School Transmigration: I, Chosen as the Saint by Dragons at the Start-Chapter 172 --The Frenzied Pursuit

Indeed, the logic was sound.

Shortly, just a few hundred yards from the Cloud Domain camp, the figure of Boswell was spotted.

He was perched on the roof of a civilian house, overlooking the battlefield, his face obscured by that bronze mask, with a bald bird resting on his shoulder.

Drawing closer, the rockwolf could distinctly pick up his scent— A scent it could never mistake.

Old grievances and fresh animosities surged in its heart all at once.

Utilizing the shadow cast by the building to conceal its approach, the rockwolf moved silently closer.

However, Boswell’s sensory acuity was too sharp, particularly the vulture on his shoulder, which seemed to sense impending danger and squawked loudly, forcing the rockwolf to launch its attack prematurely.

Regrettably, it was a fraction too late.

The vulture suddenly enlarged, kicking off with its feet and spreading its wings, taking Boswell into the air.

The rockwolf missed its initial leap.

Gaining momentum with a sprint across the rooftop, it pounced again, this time clamping onto the bird’s tail, dragging it desperately toward the ground.

The vulture fought back fiercely, nearly blinding the rockwolf with its claws in the struggle.

Amidst the tussle, Boswell seized the opportunity to cast a spell, injuring the rockwolf’s front paw.

Despite the rockwolf’s efforts, the mighty bird, flapping its wings with great force, finally shook off the unwanted burden.

The rockwolf ended up with nothing but a mouthful of feathers.

Unwilling to concede, it trailed the bird through the air all the way here, coincidentally reuniting with its master.

Rockwolf Mallo spoke with a tone of self-reproach, considering Boswell a mortal enemy of its entire clan.

Having finally caught him, it had let him slip away!

Owen observed the long, fine wounds covering its face, one of which nearly blinded its right eye.

Blood trickled down its cheeks, yet it had no time to tend to them.

He found himself comforting his companion instead, "If this man were so easily captured, he wouldn’t have become an international fugitive."

From the experience of their two encounters, it was clear that Boswell was exceedingly cunning.

Failing to strike, he would immediately flee, never entangling with his victims further, regardless of any apparent opportunities.

Such a cautious individual was difficult to capture.

It was rumored that Boswell’s number of demon puppets was limited, each requiring meticulous crafting.

Having already lost a werewolf puppet, the demon ape likely represented his most potent weapon, which he could not afford to lose under any circumstances.

Thus, Boswell had the bird follow, intending to retrieve the demon ape.

In this situation, Owen ordered his followers to persistently pursue.

As Boswell attempted to descend and retrieve the ape, Isaac loosed an arrow that grazed the giant bird’s wing, startling it into a rapid ascent.

Owen glanced at him, "Poor shot!"

Isaac’s aim wasn’t off; rather, the bird’s keen sense of danger allowed it to dodge at the last moment.

Touching his nose, he prepared another arrow, aiming for a decisive hit.

However, after the scare, the giant bird refused to come down again.

Owen seemed reluctant to act as well.

Like the giant ape, the bird had likely been significantly altered, and even if he imbued his trident with psychic energy, the effect might be no different from Isaac’s arrows.

The standoff continued as they ran for another dozen miles.

The demon ape could no longer move, and Owen’s group could hear its labored breathing, like a bellows with a hole.

Owen’s previous attacks might have damaged its lungs; with every breath, it expelled a mist of blood.

If this continued, it would become Owen’s greatest catch.

Just then, Boswell suddenly blew a bamboo whistle.

The whistle’s shrill sound pierced through the dark night, carrying far and wide.

The demon ape heard it too and let out a skyward roar, accelerating once again—a desperate bid to squeeze out its remaining vitality.

Owen’s expression hardened as he thought to himself, "He indeed had a backup plan. It’s good that we didn’t rush in recklessly."

The rockwolf suddenly exclaimed, "This is bad, I smell vegetation and flowing water!"

Ahead of us?

Owen immediately urged everyone to speed up.

But it was too late.

The demon ape, while running, suddenly leaped into the air, its body dramatically shrinking mid-jump, and then—it dropped out of sight!

Owen halted abruptly after advancing a few more steps.

His steed reared up with a long neigh.

Three more steps, and they would have plummeted off a cliff.

The cavalrymen also pulled their horses to a stop in time.

Before them lay a dark chasm, a sudden end to the otherwise flat terrain.

The crevice, over a hundred yards wide, plunged into unknown depths.

Owen dismounted and kicked a stone, roughly the size of an ostrich egg, into the abyss.

