After several thunderous crashes, the mountains fell deathly silent once more.
Thud, thud, thud...
The disheveled Strange Man dragged the Greatsword in his hand as he raced across the rugged snowy ridges, his posture like that of a wounded gorilla. From time to time, he glanced behind him.
But Coal Ball was flying too high, and Xie Jinhuan had hidden behind the ridgeline. Neither had appeared in his field of vision at any point.
After fleeing like this for an hour, the Strange Man reached the mountainside of a towering snowy peak. He surveyed his surroundings from the cliff's edge, then vaulted into a crevice beneath the snowy cliff and disappeared.
Coal Ball circled high overhead while Xie Jinhuan descended soundlessly through the air with the two girls in his arms. He hovered beside the crevice and listened closely:
Clatter...
The sound of an iron sword being dragged echoed within the crevice, growing steadily more distant.
Xie Jinhuan peered into the crevice and was surprised to discover that it was not a natural opening. The rock walls bore traces of excavation, and the passage sloped into the mountain's interior, its destination unknown.
Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan raised a hand to signal Coal Ball to stand by outside. Then he quietly landed inside the opening with his two companions and continued deeper on foot.
Coal Ball descended from high above and began keeping watch at the entrance.
Unexpectedly, not long after the three entered, movement appeared among the mountains.
Coal Ball immediately grew alert and looked up, only to see two figures emerge on the opposite ridge. After a brief look around, they flew over and hovered outside the cliff, even raising a hand to make a "shh" gesture.
"Coo?"
At the sight of the two feeding ladies, Coal Ball's eyes