The Furelynx was leaping between twisted trunks, its ragged breathing echoing in the violet night. Its paws scratched the red earth with a nearly animal frenzy, dodging roots, rocks, and low branches. Helydia held the reins with a firm hand, eyes locked straight ahead, tense like a drawn bowstring.
Behind them, the Solperine.
The monster seemed to be walking… yet each step covered dozens of meters. It wasn't running—it was advancing, relentless, like a certain death that never hurries.
"Shit… it's still following us " growled Samuel as he turned back.
Kai, braced against the rear saddle, using his 'Blazing Projectile' skill, shot arrow after arrow. Each flaming bolt cracked through the air, hitting the creature square in the flesh… and doing nothing. The beast didn't even slow down.
"Damn it, I can't aim right with all this movement!" he cursed, his bow already drawn again.
At his side, Relia was using 'Scintillating Projectiles', aiming at the Solperine's legs. Small explosions of light hit its misshapen limbs, with no visible effect. Not even a grunt.
Samuel, tense, tried to gather his strength. To do something. Anything. But nothing. He had given everything today, and hadn't recovered enough—it was the first time he had run out of mana.
He slammed his fist down in frustration.
"Relia !" he shouted. "What do you know about this thing ?!"
"The accounts I've read about it are vague!" she yelled back without stopping her attacks.
"So you DON'T know how to kill it ?!" Canon bellowed.
"Whose fault do you think that is ?!" Dante snapped, eyes sharp, ready to pounce.
"This isn't the time to argue, you two !" Kai shouted. "LOOK !"
They all turned their heads.
Behind the Solperine… smoke. Thick. Violet. It seemed to pour from the beast like a living, crawling mist… and it was chasing them too.
"What the hell is that ?!" shouted Canon.
Relia turned pale.
"Don't breathe it in! It's poison! A very powerful poison !"
Without question, they all covered their faces with hands or sleeves. Panic was now real, palpable. The Furelynx sped up again, leaping over roots as if it were flying. The red forest was now bathed in an unreal violet, splashed with the cold light of the stars.
"Shit… shit… shit…!" muttered Samuel, desperately trying to call on his skills. Nothing. Still nothing. It was like screaming into a void.
Relia stopped firing for a moment.
She turned to him, her eyes gleaming with a feverish determination.
"Hey."
He looked at her.
"Don't force yourself... Listen… I think I might have an idea."
She took a deep breath despite her hand over her mouth.
"Do you trust me ?"
Samuel stared at her, brows furrowed, still breathless.
"Yeah. Go ahead. You've got my permission."
Relia stood tall in the center of the saddle, her gaze steady despite the jolting ride.
"Kai ! Take Helydia's place at the reins ! Helydia, come here, I need you. You too, Canon and Dante !"
They all obeyed without argument, the urgency thick in the air. The Furelynx still bounded forward, closely pursued by the Solperine, whose giant steps echoed through the forest like war drums.
"Listen closely !" Relia shouted. "The plan is simple."
She paused briefly, making sure she had everyone's attention.
"Dante and I are going to climb onto the flat part of Canon's axe. Canon, you'll use your 'Armed Arms' skill to launch us into the air, as high as possible. Dante, once we're up there, you'll use 'Ice Lance' to create a projectile. I want it to aim at the monster's blue belly—where that… that kind of blue fetus is. Focus. I want the projectile strong enough to carry a human being with it in its trajectory, so really concentrate. Helydia, you'll use your 'Steel Thread' skill. One end will be tied to Dante's projectile, the other to me. When the projectile pierces the monster, that's the line I'll use to charge in. That's where I'll strike."
A silence fell. The Furelynx was still racing at full speed, trees blurring around them like red ghosts. Then the three concerned looked at each other, hesitant, and all shouted at once:
"YOU'RE CRAZY ?!"
"That's the most fucked-up plan I've ever heard in my fucking life !" yelled Canon.
"How the hell do you expect me to focus at over 15 meters in the air ?!" yelled Dante.
"My threads will cut you clean ! There's a reason it's called steel threads !" Helydia shouted.