Everything happened in an instant…
No one had time to stop Krab; the moment Ned's words fell, he activated Bloodlust, and his seemingly charging body suddenly froze as he stomped his feet hard on the ground, then crashed straight into Bannai…
No one could stop Bannai either; this assassin, whose strength was unfathomable, didn't even move, simply allowing Krab's headlong charge to pin him, then using his strongest power to firmly restrain himself in place, only reacting when his arms and neck were tightly constricted…
The bright silver Han Guang flickered twice before transforming into streaks of crimson shadows. Bannai, exerting only a slight force, easily shook off the Orc warrior's hands. Then, his hands, gripping six crescent silver blades, began to dance frantically, creating dozens of bloody afterimages in the air in less than a second!
And Krab…
He didn't have time to think. From the moment Bannai effortlessly shook him off, his mind was completely overwhelmed by endless agony. Each cold gleam, turning from white to red, made him want to scream. The sensation of his body being gradually torn apart felt so prolonged; though it was merely the blink of an eye, Krab felt as if he had lingered for countless days and nights in a hell called 'death by a thousand cuts', finally regaining some consciousness with a thrust that directly shredded his heart…
A voice seemed to come from a distant place. He carefully distinguished it through a haze, then recognized it as his body hit the ground. Krab smiled.
He heard Salazar's heartbroken roar. That stinking Lizardmen, usually as cold as an ice block, seemed to have some humanity after all. Hmph, how could that aesthetically challenged guy think Goblin girls were prettier than Ogre Miss s? Haha, yes, let's bid him farewell with this sense of superiority…
He heard Yinna's gasp. Tsk tsk, this Elf girl was always so startled and always teased him for being slow, but she was actually quite caring. It wouldn't be bad if she could really be with the Captain; she's a good girl, she deserves to live…
Black Vatican didn't make a sound. That rookie absolutely wasn't unmoved by my heroic act; he probably just didn't know what to do. After all, he's a good guy, he knows what's right, but he must still be struggling inside, right? I've really caused you trouble…
Shuang Ye, tsk tsk, to be honest, if she wasn't like an undeveloped little bean sprout, she could barely be my type. Hmm, no, no, no, Ogre lolis are still cuter. I'm sorry, forget about me…
Finally, he heard Ned seemingly wanting to rush over despite everything. Had that idiot, who always tolerated everyone, gotten shit in his head?! I finally got to be a hero, and he's not even appreciating it. Sigh, but it's also because of his good-natured personality that everyone is willing to trust him no matter what, right? At least I, Krab, trust him!
I was practically killed by you, you bastard Captain! You can't not fight for my share and live!
Krab was glad both his ears were intact, and also satisfied that he hadn't screamed during the almost infinitely long torture just now. He tremblingly pointed his hand back towards where he remembered everyone being, gently made a fist, then slowly extended a finger, pointed at himself, and finally waved slightly.
'You all owe me one, but you don't have to pay it back!'
You must understand, aren't you all smarter than me…
I, with only brute strength, destined to never achieve much in this life, finally get to be a hero…
"No!"
"Krab!"
"He's just a silly bunch of data!"
Ned and Yinna both instinctively stopped and wanted to rush back. Shuang Ye also turned around with red eyes, waving her staff, but was simultaneously desperately stopped by the other two.
"It's useless!" Salazar, grabbing the heavily injured Ned and the not-strength-oriented Yinna, one in each hand, gritted his teeth and said, "Go!"
Mo Tan also pulled Shuang Ye, shaking his head slightly, and said, "Calm down, go."
Bannai rubbed his nose, casually throwing away the six blood-soaked blades between his fingers, and smacked his lips: "Ah, truly touching. To not even scream when not a single piece of good skin is left on your body. It's been a long time since I've encountered someone like this. No need to rush, everyone, if you want to mourn, I can wait for you~"
"Go!" Ned let out a near-howling roar, then pulled Yinna and turned around, simultaneously shouting at Mo Tan and the others, "We will make these people pay the price, go first!"
Yinna followed Ned, dazed, and Shuang Ye, after calming down slightly, finally put away her staff, holding a magic scroll in each hand, and continued to flee with everyone.
Bannai, however, unhurriedly pulled out two more blades from his waist, then shook his head, and was about to continue his 'entertainment', but unexpectedly, as soon as he took a step, his ankle was grabbed.
A dark, bloody large hand!
Krab's breathing was already barely audible. The injuries he sustained at this moment were beyond saving, even if a dignitary from the Holy Church United personally arrived. Yet, this Orc warrior, softly fallen to the ground, still clung tightly to Bannai, even though the muscles of his entire arm were almost torn apart, and even a slight movement would cause him immense pain…
"Delaying time?" Bannai snorted disdainfully, slowly squatting down and staring into Krab's gradually unfocused eyes: "A tenacious prey is certainly interesting, but if it's too tenacious, it becomes annoying!"
…
Not far away
"He didn't chase after us?" Yinna, who had finally stopped crying, ran alongside Ned, her slender hand supporting his body, which could collapse at any moment, and choked, "Krab…"
Salazar, running to their left, shook his head: "He fulfilled his hero's dream."
Mo Tan and Shuang Ye ran silently on the right, trying to keep up with everyone's pace, both speechless…
"It's all my fault." Blood was now flowing from Ned's mouth, and he had almost bitten through his teeth: "If it wasn't for me…"
"He won't blame you." Salazar supported Ned, who almost tripped, and said softly, "But can you tell us why now? Anyway, you don't have to worry about us hearing some secret we shouldn't know and getting killed, right?"
Indeed, from the moment the entire Fenrir Squad attacked Bannai, such things no longer mattered.
