The Wyndhams were still battling the Pyre-Fang Clan member, and slowly they were beginning to realize that they weren't getting anywhere.
No matter what they tried, she dealt with it.
It was only a matter of time before one of them got caught by the blazing fire and suffered a critical injury, or worse.
Because of this, after thinking it through, Zephyr had come up with only one solution.
"Everyone!" he shouted, his voice deep and rough due to his transformed state.
The others turned toward him while still trying to avoid the attacks.
"We need to run!" Zephyr yelled.
The announcement came so suddenly that everyone froze for a brief moment.
None of them had expected those words.
After all, running away in the middle of a fight wasn't something they had even considered until now.
"Now!" Zephyr roared.
That single word snapped them out of it.
Immediately, they broke off.
Clifford was quickly picked up by Gavalich.
Without slowing down, Gavalich grabbed Henry and Jimmy as well.
The two were thrown over his back before he dashed away at full speed.
"If you can get me close to her, I might be able to drain her powers dry," Clifford said.
Gavalich glanced at him but didn't slow down.
He was already moving.
A moment later, he jumped onto the wall of a nearby building and started scaling it, carrying the others with him as they tried to create as much distance as possible from the Pyre-Fang Clan member.
The Pyre-Fang member raised her hand and fired a ball of fire at them.
However, just as she aimed, another figure shot up from the ground.
A hand slammed into her from the side.
This time, she wasn't prepared for it.
Zephyr had leaped into the air.
As he crashed into the woman, her arm was knocked off course, causing the fireball that had been aimed at Gavalich and the others to miss its target.
Boom!
The attack struck just below Gavalich's feet as he scaled the side of the building.
A large hole was blasted into the wall, sending debris flying in every direction.
Fortunately, Gavalich and the others were already past that point.
They remained unharmed.
Meanwhile, Zephyr and the Pyre-Fang woman fell toward the ground.
The moment his feet touched down, Zephyr didn't waste a second.
He kicked off immediately and jumped away from her.
A split second later, a loud bang echoed out.
A burst of intense heat flashed through the area.
But Zephyr had already moved out of range.
Meanwhile, Isla and Lennox were also preparing to retreat.
Both of them crouched low.
Then they kicked off the ground with powerful leaps.
In a single jump, they reached the same building Gavalich was climbing.
Their feet landed on the rooftop.
Not long after, Zephyr was seen jumping onto the building as well.
The group immediately broke into a run.
They sprinted across the rooftops, moving from one building to another without slowing down.
Gavalich led the group from the front while carrying Clifford, Jimmy, and Henry.
Behind him was Zephyr.
Lennox and Isla ran on either side of him as they continued their escape across the ruined city.
Boom!
Behind them, the Pyre-Fang lady burst through the roof of a building and continued her pursuit.
Without slowing down, she thrust out a hand.
A single fireball shot toward them.
Zephyr could feel the rising heat coming from behind.
At that same moment, they reached the edge of the rooftop they were running on.
There was no time to think.
There was no time to judge the distance between buildings.
They all jumped as the fire raced after them.
Luckily, despite the large gap, every one of them managed to reach the next rooftop.
Gavalich landed first and immediately continued his dash.
Meanwhile, Zephyr, Isla, and Lennox landed hard.
They rolled across the rooftop before coming to a stop.
The moment they regained their footing, they pushed forward again.
None of them wasted any time.
A second later, the fireball struck the spot where they had been standing.
Boom!
A mushroom of fire and smoke rose into the air.
For a brief moment, the flames blocked their view.
Then the Pyre-Fang lady burst straight through the burning cloud.
She hadn't given up on the chase.
'Fuck, she just has to keep coming after us,' Zephyr thought.
More fire attacks were launched in their direction.
One after another, blazing projectiles tore through the air toward them.
This time, however, they were a little luckier.
The rooftop they were currently crossing wasn't empty.
Several chimneys, vents, and other structures were scattered across it.
As the fire attacks came down, the obstacles provided cover, forcing the flames to strike the rooftop structures instead of hitting them directly.
Explosions rang out around them as they continued running for their lives.
