"The cue is right above us. When she has started the show then we run to assist her."
The mirage of the tree slowly dispersed, releasing more anesthetic pollen throughout the area, putting living beings to sleep for good. From deep within the tree, the sound of footsteps on wood could be heard, as if someone was trying to run upward through the tree. The running sounds grew increasingly faster, followed by a woman's scream.
From within, Schordinger jumped out while holding both Deviola and Anna in his hands, as if he were carrying barrels. Deviola and Anna screamed as Schordinger suddenly leapt from the banyan tree, which was five times taller than its original size. Furthermore, the tree stood atop a hill, making the scenery even higher, allowing them to see the Great Elven Forest from above.
"Schordinger time out, time out, my hearts can't WAAAAAA!!!!"
"WAAAA!!! I'm sorry, my lord. I made this tree way too higher, at least pick me like a princess huhu...." Anna cried.
Hearing the women scream in fear, Schordinger kept a straight face as he plunged from 150 meters high. He aimed for the forest ahead to land and shorten the distance to the secret path mentioned by Deviola. However, the forest ahead was on a downhill slope, which caused their altitude to increase significantly.
Due to gravitational pull, Schordinger fell roughly, with the wind constantly pushing against them, making him lose balance mid-fall. But Schordinger didn't yield; he kept steady by adjusting his body weight. Preparing for the impact, Schordinger positioned both legs as if ready to accelerate immediately after landing.
As planned, Schordinger swiftly ran after the explosive impact of his rough landing, causing the ground to rise significantly as if a meteor had struck. Due to the force of the fall, Schordinger accidentally gripped both women's bellies too tightly, causing them to choked slightly. Anna nearly lost consciousness, while Deviola enjoyed the fall as if she were at an amusement park.
"Hahahaha.... Well done, Schordinger. Let's try that again next time!" Deviola in high spirit.
"No way, I would do THAT!" unconsciously Anna shout at her lord.
"Huh?!" Deviola stares Anna cynically.
"Ah! My lord, I am sorry. I got carried away." regret Anna.
"Well, I can't force my trivial wants to my subordinates anyway, so I forgive you."
"Thank you, thank you, lord Deviola." Anna bow while being held by Schordinger.
Once everything had settled, a spearhead imbued with magic suddenly appeared out of nowhere, aimed at Schordinger's neck. With great reflexes, Schordinger dodged the spear and kept running, avoiding a confrontation with the captain of the human army. When he looked back to see who had attacked him, he found no one there, and the spear had vanished as well.
From an unexpected direction, the spear-wielder suddenly appeared above, pointing his spear at Schordinger. Their eyes met, and as expected, it was the captain who had attacked him earlier. Yet, just like before, Schordinger managed to dodge the attack and continued running.
"Whoaaa... what was that?!" Deviola turn her head. She saw the captain suddenly disappear into thin air. "Things going bad, I believe you, my dear warlord."
"Thank you, my lord. I'll do my best."
After that, the captain struck repeatedly, slashing the ground effortlessly as if it were made of jelly beneath his spearhead. Trees were easily cut by the blade, and even the wind was parted by his spear to reduce wind resistance as he moved. He appeared before Schordinger and swung his spear once again. Yet, despite carrying the girls in his arms, Schordinger easily dodged the attack.
The captain, growing increasingly irritated, tightened his grip on the spear and prepared to launch more attacks. However, he soon realized that his enemy had no intention of fighting back. He immediately surged his mana flow to enhance his speed. With a single powerful kick to the ground, he reappeared once again in front of Schordinger.
For a split second, Schordinger and Ken Hijikata exchanged glances. The eyes Schordinger saw were filled with true loyalty and a steadfast commitment to his mission. "No matter what happens, he must accomplish his mission in the name of his lord," is what Schordinger heard from the gaze of his eyes.
Unfortunately, Schordinger also has a lord to serve and cannot afford to disappoint. He dodged Ken's spear attack once more and then used his legs to kick Ken, making him a steppingstone to propel himself further. The unexpected maneuver sent Ken flying far away, preventing him from continuing his rapid attacks.
Managing to hold his breath for a moment, Schordinger immediately sensed another flow of mana approaching. Four warriors, unafraid of death, charged after him, unleashing their abilities to prevent Schordinger from moving any further.
"Let me handle them, captain!" said Denny while running past him.
The captain looked towards one of the Five Aces with hope. He knew he couldn't move any further due to internal injuries, causing him to bleed from his mouth unconsciously. All he could do now was sit this one out and wait for the results.
With one powerful slash from Gon's crescent spear, the earth split and burned with his magic. Schordinger jumped, dodging the attack and the emerging fire wall with style. A magnificent shower of ice magic from Jane disrupted Schordinger's balance as the falling ice created a shockwave upon hitting the ground.
Deviola and Anna grew increasingly worried about how things were turning out, especially with the man wielding a tonfa closing in behind them. Their destination was near, but with more interruptions, their chances of escaping fully were diminishing. Anna then suggested that it was time to implement Plan B if things continued to deteriorate. Deviola nodded in understanding.
