With the enhanced senses from his bond with the cats, his void and space magic, and the fact that the void metal shuttle was his, Toz had a much easier time sensing things outside the shuttle than others. And he was the first to notice something approaching from another direction than the Blood Fiend.
It was still too far to make out in detail what it was that he had sensed, but Toz could tell it was something powerful. So, he squeezed down another couple of mana potions, pumped out a wave of space mana that shrank space, and launched the shuttle forward. The sudden charge caught Merr a little by surprise, but he wiped the sweat on his forehead with a sleeve before doing his best to aid Toz, even if it seemed futile since the Blood Fiend was still tight on their heels.
However, if Toz went the extra mile to save all the troops, Merr wouldn't complain, even if it took some extra effort. Even if Toz would save him by protecting him from the Void, Merr wasn't so callous he could willingly abandon all the troops relying on them for their survival. They were people he had been on the battlefield with, dined with, and joked around with during the war.
General Scoll's subordinates hadn't been actively involved in the direct combat against the Tribe of Death. But they had still contributed greatly to the war efforts, and in doing so, Merr, at least, had gotten closer to the troops of the Alliance of Kingdoms. There was also the fact that he sympathized and related to the mostly humble backgrounds of all the soldiers.
So, even if General Scoll hadn't brought it up, Merr would have still asked for a way to save everyone. Though he probably wouldn't have been very successful.
But now that there was a chance to save everyone, Merr wasn't going to hold back, and he pushed his space magic to the limit as he helped Toz and Derada speed the shuttle through the Void to try and escape the Blood Fiend.
However, Merr couldn't help but be a little surprised when Toz suddenly changed direction, and he inadvertently let his magic slip for a moment, which let the Blood Fiend narrow the gap even further. Merr could feel himself begin to panic and hurried to rectify his mistake.
Merr was so caught up in focusing on his magic that he didn't even think about sensing why Toz changed directions.
But many others inside the void metal shuttle were shocked by the sudden change in direction and hurried to sense what was going on. However, when they couldn't find anything, they assumed that it was simply a foolish tactic to try and dodge the Blood Fiend.
It wasn't until a while later that a few began sensing powerful fluctuations from afar. And shortly after that, the more sensitive ones could tell that something, or someone, was approaching the shuttle even faster than the Blood Fiend.
Toz was a little surprised when he saw what the object flying toward the shuttle was. But he was also worried since it was flying straight toward the shuttle. And with the power propelling it, he wasn't sure the void metal could even slow it down.
Toz decided to hope that the shuttle wasn't the target and opened two holes the size of a fist at either end of the shuttle to let the dagger pass through the shuttle.
The dagger flew so quickly that only a fraction of the troops witnessed it. But no one had time to even think about reacting before it was on the other side of the shuttle and on its way toward the Blood Fiend.
Toz sighed in slight relief.
Since he recognized the dagger, there was only one option to who was spearheading the fleet of ships that Toz had changed directions to meet.
Toz doubted anyone would be able to steal the dagger from her, and if they could, they wouldn't be able to use it. The only thing that worried him was the power behind the dagger. It was greater than what the owner had displayed the last time Toz met them.
And if their personality was the same, he might have left the frying pan just to end up in the fire, the metaphorical kind. If it were literal fire, Toz wouldn't worry.
At least there was hope things wouldn't be too troublesome since the dagger targeted the Blood Fiend first. Maybe its owner had come with friendly intentions.
At this point, it wasn't long until he would find out, and Toz continued steering the void metal shuttle forward to meet the armada of ships. Thankfully, the dagger had slowed the Blood Fiend's movements down to a complete stop. Toz was curious about what was happening.
He could sense that the Blood Fiend was rapidly losing strength and that the Hidden Blood Dagger had lodged itself in the middle of the Blood Fiend's chest. But since the Blood Fiend was struggling for its life, he couldn't tell whether the dagger or the Blood Fiend was winning.
But he soon had to redirect his attention to the figure rapidly approaching from the direction of the fleet.
Toz had suspected it when he sensed how powerful the dagger had been. But that didn't mean he wanted to believe it. However, when the figure approached the void metal shuttle without the help of a vessel or an item, Toz didn't have much choice.
Toz sighed and stood up while motioning for Derada and Merr to stop the shuttle. Even if they rammed the figure, it wouldn't do anything. And since the Blood Fiend had been stopped, they didn't need to run anymore, at least not from the Blood Fiend.
Toz moved to the edge of the void metal biscuit and made a hole in the metal before stepping out and resealing the hole. He flashed forward and met the figure in front of the void metal biscuit.
"You look like shit, great Pirate King."
"I would say the same, but that's an insult to shit, so I'll refrain. Red Hook."
