Chapter 587: Freedom
Prit East Coast, outskirts of Tivyán.
On the outskirts of Cold Cliff Prison, built upon the coastal stone cliffs, the woods are not particularly dense. A secluded path runs through them, and on this path, a carriage is slowly moving forward, guarded by several men dressed as prison guards, making its way towards the distant Cold Cliff Prison. The carriage is loaded with a large cargo covered by a canvas.
Although the destination of this carriage seems to be the distant Cold Cliff Prison, before it could reach its goal, the entire carriage comes to a halt. One of the leading guards looks at the fortress in the distance and says to the people behind him, “This is it, quickly set up the things; they will come out soon.”
Hearing the words of the leading “guard,” the other “guards” begin to act. They start unhitching the horses from the carriage and forcefully tip the entire vehicle over to block the road, with one person even starting to dismantle a wheel.
Amidst the busy efforts of his subordinates, the leading “guard” silently gazes at the giant prison fortress in the distance, as if waiting for something.
……
Meanwhile, inside Cold Cliff Prison, in a certain cell deep in the underground, Nosben, thin and dressed in prison garb, is bound by thick iron chains and stares dumbfounded at the unfolding scene. He looks at the smiling Hunter, Gregor, who had been his formidable enemy until now, lying in front of him.
“You… You’re from the organization… You are one of the spiders in the web. The Queen of the Shadow Web hasn’t abandoned me… The nest hasn’t forsaken me!”
Seeing Gregor before him, Nosben suddenly feels invigorated, his original frail state replaced by incredulous excitement as he speaks openly. Upon witnessing this, Gregor steps forward and squats down in front of him, pulling out a keyring.
“To the nest, your value hasn’t been exhausted yet. For the Queen of the Shadow Web, make good use of your life from now on.”
“I will! I will! Just let me out! I will offer some to the nest! To the Queen of the Shadow Web! Hurry and help me unlock this d*mn thing!”
Impatiently glancing at Gregor, Nosben speaks feverishly, while Gregor slowly walks around to Nosben’s back, using the keys in hand to unlock the heavy shackles one by one. After being imprisoned for over half a year, Nosben finally regains his freedom.
“Ha… Finally… finally free from these damned things.”
As he slowly stands up inside the cramped cell, Nosben rubs his wrist, marked with red chains, murmuring. Then, he shifts his gaze to Misha, who lies unconscious nearby. A glint of cruelty flashes in his eyes, and he raises his hand sharply, intending to end Misha’s life right here.
“Stop!”
At that moment, Gregor intervenes, grabbing Nosben’s arm to prevent his action. Nosben turns his head, looking at Gregor with a puzzled expression.
“Now is not the time to k*ll her. She’s a Wind Caller with considerable ‘Stone’ protection; you won’t be able to k*ll her in one blow, and you might wake her up instead. Even if you seriously injure her, she can create a stir that will alert the guards outside. At that point, we won’t be able to escape. It’s a needless risk.”
Facing Nosben, Gregor explains directly. After hearing Gregor’s words, Nosben nods as if persuaded, lowering his attacking hand.
“I was foolish; being confined for too long made my head dizzy. Thanks for the reminder. I can only let this damned woman survive a little longer…”
Nosben says this, and then Gregor releases him, continuing, “There’s no time to waste; let’s quickly get her clothes off and change into her appearance so we can walk out together. Remember, don’t say a word along the way; just act aloof and majestic. Leave the interactions with them to me.”
“Understood.”
After a brief exchange, Nosben and Gregor begin their operation. Gregor removes Misha’s Hunter attire and boots, dressing Nosben in them. Afterward, Nosben uses his ability as a Shadow Faced Man to change his appearance and physique to that of Misha. They then lock the unconscious Misha inside the cell before stepping out.
Once outside the cell, Gregor leads Nosben towards the exit of the prison, clearing the way and communicating with the guards. Disguised as Misha, Nosben keeps a cold expression and follows closely behind. With all the procedures handled by Gregor, none of the guards dare to engage with Misha.
In this manner, the two walk out of the large fortress prison and reach the checkpoint in front. Here, they mount their horses to prepare to leave. During this time, Gregor subtly hints to Nosben that Misha’s horse is hard to control, letting him ride a more docile one.
After switching horses, both begin to gradually distance themselves from the massive prison, riding along a less traveled forest path away from the main road. As they move further away from the guards’ view, a smug smile unconsciously spreads across Nosben’s face.
‘Finally… I am free…’
……
Just as Nosben can’t help but prepare to show a more exaggerated expression, something unusual suddenly appears on the road ahead.
A cargo horse-drawn carriage had seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the path. It looked like it had encountered an accident while moving, completely blocking the road sideways, severe leaning as if one of its wheels had broken. The horse that originally pulled the carriage had been unhitched and pulled aside, and two or three figures were gathered around the carriage discussing something. Judging by their outfits, they should be guards of Cold Cliff Prison.
Upon witnessing the scene, Gregor’s brow furrows slightly. He first gives a look at Nosben, signaling him to stop, and then rides over on his horse to inquire. After crossing the vehicle and coming to a more distant area from it, he finds the leader among the guards.
“What happened?”
“Uh… Sorry, sir. We’re delivering food to the prison, but one of the wheels accidentally broke down here and we can’t move it for the time being. You can go around from the side.”
A man dressed as a guard stands in front of Gregor and speaks, gazing intently at him, but then sneaking a glance at Nosben not far behind, a hint of deeper meaning flashing in his eyes.
