The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family-Chapter 376: Straight Lines in a Crooked World (8)

Reidar scanned the area to check his position against the landmarks, noting that because the tower was still visible through the ash, he was on the right track, luckily. He folded the map and put it away, having figured out what to do.

<No point in thinking about it. I found where Mara went, so I don't need to protect the tracks anymore.>

That changed everything; before, he had been careful because the risk of destroying them was high, but that was no longer a factor. With the Ignis approaching and the flying creature on the hunt, stealth was no longer a viable option, especially considering the Ignis had already locked onto his position.

<I need speed and firepower.>

Reidar reached into his mana and pulled, feeling the energy surge through him as he shaped it and channeled it into a skill.

The mana condensed in front of him, gathering in the air and twisting as it solidified into shape, until figures began to appear.

The shapes began translucent and barely visible, then solidified as color bled into them, revealing details—armor, robes, weapons, faces—until the figures stood fully formed.

The Spectral Quadraginta materialized in a semicircle around Reidar, the summoned mages waiting silently for his orders.

Reidar looked at them. The real problem was that they were slow, since mages weren't built for running. But that wasn't the reason he summoned them.

<Now… The horses.>

Each Quadraginta mage had a skill to summon a spectral mount, and while Reidar typically used this skill to create cavalry units for his other summons, he now wanted to use one himself. The mounts were faster than he could run on his own and had the advantage of never tiring, making them ideal for the chase ahead.

"Summon your horses," Reidar said.

The mages raised their hands, and the surrounding air shimmered. More mana condensed, swirling and taking shape, and the horses appeared the same way the mages had, forming out of nothing.

Each mage mounted their horse.

Reidar looked at them and considered his next problem: the Apex Menagerie was still fighting the flying creature above the city, and the ravens were dying one by one, meaning he couldn't pull them back without bringing the predator down on his head.

<If I dismiss them and re-summon them here, that thing will follow. It'll dive straight into the city and tear me apart.>

But leaving them up there meant they'd all die eventually. The flying creature was too strong and too swift, and the ravens were outmatched in every other regard, but once again, at this point the best the creatures could do was to just stall for time.

The most important thing, even more than keeping the Ignis away, was for that monster to stay away from the city, to stay away from him.

Reidar connected to the remaining ravens to check the situation, noticing that six were left, scattered through the ash clouds, dodging the predator's attacks.

One raven tried to gain altitude to escape, but the creature followed and closed the distance in seconds before its jaws opened wide and swallowed the raven whole.

[Your Summon (Apex Raven) has been destroyed.]

Then, just five of them were left.

Reidar pulled back from the connection. He couldn't save the ravens even if he wanted to. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

<Keep fighting,> Reidar ordered the ravens. <Stay in the air. Don't let it lose interest.>

The ravens scattered in different directions, forcing the monster to choose which one to chase, and while it worked initially, the creature was smart enough to cut off escape routes and herd the giant birds into increasingly difficult positions.

Another raven died.

[Your Summon (Apex Raven) has been destroyed.]

Four were left at that point.

Reidar grimaced.

<Focus on what you can do. The ravens will die, but you won't if you play this well. C'mon, Reidar, C'mon!>

He turned his attention back to the Quadraginta, noticing that the mages sat on their horses, waiting; Reidar walked to the nearest horse and grabbed the reins, though the creature didn't react, and then pulled himself into the saddle as the horse adjusted under his weight.

He looked at the Quadraginta. "Follow me. Stay close. If anything attacks me, defend, even at the cost of your life."

Not that theirs was real life to begin with.

The mages nodded. Their glowing eyes tracked him, and their horses shifted, as they were ready to move.

Reidar kicked his mount forward, and the horse surged ahead, moving so fast it almost seemed to glide over the ash-covered street, while the Quadraginta followed, forming a loose formation around him. The ruins blurred past as they rode, and Reidar kept his eyes on the path ahead, scanning for threats; the ash made visibility terrible, but at least it worked both ways, meaning that if he couldn't see far, neither could the creatures hunting him.

Behind him, far behind, the ravens were still dying. He felt each death through the connection, a sharp pulse of feedback every time one of them was destroyed.

[Your Summon (Apex Raven) has been destroyed.]

Three were left.

Reidar kept his mount moving at a steady pace, the spectral horse gliding over the cracked streets with hooves that made no sound while the Quadraginta followed behind him. He was heading toward the edge of the city, taking a route through the manufacturing district where the buildings were low and sprawling—factories, warehouses, and processing plants stretched out on either side of the road, most of them collapsed or gutted by fire, though a few still stood. Reidar checked the Vorathid Sky-Hunters' situation, noticing that the insects were still harassing the Ignis, diving at them to keep them distracted from the real prize—him—but it wasn't working as well as he'd hoped.

Through the insects' eyes, Reidar saw more and more of the monsters leaving the chase.

<They figured out they can't get them.>

One group was still chasing the Sky-Hunters. The others were running back from where they came at a speed that made Reidar's skin crawl, heading directly toward Reidar.

<If only I could fly the hell out of here.>

It wasn't that Reidar didn't have the means; it was just that if he did, the flying monster would see him. Reidar needed to stay on the ground and find a place to hide, one not covered by ash that would simply tell every monster inside the city where he went.

<I can't even scatter the horses, because there are enough monsters for them to follow all the tracks. Some of them are bound to find me regardless.>