The journey to the demon castle was not an easy matter. Storms kept coming throughout the day. There had to be preparation to go there, because this way their safety would be better guaranteed.
"Sizhi, then what did you do to be able to get there?" Taffie asked again.
"I followed the steps of monsters that dared to break through the storm," Sizhi answered.
Sizhi then told the story in more detail. The path leading to the demon realm was a desert. But this place was also inhabited by several monsters. Snake monsters were the most numerous, but there were also Yetis, monsters resembling humans yet standing more than 20 meters tall.
Actually, these two monsters were threats, but Sizhi managed to use them for her own advantage. Sometimes the Yetis recklessly charged through the sandstorms heading west. This was where Sizhi took advantage of the situation by hiding behind their footsteps.
It sounded easy, but in reality it was not. Sizhi also said she was thrown backward many times by the sandstorm's blast. But she managed to survive by hanging onto the monster's fur.
Now it had been decided, that strategy would be used by Jyu, Taffie, and Sizhi to reach the demon castle. Without further ado the three of them immediately ran toward the west.
"Be careful! There could be monsters hiding beneath the sand," Taffie warned Jyu and Sizhi.
Jyu and Sizhi understood very well what she meant. Often, snakes hid under the sand and would instantly attack when prey flew overhead.
If it were daytime, perhaps the three of them would already have been attacked. However, it was nighttime. Usually, those monsters preferred to rest. Hopefully!
That was indeed true! But there was something the three of them did not know about the inhabitants of the darkent realm. Some monsters carried out their activities during the day, but others were nocturnal.
While the three of them were running, suddenly a flock of birds flew very quickly from the west.
"Hide!" Taffie suddenly said. Instantly, the three of them slipped behind large cone-shaped rocks.
"Owl monsters!" Jyu said in surprise.
Taffie kept observing the bird monsters, they were moving toward the east.
"This is strange! They are monsters that live in regions far from here. But why have they come all the way here?" Taffie said with an unblinking gaze while observing those monsters.
Sizhi said, "Maybe they want to go to the human world. The dimensional portal is in the east."
The opening of the dimensional portal had indeed changed the order of life for mystical creatures in the darkent realm. All mystical creatures seemed to be competing to prey on humans. Because for them, human souls were a delicious feast, too precious to ignore.
"I will intercept them, I won't let them enter the human world," Jyu said with a furious gaze. It made sense for him to behave this way, because the chaos was his fault. Now Jyu seemed to have a responsibility to save everyone.
"We don't have time, just let them go. Leave them to our friends," Taffie said firmly.
Jyu should have obeyed Taffie's words, but he chose a different path. Without asking for approval, he immediately ran and attacked the flock of owl monsters.
In Jyu's hand now was his black sword. At any moment it was ready to be used to attack and kill those monsters. His steps were swift, and now Jyu was ready to launch a slashing attack.
But...
His body suddenly collapsed onto the sand, sticky threads wrapped around his entire body. It was difficult to move anymore!
"Damn! Damn you, Sizhi!" Jyu shouted.
Sizhi was the main culprit. She summoned her demon Svider to capture Jyu with its spider web. Slowly, Svider pulled Jyu's body back behind the cone-shaped rocks.
Suddenly, a sword stabbed perfectly into the ground beside Jyu's head.
"Here I am, the leader, so follow all my orders. If you still refuse, I won't hesitate to cut off your legs and hands," said Taffie angrily, then she pulled her sword out of the ground.
Jyu could not say anything anymore. He only chose to sit while removing the sticky webs that clung all over his body.
At that moment, a feeling of annoyance and hatred arose in his heart. Taffie's threat had truly hurt his pride. Moreover, Sizhi saw him with a cynical gaze.
After a while, the flock of owl monsters had finally left. Taffie immediately invited Jyu and Sizhi to continue their journey. The three of them ran very fast so they could reach the demon castle as soon as possible.
Some time later, Sizhi fell behind, her steps becoming heavy, and she grew exhausted. Taffie finally decided to rest for a while among cone-shaped rocks that were free from mystical creatures.
"We rest here," she said.
Thirst began creeping into the throats of the three of them. Fortunately, they had already prepared the supplies, so they drank water immediately. Of course, it could not be finished all at once, because the journey was still long.
The atmosphere was silent, except for the sound of the wind blowing. Jyu, Taffie, and Sizhi seemed unwilling to speak. They were busy regulating their breathing because their hearts were still pounding from exhaustion.
Only five minutes of rest had passed, but Jyu was already impatient. "Let's continue the journey now, I will carry Sizhi."
Taffie looked at Jyu's gaze for a moment until she said, "Alright!"
Jyu immediately stood up, extending his hand to help Sizhi stand as well. "Are you serious?" Sizhi asked.
"Yes, hurry up!" Jyu answered firmly.
Then Sizhi climbed onto Jyu's back. For Jyu, it was not too heavy, because Sizhi was a girl with a small body. Even while running, his speed did not change, still as fast as before.
The three of them now continued exploring the darkent realm in the middle of the cold night. The atmosphere was calm, but threats remained. The three of them also had to hide several times to avoid battles with mystical creatures.
When it was safe, the journey continued, and Sizhi remained on Jyu's back.
"Am I not heavy? I'm not tired anymore, I can run by myself now!" Sizhi asked, embarrassed to be carried by a man.
"Stay quiet there! I'm focusing on following Taffie's steps," Jyu said.
Whether he liked it or not, in truth, Jyu was already exhausted. Sweat kept pouring down heavily. His heart was beating fast and his muscles were tense. Taffie also experienced the same thing. But the three of them agreed to keep running until they found the last cone-rock area before entering the desert region.
And this was also done to avoid the morning. When morning came, all mystical creatures would leave their nests to search for food. That meant a battle with them would be unavoidable.
That was why it made perfect sense for them to hide among the cone-shaped rocks before entering the desert. The plan was to explore the desert at night. But it was also possible to continue the journey during the day when an opportunity appeared. Meeting a Yeti, for example!