increasingly unnatural angle. The tyres dangled above the asphalt, spinning briefly without traction. Inside the cabin, Rico braced himself against the seat while trying to see through the windows.

For a moment, none of them spoke.

The three criminals had spent the entire night congratulating themselves on a successful operation. They had bypassed the facility’s security, gathered the loot, and escaped without being caught. They had believed the most difficult part of their mission was already behind them.

Now, suspended above the road by an unseen force, they finally understood how wrong they had been.

Cassandra remained in front of them, her towering figure framed by the headlights. She had not moved from her position. Her attention stayed fixed on the vehicle as though lifting it had required no more effort than stopping a passing pedestrian.

Rita stared through the windscreen, her face losing its earlier confidence.

Bronx swallowed hard, struggling to understand what kind of strength they were facing.

Rico slowly released his grip on the seat, then tightened it again as the vehicle shifted in the air.

Whatever their boss had taught them, whatever powers they possessed, and whatever advanced weapons they might receive in the future, none of it had prepared them for this moment.

Their escape had ended before they had even reached their next destination.