After going through constant fighting with basically no time to rest, it was no wonder that the acolytes were all in such awful condition. Unfortunately for them, the arrival of the elven ships became the last hurdle they needed to survive before they finally reached sanctuary.
Standing among one of the tall sections of ruins, Thrax gave a loud cry as he poured all the strength his body could muster into his spear, throwing the mighty weapon hurtling through the air at breakneck speed towards one of the approaching elven ships.
The spear landed on its mark, but unfortunately it was not powerful enough to pierce through the ship's metal body. Nevertheless, it was enough to force the ship off its trajectory and crash into one of the ruins.
"Everyone get through the gate, now!"
By this time, the majority of the acolytes had reached the gate. However, because the tear created by the destruction of the power crystal was so limited, they were all clustered in front of it which naturally made them an easy target for the elven ships.
The elven fighter ships did a maneuver in the air, flying back towards the group for their second round of bombardment. The loud sounds they created, coupled with their intimidating flight, caused many of the acolytes to fall into panic, turning the congregated mass into a pool of chaos.
Shatter Cross, who was feeling an unprecedented amount of confidence after his feat of successfully slaying a dragon creature before, bravely jumped onto one of the high-rise buildings and fired his [Fusion Bolt] at the flying elven ships.
Unexpectedly, his spell proved powerful enough to deal damage to the ships, sending one of them crashing to the ground.
"I got one! Now this one for you! Yes! Another one!"
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtImpressive though it might be, Shatter's feat quickly made him a prime target for the elven fighter ships. His face immediately turned pale when he saw a squadron of them heading his way.
He realized how reckless his actions were and quickly jumped off the building, scurrying to escape.
"I am out of shot! Don't chase me!"
Explosions engulfed the building he was on earlier, destroying it completely, as the elven ship opened fire mercilessly at him. Turning and seeing the scene of destruction right behind him, Shatter, who didn't have a life-saving artifact, became terrified for his life.
His eyes widened with terror when he saw the barrage was upon him. He thought that his life came to an end when suddenly a figure stepped in front of him and took the shot with their massive body.
The large figure was someone Shatter knew really well.
"Anzi!"
Even with a large hole that had blasted through his body, Anzi was still standing firmly on guard for his master. Still, Shatter could see his confidant's body was trembling, Anzi's voice weak as he spoke to him.
"Master… ge..t out of… here… Go!"
Frightened by the death's embrace that was just about to welcome him, the young noble of the Cross family found his body moving without him realizing, turning and running from this devastated place.
Seeing that, Anzi wore a peaceful smile on his pale face as his body gradually returned to its normal appearance, his transformation was canceled on its own due to the severe injuries he received.
But then, to his surprise, he saw his master's steps suddenly come to a halt.
The young master of the Cross family turned around and swiftly grabbed Anzi's weak body. Gritting his teeth, the young noble returned to his attempt at escape, this time, with the Inhuman in tow.
"Hang on… Anzi…! You are coming with me! We will get out of this forsaken place together!"
The two walked across the bombarded ruins together.
It was such a peculiar sight as for the first time in 10 years, Shatter the master who carried the Anzi the servant.
"We are going to make it, Anzi!"
By this time, most of the acolytes had walked out of the gate and the sight of an empty place once again made the two become the prime target.
The elven ships' bombardment came for the third time. When Shatter thought he was finally done for, he suddenly felt something happening in the area around him. His struggling steps suddenly turned fast, while the ships' projectiles turned slow, allowing him to dodge with rather ease.
Recognizing the phenomenon, Shatter turned his gaze around. He quickly saw the person who helped him. The other party was currently flying above him on top of a sword, using his sword aura to stop one of the blasts from reaching in.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIt was none other than the Sword Saint, Olivier Arkaland.
"Let's go!" Olivier beckoned for the two to move.
The three quickly rushed to join the last group of acolytes and enter the tear in the barrier. As soon as they came out, just like the others, they instantly activated their vests and within seconds their figures disappeared into motes of light.
Now that all the thousand acolytes had successfully left the planet, Delbrand turned his head and looked at the conditions of the magus who had come with him. His gaze hardened when he saw their pitiful and battered appearance.
Four of them had died on this mission, with half a dozen suffering such serious injuries that they were struggling to their feet. At the same time, beyond all the dozen elven spaceships, far in distance, he could sense at least two dozen elf magus and a grand magus approaching, that should only be part of the force the battle star class ship had.
He then turned his gaze in the direction of the compound as he once again tried to contact the group of acolytes who were still left behind. Alas, his efforts were not successful. It seemed the elves had put out some kind of disruption that rendered communication devices useless.
Unwilling to see more death, he decided to finally conclude the mission.
"Everyone, retreat!"
Hearing the order, one by one, starting with the most injured, all the magus exited the barrier and quickly teleported away from the planet.
When the last magus left however, Delbrand did not follow them. Instead, he turned around and looked at the compound again. His gaze shone with determination as he streaked through the air, deciding to find the rest of the acolytes.
The man once again cast a massive body of dark smoke as his figure charged towards the incoming army of elves, the spell sowing casualties and chaos among them. However, when the smoke finally dissipated, the Ghost of Lymhurst was nowhere to be seen.