Ro stayed where the battle fire raged most blazingly, acting as a human vanguard while Panther orchestrated the movements of the masters behind her.
Even though Panther was a formidable master in his own right, he lacked the "William factor." He hadn't witnessed the guild master's miracles firsthand, nor had he experienced the combat training the others had undergone.
Consequently, Ro's area progress was the slowest of the five. If not for the five terrifying monsters on their side holding the flank, and if not for Panther's unique Time Element—which allowed him to anticipate disastrous locations before losses would happen—they would have lost ten times the men they had already buried.
Despite the varying speeds and levels of success, the five elite forces of the Fox Guild were eventually closing in on their respective monster gates. The race was nearing its conclusion.
