The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 126 - The Fang Falls

Like, seriously, hiding in the forest like this was still the safest move they had. The demons would need time to scan an area this massive, especially with only nine airborne units at their disposal.

Even if those flying demons spread out to cover more ground, that would only make them more vulnerable. Tave and the team could pick them off, one by one. Facing a single Gaia Grand Master demon with a team of nine? That was a fight they could take.

But if the demons prioritized safety, they’d stick close together, moving as a tight unit. That would slow down their search, but make it far more dangerous for anyone trying to engage them. Especially now that they knew ten of their own had already been eliminated.

So yes, the answer was clear. They had to run and hide.

And if they were going to run, it sure as hell wouldn’t be toward where the demons were coming from. No, they had to flee in the opposite direction.

"Yes. We run!" Tave said. It wasn’t just a suggestion anymore, it was the final decision. One the entire team silently accepted.

In an instant, everyone moved back into formation, and the group began to retreat. Tave took the lead, pushing forward without hesitation.

Even though... It was far from ideal.

Because Fang was still out there.

Still behind.

Tave was pushing forward fast now, too fast, if he were being honest. But there was no room for hesitation. He couldn’t afford to move too cautiously, not with the risk of those demons closing in behind them.

Even when monsters crossed their path, the team didn’t flinch. They struck fast and clean. No wasted motion, no hesitation. The air was thick with urgency, adrenaline surging through every limb.

Go. Go. Go.

Everyone felt it.

On the other side of the group, Lina, who clearly wasn’t built for this kind of frantic movement across uneven terrain and near-total darkness, stumbled a few times.

But Velion was already there. Each time she slipped, he was quicker, steadying her, taking her arm, keeping her moving. From that point on, he kept close, practically guiding her through the terrain, making their escape smoother.

Everyone was doing their part. Watching one another’s backs. Covering one another’s steps.

"We can hide in the same cave as before," Tave said, panting between breaths as they pushed through the dense forest. "We know that area well enough. We can use that knowledge, turn it into an advantage to run and stay out of sight until Fang returns and helps us find a safer route."

"But Tave, are you sure that won’t end up trapping us?" Velion called back, keeping pace beside him. "If they find out we’re inside, won’t we be cornered?"

"There are three entrances into that cave," Tave replied, not slowing down. "If their flying units spot it, they’ll have to land and go in on foot. That gives us the upper hand. We’ll have a much easier time taking them down inside tight spaces. And besides, the ground units? They won’t reach us until tomorrow morning at the earliest."

He glanced back at the team, pushing through underbrush behind him.

"We still have time, time to observe, to plan. Because if we go too far into this forest without Fang, that’s just as dangerous. Maybe worse."

Seriously, they didn’t have the luxury to casually explore a forest crawling with tier-5 monsters. The risk was just too high. Every decision they made, no matter how strategic, felt like sprinting headfirst toward a cliff’s edge.

It was never about escaping unscathed.

No, it was about delaying death. As long as they could.

What a joke.

If it had taken a complex plan, one that involved a mini boss of the Rift, just to take down ten demons... then what were they supposed to do now? Against forty? And that was only what they’d seen.

Who knew how many more were still inside that fortress?

And worst of all, what if one of them was a Named Demon?

Tave kept shifting his vision, back and forth between the forest path ahead and Fang, who was still running, pushing his limits to keep pace with the flying units. Fang was trying to track them, to estimate how much time they had left before the demons descended.

And then.

Tave suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. frёewebnoѵēl.com

The others behind him nearly collided into him, caught off guard by his abrupt halt.

Because. No! No way.

Fang. Fang was being restrained.

Tave could see it through their connection. The shadow wolf was thrashing, struggling violently to break free. Something had grabbed him, something powerful enough to hold him back. To stop Fang in full sprint.

"Fang! Use your shadow! Come on, Fang!"

Tave’s hands were shaking. His breath caught in his throat. Something, someone, had caught Fang. And it wasn’t just anyone.

Fang was bound, lifted off the ground, his body rigid as a massive figure held him by the neck, from behind. Tave couldn’t see the captor’s face, not from this angle. But the presence, the power radiating off them, was unmistakable.

Who could move fast enough to catch Fang? And strong enough to suppress his shadow skill?

"Fang! Use your shadow!"

Tave shouted into their link again, panic beginning to crack through his voice. But Fang couldn’t break free. The wolf was consumed by fury, thrashing harder than ever. But it wasn’t working.

Tave’s panic twisted into something deeper. Darker.

This couldn’t be happening.

Fang couldn’t die. Not like this.

But what could Tave do? Fang was too far. Charging back alone would be suicidal, and reckless. It would be the kind of mistake that got everyone killed.

Behind him, his teammates had fallen silent. They hadn’t seen what he saw, but they could feel it, the dread, the pressure, the urgency flooding through Tave. They knew something had gone terribly wrong.

And they were right.

If Fang was caught, or worse, killed. Then their already-thin chances of survival would shrink to almost nothing.

Then. Tave heard it.

A voice. Deep, low, and resonant, so heavy it seemed to shake the inside of his skull.

"Tier 3 beast? Hah."

The words came from the figure holding Fang. They echoed through the bond, straight into Tave’s mind.

"I expected more of a challenge. But tier 3?"

There was a pause. Then the voice spoke again, quieter now, as if to itself. "So disappointing."

"Tave?" A whisper broke through the heavy air beside him. It was Panpan.

He blinked, pulled out of the vision for a heartbeat.

They had to keep running. He had to stay focused.

But then, Panpan stepped ahead of him and, without a word, reached back and grabbed his wrist, pulling him forward with her. Urging him to move.

He got it.

He nodded silently, falling into stride, trusting her to lead for now.

And then, he dove back into Fang’s vision. Just a flicker, just enough.

He had to know.

Who was it?

Who had caught Fang?

Was there still a chance Fang would be okay?

Then Tave heard it. Final, cold, and undeniable. "Make sure those foolish insects are captured. They won’t get far."