Chapter 879: Lucius rescue operation (8)
Chapter 879: Lucius rescue operation (8)
Chapter 879: Lucius rescue operation (8)
?
"Be careful!" Richard said. A laser bolt sizzled dangerously close to Caiden and Lucius.
The group hurried through the prison's mazelike corridors. The echo of their footsteps seemed to bounce off the walls, but that wasn't the only sound around.
While Caiden brought Lucius onto his back, Richard and Becker were wreaking havoc. There were many enemies, but the two were powerful and killed most of them before they attacked.
But they weren't omnipotent. They couldn't be everywhere. Here and there, a soldier slipped by their defenses and tried attacking Caiden and Lucius.
Richard or Becker took care of them, but Lucius came out unscathed only because Caiden had quick reflexes.
A group of guards arrived. "On our left!" Becker said. He dashed, his air sword ever present; moving with the agility of a cat and a sword in his hands, he was like the scythe of death, as that was exactly what it unleashed.
Becker bisected four people with a single move. If Richard and Caiden didn't know him, they would be surprised or scared. They didn't know exactly what they were feeling, aside from fear and apprehension.
The group's mana was dwindling. Richard belonged to the Stone family. The Stone family wasn't called like that for no reason. They could shape stones with mana. The problem was that there were very few stones around.
That meant Richard had to create stone with his own mana, and that consumed a lot. More often than not, he created corridors to funnel the enemy or blocked the path for the enemy, often preventing Lucius from being injured further.
"You know, I never told you that your brain crystal power is very fitting for you!" Caiden said.
"How come your daughter can see the future?"
"Are you asking me this? I am the one who would like to have an answer to that."
Becker turned to his friend and asked, "Did your daughter see something about this situation?"
"Emily? No! I told you, she only saw the attack on the prison!"
"Damn it!" Becker swore. "If only she could learn how to control those visions!"
"She is working on that!"
In the meantime, more guards arrived. There were two this time, but they were powerful.
One wielded a sword, while the other brandished a brain-crystal rifle.
Becker stepped forward to confront the swordsman, his own weapon materializing from the air.
The swordsman parried Becker's attack and made one of his own.
Meanwhile, Richard faced the other one. The guard with the brain-crystal rifle unleashed a barrage of bullets, forcing Richard to conjure shields of solid stone from thin air.
Each shot that struck the barrier chipped away at its integrity and Richard's mana reserves. Converting mana into solid matter wasn't easy.
He advanced slowly. The heavy war hammer in Richard's hands, imbued with the man's own mana, was a formidable tool, but against a ranged foe, it put him at a disadvantage.
Richard's struggle was clear.
"Can you paralyze him?" Richard asked to Caiden.
"Retreat, and I can try!"
"Armand?"
The man didn't reply. He and the other swordsmen moved elsewhere.
Richard turned to look at Caiden. "Don't spread it too much!" Richard said.
But Caiden had to put Lucius down before using his brain crystal power, or it would affect the wounded man. "Lucius! Stay there, don't move!"
Caiden kneeled, laying Lucius down with care. He then closed his eyes, focusing as he drew upon his reserve of mana.
A slight shimmer in the air heralded the activation of his brain crystal power. Wisps of fog emanated from Caiden's body.
Slowly, the mist expanded, slinking over the ground and curling around the barriers Richard had erected with his own mana.
As the fog penetrated through the smallest gaps in the stone walls, it grew denser on the other side, where their opponent awaited. The guard coughed, and his body was wracked with uncontrollable convulsions.
His movements grew erratic, spasms seizing him as the paralyzing properties of Caiden's fog took effect. The once steady grip on his weapon loosened, and it clattered to the ground, forgotten as he struggled to maintain his balance.
His eyes, wide with confusion and pain, darted about as he tried to understand what invisible force had assailed him.
The sight was grim-a powerful man reduced to a trembling heap, unable to command his own limbs.
Despite Caiden's fog's effectiveness, it was not satisfying to see a foe fall by such means. But it was a necessary tactic.
Caiden watched with a steady gaze, ensuring the fog did its job thoroughly before dissipating. He remained vigilant.
"Take care of him, Richard!" Caiden said as he put Lucius on his back again.
Becker was gaining the upper hand against his opponent. With a flurry of movements, he forced the swordsman into a defensive posture, exploiting openings. Despite his skill, the guard was unprepared for Becker's fighting skills and faltered.
"Surrender, young man," Becker said to the soldier. The man didn't reply, but it was clear he didn't like this situation. But the fear he had of the Blackguards and of Volkov was too much.
"You leave me no choice, then."
Becker unleashed a wind blade. It was strong enough not to destroy the surroundings but capable of cutting the man like butter.
The soldier was taken aback when the attack materialized, leaving him with no time to react. The wind blade struck with such force and precision that it passed through him seamlessly, as if he were no more substantial than a curtain of mist.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still, with the soldier's upper body suspended in an eerie pause before gravity took its merciless toll.
A gruesome sight unfolded as the two halves of his body separated. In a ghastly spectacle, blood erupted from the wound, painting the drab walls of the prison corridor with a vivid
splash of red.
The sound of the body parts hitting the ground echoed through the hallway.
While showing no emotion, Becker witnessed the abrupt end of the soldier's life. The wind blade dissipated into the air, leaving no trace of its existence, save for the carnage it had
wrought.
"Let's go; we are almost out!"