The sand ghost wriggled like a serpent, twisting away from the person's strike.
"Oh! Why are you running--" the man sneered and drew his sword again but suddenly stopped after only two words.
His pupils dilated sharply, and his eyes bulged as he stared at the hand holding the sword.
With a clang, the epee clattered to the ground. The hand that had just plunged into the sand nest turned into fine sand and trickled to the ground, disappearing before anyone's eyes in the blink of an eye.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah--" the man screamed, clutching his elbow.
The forearm that had come in contact with the sand ghost had vanished, revealing only bones, tendons, and blood. A pile of fine sand lay scattered on the ground, carried away by the wind. The sand ghost writhed in the air, and the sand was absorbed into it, becoming part of its form.
This unprecedented situation left everyone stunned, and the entire Crow's Nest Abandoned Temple fell into a deadly stillness.
A raucous, eerie laugh emanated from the sand, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
"Retreat!" Kevin yelled, pulling everyone back in an instant.
The cavalry charged towards the front, tugging abruptly at their reins and attempting to retreat. However, it was too late. At such a time, the sand ghost's incredible speed was impossible to overcome.
In the blink of an eye, the sand ghost enveloped the armless cavalryman, encasing him in the sand for a few seconds before continuing forward without pause. The cavalryman's scream was abruptly cut short, sounding like a death knell.
Suddenly--
Another cavalryman who was at the rear was surrounded by several sand ghosts and was left with no choice but to meet his end with a mutilated corpse.
The horse that belonged to the cavalryman was swept away by the sand ghost and slowly disintegrated, starting from the tail and moving up to the body's giant wings, and ultimately, the head.
Oswald had flipped over to the nearest vulture, shook the reins, and, sprinting forward, stretched out his arms while shouting at Kevin, "Get up here!"
Kevin grasped the reins and, in the blink of an eye, found himself sitting behind Oswald.
"Go on, go on! Let's hurry up!!" Mi Ao screamed frantically behind them. The vulture's wings whipped up a huge gust of wind that toppled countless saplings. If they traveled any faster, they might be able to soar through the air.
At the same time, more than forty giant vultures galloped forward, generating so much momentum that it nearly leveled the entire outskirts.
Shaw's reaction time was much quicker than that of the cavalrymen. In the blink of an eye, they had transformed into beast shapes. The three ferocious beasts ran wildly, at speeds of light.
Suddenly, an urgent cry interrupted their flight. The group had no time to turn their heads to see what was happening – they could only push themselves to move faster. The cries for help behind them finally faded away, and Kevin felt the sand grinding against his back.
"Hurry up!"
Desperate to outrun the danger, Kevin clamped down on the vulture's abdomen, urging it to go even faster. Oswald's voice was barely audible over the wind, but he managed to remind Kevin to move faster. The warning was necessary, as Kevin struggled to maintain his grip on the speeding vulture. With no other options, he wrapped his left arm around Oswald's strong waist, holding the dagger firmly in his right hand.
"Are you fucking hopeless! Where's your right hand?!" Oswald roared.
Kevin, however, was less than impressed with Oswald's desperation and demanded to know why his right hand was not being used. But Kevin had no time for Oswald's scorn.
Fewer than ten people remained from the original forty, and the twisted sand snake continued to pursue them relentlessly. The wind made it impossible to see who was still with them, but Mi Ao's cries of frustration echoed in the air.
"Damn it, I can't stop with these bastards!!!"
Just then, the Sand Ghost claimed three more victims, melting them to nothingness. With a surge of panic, Oswald pulled the reins tighter, making sure to keep Kevin secure. But the sound of sand scraping against his mount grew uncomfortably close.
"Kevin!" Oswald shouted, unable to control his fear any longer. He felt the body behind him stiffen, and the hair on his neck stood on end.
Without thinking, Oswald turned his head to look back. And that's when he saw it – the Sand Ghost had already wrapped itself around Kevin, his right hand submerged in sand.
For a moment, Oswald's breath caught in his throat. It was a terrifying sight, but he couldn't look away. The intense fear that gripped him vanished, replaced by an indescribable sensation that seized all his thoughts.
Subsequently, his vision became hazy and the sand apparition swiftly transformed before his eyes and dealt a forceful blow with its raised hand. Following the impact, Oswald experienced a sudden onset of pain at the back of his head and lost consciousness as his vision faded to darkness.