“A broken wheel? That’s really unfortunate.”
Hearing the man’s words, Gregor replies, then turns to Nosben not far behind, saying, “It’s just their carriage that broke down. Milady, we will bypass from here! You can come over now!”
Gregor calls out to Nosben, who, after hearing this, quietly rides over. However, just as Nosben is getting closer to the broken vehicle, an abnormal sound erupts.
Suddenly, one of the guards surrounding the vehicle screams loudly as if discovering something terrifying and turns to run into the nearby forest. His companions, witnessing this scene, also show panic and follow him into the woods, leaving Nosben, who is rushing over on horseback, puzzled.
“Wait! Why are you running! What happened? Are you from Cold Cliff? Stop right there!”
Seeing the guards suddenly flee, Gregor shouts towards their direction while also riding into the forest, seemingly to pursue them. Watching this unfold, Nosben grows even more confused, wondering if he inadvertently exposed himself, causing the guards to notice him, and now Gregor is going to chase them.
Just as Nosben is trying to assess the situation, he suddenly catches a whiff of something burning in the air. In an instant, he identifies the source of the burning smell and, widening his eyes, looks at the cargo loaded onto the vehicle, which is covered tightly with canvas. His heart leaps to his throat, and it almost stops beating.
‘Not good!’
Just as Nosben senses danger and turns his horse around to flee quickly, the cargo covered by the canvas suddenly erupts with a loud explosion. A blazing fireball and an overwhelming shockwave instantly tear through the vehicle, sweeping toward Nosben, engulfing him in moments, followed by a resounding blast that shakes the very ground.
“Boom!!”
……
As Nosben and Gregor escape Cold Cliff Prison, on the other side of the prison, a breakout is brewing in the ordinary prisoner block.
The ordinary prison area of Cold Cliff Prison is where incapable common prisoners are held. Although it is specifically designated for secret criminals, not everyone among them is extraordinary. In a secret society, the vast majority of members are ordinary people pursuing the extraordinary; extraordinary beings… even apprentice extraordinary beings are rare, and this holds true in this prison as well.
Among the prisoners held here, the highest tier and least in number are Black Earth, with no more than ten Black Earth prisoners in the entire prison. The number of apprentices also does not exceed sixty, and these extraordinary beings are isolated in heavily fortified cells targeted for their abilities. This confinement is the main job of the entire Cold Cliff Prison, while the number of ordinary secret criminals, exceeding a thousand, is concentrated in the ordinary prison area.
Due to the large-scale sweep operations at the beginning of the year, many societies in Tivyán were affected and eradicated, resulting in an influx of secret criminals, especially from small societies, making the number of ordinary secret criminals particularly staggering. A large number of prisoners were thrown into Cold Cliff Prison during the first half of the year, causing the inmate count to soar, leading to overcrowding.
Inside the ordinary prison area, in expansive cells separated by iron bars, a dozen inmates are crammed within, overwhelmed by unbearable stench. The prisoners gather together, gambling with self-made simple tools, bullying the weak, or dozing off, filling the limited space with noise.
In this chaotic prison, in one cell, a heavily muscled bald prisoner adorned with tattoos sits on the floor, gazing seriously outside, seemingly waiting for something. He sits apart from the other inmates in the same cell, as no one dares to approach him.
Ignoring the bragging, gambling, and bullying happening around him, the tattooed prisoner quietly watches the outside, waiting for an opportunity to arise, and soon his patience pays off.
“Boom!!!”
A sudden, violent explosion erupts from outside, shaking the ground slightly. The deafening sound startles all the prisoners, who drop what they’re doing, standing up to look in the direction of the explosion as they begin discussing what just happened.
The tattooed prisoner, having heard the explosion, stiffens before slowly rising to his feet. Without anyone noticing, he moves towards the iron bars of the cell, focusing all his attention on the wall beside the bars, tightening his fist.
With another loud bang, the prisoners, who had been murmuring about the explosion, are startled again. They turn to look towards the source of the sound, only to witness a shocking sight—the once solid wall of their prison has now been breached, leaving behind a large opening with debris scattered everywhere, and at the opening stands the tattooed prisoner, releasing his clenched fist and addressing the astonished crowd.
“Alright… it’s time to pursue freedom. Don’t miss the chance, everyone.”
As soon as the tattooed prisoner’s words fall, the other prisoners, after a moment of stunned silence, erupt into cheers, rushing towards the gaping hole. Driven by the desire for freedom, they no longer care why an ordinary prisoner like them could possess such terrifying power.
Watching the prisoners surge forth, the tattooed inmate reveals a slight smile, tightening his fist again, ready to liberate more prisoners.
Members of the Eight Pinnacle Nest infiltrating the prison, using the explosion as a signal, begin to create chaos within the ordinary prison area to support their overall operation.
They need to keep a low profile while also restraining the official extraordinary forces within Cold Cliff Prison, and nothing draws attention like a full-blown riot.
As the Eight Pinnacle Nest starts creating chaos in the ordinary prison area, in the underground solitary confinement cell where Nosben was held, Misha, clad in thin undergarments, sits on the cold ground, intently watching the heavy prison door as it slowly opens. She sees a man dressed as a prison guard appear before her.
“Those guys have started their operation; we need to move out of here. Miss Misha, come on, put on this outfit and let’s rush towards freedom amidst the chaos.” The guard calls out to Misha, tossing her a prison uniform. She catches it and murmurs in response.
“Ha… freedom, you say…”
