Jake and Jenny stood frozen, stunned, as the Jeep roared to life and sped off—without them.
"Hey! Where are you going?! We're still here!" Jake shouted, both of them breaking into a sprint after the vehicle.
It was no use.
They could only assume Max had mistakenly believed they were already inside, choosing to drive off before things got worse.
But the truth was crueler.
"Sorry, Jake, Jenny! We had no choice!" Oliver's voice rang out from the Jeep. "They said they'd kill us if we didn't leave you behind! Please understand!"
"You bastard…" Jake muttered, crushing the grass beneath his feet in frustration. "I should've known something was off…"
"Jake, we need to move. Now—before they find us," Jenny urged, eyes scanning their surroundings.
He took a breath and nodded. "Okay. Let's go."
They had barely covered any ground when Jake raised a hand.
"Stop. You hear that?"
Jenny crouched, lowering herself into the tall grass. "Footsteps… They're getting closer."
Jake closed his eyes and listened. The soft crunch of grass under heavy boots… too many to count at once.
His eyes opened, grim. "We're surrounded. At least twenty… most of them are Apprentice-rank. Some even Ninth Stage."
Jenny's heart sank. "Are we going to die here?"
Jake looked at her, his jaw clenched. "No. I'll get you out—no matter what."
They began to back away, silent as shadows.
But then—
"We know you're out there! Come out and save us time!" a voice bellowed. A leader.
"Boss, want us to sweep the area?" one of the underlings asked.
"No. Stay where you are. No one moves unless I give the order," the man growled.
Time dragged. Tension mounted.
Finally, the leader's patience snapped.
"Find them. I want their heads. I'll hand-deliver their corpses to the master!"
The man was Marcus—a loyal hound of the Ashcroft family, acting under the Patriarch's command.
"What about the two in the Jeep? If they escape—"
"Do you think I'm stupid? A hit squad's waiting for them. The moment the signal is sent, they'll strike."
Meanwhile, Max and Oliver were nearing the border between the Dragon and Phoenix Kingdoms—hopeful for refuge.
Their hope didn't last.
Armed men blocked the road ahead, dressed in black, guns raised.
Max slammed on the brakes.
"We're surrounded!" Oliver gasped.
'I can't die here.' Max exchanged a nod with Oliver.
Without hesitation, Max floored the accelerator.
Bullets riddled the Jeep, glass shattering, metal crumpling—yet they pushed forward.
Then came the final blow—a dull thump as a grenade launcher fired.
The explosion lit up the road.
The Jeep was torn apart. Nothing remained of Max and Oliver but fire and ash.
Back near the jungle's edge, the explosion was unmistakable.
Marcus smirked. "That's the sound of your friends dying. You'll join them if you don't show yourselves!"
Jenny flinched at the sound.
Jake narrowed his eyes. "He's bluffing. They'll kill us either way."
"Then what do we do?"
Jake's grip tightened. "We run. For our child."
With slow, silent steps, they began crawling through the grass, inching toward the jungle nearby.
Minutes passed.
Then came Marcus's voice once more. "Enough games. Back off, all of you!"
Jake peered through the brush. "They're up to something..."
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Run, Jenny! Stay low and don't look back!"
"What?! Why—"
BOOM!
Explosions rocked the ground as grenades rained down. Earth and smoke erupted around them.
"They're trying to bury us alive!" Jake yelled, shielding Jenny with his body.
"The dust! Use it—move now!"
They sprinted through the rising haze toward the jungle—toward Blaze City, nestled just beyond it within the Phoenix Kingdom. The jungle was dangerous and rarely traveled, but unlike the road Max and Oliver had taken, it offered a chance.
{Author's Note: Oh no, not again! Escape isn't allowed this time!}
Heh. Catch me if you can. Farewell, dear readers… until we meet again.
{Author's Note: Blast! Slipped through my fingers once more! Sorry for the interruption, folks. Someone keeps leaking spoilers ahead of schedule… I'll catch them next time. Meanwhile, let's continue, shall we?}
Just as they reached the jungle's edge—another grenade landed directly in front of them.
"JENNY, GET DOWN!"
Jake shoved her aside and jumped—but the blast caught him.
Pain tore through him as flames licked his body. His right arm and the side of his face burned, skin peeling away.
"Jake!" Jenny screamed, rushing to him.
His clothes were smoldering. She hurried to extinguish the flames.
"Jake, are you—are you okay?!"
His voice was strained, laced with agony. "What do you think, Jenny?! Just help me up!"
She tried, but he couldn't rise.
His right arm was limp. Useless.
She reached out, but he placed a hand over her mouth.
"Shh… They'll hear. Let's go."
Carefully, she helped him up, and they slipped into the jungle—finally out of sight.
Back at the battlefield, Marcus stepped forward.
"Boss, over here! Blood and… burnt skin."
Marcus knelt, inspecting the remains. "Caught in the blast. One down. Good."
"But should we go in after them?" one man asked.
"Are you brain-dead? That's Phoenix Kingdom territory. If we're caught, we're all dead—and we bring ruin to the Ashcrofts. No one enters."
They searched the area for hours, combing every inch.
"Sir! Blood traces… into the jungle."
Marcus's lips curled into a cruel smile. "So they made it in."
"Should we follow?"
"No. But we can still succeed."
He stood and addressed the team. "We return with bodies. Two of them. A man and a woman. The story is they're dead. That's final. Anyone disagrees… can join them."