Chapter 299: Distracting the Tiger from Its Mountain?
The two of them arrived at the perimeter of the encirclement, still a few human walls away from the central group of the Jade Emperor Kingdom.
They sized up the crowd in the center, eyes widening. “People from the Verdant Empire?”
“Can you believe it’s the Verdant Empire?!”
Edward frowned in displeasure and replied, “Do they know who we are and yet still refuse to budge?”
Meanwhile, a small circle of guards remained unmoving on the outside, their sharp gazes like poised eagles ready to strike.
The leader tilted his head slightly and whispered, “Military Strategist, what should we do about these Verdant Empire folks?”
The strategist hesitated a bit, “Dealing with them is tricky. If we can avoid conflict, let’s avoid it.”
“Then… should we let them pass?”
“Let’s wait… wait a minute!” The strategist suddenly interrupted, halting the general’s gesture.
“What now?”
“Look at that!”
Following the strategist’s finger, the general spotted Yuliya, who was still busy at work, oblivious to their petty squabble.
“That little girl is repairing the Teleportation Array!”
The strategist exclaimed, almost too loud to contain his excitement.
“The rest doesn’t matter, we have to keep that girl!”
“Uh…” The general hesitated, “They’re from the Verdant Empire; we better not provoke them.”
“This is the first lead we’ve had in forever! Are you really going to let them go like this?”
“The consequences of irritating the Verdant Empire could be severe.”
“We’re in the Ashen Realm; even the Verdant Empire can’t exert their full strength here. If we capture that little girl, our wishes will be fulfilled! We’re just one step away; are you really not going to take a shot at it?”
“…”
“Honestly.” The strategist dropped his voice even further, “Once we succeed, what’s your tiny little fiefdom worth? You could toss it aside and start fresh!”
That comment lit a fire of greed in the general.
In this Ashen Realm, even a small piece of land didn’t amount to much anyway, so why not destroy it if needed? Similar events happened every day!
“People of the Verdant Empire, listen up! Surrender now and save yourselves some pain! We just want that one little girl!”
Yet the surrounded crowd remained unmoved.
Edward sighed. “Ignorance is bliss.”
In the next moment, he raised a finger like a sword and slashed it through the air.
The faces of the enemy general and strategist changed dramatically as they immediately dismounted and tumbled into the crowd.
In an instant, the area where they stood was flattened.
The two dodged out of the way, covered in dirt and looking like they’d just lost a poker game, but they still hunched over, hiding among the throng.
“It’s a legendary-level powerhouse! Why would a legendary-level fighter come to this dump of a place?!”
“Retreat!”
“We can’t retreat! Attack! Quickly, attack!”
The strategist yelled.
All the surrounders paused, struck by hesitation.
The general slapped the strategist across the face, “What are you barking about now?! How can we attack with this chaos?!”
“If they don’t attack, how do we run? That legendary one won’t let us off the hook?!”
“…”
“You’re mid-level Emerald, I’m just starting out; you really think we have a shot at escaping?”
Stalling for a moment, the general gritted his teeth. “Full attack!”
The others still hesitated, exchanging glances.
But overall, a few managed to launch an assault.
And thus began an absurd battle.
“Teacher, those two must be captured alive. At least one!”
Yuliya continued her work without lifting her head, not the least bothered.
Though their earlier conversation was muted and they were a distance away, Yuliya still heard every word.
Whether Edward caught all of it was uncertain, but it didn’t matter.
“Okay. You all protect the princess, I’ll be right back.”
Edward stepped forward, having zeroed in on those two.
Aside from them being Emerald Level, the rest were merely starting Gold Level; most were Silver or even Bronze Level.
On the other hand, the Jade Emperor Kingdom’s guards were high-level Gold, and Yuliya herself was a starting Gold Level.
Plus, considering the enemy’s morale was in tatters, they posed little threat.
A guard shouted, “If you want to live, retreat! Anyone within ten meters will be killed without mercy!”
After that shout, morale, already plummeting due to Edward’s attack, collapsed completely.
Some glanced back, but where were the general and the strategist now?
With their leaders gone, why would the minions continue to throw their lives away?
Many turned tail and ran.
Others tried to block but ended up in a brawl.
Of course, some hapless souls still charged forward for reasons unknown.
The guards formed a tight circle, shields in one hand and swords in the other, completely shielding Yuliya in the center.
Yuliya merely glanced at the chaotic skirmish before resuming her work on the Teleportation Array.
Meanwhile, Edward chased after the two fleeing figures.
Though they managed to run first, their speed couldn’t match his, and he quickly caught up.
Sensing his presence, the two turned back and froze in sheer terror.
“Strategist! Why’s he chasing us?! What about our comrades over there?!”
“How should I know?!”
“What do we do?!”
“Split up and run!”
“Split up? That’s a d*ath sentence! We should fight back; maybe we’ll find a way out.”
Behind them, Edward struck again, sending a few attacks whizzing past them.
“It seems like he doesn’t intend to k*ll us.”
“Why don’t you go ask him and plead for mercy? You might get lucky.”
“Why not you?”
“You’re stronger than me; you might stand a chance. If it comes to it, you take the front, I’ll take the back, and we’ll take him down together!”
The general bit his lip and reluctantly nodded.
“My lord! Spare our lives! We’ve been blind to your greatness; we hope for your mercy…”
Before he could finish, he rolled to avoid an incoming attack.
Though he narrowly dodged, he still got clipped, leaving a long gash on his body.
“Let’s fight! Full power, unleash your strongest moves!”
“Alright!”
They lined up, readying their energy.
Seeing this, Edward took a step back, fully alert.
After all, these two were Emerald Level; capturing them alive would require effort.
In the next moment, the general erupted in red light, his body swelling with power.
While behind him, the strategist glowed with white light.
Edward took a glance, estimating how much force he needed to control.
But the next moment, the strategist suddenly struck the general in the back.
Caught off guard at full power, the general shot towards Edward like a cannonball.
“General, brace yourself; I’ll be praying for your luck.”
Just as those words fell, the strategist vanished.
“You! b*stard!”
The general shouted in anger but, with Edward closing in, he had no choice but to make a desperate move.
But Edward’s thoughts were already elsewhere.
He glanced back and his expression changed drastically. “Oh no! That girl!”
Yet in the next moment, his expression relaxed.
“It seems everything’s fine; I don’t sense any danger.”
In fact, because he hadn’t felt anything amiss from the start, he had left Yuliya’s side to chase those two.
Then he spun around and caught the hefty general’s full-force attack.
“Capturing alive? Well, look what just came gift-wrapped.”
With a swift motion, he twisted and broke the general’s arm clean off.
