Erik and the others burst through the front entrance of the Red Palace and into the cool night air. The adrenaline was pumping through their veins as they knew the gang was pursuing them.
They had just fought in the club; they managed to escape the burning building, but the danger was far from over.
They could hear the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer behind them and the echo of voices shouting for them to stop. They all ran as fast as they could, not daring to look back for fear of slowing down and being caught.
Martha's heart was pounding in her chest as she ran, her mind racing with thoughts of what could happen if they were caught. She glanced over at Erik, who was leading the way with his Flyssa in hand. He looked calm and collected, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.
"I can't believe we're being chased like rats," Mikey grumbled, sweat pouring down his face.
"I know, right? This is insane," Floyd said, taking deep breaths to keep up with the rest.
"Maybe we should split up," Benedict suggested, looking over his shoulder at the approaching group. "We would be able to lose them more easily if we do."
"No way, that's too risky," Erik replied, his eyes scanning the streets for a potential escape route.
"I agree with Erik," Gwen said, her fists clenched in determination. "We will have more chances together."
"We aren't going to fight them, right?" Amber asked but with her daggers at the ready.
"No, we won't," Erik said. "That's if they do not catch them," he added, looking back toward the Red Lotus Lounge, where they saw ten men coming out of the building. The young man then looked at Aaron.
"Aaron, place as much slime as possible between us and the enemy." He then turned to look at his girlfriend. Amber's long red hair was plastered to her forehead, and she wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand.
Her glasses had slid down her nose from the exertion, and she pushed them back up with a finger. Her breaths came in short gasps, and her chest heaved with the effort of running.
Despite her exhaustion, she kept up the pace, knowing that they couldn't afford to slow down with their pursuers on their heels.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and she could feel the damp fabric clinging to her skin. Her legs burned with the strain of keeping up, and her arms felt heavy due to the exertion. She glanced over at Erik, who was also breathing heavily, but she could see the determination in his eyes.
She knew they couldn't give up, no matter how tired they were. Amber gritted her teeth and pushed herself harder, ignoring the ache in her muscles.
"Amber," Erik said. "I know you are tired, but you must use your power now."
The girl looked at him with a severe expression. "Here? In the middle of the city? What about the other people?"
"There is no time to worry about the other people, Amber. The situation is already a mess; there is no trace of your father's men, and six of our fellow students died—this without counting the parents. We must make do with what we have in order to survive!" Erik replied.
"We need to be careful, though," Gwen said, breaking the tension. "Her power is strong enough to destroy the block. Many people will really die if she isn't careful enough."
Amber appreciated Gwen's support, but she knew Erik was right, and despite not really wanting to, she made her corrosive gasses and covered their escape.
At the same time, behind them, Simone was with the other nine men and was currently chasing the kids. He was flabbergasted; he knew that the Red Palace students wouldn't be average teenagers, but he never expected that.
They fought like lions; they even killed some of his men and managed to flee from the trap he meticulously laid. Yeah, they got help all the time, but that was still not a normal situation. When he decided on the number of men to place at the club, he decreased the number of people on purpose.
Since the parents had already been drugged, there was no reason for them to take hundreds of men just to kill a bunch of kids. Yet, that same bunch of kids managed to free the hostages, wake them up, and now they even escaped. He underestimated them and paid the price.
With those thoughts in mind, he saw Aaron throw a bunch of slime to the ground. However, the young man was gravely mistaken if he thought that would be enough to slow them down.
After all, they were stronger and faster than the students, so they were bound to catch them sooner or later. However, simultaneously, he saw Amber release her gases, which quickly covered the entire street.
The woman still had most of her mana untouched since she fought with her daggers and could use all her mana to create the most destructive gas cloud possible.
It was also clear that since she had increased her neural links since the attack in the forest, her power was deadlier than ever, and it was a shame she couldn't have used it inside the club since her friends were there. If she had been alone, that would have been another story.
The first thing to go was the asphalt on the street. It started to dissolve, leaving behind a bubbling, black sludge. Then the metal of the nearby cars began to erode, becoming nothing more than rusted shells.
But it wasn't just the man-made objects that were affected. The vegetation on the side of the road started to wither and die as the acidic gas ate away at the leaves and stems. Flames began to ignite on the dry foliage, spreading quickly through the trees and bushes.
As Amber continued to release the gas, the scene became increasingly chaotic. The fire was spreading quickly, and it was clear that the situation was rapidly getting out of control.
Suddenly, there was a loud crack as a nearby power line was dissolved by the gas. Sparks flew everywhere, and the area was plunged into darkness. The flames were the only light source, casting flickering shadows on the surrounding buildings.
Amber opened her eyes and looked back, horrified at the destruction she had wrought. She had meant to use her powers to help people, not to cause this kind of devastation. But now she was faced with the terrible reality of what her powers were capable of. At the same time, Simone looked at the scene; it was scary.
That was the difference between ordinary people and the elite. Their brain crystal powers made them rich, powerful, or whatever, and he could understand why the Red Palace only accepted outstanding students. If this was the power they usually got, then it was obvious they did this.
As Martha saw the thugs keep chasing them despite the fog, she decided to do something. She focused her energy and summoned her thorny vines, which shot out of the ground and wrapped around the legs of the pursuers. They stumbled and fell, caught off guard by the sudden attack.
Simone, the leader of the thugs, was momentarily stunned. But then he barked orders at his men, telling them to free themselves and keep chasing. Martha knew she had to keep them trapped a little longer.
She summoned more vines, which grew thicker and stronger, ensnaring the pursuers even more tightly. They struggled and cursed, but it was difficult to get free. Martha and the others used the opportunity to keep running, their footsteps pounding on the pavement. They knew they couldn't stop until they were far away from the danger.
Martha watched Simone's face contort in anger and frustration as they gained distance, his eyes flicking back and forth.
She and the others kept running, and a fierce expression appeared on her face; maybe they were going to make it.
"You should have thought twice before messing with us," Floyd suddenly said to the thugs, his voice cold and threatening.
Simone spitted on the ground. "We'll get you eventually!" he shouted back, his voice dripping with malice.
Floyd just laughed at that. "Good luck with that," he said, turning on his heel and running away.
Ultimately, the thugs managed to get free from the vines, but the slime and the gas expected them. They had to walk through that hellish gas if they wanted to get the kids. They were hesitant to do so since they would end up wounded, but the problem was that, due to Matthew's personality, they were going to die if they didn't get the kids.
"What do we do now?" Britney asked. She was one of the survivors but wasn't in good shape.
"There isn't much we can do. We run for now," Erik said. " Then we will hide and wait for Caiden's men to arrive, but I don't know where they are now. Amber, can you take care of this?"
"Yes."
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