Chapter 218: Chapter 207 Elise

Rhea’s veteran General Gruz was over a hundred years old and had experienced all the battles between the Rhea People and the Cyart people. His demeanor as a Monarch powerful expert was imbued with the aura of a high-ranking person, which would naturally make ordinary people feel the urge to admire and kneel.

However, when faced with the prince, Gruz still maintained an attitude of utmost respect.

The middle-aged prince looked at the map on the table and suddenly said,

“Hmm, there are people outside.”

“What?”

General Gruz was briefly stunned and did not immediately grasp what the prince meant, then asked,

“Who are you referring to?”

The prince stretched out his hand and pointed in a certain direction, saying,

“There seem to be some people moving in that direction. They do not appear to be Rhea People, the strongest among them is only mid-level Transmutation, and the rest are merely at the Beginning Level. General Gruz, please take care of it. As for us, we shall rest.”

“Understood, Your Highness,”

Realizing what was happening, General Gruz nodded and then turned to his adjutant.

“You go take care of it personally!”

——

“They want the East Coast Province.”

In the far-off exterior of the military camp, Darren analyzed the thoughts of the Rhea People calmly.

“The strategic targets around here are not significant enough to warrant the Rhea People mobilizing twenty thousand soldiers. However, they would not assemble such a force without reason…”

He paused, then said,

“The only plausible possibility is that they are amassing troops to launch a swift attack southward on the East Coast Province, most likely to force the Cyart people to retreat.”

Old Dog thought for a moment after listening, then asked, “A tactic of attacking the enemy’s rear base to force the attacking enemy to retreat?”

“Exactly,”

Darren nodded gently in agreement. It wasn’t an unconventional tactic — on the contrary, this tactic of attacking the enemy’s homeland to force them to retreat was very common in warfare.

Just as delicious food is more likely to spread, so too are common tactics indicative of effectiveness, often proving more useful and stable than many a bizarre strategy.

Darren squinted his eyes, a hint of madness flickering across his smile from beneath the Iron Mask.

“Cyart likely hasn’t taken sufficient precautions yet. We should serve as a warning!”

“Everyone, join me for one last operation. Head immediately to Cyart and inform Viscount Bast about the impending military action the Rhea People are about to launch!”

He spread his arms, speaking to the people around him with an infectious tone.

“If we Cyart people can respond one step ahead, the whole situation in the battle will be drastically different!”

Everyone knew the enormous difference between being prepared and unprepared when faced with a surprise attack.

They all nodded in agreement, and without hesitation, the squad immediately set off, cautiously bypassing the range of the military camp and heading collectively to the East Coast Province in the south of Cyart.

Standing before the vast subtropical jungle, the group halted.

“We need to cross through the dense jungle and get past the kingdom-protecting barrier before we can reach Cyart.”

Just as Darren’s squad was about to enter the jungle, he suddenly felt something was amiss and immediately signaled Elise with a gesture.

“Elise, take a look over there!”

He pointed in the direction of the camp they had just left.

Elise quickly activated her Eagle Eye ability and gazed in the direction Darren was pointing, only to discover that a powerful Extraordinary Exponent was rapidly closing in.

Her expression changed.

“Trouble, there’s a pursuer from Rhea! There’s only one, but it’s likely a high-level Transmutation expert!”

Elise spoke with an uneasy face, as the expressions of the others around her darkened drastically.

The strongest among them, “Old Dog,” was only at mid-level Transmutation, while the rest were all at the Beginning Level of Extraordinary Exponents.

Facing a high-level Transmutation expert, their only option was to flee, and should they truly be caught, they might all be utterly annihilated!

“Should we scatter and escape?”

The old dog looked at Darren, and the rest turned their gaze to the Iron Mask Man who was leading them.

Last time they had faced a similar situation, they scattered and ran, with the deaths of a few ensuring the survival of the rest, narrowly avoiding complete annihilation.

Darren shouted without hesitation:

“Right, scatter and run! Everyone into the jungle! As long as one of us survives and makes it back… Everyone, return to your homeland! Then tell the Cyart people, the Rhea are coming!”

As soon as he finished shouting, they all started moving, rushing into the jungle, heading south towards Cyart.

Darren ran swiftly, not looking at those around him, aware that everyone could only rely on their luck to survive at this point—if caught by bad luck, it was all over.

The old dog was the fastest, but he faintly worried that the enemy’s strategy might be to kill the strongest first and go directly for the quickest escapee.

However, he thought it over and accepted that possibility.

The old dog laughed coldly without fear.

“Hehehe, if that guy really comes after me, then I’ll risk my life to buy them more time!”

However, just as they scattered into the jungle, Elise stopped in her tracks, hesitating before turning around.

She knew that if they all fled south, most of her companions wouldn’t make it far because the enemy they faced… could fly!

“Someone must attract his attention.”

So, without the others knowing, Elise stopped alone, reaching out her slender hand to pick up the black longbow behind her, aiming an arrow at the Rhea flying towards them.

She was born in Rhea and possessed half Rhea blood, yet she had never visited the distant Cyart.

But Elise’s mother had once looked into her eyes and said that they would always be Cyart people, and that would never change.

“We’re Cyart people, Elise, you must remember that.”

“Even after my death, you must find a way to return to Cyart, your unseen homeland, the place where you truly belong.”

“Destroy Rhea for me…”

That bastard of a Rhea father was nothing more than a rapist who had wantonly committed his crimes, never once appearing in her life.

Her mother’s wishes were what mattered most.

Elise’s heart was filled with a deep-seated hatred for Rhea, which was why Darren accepted and trusted her.

“I won’t let you catch up with them.”

She fired an arrow fiercely, then quickly moved to find a better vantage point.

Elise ran westward; she couldn’t head south too because her ultimate goal was to buy time for the rest of her companions!

“Take care, everyone…”

“Sorry, Mom, I’ll never have a chance to go to Cyart now.”

Her tears flowed uncontrollably, her body shaking all over as she murmured with gratitude.

“Mr. Darren Fischer, thank you for all your help. I’ve always seen you as an important elder.”

However, the next turn of events caught Elise off guard; the high-level Transmutation enemy didn’t chase her way at all but continued pursuing the others to the south.

“Does he intend to eradicate everyone because he knows Darren and the others will reveal information about this place?”

Anger flowing, Elise shot another arrow, hoping to attract the pursuer’s attention, but the enemy soon moved beyond her attack range.

Just then, a blade suddenly pierced through her chest from behind, and blood sprayed wildly, immobilizing Elise.

She swiftly discovered a gray-armored figure who had sneaked up from behind, standing coldly and mercilessly, both of its arms transformed into blades inscribed with runes; the right blade arm easily pierced through her body.

“It’s an alchemical puppet… I see…”

Her consciousness faded, and she eventually fell into boundless darkness.

Meanwhile, Darren, expressionless, kept fleeing through the jungle.

In this forest, a diversity of plants bloomed, squeezed together in competition for growth, seemingly every inch of space utilized.

He didn’t know how many of his companions would survive, but he was resolute in knowing one thing — the information must be conveyed back to Cyart.

“It’s a pity that I’m too weak now, not yet able to turn the hunt around on him.”

“I still need to gain greater strength!”