Realizing the surroundings had changed after locking eyes with the demon horses, and after trying several times yet failing to return to the starting point by saying "return," he decided to grip both of his wrists at the same time. The attempt was futile. Confusion immediately flooded his mind.
He realized he was in an unfamiliar environment. He was no longer on the road beside the square, but inside a forest whose location was unknown. After thinking for a moment, his ears caught the sound of rushing water not far from where he stood, accompanied by a gentle breeze brushing against his face and making his hair sway.
'It is not only me who was moved here. They are here too...' Zavi glanced to the left, trying to understand why he and the two of them were in the middle of a forest.
Uncertain of the situation, the surroundings appeared silent unlike any other forest. There were no monsters like Chalog. No sounds of small animals. Only the sound of his breathing and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat echoed clearly in his head.
Around him grew various kinds of tall grass, thorny bushes, and trees with high canopies that made it difficult for moonlight to reach the ground. Yet strangely, his vision functioned as if there were light illuminating him.
"Was this your doing?" Zavi asked, making sure, as he slowly walked toward them and continued, "Where are the Demon Horses now?"
There was no answer. Only sharp gazes and the corners of their lips lifted, almost smiling, but not entirely. Realizing the situation had shifted exactly as they predicted, they had not expected it to happen this quickly.
Zuhen slipped his hand into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes, pressing it lightly until one cigarette rose upward.
He placed it between his lips, lit it with a lighter, then spoke in a hoarse voice. "It seems we were dragged along by the horses up ahead—" Zuhen exhaled deeply, not even having the chance to inhale properly as the five demon horses had already located his presence.
The demon horses that had previously been controlled by a group of mysterious individuals who intended to destroy the city lost control the moment the two wolves let out that sharp howl.
From the nine demon horses, five of them had been briefly pulled by the two wolves. The bond with one of the controllers was severed. Those massive bodies were dragged out from where they stood, piercing through the invisible barrier, then stopping right behind Zavi.
But because the wolves returned under Zavi's control, the demon horses lost their controller for a moment. The opportunity did not last long. One of the mysterious group regained control, pulling them away along with the other demon horses, though the effort was not entirely successful.
Three people and five demon horses were dragged into the forest in North Moran, near the Gours district.
Zuhen wiped his sweat as he felt the pressure from the five creatures only a few meters from where he stood.
"Hey, do not joke around," he said, his panic thin but real. "These are five demon horses. One alone is troublesome, let alone five at once."
Even so, he continued smoking. White smoke drifted out slowly, far too calm for a situation like this.
'If my body were still in peak condition… I would not need to be this tense. And Felina is already near her limit...'
He glanced to the right. Felina's face looked normal. Too normal. As if the threat before them could be handled with ease.
Strangely, the five demon horses did not attack immediately. They stood there. Waiting. As if giving them a chance, or perhaps looking down on them.
'Do they not consider me a threat?' Zavi thought, bracing himself even though the pain from the earlier attack still coursed through his body.
He looked back.
"Hey. I do not want to die," Zavi muttered hesitantly.
'Of course. No one wants to die just like that, especially in a world that still feels foreign and terrifying to me,' he thought uneasily.
Then he continued, "For now, a truce? We destroy the demon horses first."
Zuhen let out a quiet laugh, not answering seriously. He took another drag from his cigarette. Yet his gaze remained intensely fixed on the demon horses that stood nearly five meters tall.
"It seems you do not yet understand the destructive power and durability of those demon horses, Mr. Actitus."
"What do you mean?"
Zuhen's expression changed. His jaw tightened. His fingers curled into fists as he stared at the five terrifying creatures.
"It seems they are too confident. Thinking the three of us will be dealt with easily."
'Yes, but why does he not come out?' Zuhen thought in confusion and doubt, sensing something was off.
The cigarette slipped from his fingers as if time itself had slowed within the forest before it fully touched the ground. The ember was crushed under his heel until it went out.
Zuhen briefly patted Felina's shoulder, took a deep breath, then moved sideways, slipping behind thick bushes to observe the forest's condition and do what needed to be done.
One of the demon horses turned its head toward him, but only for a moment. Its gaze returned forward, focused on Zavi and Felina who stood upright without moving due to its presence.
A rough rumble echoed. The ground trembled. Wind gusted fiercely, sweeping tall grass and hanging thorny roots aside. The demon horses' field of vision widened.
They stomped forward in unison. The earth behind them split with every step, leaving small pits filled with molten lava and rising heat.
Both Zavi and Felina's eyes widened, their mouths slightly open as the vibration coursed through their bodies.
"I will not forgive you," Felina muttered, the corner of her lips lifting. "But I will not stand by while they attack. Cooperation. That is not a bad idea."
Zavi's eyes widened briefly, then a faint smile formed.
"I will not forgive you either," he replied with a grin.
The demon horses charged, tearing through tall grass down to the hanging thorny roots blocking their path before their sharp horns thrust toward the two who still stood rigid.
