Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 2104

Naturally, the fastest one was Alistair.

Beneath his black robe, his wrinkled face twisted with fury. Dark energy surged and carried him forward, each stride covering more than 30 feet as he tore after Andrew like a storm.

That little thief deserved to die a thousand times over!

Right now, Alistair was as furious as he had ever been.

Henry and Grace gritted their teeth and chased as well. They knew Andrew was up to no good, but they never imagined he still had enough strength to snatch Shiloh away.

It meant all their fighting had been for nothing, only for Andrew to reap the reward. The thought alone left them seething with frustration.

The wind roared past their ears as they raced on.

…

Once outside the McDaniel family estate, a vast forest stretched ahead. Andrew sprinted with everything he had, his legs kicking up gusts of wind. Yet, his face showed little relief.

Alistair had the strength of a martial emperor, far too dangerous to shake off. Moreover, Andrew was carrying Shiloh. Escaping under these circumstances seemed nearly impossible.

Still, Andrew refused to give up. At worst, he would just turn back and fight Alistair head-on again.

The greater the pressure of battle, the more it pushed at the seal holding back his power. If the third seal broke as the second had, then Andrew could kill Alistair outright and strike a fatal blow against the Crimson Flame Cult.

However, that was just wishful thinking. Breaking the second seal in his energy core had already taken everything he had. The third seal, which was also the last one, was another matter entirely. Even Andrew had little confidence in when, or if, he could break it at all.

"Stay where you are!"

Alistair's sinister voice carried from behind as a swirling gust of black wind shot toward Andrew's back.

Andrew let out a cold snort, spun, and dodged the attack. The ground where he had just stood cracked open into a small crater.

Before he could move, a broad hand landed firmly on his shoulder.

Andrew stiffened. Whoever it was had appeared without a sound, right behind him. He was about to strike back when a calm, almost cheerful voice spoke first.

"My friend, it's been a while. It's me, Jerome!"

At that, Andrew froze, then his face lit up with joy. He spun around and saw that it really was Jerome. He looked almost the same as he had back in Goldridge, except the hair at his temples had gone even whiter.

Clearly, the wounds from last time and Eric's betrayal had taken their toll.

"Mr. Thornton, what are you doing here?" Andrew asked with a relieved smile.

With Jerome here, he was not fighting alone anymore.

Jerome stepped forward, placing himself between Andrew and Alistair, his stance unwavering. He even answered leisurely, "I've been going around Sunstrand and the nearby areas."