Stan Sol carefully withdrew the flames engulfing his body, as though removing a piece of armor. His recent ordeal had kept him in a prolonged state of battle. Now, as his formidable adversary seemed to withdraw, he too deactivated his combat state. Around Stan Sol, some restless, severed arms remained—controlled by the Wire Puppets, these disconnected limbs tumbled aimlessly on the ground, still engulfed in flames. Sporadic flames sputtered to the ground with their movement, extinguishing upon impact and leaving no trace of their existence.
He and Baharo had drawn the attention of most of the walking corpses. Their target was clearly Hustace, whom Stan Sol carried on his back. Stan Sol neither knew nor cared about this group's intentions. His sole motive was finding his brother, Tobin. The solution to the enigma in his heart lay with his sibling, so anyone or anything obstructing their reunion would not be spared.
Baharo stood beside him, panting. The preceding defense had undoubtedly exhausted much of his physical strength and Spirit Power.
The walking corpses, controlled by the Wire Puppets, were a disadvantage for Baharo, whose skills were not suited for direct collisions. Should a Split Entity of a Wire Puppet get hold of him, his fate would be sealed. Thus, he could only grapple defensively with these controlled corpses, not daring to strike back until a suitable strategy emerged.
Baharo admired Stan Sol's Flame Armor. With its protection, the ancient Hunter no longer needed to fear the bites of the walking corpses—anything getting too close to the flames would be incinerated. Although the fire deterred the walking corpses, the Wire Puppet, or rather its controller, adapted swiftly. Once they saw Stan Sol's Flame Armor, the corpses stopped charging straight at him. Instead, they began to encircle him, continuously launching attacks with disembodied limbs.
But fire was still fire, a symbol of sunlight. The Wire Puppets, brought forth by Dark Magic, were ultimately creatures of darkness; they would still fear the sun. Though fire lacked the sun's full power, it still dealt a heavy blow to the Wire Puppets. When the flame-engulfed flesh was burned away entirely, white bones lay bare before them.
Initially, Baharo assumed that without flesh, the Wire Puppets would lose control over their hosts. Then, he believed, he could eliminate the unconscious corpses single-handedly. But these Wire Puppet-controlled, fire-engulfed skeletons still charged relentlessly at Stan Sol and him, proving Baharo's inexperience. Baharo had no choice but to initiate his Sword Dance, encircling himself with Sword Qi to defend against the assault of the shattered remains.
Throughout this ordeal, both Baharo and Stan Sol were purely defensive against the Wire Puppets.
Stan Sol's fire, while not sunlight, did have some influence. The attack frequency of the Puppet-controlled corpses gradually decreased. This was likely because a significant number of corpses had been burned, making their controller cautious. If every charging Puppet were to be engulfed in flames, then the Wire Puppets dispatched this time could very well be incinerated by Stan Sol's fire. After all, in this world, everything was interconnected and constrained; everything had a weakness. One misstep could allow an enemy to seize upon a fatal flaw, leading to defeat.
The enemy withdrew to preserve its strength. The Wire Puppet was a precious commodity. Losing even a Split Entity would be a loss so great that even completing the mission couldn't compensate for it.
Hence, the enemy fell back as the situation changed. The controller behind them was unwilling to lose a Split Entity of the Wire Puppet, making it clear that the Wire Puppet itself was of greater importance.
Stan Sol didn't overthink the enemy's withdrawal. Being hard to handle was relative; the opponent likely found him just as challenging. So, he paid no mind to their changes. He believed one must always be ready to defend oneself, even against unanticipated attacks from powerful enemies. That was his everyday reality.
Baharo felt uneasy. His previous Sword Dance had exhausted much of his stamina. If another wave were to charge them now, his only options would be flight or surrender, as his Spirit Power was nearly drained. Maybe it was an illusion, but Baharo felt his heart rate skyrocketing; he had almost reached his limit.
Despite this, Baharo kept a clear head. He believed that everything in this world could be transformed. For instance, even though he himself might have reached his limit, the ancient Hunter beside him was like a deep abyss—it was uncertain how much Energy he still possessed.
Above all, their goals aligned—for now.
"We share the same purpose, so we cannot diverge," Baharo said to Stan Sol, steadying his panting breaths.
"Where... do we... have... a mutual... purpose?" queried Stan Sol, setting down Hustace, each word pronounced with deliberate care.
"There... the man you just put down. My mission is to ensure his safe return to Luona. I don't know what your mission is, but one thing is evident—you wouldn't want any mishaps befalling him. This... is our mutual purpose," Baharo responded quickly.
Stan Sol merely chuckled.
"Now, we should head downhill—" Baharo started to say.
"These... birds and beasts... are constantly...watching," Stan Sol interrupted, raising his hand to point to the surrounding fauna—all of them the Alchemy Workshop's Exchange Beasts.
"Uh..." Baharo hadn't particularly cared about these creatures. After all, the Alchemy Workshop had never bothered him and had even tried to recruit him, so he didn't think they'd harm him.
"Moreover... you... tell me... where... the way down the hill... is."
"Huh?" Hearing Stan Sol's words, Baharo immediately became fully alert. He looked left and right and finally discovered something unexpected.
The way down the hill seemed strange; it wasn't the original path!
But they had been escaping along this very path. The fact that it had changed now was unbelievable!
Baharo's eyes bulged.
His Secret Sensing Skills wouldn't lie. The scent of the path had transformed.