The Desperate Escape

Iordera momentarily cast aside the warning. Without the slightest hesitation, she unleashed both of her hands, her joint hammer and high-speed hand blades moving in a deadly, crisscrossing dance. Their hands clashed for several rounds, like surgical blades parrying each other.

Before long, both Iordera and the Skinny Man sustained wounds, as if their weapon edges had curled.

The Skinny Man, acutely aware of his injuries, sought to pull back and regroup. Yet, Iordera held a hidden ace. Her ruby pupils instantly became shrouded in dark gold.

“Natural Order (50%) Joint Hammer, Second Stage!”

Ignoring standard defenses and a linearly stacking 30% armor penetration, a critical strike, boasting 4.5 times damage and bypassing eighty percent of his defense, slammed into his reed-thin waist.

The Skinny Man was sent flying a considerable distance in an instant.

The Tall Man, however, had recovered. His calf was slightly fractured, but it was merely a minor inconvenience, hardly an injury. Time, though, could not be recalled.

The Skinny Man, by contrast, was in dire straits. He lay on the ground, unable to stand for a long time.

Iordera’s situation was no better. Natural Order could only be used once every three days, Dragon’s Roar was on cooldown, and even her Elegant Strike was unusable due to her injured foot.

She had exhausted her techniques.

However, two of their enemies had lost their ability to pursue. The remaining foe was a psychic mage, and no one could stop them from escaping.

Grandma Sharp understood this perfectly, and she immediately fled with the three children. She carried Little Pa, who couldn’t walk, while Awang held Duo Duo’s hand, who couldn’t see, as they all ran.

Iordera’s assessment was correct. With two enemies incapacitated and the mage lacking a way to hold them, theoretically, nothing could prevent their escape.

But just then, a crosshair symbol appeared on Grandma Sharp.

This familiar sight sent a chill through Iordera’s heart.

“No—!”

As the bolt was fired, following the crosshair’s direction, the golden gauntlet arrived, belatedly.

Sophia saw the sniper on a nearby rooftop.

Her longsword flashed from its sheath, its blade shimmering like phosphorus. It seemed as though the setting sun had settled upon its edge.

“[Lightblade: Blazing Radiance]”

*Whoosh!*

The sword’s light didn’t inflict a physical wound. But blinded by the intense glare, the rooftop sniper lost their vision momentarily. With tears streaming down their face, they loosed their arrow.

The crimson crystal arrow flew wide of its mark, embedding itself several meters away in the ground.

Sophia recognized the glowing red arrow and quickly pulled the others to safety.

Moments later, the crystal arrow exploded. A significant portion of West Street was engulfed in a cloud of dust, plunging the surrounding populace into utter chaos.

“Murder! They’re killing people!”

“Mama, waah!”

“Is no one going to stop them? In broad daylight, is there no law left?!”

Such a massive disturbance finally drew the attention of the patrolling guards.

The short psychic mage stomped their foot in frustration upon witnessing the scene.

“We’re retreating! Everyone, fall back!”

From the crowd, a figure emerged, raising a wand. With closed eyes, they summoned the wind once more, transforming the street’s dust into a localized sandstorm.

Under the cover of the gale, the group made their escape.

He and the sniper vanished into the crowd instantly. The Tall Man helped the Skinny Man up, and they too swiftly departed.

****

Iordera, in the swirling dust, retrieved her foot. She brushed off the grime and limped away in a different direction.

She knew the location of the safe house, and after considerable effort, she reached Grandma Sharp and the others. With Sophia’s help, they had arrived at the secluded cottage outside the city ahead of time.

“Awang, what’s wrong?”

“Quick, lie down first.”

“Can you speak? Don’t rush. Is there any water? Quickly, find some water!”

Hearing these urgent cries, Iordera disregarded her own need for rest. She pushed open the door and hurried forward, examining the situation with concern.

Awang, frail by nature, had collapsed after her panicked flight. She lay motionless, her breathing shallow and labored, exhaling more than she inhaled.

Iordera hesitated to perform CPR without proper knowledge. But with each moment of indecision, Awang’s breaths grew even weaker.

“She’s losing her breath, quickly,” Iordera stammered, her words tumbling out. “Get a ventilator!”

“What’s a ventilator?”

“A ventilator, just a ventilator!”

Iordera broke out in a cold sweat, so frantic that she forgot such a device didn’t exist in this world.

Sophia, remarkably, remained calm. “She needs help breathing, doesn’t she? Let me try.”

She extended her hand, placing it before Awang. “I’ve just learned some basic wind magic.”

While swordsmanship was her forte, the academy mandated that students learn the fundamentals of various magic types. Even mages were required to grasp basic combat techniques, ensuring they could handle diverse and complex situations.

Now, that training proved invaluable.

A gentle breeze, guided by Sophia’s fingertips, flowed into Awang’s nostrils, providing artificial respiration.

To ensure proper airflow, everyone else exited the cottage. They gathered outside, waiting anxiously.

****

“Idiots! A pack of imbeciles!”

In a dimly lit small room, several figures huddled around a communicator. Through it, they heard the furious roar of Busius Sunhand, the Governor of the Eastern District.

“If you were truly so desperate, why didn’t you investigate this days ago? What’s the point of rushing in these last few hours today? It’s not even dark yet!!”

Not a single person in the room dared to speak. The Skinny Man, for his part, simply lay down, closing his eyes and feigning death.

His injuries were severe, so feigning death was a perfectly reasonable course of action. The others, however, were not so fortunate, drowning in Busius’s furious tirade.

“I’ve told you countless times, *countless times*, to consider the practical implications, but that’s the bottom line; it must be obeyed!

The short psychic mage couldn’t help but interject, “We were only gathering intelligence at the time. The plan was to wait until nightfall to make our move, after confirming the information.”

Busius scoffed, “And how did this ‘brilliant plan’ fail, hmm?”

Instantly, both the short man and the tall man wore expressions of profound vexation.

What else could it be? It was all because of that loli with the folded cat ears.

First, they hadn’t expected her to appear so ordinary, just a simple, cute little girl, when in reality she could completely ignore psychic magic of over forty levels. She hadn’t even shown any resistance, instead feigning ignorance and deceiving them.

Then, when two of them went to apprehend her, she unexpectedly injured one with a counterattack, causing their pursuit plan to fail.

It was fair to say that the entire operation had been ruined by her alone.

“I dislocated her foot,” the Skinny Man stated without hesitation, slowly sitting up. “Next time, she won’t be a problem.”

“That would be for the best,” Busius replied, his tone softening slightly. “I’ll find a way to suppress the rumors, and you all should keep a low profile for a few days. Remember, do not act during the day.”

The group quickly assented.

Although they served Augustus Obsidian, he had explicitly ordered them to obey Busius completely during this period.

****

As night deepened, Awang’s breathing gradually steadied. Sophia, having cast her magic, emerged, looking utterly exhausted.

“She’s asleep.”

Upon hearing those words, Iordera finally exhaled in relief.

Thankfully, Awang had been saved.

Grandma Sharp gently nudged Duo Duo and Little Pa, urging them to go inside and sleep as well.

The desperate flight had utterly exhausted everyone.