It clattered down, tumbling through branches and leaves.

Listening intently, Owen thought he could hear the sound of water.

It seemed there was a stream below, with trees lining the cliff and water at the bottom.

The demon ape had leaped straight down, disappearing into the darkness; the giant bird circled once before diving down, evidently intending to meet it at the bottom of the ravine.

Boswell, flying high with a broader view, had prepared in advance; in this regard, Owen and his men were decidedly outmatched.

Is this where their pursuit ends?

Owen could transform into a dragon and follow, but Boswell’s elusiveness, coupled with the absence of his men, left him uneasy.

Up to this point, Boswell hadn’t personally taken action, relying instead on his demon puppets to act on his behalf.

With such a mysterious Demon Puppeteer, how could he not have a few tricks up his sleeve?

Unwilling to give up and without hesitation, Owen took out a grappling hook and said to Isaac, "Get your gear, follow me."

With that, he leaped off the cliff!

As he descended, Owen threw out the grappling hook, catching a tree branch on the cliffside and swinging forward.

Isaac followed suit.

Erin and Nina, lacking grappling hooks and the skill to use them, didn’t just stand idly by on the cliff edge; instead, they found a rope to lower down, preparing to help pull the two up later...

Berkeley, on the other hand, pulled out a flying arcanergy artifact and followed Owen down.

Isaac was surprised to see Berkeley could fly and asked why he hadn’t used it earlier.

Berkeley could only respond with resignation, "It’s just for gliding, and it only works for one person.

Flying arcanergy artifacts are expensive, I can’t afford one." Isaac had to accept this with disappointment.

The bottom of the ravine had few large trees, but dozens of smaller ones, followed by dense jungle and mossy ground.

Owen swung twice before landing.

It was even darker at the bottom than above ground, making further swinging risky due to the likelihood of hitting a tree.

Besides, the smaller trees probably couldn’t support his weight.

He, Isaac, and Berkeley quickly regrouped and rushed in the direction the giant ape had fallen.

The bottom was strewn with strange rocks and shrouded in darkness, making their progress challenging.

Neither seemed to have heard the giant bird ascend, so perhaps, Boswell might still be around?

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Isaac whispered, "Look up there."

Following his gaze, Owen saw a protruding boulder on the cliff ahead where Boswell crouched, with the giant bird perched beside him.

From their vantage point, it was clear Boswell was busy bandaging something—likely the shrunken demon ape.

Given its severe injuries and the exhaustive chase, it had already pushed its life force to the brink.

After retrieving it, the demon ape had entered a critically wounded state, in dire need of immediate rescue.

Otherwise, Boswell wouldn’t have risked stopping here.

The clarity of their view owed to a light source near Boswell.

After all, treating his demon puppet necessitated illumination, yet he had been cautious, choosing a spot elevated enough for a quick escape if danger loomed.

Owen and his group crouched low, inching forward stealthily.

The underbrush was dense at the canyon floor, and they trod carefully, wary of making any sound.

Whenever the gaze of Boswell or the giant bird swept in their direction, they froze in place.

This cautious advance lasted about seven to eight minutes, bringing them within thirty feet of Boswell.

Reaching this proximity, Owen felt a surge of confidence.

By then, Boswell seemed to have finished tending to the demon ape’s wounds and was extracting a transparent glass bottle from his robe, gently swirling the red liquid inside.

Owen signaled Isaac with a glance, slowly drawing the Seastar Trident, while Isaac notched an arrow to his bow.

For a man like him, accustomed to bow hunting in the wilds, letting the bird escape his arrow a second time was unthinkable!

Perhaps it was their focused intent that alerted Boswell; he paused, his gaze sweeping towards them.

They couldn’t wait any longer.

Owen adjusted his focus one last time before hurling the Seastar Trident.

The gleam of its tip was much brighter than an arrowhead.

Seeing a flash of silver light from the darkness below, Boswell instinctively ducked.

The giant bird, with its excellent vision, swiftly pecked at the trident.

With a "ding," the tip of its beak was gone.

It dared to challenge the edge of the trident, which, of course, did not show mercy, though the shaft of the trident was also knocked away.

The pursuers had arrived!

Boswell shuddered, hastily throwing a handful of smoke towards Owen and his companions’ hiding place.

He then scooped up the demon ape and leaped down the rocks.

Having worked with the giant bird for years, their coordination was nearly flawless.

The bird flipped on its side, spreading its wings to catch him on its back, and then it was about to soar.

If it took to the skies, Owen would have no way to reach him.

Even though he knew Owen to be a dragon of this world, he had means to deal with him in the sky.