Several figures darted through the woods like agile nocturnal animals, weaving between the glowing Nightlight Firs and rocks. The fluorescence illuminated a weary face—it was Ryo, gasping for breath.
He rested his hands on his knees, his chest heaving violently. His gaze was fixed on the swift figure ahead of him.
'Yano, a Knight… How is he so agile?'
'It's unbelievable.'
Add to that a Knight's stamina, which far surpassed that of an Assassin. The chase had been going on for several minutes, yet Yano was only breathing a little heavily.
Before Ryo could dwell on it, he glimpsed more of the Stone Race converging from all over the forest.
Even Max, drawn by the Shadow Creature fleeing through the trees, darted out from behind a rock and joined the pursuit.
"Ryo, what are you doing here?" Max asked in surprise, looking over at him as he ran.
"Never... never mind that for now!"
Ryo panted, "Let's... let's just catch up to it. That dark shadow... it's probably a Shadow Creature."
