In the dark landscape, illuminated only by the scattered, dim glow of luminous plants, a large group of people moved quickly together, heading away from the colossal tree. At their front strode a man with a flapping cape and a woman with a bow slung across her back.
"Everyone, we are far enough now. We don't need to pretend to be secretive anymore. I am certain they have already realized we have left. Let us walk," Captain Shino announced loudly, slowing his pace from a jog to a steady walk.
He had discarded his formal military uniform after renouncing his identity as a Royal Guard, now clad only in simple, practical travel clothes.
The crowd of a thousand people behind him followed his order, shifting to a walking pace as well. They had been running for some time, and many, especially the non-combatant cultivators among them, were visibly exhausted.
A few moments later, the area around them brightened considerably as several in the group used illumination techniques to light their path.
"Captain... are we truly not going back anymore?" Poloma asked quietly, using a sound transmission. She stroked the fletching of a beautifully designed arrow as she inspected it.
"Do you think our prince is still alive?" Captain Shino replied, his own voice a private whisper in her mind.
Her face fell at the question. "Our prince was as strong as any of us Royal Guards. Since he is not here by now, I think he is already..."
"Exactly," Shino cut in, his tone calm. "That is why we are leaving. You know what would happen to us if we returned without the prince. You know how unreasonable the Royal Family can be, even if the prince's death was completely beyond our control."
He knew precisely how vicious the Chanting Kingdom's Royal Family was. After all, he had been raised in that very environment. Although he was not inherently cruel or bloodthirsty, he had been forced to become those things simply to survive. He had made himself even more ruthless than all his rivals to claw his way to his current position.
Yet, in the end, a situation like this had still arisen. He would not allow his life to be taken for nothing. There was never a shred of loyalty in his heart. His own survival mattered more than anything.
Furthermore, this world existed. He could simply stay here. The Royal Family's influence could not reach into this realm. Perhaps one day he could grow strong enough to return and trample the royal family underfoot. That would be satisfying.
"But... we have a thousand people with us," Poloma pointed out. "Most of them have no reason to stay here forever. If they learn we are not planning to return, I do not believe they will remain with us."
Captain Shino offered a faint, knowing smile. "That is fine. This is merely a show I prepared for Prince Charles. We must give the impression that we are truly leaving. After a week, these people can do as they please. They can stay with me in this world, or they can leave to join another faction. I do not care."
He continued, a smirk playing on his lips. "However, it is not guaranteed that any of them will get to go home in the end. We might all be stuck here forever. Every major faction has tried every possible method, but so far, no one has even managed to climb the tree, let alone reach the portals. After another six and a half years, we may all become this world's permanent residents."
"..." Poloma fell silent. All Royal Guard members in their kingdom were orphans, so there was truly no one waiting for any of them back home.
"What about you, Poloma? Will you stay with me?"
"Wherever you go... captain," she replied, her fingers unconsciously stroking the fletching of her arrow even faster.
"I am glad to hear that," he said. "By the way, I am not a captain anymore from this point on. Just call me Shino."
"Understood, Shino."
The large group continued their steady march to leave the colossal tree's vast shadow behind.
Far away from them, hidden in the cover of a dense thicket, Leyvi and Ava watched. Leyvi observed the large group through his spiritual sense.
"Where are they going?" Ava whispered.
"They are heading away from the tree," Leyvi replied, his voice low. "I wonder why. Did something happen? Perhaps they are on their way to capture someone?"
"You said there are a thousand of them," Ava stated flatly. "What kind of person would require a thousand cultivators to be captured? That is nonsense." She clearly did not believe it.
"Well... that is true," Leyvi conceded. "But, I never would have thought our first encounter would involve so many people. This is your lucky day, Ava. They are about thirty kilometers away. Go, Ava. Interrogate them all! With this many people, you can get all the information in the world!" He pointed dramatically in their direction, his tone making it obvious he was joking again.
Ava rolled her eyes. "Maybe I should just beat you senseless and send you over to them as a peace offering."
"How could a wife do that to her husband? Ah... How can I live like this? My wife is so cruel..." Leyvi clutched his heart, launching into another one of his exaggerated performances.
"Can you stop goofing around for a single second?" Ava snapped, her patience wearing thin. "We are supposed to be searching for people, too. Look and see if there is anyone familiar in that group."
"Oh, right. I forgot about that," Leyvi said, immediately dropping the act. "Let me see. It's a good thing they have all those lights. Now I can see them clearly. I have to focus much more to see movements in the dark, you know. It's not easy."
He narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Hmm... there are a few people from our continent over there. I have seen them before. Oh, that is the bow girl I saw the other day. She is leading them with another man. Is that their leader? He looks strong."
"Is that all? No one from our list?" Ava pressed, referring to the specific individuals they hoped to find.
Leyvi was silent for a longer moment, scanning each face carefully with his enhanced senses. "...Nope," he finally said. "Nobody from our list."
"Okay," Ava replied, simply accepting the result.
The people she was looking for were the two Clover Family members her brother had sent to the Mystic Realm, Jodi Clover and Romali Clover. Although she was not particularly close with the two, and they had been her unwilling sparring partners a few times, they still shared her family's bloodline. If they had survived, it would be good news.
"What?" Ava suddenly heard Leyvi exclaim. Her body tensed, instantly alert.
"Run, Ava!" Leyvi burst into motion without another word.
Ava did not hesitate. She vanished from the spot a split second later, quickly catching up to Leyvi as they fled at top speed through the dark landscape.
A few moments later, a deafening explosion tore through the air behind them.
Boom!
The exact location where they had been hiding moments before was obliterated.
Leyvi and Ava kept running for a considerable distance before finally stopping in a damp, low-lying area. They were now far from their previous spying spot, and the large group had completely disappeared from the range of his spiritual sense.
"Huu... I didn't expect their leader to be able to sense where we were," Leyvi said, working to steady his breathing. "Does he possess a vast spiritual sense like mine? And that bow girl can accurately shoot from that distance. I truly can't afford to underestimate these people."
"Did they chase after us?" Ava asked, her voice sharp.
"I don't think so," Leyvi replied. He had not seen any signs of pursuit. Perhaps the shot had merely been a warning.
"I have heard that Royal Guards from the great kingdoms are extremely strong. I don't know if they are ones, but we should probably be much more careful from now on," he continued, his tone turning serious.
"Fufufu~ you are absolutely right. But the Royal Guards are not the only ones you should be aware of, you know."
A soft, melodious voice suddenly drifted into Leyvi and Ava's ears.
WHAT?? Leyvi jolted in shock and immediately stood up. Ava did the same.
I didn't detect anyone at all with my spiritual sense! A stealth ability?
He focused intensely on their surroundings, sweeping the area again with his senses, but found no one.
"Ava, let's run again. Follow me!" Leyvi sent a frantic sound transmission to her.
"Leyvi... I am stuck..." Ava's strained reply came back.
Leyvi, who was already tensed to burst away, froze. He looked at Ava and saw that her lower body was encased in solid ice, and a thin, nearly invisible thread was wrapped around her neck.
It was then that he also realized that the wet ground around them had frozen solid, except for the immediate area around his own feet, where his fiery Qi had kept the ice at bay.
"Fufufu~ this Special Ice works rather well, does it not? We have caught ourselves a cute clover lady and a country bumpkin. Are you two a couple or something?"
Leyvi's frown deepened. This was a terrible situation. He had not expected Ava to be captured so easily.
Are they going to take her hostage? What should I do now?