They were now very close to the border of the Kingdom of Dilon. After traveling nonstop for the past few days, Punk and the others had entered the transitional zone between the Verdant Forest and the "Old Muddy Woods" woodland. The vegetation and trees around them were growing ever denser!
It was around twenty-six o'clock at night, close to midnight. The night was pitch-black, and at some point, clouds had obscured the bright glow of the Ink-Blue Moon—Gaal—and the Whirlwind Moon—Tor. Only the Semi-Mechanical Moon—Dolush's Eye—still hung in the sky, shedding its faint, eerie radiance. To avoid being caught by their enemies as much as possible, Punk still chose to use magic to help himself move at full speed. The two warriors took turns carrying Her Highness the Princess on their backs, bursting forth with battle aura as they followed behind. Even though he and the two warriors were exhausted from the day's fighting, even though Princess Narsya was still distraught over Mainesi's death... there truly was no time left!
The night was like the deepest lake, a vast murky black. Beneath the overcast sky, not a trace of starlight could be seen. As they raced through the silent forest, the tree branches resembled savage claws. The dark canopy stretched all the way to the horizon. Scattered fluorescent plants glimmered faintly, while several tiny fireflies flickered with dim yellow light, as weak and insignificant as the final moans of a dying old man. At times, this ordinary, hazy veil of darkness seemed easy to break through and disappear into—only for one to realize that it was not nearly so simple.
In the profound stillness where not even insects chirped, razor-sharp killing intent descended without warning like a forest fire ignited by spring thunder!
"Screech—rip!"
Punk, who had been racing forward