Chapter 605 - 522: Moonlit "Feast

Chapter 605: Chapter 522: Moonlit "Feast

"How utterly foolish..."

Ellis watched as the scene before her eyes instantly devolved from a standoff into a bloody free-for-all.

A sliver of cold anger and deep disappointment flashed in her gray-blue eyes as she whispered in a dry voice.

"The monsters are right behind us, yet they’re here killing each other over who takes the first step. Is this... barbarism, untamed by knowledge?"

"Utterly foolish, indeed."

Roland’s voice came from beside her.

As he spoke, he lowered the still-groggy Ogre from his shoulder, placing him securely beside Holland as if handing over a piece of luggage.

At the same time, his other hand shot out like lightning toward Holland’s waist.

Tucked there was a sheathed dagger, newly purchased from the black market and yet to see blood.

"Hey? Rudolph, what are you—"

Holland instinctively tried to protect his new toy, but he was half a beat too slow.

The dagger, sheath and all, had been easily plucked away by Roland.

"Stick with me!"

The three words were spoken clearly, leaving no room for doubt.

Before his words faded, Roland’s figure shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. He plunged into the seething vortex of chaos ahead—a whirlwind of roars, screams, magical embers, and spattering blood.

He didn’t circle the edges. Instead, he charged straight and brazenly into the heart of the conflict, where the crowd was thickest.

Ahead, a blood-crazed Barbarian Warrior was roaring as he swung his War Axe, chopping at a Guard blocking with a Shield, completely ignoring the Long Spear stabbing from another Guard at his flank.

Roland’s figure cut between the two like a phantom.

His left hand, like an iron pincer, clamped onto the Barbarian Warrior’s axe-wielding wrist and gently guided it to the side.

CRASH!

The heavy War Axe scraped past the edge of the intended target’s Shield and slammed into the ground, sending shattered rock flying.

At the same time, Roland dipped his right shoulder and bumped the Barbarian Warrior’s side, a clever burst of force instantly penetrating his core.

The bear-like man let out a muffled grunt and stumbled uncontrollably a few steps to the side, landing right in the path of the incoming Long Spear.

The spear-wielding Guard was startled and hastily pulled back, his attack faltering.

But Roland had already used the force of the collision to spin, slipping through the narrow gap between the two men like a fish through water.

The Dagger in his right hand was not even drawn; he simply used its leather-wrapped pommel to casually tap the junction of the Guard’s helmet and gorget as he passed.

Urk!

The Guard’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

The entire sequence was over in the space of a breath. Two burly men were stunned and pushed back, clearing the path.

Roland’s steps didn’t pause for a moment as he continued forward.

A Wanderer lurking in the Shadow thought he saw an opportunity. A Poisoned Dagger stabbed silently toward Roland’s back.

However, the tip of the Dagger stopped an inch from Roland’s back, unable to advance any further.

Roland didn’t even turn around. His left hand, holding the sheathed Dagger, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head as it whipped backward at an incredible angle.

CRACK!

The end of the sheath precisely struck the Wanderer’s knife-wielding wrist. The sound of shattering bone was masked by the surrounding din.

The Wanderer cried out in pain as the Dagger fell from his grasp.

Roland followed the motion, pulling his arm back and ramming his elbow backward like a sledgehammer into the man’s chest.

As if struck by a Siege Hammer, the Wanderer was sent flying backward, spewing blood. He crashed into two unlucky souls who were in the middle of a brawl.

And so he moved through the chaotic tide of people.

Every sidestep, every footfall, every seemingly casual wave of his hand or block, precisely dismantled the threats around him and cleared the obstacles in his path.

There were no wide, sweeping slashes, no brilliant bursts of Fighting Spirit.

Only the simplest, most direct, and most efficient movements.

He was like a precise and ruthless machine, advancing steadily and efficiently along an invisible straight line through the disordered chaos.

Everywhere he went, bodies were sent sprawling.

Whether they were blood-crazed participants or Guards trying to maintain order, they were all like straw pushed aside by an invisible hand, stumbling or collapsing to either side as he forcibly plowed a straight path through the boiling pandemonium.

Holland’s eyes went wide. He hoisted Ogre onto his shoulders, grabbed the still-dazed Ellis, and followed close behind, sprinting down the "safe path" that had been violently carved open.

Up ahead, the dozen or so Dark Moon Guards holding the final checkpoint now displayed a level of discipline and coordination far superior to the brawling individuals.

They showed no signs of panic at the chaos erupting behind them.

Under their leader’s command, they quickly tightened their formation, creating an even denser defensive line.

Four shield-bearers stood at the front, their Shields interlocked like a mobile Iron Wall, steadily blocking the sporadic charges.

Between the gaps in the Shields, Long Spears lunged out like vipers, precise and lethal.

Four Casters were positioned behind them, calmly gathering Magic Elements, their sharp eyes scanning for any threats trying to break through from the flanks or from above.

They were not trying to kill, only to delay and deter.

Two skirmishers in Light Armor, wielding Curved Sabers, patrolled the flanks like agile hounds, ready to pounce on anyone who broke through the line.

And the leader, Scarface, stood slightly behind the center of the line holding a heavy flail, his fierce gaze directing the entire engagement.

Their coordination was audible, their movements methodical.

Facing the sporadic charges from these participants—who fought for themselves, their tactics disordered by fear or rage—this defensive line was like a hard reef. Though struck by occasional waves, it remained unshakable.

In fact, they used their coordination to take down several hotheads who tried to force their way through.

Their intention was obvious.

They were using this line as a sieve to buy time, allowing only the "important people" through while completely trapping the remaining "unqualified" or "unruly" participants inside the mine pit. Perhaps...