At that, a response came from within the forest. Out of the thick fog came the voice of a cold, indifferent man: "Any creature that approaches this area without permission is to be eliminated."
Hearing this, Rulu was now certain that the ones who had attacked him were Princess Meiyu's people. He called out: "Does 'any creature' include humans — or Euphemia's subordinates?"
"Those are my orders. Any creature that enters this area and poses a threat to my master is to be eliminated. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for coming here."
With that, the man's voice fell silent. No matter what Rulu said after that, he received no further reply.
"This Princess Meiyu is truly ruthless — she knows full well we're Euphemia's people and still wants us dead. It seems we have no choice but to fight our way through." Rulu said in a low voice, turning his mind to working out a strategy. But his thoughts kept hitting a wall of mental fog; his mind was nowhere near as sharp as usual, and he found he could barely use his Spiritual-power at all.
Kallen said: "But how do we fight? The fog is everywhere — we have no idea where they are. Aside from that giant, we don't even know what any of them look like. And yet they seem to know perfectly well where we are."
Rulu said: "You're right. With fog this thick, we shouldn't be able to see them — and normally they shouldn't be able to see us either. But they clearly can. I suspect this fog isn't actually real. It's an illusion. Unless we find a way to break it, we have no chance of winning."
Kallen said: "So what do we do?"
"I have an idea. Let's try it." Rulu leaned close to Kallen's ear and whispered. Kallen listened and nodded repeatedly.
While the two were whispering, a tall figure materialized in the fog and moved swiftly toward them. It closed in on Rulu and Kallen and swung its massive club at where they stood.
"Move now." Rulu said, quickly stepping clear of his position and evading the giant's attack. Kallen likewise bolted from where she stood and ran off in the direction opposite to Rulu.
"Go after the male." A dull male voice rang out from the forest. Hearing it, the giant immediately took off in long strides, giving chase in the direction Rulu had fled.
Rulu moved fast through the forest, putting distance between himself and his pursuer. He hadn't gone far when a sharp whistle cut through the air nearby. Rulu realized he was being shot at, but since he couldn't tell what direction the attack was coming from, he threw himself flat on the ground. An arrow came flying in from his left rear, streaking through the space where he'd just been standing — a hair's breadth from hitting him.
"Cowardly filth — shooting from the shadows." Rulu cursed, scrambling back to his feet and scanning his surroundings, trying to spot whoever was firing arrows from hiding. But there was nothing but swirling fog in every direction; he could not find the archer.
The heavy thud of footsteps — *boom, boom* — sounded as the giant came charging from behind, swinging its club at Rulu. Rulu quickly rode the wind and leapt toward a nearby tree, trying to get up into the branches to shake the giant off. But he was only halfway there when the sharp whistle of another arrow split the air.
Rulu cursed inwardly. He twisted his body in midair, trying to dodge. But the arrow was fast and true — a burst of searing pain exploded through his shoulder. He turned to look: an arrow was embedded in his left arm. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Rulu dropped from the air and landed on the ground, barely managing to keep his footing.
"Heh… heh heh heh, ha ha ha…" The eerie laughter in the forest grew louder and more chilling. Hearing it, Rulu felt his temper fray to the breaking point, his mind sinking deeper into fog. Then, without warning, a tall black figure appeared in front of him. Assuming it was the giant, Rulu immediately fled in the opposite direction.
But he hadn't gone far before another towering figure appeared ahead. He changed course and ran again. Then another figure appeared in front of him. He changed direction again. No matter which way Rulu ran, a dark shape blocked his path — as though he were completely surrounded on all sides.
*What is happening? That giant can't possibly move this fast. Are there multiple giants — not just one?!* Rulu's mind was in complete chaos. He had no idea what was going on or which direction to run.
The whistle of an arrow tore through the air again. Rulu knew the enemy was shooting at him from cover and dove sideways — narrowly dodging the shot by a razor's edge. With a heavy thud, Rulu collided with something large and solid. He looked up — the giant with its club was right in front of him. What he had just crashed into was that very giant.
*This is bad.* Rulu's heart lurched. He immediately tried to back away, but it was already too late. The giant's left hand shot forward and seized Rulu's right arm in an iron grip. The crushing force sent a wave of excruciating pain through his arm.
Rulu thrashed his right arm with everything he had, trying to break free, but his strength was no match for the giant's and he could not pull loose. Refusing to be taken without a fight, he summoned a fireball and drove it straight into the giant's face, trying to force it to let go.
The giant let out a bestial shriek. Still gripping Rulu's arm, it hoisted him clean off the ground, wound up, and hurled him as hard as it could. Rulu's body shot through the air like a cannonball and slammed into a tree with brutal force. The impact drained every ounce of strength from his body. He crumpled to the ground, completely unable to move.
"Finish him." The cold, indifferent male voice rang out through the fog. The giant hefted its club and strode toward Rulu. Rulu struggled desperately to get up, but his body had nothing left — he could not rise. All he could do was sit with his back against the tree and watch the giant bear down on him. The giant reached his side, raised its club, and prepared to deliver the killing blow.
"Aaaaahh——!" Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang out nearby. At that very moment, Rulu sensed a shift in what lay before his eyes. The thick fog surrounding him dissolved and vanished. The forest returned to its true appearance. And at the same moment, the haze that had been smothering his mind lifted — his thoughts cleared, sharp and precise as they always were. He could think normally again. He could use his Spiritual-power again.
The giant swung its club down toward Rulu. A sharp light flashed in Rulu's eyes. He locked his gaze onto the giant's eyes and bellowed: "Stop!"
The giant hesitated. Slowly, it lowered the club it had been about to bring down on Rulu — and did not attack.
"What are you doing?! Kill him — now!" An enraged male voice called out from nearby. But the giant did not obey. It stood quietly beside Rulu and made no move.
Rulu turned his head toward the direction of the voice and saw, standing in a tree nearby, a blue-robed man holding a bow. The man's face was expressionless, his eyes wide and unblinking. Rulu recognized him immediately — it was the man he had seen during the day, one of Princess Meiyu's subordinates.