Both Theo and his clone glanced back while giving a smile to the black-haired guy as if saying, "Why don't you chase me? You don't dare, don't you?"
Theo turned back and muttered inwardly, 'I want to use my Metamorphosis, but I really can't do anything with them yet. I haven't even practiced my transformation for a single day… I can't fly, run with four feet, or swim like a fish. The only thing I can do right now is to split them…'
"You go to the left, I will go to the right." The black-haired guy decided to follow after him and the one he chased turned out to be the real Theo.
At the same time, Ava came out of his shirt while wailing, "Kyu! Kyu!"
"What's wrong Ava? I can't understand you right now. If you come out, he will immediately recall his subordinate." Theo gritted his teeth as Ava was under his chin, where he couldn't even see her long ears.
"Kyu." Ava kept saying something, but Theo simply couldn't understand.
When he had enough distance from the other guy, he stopped using his illusion and put on his pocket watch. He also planned to throw away the useless paper, but Ava suddenly jumped and caught it before the paper left Theo's hand.
"Ava?" Theo furrowed his eyebrows while glancing to the back.
"So you are the real one!" The leader gritted his teeth and raised his sword, preparing to strike him. "That makes it even more convenient."
Theo summoned his clone and split up behind the tree once again, confusing the leader.
Unfortunately, the only thing he got was a smirk from the black-haired guy. "I think you are underestimating us a little bit."
As soon as he said those words, Ava suddenly jumped off Theo's shoulder as the guy that he broke his wrist earlier reappeared.
The guy sent a punch forward, meeting Ava's kick.
Surprisingly, their power was equal and Ava ended up leaping back to Theo's shoulder.
"Ava." Theo glanced at her before raising his spear, blocking a blade that struck his handle.
Clang.
"What?" Theo widened his eyes and saw another guy.
"Do you think you are the only one who can employ tactics? Splitting our group into this small… A great tactic indeed. You can either run away by splitting yourself once more or kill me to disrupt the chain of command." The black-haired guy smiled as more and more people began to reappear.
Theo never realized them this close and soon understood why Ava kept warning him.
Unfortunately, Theo couldn't listen to what the guy was saying. If not, he would have realized that he was already in his trap the moment he heard the group focus on him instead of Theo.
With that order, the entire group moved according to their leader's movement, making the entire situation more complicated.
The five people on the back caught up when the leader forced Theo to shift his direction to the left.
After that, as soon as his subordinates realized they were chasing the wrong target, they quickly caught up with that left shift that allowed them to get the closest path to overtake him.
And now, Theo had been surrounded from all directions.
Theo furrowed his eyebrows and gulped down, wondering how he could escape from this situation.
While maintaining his calm, Theo asked, "Why are you targeting me? You were not supposed to chase me or you will receive the implication…"
"A dead man doesn't need to know the reason." The leader snorted and glared at him coldly. "All you need to do is die."
"Come on. I won't be able to escape from this place alive… Can't you just satisfy my curiosity a little bit?" Theo shrugged and maintained his eye contact with all ten people here.
"We are not that dumb." The leader shrugged. "Just die with that curiosity."
Suddenly, Ava leaped onto Theo's shoulder while glaring at them as if he wanted to kill all of them.
When the leader saw Ava and the paper in her mouth, his vision turned to the pocket watch on his chest, realizing what the paper was.
But after being with Alea for a long time, Theo didn't let that reaction escape. He let out a long sigh and understood the whole situation. "I see. The Lange Family's dogs are here to kill me and get this paper, eh?"
Two of the enemies flinched as if they couldn't stand Theo's insults. Still, they managed to calm their hearts in an instant.
He needed to applaud their calmness, even though they already gave the answer he wanted.
"No wonder why I'm your priority. To think the Lange Family has yet to stop… I guess I will destroy the Lange Family completely." Theo snorted even though he already decided that a long time ago.
"You talked too much." The leader snorted and leaped forward.
Theo summoned his Magic Bullets as if he planned to hit him, forcing the leader to stop.
However, Theo used the bullets to hit the ground, kicking up the dust and creating a smokescreen.
"!!!" The leader shouted with a calm expression. "The ground is too wet to be used as a smokescreen. He is using his illusion!"
With that shout, those, who could release their Awareness, tracked him and got the same answer as they looked up. "Above!"
This reminded them of when Theo floated in the air by using his Telekinesis.
"He is flying! Moryu! Use your wind to fly and chase him in the air. The rest will follow him on the ground and shoot him down."
Just like the previous orders, they all focused on their jobs at the same time, moving in unison.
Meanwhile, Theo had flown past the trees, seeing the marvelous starry sky with a bright full moon. Unfortunately, he had no time to admire them as he flew as fast as possible.
Ava came to him while pointing her hand to a cliff to his right. "Kyue, Kyue!"
"A cliff?" Theo frowned, not understanding her choice.
"Kyue!" Ava nodded furiously and looked Theo in the eyes. Her expression was severe as if telling Theo to trust her.
"Okay…" Theo chose to trust her because he didn't find anything he could use to escape.
He flew straight to the cliff with someone on his tail.
At the same time, two giant fireballs flew into the air and dropped on top of him.
Theo clicked his tongue and used his Blink to avoid them.
The fireballs hit the tree below him, but Theo also lost his balance for a moment. "Kh."
Cold sweat started to cover his forehead as Theo looked at the cliff, half a mile in front of him. "My Magic Power has almost run out. Can I really reach that cliff?"
******
Author's Note: Ava's Art is below.