After that, in a place even satellites could not detect; in other words, within Phila's dream.
This was a barren plain.
Yellow-brown dust swirled in the dry wind, and an unnaturally massive blazing sun hung in the sky. On this wilderness that should have been filled with the atmosphere of intense training, a roaring jeep appeared out of place.
Raku had one hand on the steering wheel and the other braced against the car door, his upper body leaning out of the window.
"Run straight into the car, Phila!"
Raku slammed down on the accelerator. The jeep let out a beast-like roar, thick smoke blasting from the exhaust pipe as it charged directly toward the gothic-dressed girl standing frozen in the middle of the road.
"Eeeeek! M-Mr. Spirit?!"
The determination on Phila's face shattered instantly. She grabbed the hem of her elaborate lace skirt and bolted like a startled rabbit. Her over-the-knee white stockings flashed rapidly across the sandy ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Mr. Spirit, will this kind of training really be effective?"
The Skull Servant King sat in the passenger seat, its dry skull bobbing with the jolts of the vehicle. It raised a bony finger to scratch its head, its tone full of confusion.
"Trust me." Raku spun the wheel wildly while shifting gears with practiced ease, his eyes gleaming with excitement behind his sunglasses. "This is a very famous jeep training method where I'm from! Think about it–if Phila gains the courage to face a jeep, wouldn't that mean she gains the courage to face any danger? This is called physically breaking through psychological limits!"
"I see! So that's how it is!"
The soul flames in Skull Servant King's eyes flickered wildly. It slapped its thigh, producing a crisp clacking sound of bone. "Oh! I'm fired up! Is this what humans call passion?!"
The wheels crushed across the ground, the engine's roar drowning out the wind.
"This isn't training at all!! Why does a Duelist have to train parkour like this?! Help me…!!"
Phila was almost in tears as she was chased. She could feel the heavy bumper less than ten centimeters behind her, the smell of exhaust nearly scorching her hair.
"What do I do… why did I agree to this?"
"Help me, Fraulein, please save me… Mr. Spirit has lost it! He's totally gone crazy!"
"Shut up, Phila! What's with that expression?! Those eyes?! And those tears?! Can your tears protect your family?!"
Watching Phila zigzag desperately across the marble plain, thoroughly panicked, Raku finally couldn't hold it in.
"Pfft… hahahaha! Run straight into the jeep! You must become a lion that carves out the future!"
"You're laughing, aren't you?! Mr. Spirit, you're definitely laughing, right?! What is that laugh?!"
Phila shouted back, her voice cracking with intensity. "And how could I not be scared?! If that thing hits me, I'll turn into minced meat! I'll definitely die! Please stop, Mr. Spirit!"
"Phila, don't be afraid. This is training your Accel Synchro, hahaha!"
Raku had completely let himself go.
Skull Servant King also got carried away. It stood up, its lower half stuck behind the windshield, raising two skewers.
"Sprint! Otto! Sprint!" Skull Servant King stomped on the accelerator.
"Aaaaaaaah!!!"
Along with the screeching drift of the jeep's tires on the sand, Phila became a blur, sprinting across the sunset-lit wasteland.
...
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