7 The Chase

At the Enchanted Forest.....

"I think we lost them, don't you think Miya?", Nana said as kept gasping for air.

"That's the longest run, I have ever done since I left my home", Miya replied as she was also chasing her breath.

"Man, carrying these Leonins made the work even harder", Hayabusa added. The Leonins in the caged looked at Hayabusa angrily.

"Woah, calm down there. I'm just joking!", Hayabusa added.

"There you go guys, you're free!", Nana said as she opened the door of the cage.

"Thank you, Nana. We'll never forget this act of kindness!", one of the Leonins replied to Nana.

"No problem guys! It's my pleasure to serve you, and I'll never be able to accomplish that if my two friends aren't here!", Nana added as she looked at Miya and Hayabusa.

The Leonins also thanked Miya and Hayabusa for saving their lives. "Uhmmm.. It's not a big deal.... hehehehe",Miya replied.

Hayabusa nodded and Nana remembered something important. "Uhmm, by the way. Do you guys have a place to stay in?", Nana asked the Leonins.

The Leonins replied, "Honestly, we currently don't have a place to stay in. Our village was destroyed, and lots of us died during the attack of those demons".

Miya sighed and replied, "I'm so sorry for your lost, but think about the future that you will have. I'm sure this war will be over soon enough."

Nana was thinking of something.....

"Why don't you guys come with us to the empire?", Nana asked the Leonins.

"That's a great idea, Nana! You guys can stay at the empire, where you'll be safe and sound", Miya said.

The Leonins was happy to hear what Nana and Miya said and they agreed.

"Come on,guys let's go!", Nana said as she leads the way to the Moniyan empire. Miya noticed something wrong about Hayabusa.

"What's wrong Hayabusa?", Miya asked. "I-it's nothing", Hayabusa answered her.

"Aren't you coming with us to the empire?", she added. "No,I'm not. I've come here to fulfil my mission, not to stay in that fancy empire", Hayabusa replied.

"I see... Well then, goodluck my friend", Miya said as she ran to catch up to Nana. Hayabusa remembered something important and hurriedly ran to Nana.

"Nana, I think one of the Leonins was currently at the empire", Hayabusa said. "What? It can't be, I'm the only Leonin who's been living at the empire", Nana replied.

"No, we've lately found this Leonin injured at the village when the monsters attacked. My friends hurriedly carried him to go to the empire", Hayabusa added.

"It can't be him.....", Nana replied as she smiled with joy. "Thanks Hayabusa! Goodluck with your journey!", she added.

Hayabusa nodded and used his skill Quad Shadow to teleport away from them.

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Meanwhile at the dungeon of Erudito City....

"Well... well.... It looks like you're awake", Lolita said as she looked at Hanabi.

"Ughhh.... where am I?..", Hanabi mumbled as she starts to regain her consciousness. "You're in the dungeon of the city", Lolita replied.

"Wha-what?!", Hanabi shouted as her eyes widen. "You little..... Let go of me! Let go of me before you'll regret it!", Hanabi added as she started to became angry.

"Regret what? HAHAHAHAHA", Lolita laughed. "You don't want to anger the Higanbana, don't you?", Hanabi replied as she starts to call her weapon.

"Higan what? Oh you mean you're large shuriken?", Lolita replied as. "Uhm, yes?!", Hanabi added as she kept calling her weapon.

"Why....Why I can't feel the presence of the Higanbana?", Hanabi said to herself while still trying to call her weapon back to her.

"I see what you're doing, you're trying to find your weapon aren't you?", Lolita asked her.

Hanabi flinched and asked her, "How did you know about that?".

"Well, I've seen a ninja once doing that same thing here once", Lolita replied. Hanabi was surprised to hear what Lolita said.

"A ninja.... Did that ninja has two swords on his back?!", Hanabi asked Lolita. "No, but that ninja carried a really huge sword with some ugly and unfashionable design", Lolita replied.

"A ninja with a huge sword... Couldn't that be....", Hanabi said to herself while thinking who might this ninja be. "Did that ninja perhaps called his weapon, the Ame no Habakiri?", Hanabi added as she starts to feel some chills.

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At the Northern mountains...

"Franco look!!! I can almost see it!", Kagura shouted as she starts to run towards the fortress of Aurora.

"Hey, wait up!", Franco replied as he tries to catch up on Kagura.

Franco ran and saw Kagura stopped. "Hey, why did you stopped?", Franco asked her.

"Franco... What is that thing.....?", Kagura said as her eyes widen. Franco looked at where Kagura was looking, his eyes also widen as they saw a strange thing running towards them.

"Wha-what....the hell.....", Franco said as the ground beneath them starts to shakes. The creature was starting to get near them, and they suddenly heard a voice.

"Eliminate them, my knight! Catch them!"

"Oh crap, there's a person in top of that creature. We better run..", Franco said and was surprised that Kagura was nowhere to be found. He looked behind his back, and saw her running. "Damn, she's quick!", Franco added and started to run also.

The creature was starting catch up at them while they were running. "Is this how you treat the people who saved you? You left them without warning them to run?!", Franco said as he kept running.

"Well maybe, you would have heard what have I said if you weren't busy looking at that creature who chases us", Kagura replied as she also kept running.

"Don't even think that you can outrun me!", the person in top of the creature shouted as she throwed a ball of frost into the ground. "Now, enjoy slipping beyond this mountain path!", the person added.

The ground beneath them starts to freeze and resulting it to be slippery. "Woahh!!", Kagura shouted as she slipped through the frozen ground. Franco immediately grabbed her hand.

"Thanks", Kagura replied and smiled. "Ok, now this chasing needs to stop!", Kagura added as she grabbed her umbrella.

"It's time to teach you a lesson! Shogyo Mogyo!", Kagura shouted and throwed her umbrella infront of the creature to unleash the spirits of the Seimei umbrella.

"Pathetic...", the person in top of the creature said as she ordered the creature to use its sword to slash Kagura's umbrella.

The creature slashed the Seimei umbrella, but it didn't shred into pieces. Instead, it throwed the umbrella into a nearby tree and it dragged Kagura, since she and umbrella are one.

"Ahhh!", Kagura screamed before she was slammed into the tree. Franco shouted as he run towars to Kagura.

"Fools...", the person in top of the creature said. Franco carried Kagura and started to run away from the creature.

"Where do you think you're going?", the person added as she commanded the creature to chase them.

Kagura suddenly starts to regain her consciousness, and begun to wonder what's happening. "It seems you're awake", Franco said while he was carrying her.

"Franco?! Why are you carrying me?", Kagura said. "We don't have time to talk", Franco replied as he kept running away from the creature.

Kagura looked behind them and saw the person in top of the creature that chases them, creating another ball of frost.

The person throwed the ball of frost at them and shouted, "Freeze!".