A brief silence fell over the battlefield.
The Sublimators from the Eye of Nightmare and Ivy League looked at each other before finally turning to Huai Shi, who stood on the forehead of his own Bio-beast, hands on hips, looking extremely formidable.
A hundred thousand question marks appeared in their minds.
What the hell kind of surprise is this?
Half an hour earlier, the news of Huai Shi's prison escape had actually reached everyone here.
His story was already legendary. He was a solo hero who had bravely infiltrated the den of lions. Though outmatched and captured, he bore the humiliation patiently, waiting for the right moment. He then seized an opportunity, risked death to escape, confronted a Fourth Stage opponent, and successfully fled. Along the way, he slew fierce beasts and even parachuted out of Hell.
After such skilled dancing on the knife's edge between courting utter disaster and narrowly surviving, repeatedly tempting fate, he had successfully dazzled both sides with his flashy moves.
It was all as smooth as flowing clouds and water, executed in one breath, leaving everyone speechless.
Then, as if suddenly popping out from a crack in a stone, he appeared right in the heart of the Ivy League's central area.
With a face full of smugness.
At that moment, anyone would feel that something was amiss, right?
Everyone instantly backed away, bracing for battle, their vigilance raised to the highest level. Their hair stood on end, and they immediately came to a conclusion.
This is a conspiracy!
Coincidentally, Huai Shi also came to a conclusion at the same time. Also four words, though somewhat different from theirs.
—I'm so screwed!
In the midst of this sudden deathly hush, his instinct was to use French etiquette to foster good relations, but sensing the wariness and defensiveness in the others' eyes, he suddenly perceived a glimmer of hope.
He stood with his hands behind his back, hiding his furiously trembling hands.
Proudly puffing out his chest, he stood atop the synthetic beast's skeleton.
Looking down from his superior position.
He habitually squeezed out a mysterious, 'devilishly wild' smile.
He gazed at the few 'acquaintances' behind the barricades and called out, "Long time no see, Colonel. All well, I trust?"
The Colonel stared indifferently at Huai Shi. He raised his hand, and the Legion behind him simultaneously lifted their guns, aiming at Huai Shi's face.
Numerous little red dots settled on his body.
But Huai Shi remained unperturbed—though his heart was pounding so hard from fright it felt like it would stop—yet his expression became even more dignified and sacred.
In this moment, as death seemed imminent, his mind raced, a myriad of inspirations flashed, and finally, they transformed into a death-defying miracle, bursting forth!
"Comrade Colonel, the undercover mission is over! There's no need to fight anymore!"
He proclaimed loudly, "The Great Grandmaster sent me to tell you, you can return to your unit now!"
A moment of bewilderment.
Stunned by this overwhelming aura of a Second fifth, the Colonel's mouth fell open, and he stood there for a moment, unsure what Huai Shi was talking about.
What does 'undercover' mean? What does 'return to your unit' mean?
What the hell are you talking about?
But the others, after their initial astonishment, couldn't help but look back, incredulous.
Stunned and speechless.
"...I, I didn't..."
In his shock, the Colonel involuntarily opened his mouth to defend himself.
But then he saw, atop the synthetic beast's corpse, Huai Shi's body abruptly disintegrate. Darkness spewed forth, and the pitch-blackness from the Buried Sacred Place enveloped everything nearby.
Countless afterimages emerged from it.
They turned around in perfect unison.
And broke into a mad dash!
Seizing this fleeting chance between life and death, Huai Shi scampered towards his own side's position, screaming at the top of his lungs,
"—Great Grandmaster, save me!!!"
"Fire! Fire at will!" The Colonel's vision darkened, almost bursting a blood vessel in rage at Huai Shi's infuriating behavior. He roared, "Kill that disgrace of the Ivory Tower!"
Without any need for dispatch or transmission, the sixteen massive synthetic beasts, the hundreds of mercenaries from the Eye of Nightmare, and everyone present from the Hell Swarm saw the Colonel's orders appear in their visors. Immediately, the Ivy League's War Chips distributed a detailed assault plan, down to every step, to each individual.
Right in the heart of the Ivy League's stronghold, Huai Shi once again launched into a desperate flight.
In an instant, many of the split-off afterimages were wiped out amidst the gunfire and the 'Offensive.'
The Legion led by the Colonel unleashed a slaughter with unattainable efficiency.
The plethora of Alchemy weapons, sufficient to arm an entire Legion and incorporating modern super-technology that surpassed current advancements, now demonstrated terrifying efficiency in Hell.
They hit Huai Shi so hard he didn't dare show his head, weaving about wretchedly, barely clinging to life.
Seeing their swift reaction, Huai Shi's heart sank.
If only he'd thought to shout, 'Quick, tell Liz that Michel is a traitor!'