In the next instant, a pale blue barrier, almost slime-like yet sturdy enough, encircled the five demon horses.
They were trapped. Along with nearly a hundred box jellyfish floating inside. Two wolves stood on opposite sides. And a barrage of clock-like needles ready to rain down on them simultaneously.
On the other side, Zuhen had already moved ahead. His plan unfolded according to calculation. He created a twenty meter distance from the right side, climbed to higher ground to place a spell, then shifted left to install a second level reversal spell.
'This… should be enough to let Felina's attack tear apart the insides of those demon horses.' He thought while drawing a long breath. He was exhausted from running back and forth across uneven forest terrain and thorny vines.
He decided to rest briefly. Leaning beneath a tree on elevated ground, he stretched his legs until they nearly reached the steep drop below.
"So now," he said quietly while taking out another pack of cigarettes. "We are going to watch a grand performance, are we not?"
He glanced to the side. A half humanoid creature the size of a baby stood there, not a baby. Black wings sprouted beneath its shoulders, and it looked at Zuhen with a twisted grin.
On the other side, the five demon horses locked within Miss Felina's Prefence remained unmoving. Not in surrender, but in arrogance, believing humans could not possibly kill them.
"Hey, do not just stand there," Felina said without turning. "Quickly do what you did earlier."
Zavi frowned. Deep down, he disliked being ordered around by someone he did not know. But the situation had changed. He had no other choice.
As he approached the two horned demon horse, the wolves he had summoned earlier began to fade. He had to be careful. The box jellyfish attempting to sting the creature were destroyed instantly before even touching it.
Zavi considered another option. He needed an animal replica with high durability and sufficient lethality to kill the demon horse.
'Am I really going to do this?' After a brief thought, he nodded and gripped both wrists simultaneously.
From the vapor and fading forms of the wolves and box jellyfish, a grayish white aura slowly shaped another figure.
About five polar bear forms appeared not far from the single horned demon horse, without skin, without flesh, only physical structure formed by aura itself. At the same time, two crocodiles and two hippopotamuses materialized, their bodies naturally composed of condensed grayish white light.
Zavi moved them simultaneously, commanding all to attack the single horned demon horse first.
But the attack failed.
Three of the five polar bears were pierced by the demon horse's horn almost at the same time. Their bodies trembled briefly before fading, cracking, then shattering into ash and disappearing completely.
'Not working. Damn it. Is there any other effective way to kill it?'
Zavi glanced toward Felina. After thinking for a moment, he asked curiously, "Why do you not release those small high damage needles?"
Felina replied without turning. "I have been doing that since earlier." She exhaled softly. "You cannot see them. They are too fast to be captured by the eye or perhaps invisible. Give me a little time. Keep the demon horses from breaking out from inside."
"The rest… leave it to me and him."
Felina raised her hand as if gripping an invisible bow. The reflection of an arrow was clearly visible in her eyes. She pulled the blue string back with full strength until aligned with the back of her head, then slowly pushed it forward repeatedly in succession.
Watching that, Zavi's heart stirred slightly. He could feel Miss Felina's surge of spirituality rising drastically. Standing still and focused on channeling energy, even at a considerable distance it was enough to make him almost drop to his knees instantly.
'Tch. So she was still holding back during that fight…'
His lips twitched. His heart pounded faster than it should. Even though he had recovered by sacrificing spiritual energy to heal his body, the pain remained vividly etched in his mind.
Meanwhile, the grayish white animal forms he created earlier had been destroyed by the five demon horses, though the creatures still seemed to be restraining their power.
From afar, bursts of hot steam accompanied by the sound of boiling water echoed. The slightly damp forest ground beneath the demon horses' hooves began cracking and melting. Lava slowly consumed it, threatening to swallow the entire area.
Felina nodded.
One final draw.
A dry leaf fell right in front of Felina.
A pale blue strike shot forward, destroying the leaf instantly and piercing through the thick slime like blue barrier. A bright yellow light blinded the forest for a moment as it replaced it, forming a new barrier around the demon horses in a flash.
The barrier pulsed briefly, then expelled a barrage of tiny needles in every direction. The needles ricocheted, piercing through the demon horses' hardened skin, destroying their internal organs until purple liquid blood splattered everywhere.
'If I were inside there… I might already be dead.'
Zavi stared nervously at the attack zone, witnessing destruction so swift it was nearly impossible to follow.
"That was impressive," Zavi praised while scratching the back of his head.
Felina clicked her tongue. "Keep your praise. This is not over the way you imagine."
'Has Mr. Zuhen still not done it yet?'
Felina thought, her heart suddenly feeling hollow as exhaustion began seizing her body.
After ensuring the yellow light gradually faded, leaving only faint illumination around the barrier area, their eyes widened instantly. The demon horses had regenerated quickly, and one of them, the single horned one, showed signs of dying.
"It seems the previous attack was not enough to defeat them all at once," Felina said coldly, her eyes fixed on where the demon horses stood.