The fireballs kept crashing into the rooftop.
Each one exploded before reaching the others directly.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The rooftop shook with every impact.
Then suddenly, the attacks stopped.
No more fireballs came flying toward them.
The explosions also disappeared.
For a brief moment, the only sounds left were their footsteps and heavy breathing.
Zephyr quickly glanced over his shoulder.
The Pyre-Fang lady was nowhere to be seen.
'Did she decide to give up?' he wondered.
Still, none of them slowed down.
No one was foolish enough to believe they were safe.
The Wyndhams continued their escape across the rooftops.
However, just as Gavalich reached the edge of the building and prepared to jump to the next rooftop, something dropped from above.
Boom!
The Pyre-Fang lady landed directly in front of him.
Fire spread from her feet the moment she touched the rooftop.
But she wasn't done.
She thrust both hands forward.
A combined stream of fire erupted from her palms.
It struck Gavalich head-on.
The impact sent him tumbling backward along with the people he was carrying.
Meanwhile, as Gavalich rolled across the rooftop, Zephyr crashed into him.
Zephyr wasn't the only one.
Gavalich's werebear form was massive, and his tumbling body reached the others as well.
Lennox and Isla were forced back by the collision.
However, the combined impact from everyone crashing together ended up pushing Gavalich forward instead.
The Pyre-Fang lady saw this immediately.
Without hesitation, she blasted herself into the air using her flames.
The next moment, the entire Wyndham group lost their footing.
One after another, they were pushed past the edge of the rooftop.
Then they fell off the building.
They all fell in a disorganized mess.
None of them had planned for it.
The drop was hard, and for most of them, it was painful.
They slammed into the ground one after another.
Thud!
Crash!
Dust rose around them.
The first ones to recover were Isla, Lennox, and Clifford.
They quickly pushed themselves back to their feet.
A moment later, Zephyr forced his large werewolf body off the ground and stood beside them.
Then Gavalich got up as well.
Immediately, all of their attention turned upward.
Above them, the Pyre-Fang lady was slowly descending from the sky.
Fire covered her body.
The flames burned even brighter than before, making the air around her shimmer with heat.
She hovered above the Wyndhams and looked down at them.
"You weak parasites are not supposed to be in tournaments like this," she said.
Then she stretched both hands forward.
A large fireball began gathering between her palms.
The sphere grew larger and larger as heat poured from it.
Finally, she pointed it directly at the Wyndhams.
"If I were you, I would start quitting the tournament before I lost something irreplaceable," she said.
The Wyndhams understood exactly what she meant.
The threat was clear.
Even so, they hesitated.
Most of them didn't want to be the first person to leave the tournament.
No one wanted to admit defeat.
The atmosphere grew tense.
The fireball continued to expand.
However, they didn't have to make a decision.
Because at that exact moment, a projectile came flying through the air.
It shot straight toward the Pyre-Fang member.
Boom!
An explosion followed.
It wasn't a fire-type explosion.
Instead, a chilling cold spread through the area.
A wave of icy energy burst outward from the point of impact.
For a moment, smoke and frost filled the surroundings, covering everything from sight.
The Wyndhams instinctively looked toward the source.
The smoke quickly began to clear.
As it did, they noticed that the surroundings had changed.
Not the location itself.
Something had simply been added to it.
Snow now covered the ground.
Ice spread across nearby surfaces.
A thin layer of frost coated the rubble and broken streets around them.
The sudden change was enough to make anyone stare.
However, the reaction was far stronger for three particular individuals.
Zephyr.
Isla.
And Lennox.
The three of them visibly tensed.
Their bodies shivered.
Not because of the cold.
But because of fear.
Fear of the people who had just arrived.
"Well... look at that. We ended up playing the heroes this time around."
A voice sounded out.
Caelan Valdeiro stood there with a casual expression on his face.
Beside him was another figure.
Maelis Valdeiro.
The two stood calmly amidst the snow and ice as if the frozen surroundings belonged to them.
The moment they appeared, the atmosphere of the battlefield changed completely.
Both of them were participants from the Synapse Circle.