Joyce's expression changed as well. She was a fist expert, but without having her feet beneath her, the strength she could muster was limited.
Seeing Joyce in trouble, Franco had long since moved. Just when it seemed her head would be pierced through, he had jumped from the back of his beast onto hers, reaching out to grab the rope dart out of the air.
Hulot sneered, her usually pretty features looking quite sinister at the moment. Trying to grab her weapon? Did he have a death wish?
Franco's body shuddered as he made contact, his entire arm going numb. He was blown backward, his body landing amidst their running beasts and rolling onto the ground.
"Franco!"
Joyce leapt down without hesitation.
Suddenly, it wasn't just Noah who was caught in a no man's land. Joyce, Karolus and Franco had all been knocked from their beasts, stuck in the midst of two charging armies.
As though this wasn't bad enough, the small troop of elites they had left behind had swiftly caught up and were now bearing down as the first wave.
Keiza smiled, swirling the wine glass in her hand. She and her mother took a long sip at the same time, their hearts filled with the sweet feeling of victory. What they liked the most was to watch their enemies writhe beneath their fingers, unable to extricate themselves.
Leonel's expression was frighteningly cold. He had been occupied with the charging army and couldn't easily extricate himself. By the time he could, the damage was done.
His spear whipped outward, a light roar clearing the surrounding five meter space as he turned back without hesitation. Whether it was for his cousin or his brother Franco, how could abandoning them ever be a choice?
By this point, Druid and Droet had recovered from the shock of Noah's survival. They flicked their wrists, one of them targeting the little mink and the other targeting Noah. So long as they fused their attacks with enough Force, phasing through them wouldn't be so easy.
As expected, Little Blackstar had no choice but to leap forward, brandishing his little claws as he sliced down with several Dark Force scythes to block.
Noah prepared to take on Droet strike, but he suddenly coughed. The damage of the previous kicks he had taken head on were taking their toll. But then, not only had Druid and Droet kicked him, but they had amplified their strength through Huon and Hulot, he couldn't gather up any strength without his entire body shuddering.
He could only watch with despair as the rope dart approached. But right then, his despair turned quite savage.
There was little he felt that he could control in his life right now, but he could at least die without being a coward.
He roared out, his body expanding to 10 meters. Ignoring the pain, he punched out with everything he had, his momentum overbearing.
Even so…
BANG!
Noah's entire right arm shattered and he was sent flying back.
Leonel swiftly caught up, catching Noah as his body shrunk. At this moment, his expression wasn't just cold, it was frighteningly dark. The air rippled around him, combusting and collapsing.
The group couldn't possibly continue forward without Leonel. The moment they saw that he had turned back, they did so as well. They were his brothers, and then there was his Aina, how could any one of them leave him behind?
The army bore down from all sides, clamping until there was no direction to go. Whether it was forward, backward, to the left or to the right, there was nothing to see but a sea of Libra and Gemin family members.
The night air was suffocatingly humid. The blood and sweat of countless warriors made it heavy and difficult to breathe.
There were no steps left to take. High up, the Morales Ancestors could only sigh. Though it was valiant that Leonel hadn't hesitated to turn back, it seemed that this choice had actually sealed his fate.
Keiza waved her fan gently, relishing in the breeze as her sedan slowly caught up. The foul stench of blood and sweat didn't seem to ruin her appetite at all, in fact it only seemed to make her wine taste all the sweeter.
Her beasts rose her sedan into the air, giving her an excellent view. Seeing Leonel and the others encircled in this fashion, her smile only became brighter.
"No longer running?" She asked lightly.
Leonel didn't respond. He seemed to be checking on Noah, but there really was nothing to check. While his life wasn't in danger, for now, his ability to fight was likely shot. At least that was the case before Leonel palms began to glow with a strong Light Force.
"Interesting, interesting," Keiza smiled, seemingly indifferent to Leonel's disregard. What good was acting cool and aloof when you had lost before the eyes of everyone? "Indeed, you have the capital to be calm. Even for me, I can't stop you from crushing your badge and giving up right this moment. Though you might lose face for wagging your tongue harder than your fists, losing a bit of face is definitely better than dying."
Keiza nodded to herself. At this point, Huon and Droet didn't even bother to pile on. Nothing they could say could ever be as sinister as what this woman's venomous tongue could conjure up.
"But, it is a shame. I was looking forward to what a whore's spawn could do. I didn't expect you to be so pathetic."
Keiza tipped her wine glass over the side of her sedan with an expression of disgust. The blood and gore didn't seem to bother her, but these words seemed to have left a disgusting taste in her mouth. No, it wasn't the words, but rather the mention of that person.
"I should have known that a woman only good for enticing the husbands of others wouldn't have any redeeming qualities, but it's as the saying goes, we all have our vices. Your mother's vice just happens to be far more disgusting than most others."
The more she spoke, the deeper the disgust on Keiza's face seemed to become. It was as though she was recalling everything she hated in an instant.
"I can't stand the look of his face anymore. Kill him or get him to quit and run with his tail tucked between his legs. I can't be bothered to care anymore."
"… About here should be good."
Leonel spoke lightly as he stood to his full height, fresh blood falling from his blade as though it couldn't be tarnished.
"What did you say—" Keiza sneered.
RUMBLE!
The ground began to tremble and a formation suddenly rose out from the ground, forming a dome over the surroundings.
Suddenly, those watching from the outside all had changed expressions. That location… Wasn't it where Leonel's original city used to be?
At that moment, a realization overcame them. Leonel had added his formation separately, it wasn't part of the city. When he used the city relocation reward, it had only moved the city itself, not what was around it.
In this battlefield filled with dried ground and rubble, buried beneath it was a perfectly pristine formation.
Leonel finally looked up after Noah could breathe smoothly without his aid. However, his gaze carried a fiendish air. Crimson flickered in his eyes, a demonic aura billowing out from him in waves.
He met Keiza's gaze for the first time since the chase had begun.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you."
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