The centaur did not stop chasing us while firing arrows constantly. Good thing that the boss’ ability was perfect against projectiles. The bad thing was the enemy has regenerative powers. Slowly chipping away at him did not work at all.

We were on a stale mate. He was not able to catch us but we were not able to lose him either. I was already driving for a while but the situation did not change at all. I was kind of impressed that the enemy did not get tired though.

“Then I turn left.” I uttered to remind myself of the directions that the boss gave me.

I would like to ask the boss where we were going but I also did not want to distract him. I guess I will just know when we get there.

“Three arrows?” I said in surprise after I looked at the rear view mirror.

The enemy nocked multiple arrows at the same time and aimed at us. I looked at the boss and he did not seem worried. I just hope we do not get hit, I will be very sad if Sir Ron’s amazing car gets destroyed.

The centaur released the arrows which flew towards us. The boss opened the eyes on both of his palms, opening two portals in front of him. He only opened two when there were three arrows! Is that his limit?

Two arrows got sucked in by the portals while the third arrow pierced the ground. I guess I panicked a bit back there. The situation was a bit too much for me, it was nerve wracking.

The boss closed the portals then opened them again right after. The arrows that were sucked in a while ago flew from the portals towards the enemy. One arrow hit his left shoulder and another pierced his right arm. 

The centaur simply removed the arrows like it was nothing while his wounds simply regenerated like before. He used the arrows he just removed to fire them again towards us. The boss opened the portals again to suck them right in. It was as if they were playing catch but with arrows instead of a ball.

Watching the battle, I now understand how the boss’ ability works. He can open one portal per eye. He has one on each palm and another on his forehead. If my observations were correct, he could open a maximum of three at a time. 

Every time he opens the portal, it has a specific direction. It is either towards inside or outside, it is like a one way road. To change the portal’s direction, he needs to close it first then open again. His ability is quite scary but I think it has one limitation.

The portal can only extend to a certain size, is what I believe. If he can make it any larger, he could suck the enemy whole and cut him in half which could end him right away. But instead, he only just sucked off a leg a while ago.

The enemy kept on firing arrows and the boss kept on sucking them in. The boss did not fire back anymore as the enemy will simply use it as additional ammunition. I guess it would be the best outcome if he would run out of arrows then just let us go after that.

“This is the last left!” I shouted as I turned the car towards the instructed direction.

All that was remaining was all straight. It was a bit worrying though, we drifted out of the main road. The way was much shallower and there were bunch of trees around. I think this path leads to a forest.

“Hey boss, is this the right way?” I asked.

“Yes, drive on.” The boss replied while he kept on absorbing in all the arrows that came with his portals.

“Got it!”

Although I know that we were going in the right direction, I still did not know why we were here. I swallowed air out of uneasiness, I do not know what to expect at all.

“This is bad.” The boss uttered.

“What happened, boss?”

“He must have ran out of arrows.”

“Is it not a good thing?”

“Now he’s out to throw trees.”

I looked at the rear view mirror and saw the enemy chasing us while carrying a whole tree, holding it as if he was going to throw a javelin.

“Hey boss, can you suck that in one of your portals?” I asked.

“Nope, it’s too big. I’ll signal you when he throws the tree. Maneuver the car to dodge by then.” The boss commanded.

“Got it boss.”

I knew it. The boss cannot produce portals any larger than the ones before. It seemed like the night was getting rougher and rougher. Are we still far from where the boss wants us to go?

“Now!” The boss shouted.

I did what I was told so that the tree will not come crashing at us. The road was not as smooth as the main road hence it was harder to control the car. I was able to evade the attack but the situation was stressing me out for far too much.

Even though the air was cool, the sweat kept on streaming down from my forehead. I looked at the rear view mirror. I kind of saw the centaur smirk before he uprooted another tree by the side of the road. He then threw the tree at our direction once again.

I tried to dodge at the boss’s signal but the road was too shallow. If I further shift towards the side of the road, I will collide with another tree. I still did what I can to avoid the projectile. 

