Run... Run Now!

Thud!

The ninja blade shot through the air and buried itself deep in the suddenly erupting, burning human-shaped flame, its hilt trembling violently.

Clang!

With the sound of Steel Wire snapping, the wire severed by the ninja blade suddenly sprang out from the burning humanoid flames, leaving a thin trace that split the flames across its chest and abdomen. Amid a faint, high-speed whistle through the air, it crashed into the raging winds beyond the rock wall, bounced back, and finally struck the rock wall with a snap, falling to the ground and lying still. By then, the faint trace through the flames had been swallowed up once more, returning the figure to a whole mass of human-shaped fire.

"Urgh..."

At that moment, a muffled groan of pain came from within the humanoid flames. At the same time, the flaming figure bound to the Rock Wall tilted slightly after losing the support of one Steel Wire.

"Run... run now, Lord Dodai..."

A hoarse voice, suppressing the pain of being burned, forced its way out from the humanoid flames. Judging by the way the flaming figure slightly leaned forward and raised its head, his eyes were fixed tightly on a point ahead and below him.

Thud!

Just then, the sound of something heavy hitting the ground rang out where his gaze had fallen.

"Saroi!"

A furious, anxious cry rang out again.

"Run... run... Lo... Lord Dodai..."

But the response to that cry was the flaming figure's increasingly faint voice.

Saroi! Dodai, who had fallen heavily to the ground, stared with slightly widened eyes at the raging flames consuming the young ninja who had been behind him moments ago—the youth who sometimes suddenly fell silent, yet had always worked hard and diligently. His mouth opened again, but no sound came out.

Tap!