"Weapon Overload" rapidly drains a weapon's durability, eventually leading to irreversible damage, but Lancer never expected that the first thing to fail on this vehicle would be the braking system.
He really wanted to crack a joke about how "nobody is getting off this ride today," but fortunately, he hadn't forgotten what he was doing.
"Everyone, hold onto something! Olga! Prepare a cushioning spell!"
With that, Lancer decisively took his hands off the steering wheel and then—
BANG!!
With a deafening crash, the SUV's door went flying, spinning through the air toward the following Familiars. One unlucky bastard was sliced clean in half by the rotating door.
As Lancer kicked the door open, a violent gale rushed into the cabin. Most of the girls were forced to squeeze their eyes shut against the wind, but Kyoko Sakura and Mami Tomoe, relying on their enhanced bodies, managed to see Lancer movements clearly.
After kicking the door away, he braced one hand on the frame and vaulted onto the hood. The rushing wind blew his hair straight back. Then, he leapt from the hood, followed by the sound of—
Skreeeeee...
Accompanied by a bone-chilling screech, countless ice shards sprayed in every direction. The occupants felt their bodies jerk forward violently as the car decelerated. The two magical girls chose to transform without hesitation, but at that moment, a gust of wind pressed them firmly back into their seats.
Before they could react, the side door was yanked open.
"Go, now!"
After pulling the two of them out of the car, Lancer tossed Sayaka Miki toward Kyoko Sakura, while Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi were thrown toward Mami Tomoe.
The two veteran girls caught the flying teenagers by reflex. Before they could ask questions, Lancer "orders" followed.
"Olga! Take them and evacuate! Leave this place to me and 'Zero'! I'm leaving this guy in your custody as well!"
"I'll come back to help once I've settled them!"
Olga Marie didn't hesitate for a second. After handing the black case she'd been clutching to Lancer, she drew her staff and ran toward a nearby abandoned building, clearly acting as the vanguard. Kyoko and Mami followed close behind, carrying the others.
Sayaka was being carried bridal-style by Kyoko, while Mami tucked Madoka and Homura under each arm. Because of this, they had a clear view of the events behind them. The sky had turned incredibly dark, looking like a typhoon was about to make landfall, as countless grotesquely shaped "Familiars" swarmed from the distance toward Lancer.
"Mami-senpai! What about Mr. Lancer?"
"That man won't be killed that easily!"
In response to Madoka cry, Kyoko beat Mami to the punch with an answer. Olga Marie, leading the way, also spoke up to reassure them.
"Believe in that man. I know for a fact he has saved the world at least twice. An enemy like this isn't enough to break him."
Olga Marie was undoubtedly referring to the end of the Holy Grail War where Lancer defeated Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, and the Singularity where he and Cu Chulainn teamed up to defeat the mud-corrupted Saber.
As for why she "knew" this—since following Lancer to this world, she realized he likely possessed the ability to travel between worlds. How many worlds had he saved in the meantime? Perhaps only he knew.
However—
Saved the world?
Hearing those words, both Madoka group (who knew nothing about Lancer) and Mami group (who thought they understood him) were stunned. Olga Marie didn't explain further, instead urging them to pick up the pace.
"Mami! Kyoko! You two protect the other three for a moment; I'm going back to support Lancer!"
"We want to help too..."
"It's not your time to go on stage yet. This is just the appetizer. Your Soul Gems can't support a prolonged battle, you know that, right? Your combat power must be saved for the most critical moment. Until then, protect yourselves and these three!"
As a former family head, a Lord of the Clock Tower, and later the Director of Chaldea, Olga Marie had always occupied the position of "Commander." Now, stripping away her deliberately crafted gentleness, her natural authoritative aura made Kyoko and Mami agree without a second thought.
"Yes, ma'am!" x2
Upon reaching a building that looked relatively intact, Olga Marie slammed her staff into the ground. Countless complex patterns instantly spread beneath the feet of the five girls. In just seconds, a large-scale bounded field capable of masking their presence was complete.
In her prime, Olga Marie would have needed numerous ritual tools to compress the casting time of such a spell to this degree. Now, she had done it with nothing but a staff.
"Stay safe."
Without another word, Olga Marie rushed back toward Lancer. Left inside the protection of the spell, the five girls looked at each other, momentarily speechless.
Finally, Sayaka Miki was the first to break the silence.
"Mami-senpai, what is actually going on? Kyubey, you guys, Mr. Lancer... what happened?"
"What happened? We just found out the 'truth,' that's all. The truth about 'Magical Girls' and 'Witches'! That damn creature!"
Before Mami could answer, Kyoko teeth-gritted voice cut in, though it only made the other three more confused.
Mami sighed. Kyoko outburst didn't explain anything; she was mostly just venting her emotions.
"Magical Girls and Witches are actually capable of turning into one another. Kyubey never told us that. We only found out at Doctor Lancer place over the last few days..."
"Mami-senpai!"
Mami was interrupted mid-sentence. She didn't get angry, instead smiling at Homura Akemi, who had been huddled close to Madoka.
"What is it, Homura?"
Though Mami tried to keep her voice gentle, Homura still seemed timid. Eventually, bolstered by Mami encouraging look, she voiced her suspicion.
"Um... this might be rude, but what if Doctor Lancer is lying to you?"
Unlike the others, Madoka rarely suspected people, and Sayaka was grateful to Lancer for healing Kyosuke Kamijo. The other two had been convinced (physically) and naturally didn't doubt him. But Homura was different; she'd had little contact with Lancer and was more rational, leading her to raise the question.
Everyone fell silent.
The sudden quiet made Homura feel a bit awkward...