A few hours earlier…
While Ren was quietly tracking the corrupted trail that would send him toward the Fire ring, Zhao was tearing through on his way to the deep zones of Yino.
Fused with his Raptor, his flight was an aerodynamic marvel. It was still entirely silent, but now possessing an immense, blistering speed that his old Owl could never hope to replicate.
He cut across the sky at an altitude and velocity that left the clouds swirling in his wake, moving faster than almost any other Tamer in the Vanguard could.
He didn't dare approach the guardians directly. He observed them from the absolute edge of the horizon, prioritizing his safety and shaving hundreds of miles off his route. Relying on the enhanced eyesight granted by his now fusion enhanced Owl's lineage, he peered through the atmospheric haze to check the Shadow Dragon on Yino's side first.
Following the clockwise rotation, it was the closest and most resilient target on the map.
The Shadow Dragon was intact…