"I am indeed cooperating with Fire Claw Territory." Ned sighed, his voice hoarse, "In fact, it's precisely because of this that I joined the Marshall Autonomous Army."
The others listened silently, none interrupting or asking questions…
As they traveled, Ned briefly recounted his experiences from his youth, including the disappearance of a third of the city's population at the time, including his father and closest friend.
"I've been investigating this matter." Ned said softly, "But one person's strength is ultimately limited, so later I joined several mercenary groups, traveling almost all over the Southeast Continent in the process, and finally found a few clues…"
"There is still slave trading on this land, a phenomenon that should have been eradicated thousands of years ago." Ned pointed at the ground: "And all clues point to one place, my hometown, Marshall Territory of the Violet Empire."
Shuang Ye forced herself to calm down, repeating in a low voice: "Slave trading?"
"Exactly, in this era where slavery no longer exists." Ned gritted his teeth: "Kidnapping innocent civilians or wanderers, turning them into slaves, and then…"
"And then what?" A nightmarish voice sounded beside him. Bannai, who had appeared between Ned and Salazar at some point, walked leisurely, smiling as he asked, "And then selling those poor fellows to evil Alchemists, black mines that need labor, Necromancers who need a large number of living bodies for experiments, and all sorts of places that can pay a high price for living people?"
Clang!
A deep gash suddenly appeared under Salazar's ribs.
"So what? Is that why you cooperated with those fools?" Bannai's pace remained unhurried.
Yinna, who was guarding Ned's side, had a cold gleam slash her back, leaving a deep wound on her fair skin beneath the tree armor.
Two faint halos flashed, Tenacity Prayer and Holy Healing were cast on Salazar and Yinna respectively. Mo Tan continued to run silently, but his attention was more focused than ever, the Law Decree Shield in his hand, not yet on cooldown, ready to be deployed at any moment.
"They are also deeply poisoned!" Ned retorted angrily, "Fire Claw Territory, right next to Marshall Territory, has a large number of people disappearing every year. Isn't this your good deed?"
Bannai's figure appeared like a ghost on Ned's other side. As Yinna raised her hand to block, he gently inserted a silver blade into the former's shoulder, sneering, "Yes, they are all very popular, whether used as laborers or experimental subjects, they are hot commodities~"
A wall of ice abruptly appeared in front of Bannai. Shuang Ye tore open another magic scroll, attempting to slow Bannai down as much as possible, but he easily bypassed it.
"Don't rush~" His cold, snake-like eyes stared at Shuang Ye. He stuck out his slightly too long tongue and licked the corner of his mouth: "I'll save you for last, you damn little girl."
He harbored extreme hatred for Shuang Ye, who had almost killed him earlier. After confirming that the girl no longer had similar means, Bannai had decided to make her die an exceptionally painful death, perhaps even finding some other amusement before she died…
Of course, he was overthinking. The system provided quite comprehensive protection for players in certain aspects. Any lewd acts, whether by NPCs or players, could absolutely not succeed. If an NPC acted, the victim would be forcibly logged off as a white light and would not suffer any punishment. Players would be directly kicked offline, their accounts permanently frozen, and added to the relevant department's blacklist. In severe cases, they might even face legal sanctions…
So Shuang Ye naturally wasn't worried about anything, she just said to Bannai, "The village attack on the border earlier, that was fake, wasn't it? Now that I think about it, the people we found in that Fire Claw camp didn't seem like kidnapped civilians, nor did they suffer any abuse. The only prisoner was actually just that guy, right?"
She was, of course, referring to the disheveled Orc…
Ned, beside her, wasn't surprised. He had also realized this belatedly, but it was already too late…
Bannai, however, shook his head, circling the group like a shadow, saying, "No, no, no, the village was indeed attacked, and a large number of people were taken, and some died, of course… It's just that it wasn't those idiots from Fire Claw who did it."
The implication was clear…
"You beasts!!" Ned immediately prepared to fight Bannai to the death, but someone was faster than him!
"You go!" Salazar suddenly accelerated and rushed in front of Bannai, his hands creating several streaks of energy as he struck at him. He turned back and shouted, "Captain, you must have a lot of information that those people fear! Go do what you need to do!"
This Lizardmen Monk's strength was considerably greater than Krab's. Although far from enough to pose a threat to Bannai, his reckless onslaught did manage to momentarily restrain the latter, slowing his speed down immediately!
"Wrathful Thunder Strike!" The airflow around Salazar turned light purple, then rapidly integrated into his limbs and bones. At the same time, the opponent left him with over a dozen deep wounds, but his tone remained as calm and indifferent as usual: "Don't stop, don't look back, please!"
Why…
Light red tears streamed down Ned's cheeks. He didn't look back. He knew what Salazar was thinking, and what he wanted him to do. But even though he understood, and had witnessed countless partings of life and death, there was still a madness from deep within constantly eroding his crumbling sanity…
Yinna didn't look back. This Elf, whose face was always smiling, had even cried all her tears dry.
Shuang Ye didn't look back, but even she didn't know how long the strong facade this girl could maintain would last…
Mo Tan didn't look back. He had never felt so powerless. At this moment, no matter which 'self' he was, no matter what kind of 'self', he seemed unable to resolve the current predicament, unable to even retreat safely. His emotions were gradually losing control… But the rationality honed over many years still made him know what he should do, to think… He must think… Whether it was futile or not, he must continue to think… Any method would do… He must believe in himself…
Any tactics were useless now. Support skills couldn't even barely extend their lives. Bannai's strength had reached another realm…
What if he used strategy…
What if he used conviction…
It still seemed impossible, but could he try to imagine…
What would he do now if he were in his other states…
Distraught!
But… he couldn't stop thinking!
Chapter 59: End