Against this army , there was only escape . Even if they managed to destroy all these things , it would be by exhausting all their skills and attracting half the Stand to their location .
Wow , - Zac whispered from within the emergency isolation array Kruta had prepared as they slowly backed away to hide behind a rock formation .
Well , I haven’t seen that before , - Kruta agreed . - I wonder where they’re coming from . -
What should we— - Zac said , but he stopped upon feeling a weak ripple .
It was so minute it could just have been a small fluctuation brought by the disturbance of the massive army , but Zac’s gut told him otherwise . More importantly , the sense of danger that had haunted him for weeks flared up .
This was no coincidence . His enemies had found him .
50
HUNTER AND PREY
The ripple was gone as quickly as it came , giving no hint of where it originated . Judging by Kruta’s expression , he hadn’t noticed it at all .
What is it? - the barbarian said with a raised brow . - Surely , some parading puppets isn’t enough for you to lose your composure? -
It’s not that , - Zac grimaced as he tried to pinpoint the source of the ripple . - Remember what I said before? -
Your enemies? - Kruta said with a low voice , his eyes darting back and forth .
I’m afraid so . This might be the time we split up . -
And let you hog all the fun? - Kruta scoffed . - I don’t know you well , but I can feel you’ll be the key to this event . I’m not letting you sneak off alone now . -
You might come to regret it . -
What regret? Getting a few more people to fight? More fun for Kruta , - the barbarian guffawed . - Besides , if things get out of hand , I’ll just flee . I won’t say I’m invincible , but pinning me down here is almost impossible . -
Zac looked at Kruta for a few seconds before slowly nodding . - Thank you . I’ll do what I can to take on the heat , but don’t overdo it . -
No need for all that mushiness . I’m guessing you have a plan in place . -
Well , not really , - Zac said , scratching his chin .
What? -
I mean , a wise man once told me , - What’s the use of calculating and thinking when you’re an idiot?’ - Zac coughed . - So , I just figured I’d drag them into the heart of the zone and deal with it there . The more chaotic , the better . That way , it’ll become a brawl , and I’m pretty good at those . -
Kruta blankly stared at Zac , then he started laughing . - Good advice! I like it! -
Zac thoughtfully looked in the direction of the puppet army . - What about those guys? Will they create a problem? -
Our old path isn’t reliable if those soulless things can pop out of nowhere , - Kruta hummed as he took out the map and made some adjustments . - Well , we could take a bit of a detour . Should be some empty pockets now that they’re gathering . -
Zac nodded . - How much time would that add? -
The Stand is not that big , as far as zones go . We’ll reach the center in two days , provided we don’t get caught up in this mess . Detours shouldn’t add more than half a day . Or . . . -
Or what? - Zac asked .
Or we stalk the puppets from a distance , - Kruta shrugged . - White Sigils have very strong perception . If we get attacked by your enemies , they’ll probably get pulled over . If not , we can drag the fight to the puppets . The puppets should also act as a magnet for the Hero Souls , and they’re heading right where we need to go . -
Sounds good , - Zac said . - How do we avoid getting discovered by the puppets , though? Can’t they sense our energy? -
Uh , - Kruta said , blankly looking ahead . - Well , we’ll just be careful and work hard on harmonizing with the environment? -
Alright , whatever . We’ll just have to run if they start swarming us . -
The two opted to keep a ten-minute distance from the puppet army as they ran along a ridge . The puppets followed a straight path , which was quite easy to follow . After a few hours , Zac and Kruta even ran ahead to avoid any nasty surprises . Occasionally , the White Sigil sent out scouts in their direction , but Kruta was quite sensitive to the changes on the battlefield . Every time danger approached , they got out of the way in time .
Others weren’t as lucky . An eruption of energy made them stop and nudge closer to the puppet army , where they spotted a trio surrounded by frenzied puppets . Over a dozen broken puppets lay on the ground , but the cultivators were still in desperate straits . They tried to break out , but the Blue Cloak puppets had created a barrier . On top of that , dozens of Red Caps were in the way .
Suddenly , a shroud of mist was released from the White Sigil’s helmet , and space veritably exploded as it flashed forward . The cultivator tried to move out of the way , but the puppet was too quick . The commander pierced straight through the guest’s hastily erected defense before goring her with its lance .
A spectral hand appeared beneath one of the two remaining cultivators , dragging him into a mysterious portal that looked like a small pond . The final man tried something similar , but the White Sigil was already upon him . A Dao-empowered stab forcibly interrupted the escape treasure , and the poor man died a moment later . Had this been a Green Zone , he could have called on his guide to send him out of the Perennial Vastness .
But this was a Red Zone , following the law of the jungle you’d see in the wild . There were no safety nets . You’d have to get out on your own .
Let’s go , - Kruta sighed , inching back to avoid being dragged into the misfortune of others .
A storm of Hero Souls had already hit the flank of the puppet army , though Zac could tell the puppets were far superior . Luckily , the White Sigil either hadn’t noticed them , or hadn’t bothered pursuing . It focused on the incoming Hero Souls , and the army began moving ten minutes later . By that point , the broken puppets had already mended enough for them to walk on their own .
The two avoided getting hounded by the puppets , but their journey wasn’t without headaches . The puppet army was a beacon for the Hero Souls , just like Kruta suspected . Some ran straight to their deaths , while other squads changed course upon discovering Zac and Kruta . They were constantly forced into fights , turning them into unwilling meat shields for the puppet army .
Zac was on edge , targeted from every direction . After the first ripple , he hadn’t seen a hint of the enemies hiding in the shadows . That didn’t mean there wasn’t anyone looking or following him . An assassin or scout who could reach the Perennial Vastness wouldn’t have much difficulty avoiding Zac’s scans . Even the steady Dao Heart he’d tempered through endless struggle started to fray from the uncertainty .
Knowing he’d been exposed put him under a lot of pressure , and he was afraid to display the limits of his attributes or his technique . The few times he was forced to use skills , he even opted to delay the activation or integrate the skills with his infighting in a suboptimal way . It left him with a few wounds , but it was worth it if his floundering could create some openings down the road .
Kruta didn’t share Zac’s misgivings . The barbarian had a grand time fighting and constantly chattered about the treasures waiting for him at the end of the rainbow . By the time a few hours passed , Zac had heard over thirty theories . Some were quite normal , like them finding the corpse of Saeward along with his Spatial Rings . Others were more out there , such as Kruta’s suggestion the whole event was a coronation trial . Whoever reached Saeward’s resting place would become the king of the empire Saeward once ruled , gaining endless riches and vast armies .
Another one who enjoyed herself was Vivi . The increasingly powerful Hero Souls had already cut off or shredded miles’ worth of vines , but she wasn’t deterred . She even seemed to enjoy the challenge , though she was a bit miffed the Hero Souls had no bodies to consume . It was almost as though she’d returned to her youth since absorbing the energies inside the Gate of Life . She hit harder and faster , and her vines regrew quicker .