Xiao Bing and Xiao Huo were attacking both Ember and Fang at the same time. Wan Li and Wan Er were also moving in to support their tamed monsters. If it was us from before, then it would've been a hard battle for them. But now...
"Too slow!"
Fang, who had fought Xiao Huo before, quickly dove inside the shadow and initiated a quick chop to the back of its head.
"Xiao Huo! Be careful!"
Wan Li, who caught a glimpse of Fang's attack, quickly tried to order Xiao Bing to protect the poor phoenix. However, the barrier came a bit too late.
*Squawk!*
Xiao Huo let out a pained cry as it fell to the ground. The events were so fast that Wan Er cried out too late.
"Next!"
Fang was about to pounce on Xiao Bing next, but she noticed that the fairy was stuck and unable to move. It was enclosed by Ember's clone, trapped in a small cube of about 1 meter in dimension. All of her skills, lacking in power, were unable to break the enclosure.
"I've finished my side faster."
Ember smiled at Fang.
On the other hand, I was busy dodging Ying Yue's attacks. Although it was fierce and brutal, her speed wasn't up to par with her skills. It was to the point that I could spare time to observe my two girls' battle midway.
Ying Yue looked chagrined, as if she were lamenting her lack of strength. Despite that, the fire in her eyes didn't fade, even after discovering the disparity between our powers.
'But why isn't she stopping when she knows she can't win…? Wait! She's just buying time!'
As I noticed too late, I tried to observe all the energy around the place. It was all gathering toward Fang and Ember, but another wave was moving outward toward the door. That's probably their backup coming in quickly.
"Ember, Fang! Let's go! Max, I'll reimburse you later for this!"
As I said my advanced apology, I quickly smashed the window nearest to us. Fang and Ember quickly followed behind me as we jumped down from the third floor and landed in the courtyard.
Around us, the stationed tamers of the Virgil Family were surprised by our sudden descent. However, we didn't have time to mind them as the backup from the Luo had already broken inside the room and was about to reach the window we just jumped out of.
"Ember, emergency escape!"
I quickly told Ember, and she realized my aim. She took out the rest of her clones, excluding the one she left to contain Xiao Bing, and created a large catapult.
I quickly boarded it, followed by Ember, who snuggled in my embrace, and Fang, who hugged me from behind. We kept our posture low as the slime catapult was quickly turning the mock spring.
"Stop right there!"
The backup from the Luo had already jumped out of the window by the time the charging was complete. The catapult's latch was quickly released as we were launched into the air at the speed of sound.
It was so fast that I almost blacked out from the G-forces that hit my body. Luckily, my physique was already a lot sturdier than before, so I managed to not faint and endure.
We flew for a good few seconds before we finally started descending. Ember quickly used her last clone and used [Expand] to create a parachute to slow down our descent.
Despite slowing us down, the impact from our landing still left a small crater in the middle of the forest.
"Fang, did we lose them?"
I quickly asked to confirm. Fang was the one with the sharpest senses between us, so she is acting as our party's scout.
"... I can sense their presence heading straight for us. I think we didn't lose them yet."
I clicked my tongue. It seems that it wouldn't be easy to lose our tail like this.
"Fang, use concealment on us three. Ember, create fake traces as we pass through the forest. We'll aim for the mountains in the distance for now!"
I quickly commanded. Fang and Ember nodded their heads and quickly performed their given task.
Fang used her dark energy to envelop the three of us in her presence erasing veil made out of darkness. Ember used her last clone to create fake tracks in the other direction, buying us enough time.
By the time our pursuers reach our landing spot, they should head to the clone first. Then, when they capture the clone, that's when they'll start to pursue our trail.
"And here I tried living a quiet life! Who'd have thought I'd be hunted just for having some of their blood?!"
I raised my voice in anger. After venting, I felt my head cool down a little. We were already near the mountains, and the sky was slowly turning dark and cloudy. They say that the climate in the mountains is fickle, so this is what they meant.
The rain started falling like a storm, coupled with strong winds and lightning. We should be thankful for it, as it would erase our traces, but the cold was slowly sucking the warmth out of our bodies.
Soon, we found a random cave hidden from sight. We entered it and headed on toward its depths. After the entrance was no longer visible, Ember finally fell to her knees and panted.
During this whole escape, she used all her clones as disposable tools. I can only imagine how much of a burden it was for her.
I quickly took out the lantern-like campfire and set it in the middle of the cavern. The light it gave off could be detected from outside, so I hung a thick curtain to block both the light from coming out and the droplets of water from coming in.
After that, I took out a pair of wooly blankets and passed them to the two girls. They quickly used it to dry their bodies.
I, on the other hand, took off my clothes and tried wringing them dry. The water from it fell like a faucet, making me realize how drenched we really are.
"This could be bad... Ember, Fang, be careful of... Your wet... clothes..."
Before I could finish my words, the two girls had already finished removing everything covering them. I gulped loudly at the extremely stimulating sight.
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