Lancer had no idea what kind of impact he was having on the Mitakihara Police Department. He was fully enjoying the feeling of absolute speed. As for why he had "no head"? It was simple: he used the refraction of ice to temporarily shield his head. This trick only worked against low-resolution or cheap cameras where the subject was already a blur. Combined with the ice's effect, his head became virtually invisible.
As for why he didn't hide both of them and the bike entirely... ahem, it certainly wasn't because he was an amateur at that particular spell.
"Olga? You holding on okay?"
"I'm fine!"
"Then I'm speeding up!"
"Huh?! AAAAAHHH!!"
The moment Olga Marie voice trailed off, the Runes on Lancer right arm lit up. A path of ice extended from the ground into mid-air. Lancer yanked the handlebars, the front wheel lifting off the ground as he nearly stood up on the pegs, then used his body weight to slam the bike back down!
THUD!!
The impact sent ice crystals flying everywhere, but Lancer didn't care. He had made this "road" himself; he knew exactly how much it could take.
Olga Marie, however, clutched his waist in terror. In that moment, she forgot she was a ghost and couldn't actually die from a fall. she just screamed instinctively. It was a good thing they had left the city center, or her screams might have become a new "legend" of their own.
Kyubey knew about Zero existence; after all, Lancer had used her abilities to find the Rose Witch's Barrier. But for Kaname Madoka and Miki Sayaka, this was their first time seeing her.
A green-haired toddler in a princess dress with a near-expressionless face would usually evoke maternal instincts, but in her "Combat Mode," she was utterly terrifying.
Sitting inside the "torso" of the two-meter-tall humanoid construct, she operated the arms to slice every bee-like Familiar in half. Feather-like darts occasionally flew from behind her, pinning ambushers to the floor.
In contrast to her stoic appearance, she was slaughtering the Familiars with extreme efficiency.
In terms of raw speed at clearing Familiars, Zero was far behind Mami Tomoe since she lacked large-scale area-of-effect skills. However, her emotionless killing was more likely to inspire dread. If Zero hadn't been protecting them, the two girls probably would have run away screaming long ago.
Once another wave of Familiars was eliminated, Miki Sayaka summoned all her courage to approach Zero.
"Um... excuse me..."
Sayaka courage failed her halfway through because she didn't know how to address her. Miss? Ma'am? Friend? Hero?
Every option felt bizarre. Luckily, Zero knew what she was thinking—hidden inside that toddler's body was the soul of an adult.
"Zero. Just call me Zero."
"Ah... Zero. Why did you save us? Are you a Magical Girl too?"
Zero simply tilted her head and then shook it.
"Magical Girl?"
She shook her head again at Sayaka words.
"Zero is in the office according to 'Master's' orders..."
As she spoke, Madoka noticed Zero was staring intently at her. This wasn't a problem in itself, but being stared at by a two-meter-tall exoskeleton made her feel like a startled rabbit, hiding behind Sayaka.
However, the girls soon realized Zero wasn't looking at Madoka, but at the bag she was carrying.
Remembering something, Madoka opened her bag and pulled out a small box. It contained the cake they had planned to take home and eat.
As Madoka brought the cake out, she noticed Zero eyes following the box. Whenever her hand moved, Zero eyes moved with it.
After a few tries, Madoka almost laughed out loud, but she caught herself, knowing it would be rude. After a few dry coughs, she handed the box over.
Zero hesitated for two seconds before reaching out with both hands to take it.
"Thank you."
After a quiet thank you, she happily opened the box and started eating.
Watching Zero eat the cake with small but incredibly efficient bites, the two girls finally calmed down after the terror of being pulled into the Barrier.
If Zero former subordinates could see her now, they would probably burst into tears. Not everyone could accept that their once cold-blooded and violent leader had turned into a creature that acts cute for food.
But Zero didn't care. She had died once; now she only wanted to live for herself. Ever since she gained a "sense of taste" and understood the wonders of food, she had sworn to become a gourmet!
For her, following Lancer to different worlds to taste different delicacies was a dream come true.
Madoka and Sayaka were temporarily at ease, but this wasn't the outcome the "mastermind" wanted.
Suddenly, Madoka saw a white shadow flash past. Looking closely, it was Kyubey—but before she could call out, a swarm of bee Familiars chased after it.
Was Kyubey being attacked?
Madoka grew anxious. Kyubey was Mami-san's companion, and it had notified her earlier. If it was here, it must be looking for them.
Kind-hearted Madoka wanted to save it, but she knew she couldn't even protect herself in this Barrier, let alone help others.
"Zero..."
Faced with Madoka pleading eyes, Zero maintained a cold "don't touch me while I'm eating cake" expression, leaving Madoka incredibly embarrassed. But then—
"If you help us save Kyubey, we'll take you to an all-you-can-eat cake buffet afterward! As much as you want!"
Miki Sayaka thought she saw Zero hand pause for a moment. Then, her wide eyes seemed to glow.
She finished the rest of the cake in three bites and made the "exoskeleton" crouch down. After a moment of hesitation, Madoka and Sayaka climbed onto its shoulders. The massive construct then strode toward the direction Kyubey had vanished.
In reality, Zero orders were to protect Madoka and Sayaka. If Lancer found out she had disobeyed orders for a cake buffet, she'd certainly be in for a scolding.
However, looking at Zero determined and slightly tragic expression, she seemed to have already prepared herself for the consequences...