"Schordinger, it's time." said Anna confidently.
"Alright, be sure to hold them back." Schordinger answer calmly.
With unmatched speed, Denny Samudra quickly caught up with Schordinger. However, as he got closer, it felt as if his speed had diminished, and he couldn't close the distance even by an inch, as if they were running at the same pace. Denny was confused; no matter how strong his legs were, he still couldn't get any closer.
As their distance closed, Denny was pleased, but suddenly Schordinger turned around and hurled Anna from his arms towards him. Denny was shocked to see a beautiful lady being thrown at him like a bowling ball. Distracted by this unexpected target, Denny was caught off guard as Anna kicked him in the stomach, knocking him off his game.
"ONE DOWN!!!" shout Anna.
Having successfully taken out another pursuer, Schordinger refocused on running as fast as possible to reach their destination. Now, it was just Schordinger and Deviola making their way to the secret path, while Anna held off the remaining pursuers within her abilities.
Using the same tactics, Jane unleashed more of her ice magic to disrupt Schordinger's movement, setting up Gon for the finishing blow. However, with Anna present, Jane found her magic being disrupted. Anna utilized the power of nature to create mirages of giant roots, distracting Jane and blocking her spellcasting.
Unexpectedly, the lady who had been carried since the beginning of their flight moved as swiftly as Denny had when he was chasing Schordinger. Jane was amazed by her rapid movement and decided to leave her alone after successfully blocking her magic. Jane then shifted her focus to Anna, who had piqued her interest.
Anna then quickly located the man who had caused the earthquake and struck him immediately. She moved through the woods with the grace of someone born to it and attacked from an unexpected direction towards the man with the crescent spear. Using only one leg, she forced the captain of the Five Aces into a defensive stance to block her attack.
Anna smiled, pleased that her plan to take them out one by one was unfolding smoothly. However, she knew she couldn't defeat the captain of the Five Aces alone. She kicked the spear away and distanced herself from him, dispersing into the ground. Her mana flow then surged rapidly through the earth, heading towards the finish line where the last pursuer was located.
"A little bit more, Schordinger. Just keep running and I'll handle the rest." said Deviola.
"Understood, my lord."
As Anna had expected, someone blocked their path to the finish line. Koan Fifth guarded the secret path by channeling a magic barrier through one of his scrolls, preventing anyone from passing. He was also casting the same spell used by the captain of the Seven Pillars of Light to defend his high ground: the Light of Denouement.
Schordinger was shocked, not by the power of the fire, but by the fact that a human was using magic traditionally belonging to the sky residents. He could easily dodge or even reflect the spear, but this new revelation left him confused and amazed at how humans had evolved over the past two thousand years.
Just like that man predicted.
But then, an even more astounding scene suddenly unfolded before Schordinger, snapping him out of his quick overthinking. A dragon made of wood appeared and swiftly snatched the pursuer blocking their way, carrying him as far as the forest could be seen. Anna emerged from the dragon just as its tail passed out of Schordinger's sight.
Unfortunately, Anna still couldn't join as the pursuers, the Five Aces, surprisingly caught up with Schordinger and Anna. Denny struck Schordinger from behind, but Anna quickly intervened by kicking Denny away, keeping him at bay. At the same time, Gon appeared in front of Schordinger on horseback, ready to slice them in two. Once again, Anna intervened, blocking Gon's attack and clearing the way for Schordinger.
For some reason, none of them tried to defeat or hold Anna back first; their focus was solely on Schordinger, who carried Deviola in his arms. Even Jane, who had suddenly appeared above Schordinger, concentrated her magic and launched a high-speed ice javelin at him. Once again, Anna intervened, blocking the projectile by kicking it away with her leg, protected by wood.
"Nice save, my dear warlord!" shout Deviola while overjoyed.
Eventually, Schordinger and Deviola managed to escape by entering the secret path Deviola had mentioned. They disappeared into thin air after taking a few steps away from where Anna had deflected the last magic projectile. As Anna stepped onto the ground, she danced a little before bowing to conclude her performance.
Now only Anna and the remaining four members of the Five Aces were left, creating an awkward stalemate where no one was willing to attack. The Five Aces members merely watched as Anna enjoyed herself, lost in her own imagination. For them, capturing Schordinger was far more important than engaging in a futile fight with Anna.
The captain, who had been knocked back by Schordinger's kick, eventually joined the others and rendezvoused with them. The four members of the Five Aces immediately supported him, helping him to his feet and guiding him back to the headquarters. Meanwhile, they left Anna alone in the woods.
But before they fully disappeared, Gon, the captain of the Five Aces, said, "Next time, we'll get him for sure."
Anna nodded, letting them go their own way. She then realized that their efforts were not merely to prevent Schordinger from moving forward but to ensure his elimination while he was vulnerable and unable to fight back. They could have easily defeated her at that moment, but instead, they chose to leave. This indicated that they had no interest in the other warlords, focusing solely on Schordinger.
"What a bunch of fools...."