Looking at the unconscious Troah, Jared frowned slightly. He had clearly felt Troah offer no resistance and hadn’t even made a sound.
But there wasn’t time to think about it now. Jared quickly led the group out of the city lord mansion with Bastian In tow.
Once outside, Jared scanned the area, then turned west toward the mountain range.
“Jared, shouldn’t we head north if we want to get to Rhino City faster? Why are we going west?” Madman asked, puzzled.
“We came from the north. Every checkpoint on that route was heavily guarded,” Jared said. “To the west, there are fewer checkpoints because it doesn’t border Rhino City.”
The truth was, Jared was also curious about the small town in the mountains. He wanted to see who lived there and to confirm whether his suspicions were right.
Just as they left the city lord mansion and moved toward the western mountains, a loud alarm blared behind them.
Figures shot into the sky from the mansion. Soldiers spread out rapidly, beginning their search for Jared’s group.
“Alert all cities, lock down the gates! We can’t let those Rhino City people escape!” Jovan bellowed in fury, glaring at the unconscious Troah. He couldn’t believe Jared had the guts to rescue Bastian right under his nose.
But even if they got out of the mansion, they’d never make it out of Winged Tiger City. Dozens of cities surrounded them. There was no way out for Jared and his companions.
Hearing the shrill alarm, Jared knew the worst had happened. They had been discovered.
“We’ve got to move faster!” Jared shouted.
Beneath the star-filled sky, Madman carried Bastian while Jared and the others sprinted westward at full speed.
Jared glanced upward, among those distant stars, one of them had to be the mundane world he came from.
They picked up speed, avoiding flight to stay hidden. The flatlands around them offered nowhere to hide, but thankfully, the distance between cities stretched for a few hundred kilometers. That gave them a chance.
If the cities had been closer together, breaking out would’ve been nearly impossible. Even so, Jared and his team could cover a few hundred kilometers in under an hour.
When they reached the next city, the guards were just about to question them. Jared didn’t give them the chance.
Swoosh!
With a sweep of the Dragonslayer Sword, beams of light rained down like falling stars, tearing through the city gates. The guards didn’t even scream before they were cut down. This was exactly what Jared wanted, a fast, silent kill that wouldn’t raise a broader alarm.
If Jovan realized they were heading west, he’d send massive reinforcements after them.
“Let’s go!” Jared said.
Without hesitation, vaulted over the city walls.
Jared continued cutting down the guards, while Eason and Madman followed with Bastian, pressing forward through city after city.
As dawn approached, they could see the mountain range drawing nearer. Jared’s anxiety deepened. He was sure that by the time the sun rose, Jovan would have figured out their direction and sent pursuers.
“How many more cities ahead?” Eason asked, frowning.
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll deal with it when we get there. We’ve already busted through plenty,” Madman replied. “Only the main city of Winged Tiger City was the real threat. The rest of them are just trash.”
