After venturing deeper into the eastern forest, Raemond's party had returned to the others, and the two groups gathered a short distance from the ruins to discuss their extermination plan. The fog had grown considerably thicker, making it difficult to see beyond a few dozen meters, and the forest seemed far more dangerous than the guild's reports had suggested.
"There are more than just minions in this forest. It seems the report was rather lacking," Erisk remarked in a composed voice, his gaze moving between the surrounding trees.
Yrion frowned as he looked toward Raemond. "What happened? Why did you guys come back? Weren't we supposed to divide into two groups?"
"We were," Raemond answered. "However, we located the ruins, and things turned out to be considerably worse than we expected. There aren't any minions roaming around the forest near the ruins, but according to Erisk's observations, there are far more of them gathered there than the reports suggested. The guild estimated around fifty, scattered throughout the forest, yet Erisk spotted more than a hundred near the ruins alone."
The moment Asiel, Yrion, and Silver heard that, the atmosphere grew noticeably heavier. A hundred minions were already troublesome enough, but the possibility of an even larger gathering made their original plan seem considerably less reliable.
Noragami, however, remained calm.
"There is no need to worry just yet. We're all still fine, and fortunately, nobody has been injured. Besides, Intri has come up with a plan."
Intri stepped forward from behind Asiel, drawing everyone's attention toward him.
"We spotted a demonic bear in the forest. It was fairly close to your position, which is why we rushed back to warn you. Fortunately, it seems to have been distracted by something and wandered off in another direction."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The plan is to lure the demonic bear toward the ruins and make it fight the minions. If either side manages to survive, we can deal with the remaining monsters ourselves. Hopefully, none of us have wasted too much of our Kairo yet."
Asiel raised an eyebrow, considering the proposal.
"So, how exactly are we going to lure a demonic bear toward the minions?"
Raemond answered before Intri could speak.
"It is risky, but it might work. We killed several minions on our way here, and their corpses could serve as bait. Bears are attracted to the scent of prey, so we can use them to lead it toward the ruins. However, there's a chance the bear will attack us instead, which means we'll need a suitable route—one that allows us to run without obstacles and gives us somewhere to hide before it catches up."
Asiel, Yrion, and Silver exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. It was a dangerous plan, but considering the number of minions gathered around the ruins, letting the two monsters fight each other seemed considerably better than confronting them directly.
With the plan settled, the hunt began.
Upon reaching the place where the minion corpses lay scattered across the forest floor, Intri, Yrion, and Raemond each picked up two bodies. Their physical strength and speed made them the most suitable candidates for carrying the bait while escaping from the pursuing beast.
Meanwhile, Erisk climbed a nearby tree, carefully surveying the surroundings in search of the demonic bear and a suitable escape route. Noragami, Asiel, and Silver moved into the bushes, positioning themselves farther along the path to provide support if anything went wrong.
Everyone waited.
After a short while, Erisk finally located the beast. He signaled toward the others and pointed out the direction it was heading, along with the path they would need to follow to reach the ruins.
Raemond, Yrion, and Intri immediately began running through the forest at full speed, each carrying the corpses of two minions. The weight barely slowed them down, though the uneven terrain and thick vegetation made maintaining their pace difficult.
As they approached the designated area, Yrion suddenly caught sight of the demonic bear.
The enormous beast stood in the middle of the forest, its black fur blending almost perfectly with the surrounding shadows. It was feeding on a deer, its purple eyes barely visible beneath the thick fur as it tore into its meal. Blood dripped from its mouth, staining the ground beneath it.
Yrion's expression tightened.
Before he could react, Raemond shouted from ahead.
"Time to run!"
Yrion gritted his teeth, dropped one of the corpses, and immediately sprinted after them. Behind him, the demonic bear lifted its head, its purple eyes locking onto the fleeing adventurers. A deep growl escaped its throat before it abandoned its meal and charged after them, shaking the ground beneath its massive paws.
The distance between them began to shrink.
Raemond and Intri glanced over their shoulders, realizing the beast was gaining ground far faster than they had anticipated. Without slowing down, they threw one of the minion corpses onto the forest floor and accelerated, hoping the scent would keep the bear focused on its prey.
Soon, they caught up with Yrion, who had been running ahead of them along the narrow path.
From somewhere above, Erisk's voice carried through the forest.
"Keep moving! You're almost there!"
As the three adventurers approached the ruins, Intri received a signal from Erisk. His eyes immediately sharpened, and he raised his voice.
"Now!"
Without hesitation, all three slowed just enough to throw the remaining minion corpses over the bushes lining the path before continuing their escape. The bodies landed on the other side, directly within the territory occupied by the gathered minions.
At the same moment, Asiel placed his palm against the ground.
His Earth Connection surged through his body, and the soil beneath his hand began to tremble. With a controlled movement, he raised a broad earthen wall along the path, its surface sloping upward like a ramp and concealing the adventurers behind it.
The demonic bear, already enraged by the chase and the narrow path that had slowed its approach, let out a thunderous roar. Rather than stopping before the sudden obstacle, it followed the scent of the minion corpses and leaped onto the earthen ramp.
Its massive body cleared the wall in a single bound.
The beast landed on the other side, directly in the midst of the minions.
For a brief moment, the entire gathering fell silent.
More than a hundred small creatures stood among the ruins, their crude weapons clutched tightly in their hands. The sudden appearance of the enormous bear sent a ripple of fear through their ranks, and several instinctively stepped backward as the beast's purple eyes swept across them.
Yet fear was not enough to make them retreat.
The minions were creatures driven by instinct, aggression, and an overwhelming desire to kill. Despite the terrifying presence before them, they quickly began closing in, their weapons raised as they surrounded the intruder.
The demonic bear lowered its head, its claws digging into the ground as another furious roar echoed through the ruins.
The minions answered with a shrill chorus of cries.
And with that, the battle between two demonic creatures began.
Make the chase more intenseClarify the escape route