Ang and Roel continued onward. For the rest of the journey, they encountered no more Guanda hunting parties. Even when they occasionally spotted Guanda people in the distance, the other side quickly withdrew. News had clearly spread among the tribes. The strength Ang had displayed had made the Guanda people realize that this Imperial soldier was not an enemy they could provoke lightly. Especially after losing Keineg, they became even more cautious, avoiding any direct confrontation with Ang.
Keineg's tribe had suffered a devastating blow. Nearly all of its elite warriors had been slain by Ang. With Keineg's death, the tribe's power had been greatly weakened, and it no longer possessed the strength to face outside threats on its own. Among the Guanda people, this practically meant the tribe was headed for decline, perhaps even annexation by another tribe. In Guanda tradition, the strong swallowing up the weak was nothing unusual. Before the Empire conquered the Guanda Plane, the Guanda tribes had constantly fought one another for resources, with frequent hostilities between them. Only after the Imperial invasion were they forced to temporarily set aside their internal struggles and unite against a common enemy.
As they gradually emerged from the forest, traces of the Guanda people became increasingly scarce until they vanished entirely. Ang and Roel entered the outer reaches of the forest, and the view before them suddenly opened up. Here, the vegetation was no longer so dense, and the sky stretched wider overhead. Sunlight poured down, enveloping them in a long-lost sense of peace. Having left the area where the Guanda tribes were active, their steps noticeably grew lighter.
Meanwhile, news of the Guanda people's movements deep within the forest had already reached Monag County. Those Guanda people who had submitted to the Empire were especially sensitive to