Four Split Personalities

Chapter 2613: Chapter 1235: Deadly Game · Part XI – The Road to Survival (2)

And this is precisely one of the most interesting traits of this creature called "human."

...

"P...Prince?"

Hearing Lady Mei Fu’s firm, unequivocal words, the group of Gladiators following behind her all froze on the spot.

"That’s right."

Double Leaf grinned and said softly, "He might not look like a prince, but I’m still going to help him. Of course, that’s just my personal decision. You’ve already completed your own mission, so even if you don’t come with me and instead follow the original plan to head straight for the exit and rendezvous with the main force, that’s totally fine."

The crowd, whose faces had been shifting between dark and bright, all hesitated.

"Relax, no one will blame you. After all, Mr. Haru is Mei Fu’s prince, not yours. You can pass those exact words on to Mr. Fourteen as well."

The delicately pretty Mei Fu smiled slightly and blinked those eyes of hers that seemed capable of seeing straight through people’s hearts. "So then, decide. Those who want to act with me, come over here. The rest of you, leave immediately. None of us has any more time to waste."

In lots of different works, the extras in this kind of situation will resolutely follow the smart-and-brave, iron-blooded-yet-gentle main characters, then repay the favors they owe with their cheap little lives. In the developments that follow they either die or get crippled, becoming background boards for the others’ happy endings or double-couple finales. Those who had more scenes earlier on might even get a bit more ink, turning into one of the driving forces behind a main character’s power-up—a very dutiful and dedicated batch of tools, all in all.

However, reality is not a work of fiction~

Almost the instant Double Leaf’s words fell, all the comrades who had just been fighting shoulder to shoulder with her neatly saluted "Lady Mei Fu"... and then—neat and tidy, one after another, tumbling and scrambling—they all bolted toward the exit of the [Bloodstained Maiden Arena]!

You’d be Silly not to run!

Since Mei Fu had clearly stated this was a "personal decision," and had generously told everyone "it’s fine even if you don’t come," how big of a hole would these people, who’d gone through hell and high water just to escape alive and enjoy life, need in their heads to follow her to that extremely feral-looking "Prince His Highness."

"Tsk tsk, you people are ruthless~"

Only after everyone had left her line of sight did Double Leaf lazily throw out a bit of snark. Then she stretched—her figure might not be as stacked as that earlier Female Knight "Rose Georgia," but it was still several tiers more excellent than the latter’s—and casually adjusted her facial expression. In under five seconds, she had once again turned back into "Maeve Xiangluan."

A crazy-beauty bundle of moe traits, combining sickly, deranged, frail, and twisted all in one.

"Well then..."

Her lips curled into a stiff, distorted smile. Maeve gnawed at her fingernails as she trotted in light steps toward the distant commotion whose noise could be faintly heard. Beneath her long lashes, those bright eyes were practically shining: "Wait for me... Mei Fu’s... Prince♪"

At the same time

Bloodstained Maiden Arena, dormitory sector, north side of the small drill field

"Sorry, brother."

Crouching beside a comrade whose legs had been cut off at the knees and who was clearly not going to live much longer, Motan let out a quiet sigh, then drove the poisoned dart between his fingers straight through the man’s chest, cleanly granting him release. He then slowly stood up, turned to look at the battered "temporary lackeys" behind him, and finally let his gaze fall on Kudun. "You all heard that?"

"We heard it, Big Bro Haru."

Kudun glanced toward the center of the arena, his face serious as he nodded. "That commotion over there is probably something Lady Mei Fu’s group kicked up, so..."

"So whether they succeeded or failed, we no longer have any justification to keep dragging this ou—heh."

Halfway through his sentence, Haru Kuttata suddenly looked up at the sky. As a string of golden flares blossomed overhead, he broke into a grin and shrugged. "She did it."

Kudun also broke into a smile and nodded hard. "Yes!"

"If I’m not mistaken, that earlier alarm should have been Mei Fu and the others’ doing as well. Otherwise the pressure on our side wouldn’t have dropped that much all at once."

Haru licked his cracked lips, then raised his blood-smeared arm to wipe his face, saying in a low voice, "All right, go pull back our comrades rotating at the obstacle zone. We’re breaking out."

"Got it, Big Bro."

Kudun didn’t waste time, and he definitely didn’t fuss with any ’Big Bro, at least bandage your arm first.’ He took the order and immediately sprinted toward the companions who were sniping the pursuers from the obstacle zone of the drill field.

He had barely run ten meters when a nimble figure came tearing over from the distance, shouting as they ran, "Move it! Everyone move now!"

Kudun froze for a second, then exchanged a glance with Haru. He promptly turned to the soot-streaked Dwarf old man who had been serving as their Scout this whole time and asked, "What’s going on? Lady Mei Fu’s side succeeded. I was just about to go tell everyone up ahead..."

"Don’t bother! The people in the rear are pretty much all dead already!"

The old Dwarf’s bloodshot eyes bulged as he waved both hands and roared, "Move it! Break out now! Gray Lizard Hunting is here! There’s a lot of them!"

Kudun snapped his head back toward Haru. "Big Bro!"

"Move!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Motan flung out several poison vials, directly creating a band of dense toxic gas between the obstacle zone and his people. Then, taking the little more than thirty people left at his side, he wheeled around and bolted. As he ran, he yelled loudly to Kudun, "Which direction is the exit?"

Kudun answered instantly without thinking, "Northeast of us!"

Motan exploded, furious. "Point it out for me!"

"Uh... over there!"

Kudun immediately raised his hand and pointed to a spot slightly east of north... in the direction Motan was charging toward.

"Got it."

Motan nodded hard, then kicked into an all-out sprint directly toward due east, shouting, "Follow me!"

Kudun was dumbfounded on the spot. "Big Bro Haru, that’s not the way!"

"Cut the crap! You think I can’t tell east, south, west, and north apart?"

Motan barked, then kept up his headlong dash as he explained, "Didn’t you notice those golden sparks Lady Mei Fu fired weren’t just one, but a whole string—and they’re moving in our direction?"

Running side by side with Motan, Kudun dipped his head slightly. "And then?"

"No idea. But whether we link up with Mei Fu herself or her people, it’s only going to help us. Don’t tell me you don’t know how much a powerful member of the Clergy can do in a situation like this."

Motan panted out the line, then glanced back over his shoulder. He saw several Black figures mounted on their steeds already cutting their way toward them, charging straight into that poison fog that only caused mild Paralysis and Slowing effects.

At this pace, in at most two minutes those elite Hunters riding Toxic-Horned Lizards would catch up to his group, and then...

[If nothing else changes, I’ll have to use that thing I’d meant to save until the very end right now.]

Motan sniffed and stopped looking back. He fixed his gaze ahead and muttered in a voice only he could hear, "Will you come? Will it be you? You damned hag..."

The next instant, the ones in front, including Motan, simultaneously noticed a slender silhouette. She was standing before a huge, twisted, sanity-shredding plant that made you lose SAN just by looking at it, a disgusting thing that writhed like worms. Smiling, she waved and called in a voice that was gentle yet piercingly clear, "Hurry over."

That’s not Divine Arts! It’s [Amplification Art]!

Motan’s gaze sharpened, and his eyes locked with those of the "Mei Fu" standing there—

"Frank Hughes?"

Watching Haru Kuttata’s approach, the slender, willowy Tree Elf Female Priest silently formed the words with her lips.

Motan blinked in brief surprise, then nodded hard and broke into a bright grin.

Chapter 1235: End