Despite its massive size, the Zouwu remained graceful in movement. The creature truly lived up to its reputation as a magical beast capable of high-speed travel. Even unable to use magic, the great Zouwu could still catch up to the motorcycle carrying Glenn and Hermione through the tree-dense forest using only its physical strength.
"ROAR!"
The great Zouwu roared again at Glenn and Hermione, then tensed its muscles and launched itself forward, nimbly dodging a tree in its path before accelerating once more to the motorcycle's side.
At that moment, from within the great Zouwu's fluffy fur, another small furry head suddenly emerged.
"Aowu!"
It was the baby Zouwu, currently gripping the great Zouwu's long fur with one paw while continuously waving at the two humans with the other, seemingly trying to beckon them over.
Wait, over?
"Glenn, I understand!"
Hermione, who had always been good at understanding magical creatures, immediately grasped what the Zouwus meant and called out:
"They're here to pick us up! The great Zouwu wants to give us a ride!"
Seeing Hermione accurately voice its intentions, the baby Zouwu eagerly nodded its head repeatedly. It nodded so vigorously that it made itself dizzy, nearly losing its grip and sliding to the ground. Fortunately, it reacted quickly and bit down on its elder's fur with its mouth, barely stopping itself from being flung away.
In their current situation, anyone could choose the correct answer between the clumsy motorcycle and the graceful, swift-moving Zouwu mount. After seeing the reaction of both Zouwus when Hermione voiced her understanding, Glenn immediately made his decision.
"Then let's go with their plan. Hermione, it's up to you."
"Understood!"
The lead switched from Glenn to Hermione. After the motorcycle beneath them and the great Zouwu beside them navigated around a dense cluster of trees and drew close together again, Hermione decisively released her grip on the handlebar.
Glenn struggled to control the motorcycle's balance with one hand while Hermione used her freed left hand to grab Glenn, then leaped from the motorcycle with him toward the great Zouwu on their right!
Feeling the upward force, Glenn immediately released his right hand, allowing Hermione to carry him as they lunged forward. The motorcycle, now uncontrolled and tilted leftward by Hermione's kick, immediately went out of control and crashed away.
After years of training, Hermione's physical condition was exceptional. Beneath her slender appearance lay well-proportioned muscles full of explosive power. With the coordinated burst of her muscle groups, both of them landed on the great Zouwu in an instant.
Glenn and Hermione immediately gripped the great Zouwu's fur with their right hands. The girl also hooked her right foot onto the great Zouwu's back, using her torso and left leg to firmly secure Glenn's body, preventing the immobilized Glenn from being dragged to the ground.
The great Zouwu was considerate. Seeing that their current position wasn't ideal, it shook its body to move them both to the center of its back, resolving the small crisis Glenn and Hermione faced.
The out-of-control motorcycle crashed to the ground, scraped against the surface and tumbled upward, smashing heavily into a thick tree trunk and breaking it. Then the motorcycle's fuel tank ruptured. Sparks from the metal shell's friction ignited the entire motorcycle, turning it into a brilliant fireball.
It was immediately swallowed by the blood torrent following close behind, unable to produce even the smallest spark.
With that, the crisis faced by Glenn and Hermione, now caught by the great Zouwu, should be considered resolved.
"Phew—Good heavens, was the situation we just faced really that dangerous?"
Hermione, who was protecting Glenn by pressing him firmly beneath her, looked back from the great Zouwu's back at the scene of the motorcycle crashing into the tree and exploding, sighing with lingering fear.
She had kept her eyes closed the entire time until the great Zouwu's roar appeared, focusing all her attention on coordinating with Glenn. She had no idea just how dangerous their actions were.
With just one small mistake, being mere mortals, they would have been completely obliterated—first thrown out and shattered to pieces, then hit by the explosive heat wave from the motorcycle's destruction, and finally cleaned up by the terrifyingly corrosive blood torrent, leaving nothing behind.
Fortunately, Glenn and Hermione had gained a slight advantage, and danger hadn't caught up to them.
"Gawu..."
A weak but sharp cry came from beneath them. Hermione vaguely recognized it as the baby Zouwu's call, only then realizing they might have accidentally crushed the little one when they leaped over. She quickly loosened her grip, not pressing down so firmly.
The little unfortunate one, who had nearly fallen to the ground earlier and then nearly been flattened by the two humans, finally had some breathing room. It struggled to poke its head out from under Glenn's body, vigorously shaking its head and making the mane around its neck spin like a windmill.
Then the baby Zouwu simply maintained this position—body trapped but head exposed—truly achieving both breathing and body stabilization.
"Aowu aowu!"
After getting its head free, the baby Zouwu immediately called out happily to Hermione, its adorable appearance making Hermione's heart bloom with joy.
"Oh my, thank you so much! You've been such a huge help!"
If Hermione's hands weren't currently needed to secure herself, Glenn, and now a baby Zouwu, the girl would have loved to scoop the little one into her arms for some serious snuggling.
Who couldn't love a small animal that repaid kindness?
Maybe she should take it home!
Feeling that the two humans and one Zouwu on its back had settled securely, the great Zouwu no longer maintained the same speed as the motorcycle and immediately began accelerating.
The feeling of traveling at high speed on a magical beast was incomparable to riding the motorcycle.
No need to carefully observe the road conditions ahead—the Zouwu, famous for its speed, could safely and swiftly navigate through this complex forest terrain.
The soft, comfortable fur on the Zouwu's body was also far superior to the motorcycle's leather seat. Most importantly, Hermione could now openly press Glenn beneath her, enjoying full-contact cuddling!
Under the great Zouwu's high-speed running, the distance between them and the blood torrent behind grew ever greater. Hermione's anxious heart finally settled peacefully, and the girl gently rested her head on Glenn's shoulder.
The sense of security after surviving disaster.
This was Hermione's only feeling right now.
"We didn't see anyone else on the road—they should have already evacuated from the secret realm. You bought them so much time, and you brought me out of danger too. Glenn, you're truly amazing."
Whispering in Glenn's ear, Hermione nuzzled Glenn's head like a little kitten.
However, Glenn didn't have much energy left to respond to Hermione, so he could only nuzzle back.
The fact that Glenn hadn't passed out from exhaustion was testament to his strong will.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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