Although the main body was unharmed, the side mirror got destroyed. Seeing how Sir Ron’s extravagant car slowly being broken down to pieces gave an ache to my heart. I did not know how much longer we will be able to survive this.

“Hey boss, are we not there yet?!” I asked as I was in the verge of panic.

“Just a little more.” The boss calmly replied. 

“Got it.”

I knew that I decided to trust the boss but it is not in my character to fully embrace the unknown. Yet the way he looked undisturbed despite the situation was reassuring. I was able to get me my cool back. 

The centaur was holding another tree and was about to throw it to us when the boss opened two portals. Two arrows came from the portals and flew towards the centaur. One arrow impaled the centaur’s right arm and another pierced his left eye.

The enemy had no choice but to drop the tree it was carrying in order to remove the arrows. As usual, his wounds were gone the instant the arrows were removed. The centaur uprooted another tree and threw it at us. 

I was able to evade the projectile this time but it was still able to graze the side. I was sure that the next one will surely get us. The road was getting even narrower. It also looked like he was catching up to us, probably since the car’s speed was reduced due to the bumpy road.

  “Awoooooooo!” A loud howl echoed across the forest.

I looked at where the sound came from and I saw another beast standing on a higher ground. It looked like a werewolf with a dark blue fur and light blue markings in its skin. It has black horns behind its ears; it is probably a major demon as well.

Damn it, another one! How unlucky can we get tonight? I guess I have to fight as well. I do not want to show my crazy demon side to the boss but it will not matter if we will die here instead.

“Boss! Let me-“

“Just keep on driving straight ahead.” The boss commanded without letting me finish my sentence.

“But!” I tried to protest but he was unfazed.

I decided to what he said for the mean time. The centaur got another tree and was about to throw it at us when the werewolf made its move. The werewolf jumped from its location. The boss then opened a portal on the ground, sucking the centaur’s left foreleg and cutting it after the boss closed the portal quickly.

The werewolf slashed at the centaur’s torso with his sharp claws as he landed, leaving wounds covered in ice crystals. The werewolf then grabbed the centaur’s leg which was recently cut. Ice crystals came from the werewolf’s hand, freezing it.

“How dare you!” The centaur shouted in a manly gutsy voice as he jumped back, putting up a distance.

I stopped the car as soon as I saw the werewolf attacked the enemy that was chasing us. Is that werewolf an ally? Is that the reason why we drove all the way to this place?

“Hey boss… Is he a friend of yours?” 

“That’s Keen.” 

“Eh? Seriously?! No way!” I answered in surprise.

I guess it was shocking in a way since I did not know that the werewolf was an ally all along. I mean it was the first time I saw Keen’s demon form, how the hell should I know that? It was no surprise though that his demon form is canine-related, since he always acts like an unfriendly dog.

The centaur’s cut leg was not regenerating like his other wounds are. It was probably because freezing it stops its biological functions hence not being able to regenerate. Keen being here and having the ability to freeze his opponent with some kind of ice powers was really lucky for us. Or was it luck alone?

“Hey boss, you planned this?”

“Who knows?” The boss answered with a smirk.

Keen and the enemy were now facing one another with a bit of a distance between them. Keen seemed to be focusing at the centaur’s next move and the centaur must be thinking how to advance.

“Graaaaagh!” The centaur groaned as opened his mouth widely and looked upwards.

 He then grabbed something from his mouth and pulled it off his throat. It was a polearm made of bones which looked more like a glaive than a spear.

The centaur used its weapon to cut off its frozen leg hence allowing the regeneration of a whole new leg. The centaur got rid of all of its wounds except from his frozen wounds on his torso. Although he has some kind of regenerative powers, suffering from wounds over and over again yet looking unbothered takes a lot of guts.

“You guys think that you can beat me with numbers? You are gravely mistaken!” The centaur pointed his weapon at us, holding it with his right hand. “Let’s taste your might against the great demon, Shax!”