She quickly turned around and surveyed the plaza. Some soldiers had noticed them but weren’t yet sure who they were.

"We have to hurry!" she told the two.

"Hold onto me somewhere! We're breaking through quickly!"

Kawao and Koru weren’t entirely sure what she meant, but they did as she said for now. Suddenly, she propelled herself and the two into the air by creating flaming staffs beneath her feet and left hand.

They were now high enough to see over the gate into the dark valley beyond. In the distance, they could glimpse the glimmer of their freedom.

"It won’t be that easy after all!" she warned them.

A figure appeared on top of the gate. It was Makon, the commander of the 17th unit. He still bore some injuries from Kenzo's earlier attack. Recognizing their plan immediately, he had rushed to the gate as quickly as possible.

"You thought you could just escape, didn’t you? This is the only place around Kurani where you can leave the city on foot. Everywhere else, the mountains are too high for you to sling yourself over with your staffs!"

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"Unfortunately, that’s true," she admitted.

"But now, even your last hope is gone!" he shouted at them, throwing his arms wide. A massive wall of flames appeared over the gate.

"Close the gates!" he commanded the guards.

"But, sir! There are still civilians in the passage!"

"Close! The! Gates!"

The guards hesitated at first but then followed his orders. With a loud crash, the iron grate slammed down, crushing a few civilians in the process.

"As long as I catch you, small sacrifices are acceptable!" he sneered, looking back up at them.

Kenzo let her staffs disappear and quickly conjured new ones. This time, however, they weren’t anchored to the ground but to the walls of the nearby buildings.

Makon immediately understood what she was planning. With another wave of his arms, he created another wall of searing flames, this time directly in front of him.

"I won’t let you through!" he called out, determined.

Kenzo rushed toward the massive walls of flame, carrying Kawao and Koru without fear.

Koru closed his eyes. Kawao, on the other hand, watched the situation closely and began preparing to gather energy.

But just a few meters before the wall, Kenzo extended her right hand, and multiple staffs erupted from it at once. Instead of growing straight out, branches sprouted from the sides of the staffs like tree limbs.

Effortlessly, the staffs pierced through the first wall and unleashed a barrage of strikes on Makon, who didn’t have time to defend himself. Dozens of staffs hit him, knocking him unconscious within seconds.

With that, both walls of flame crumbled, and the three of them made it safely to the other side.