As his hands removed the dirt from her face, James's eyes widened in shock. He recognised some of the features he was seeing; his sharp instincts took over, and his right hand unsheathed his sword hilt in one fluid motion.

ZAP!

Lightning struck before James could move another muscle. The bolt crashed down with devastating power. Breaking through a powerful treasure pendant that absorbed most of the shock, but not all. Electricity coursed through James's body instantly, paralysing him mid-draw.

Alyssa didn't waste the opening. Her dagger appeared from beneath her cloak, driving upward toward James's heart with all her strength.

Whoosh!

A translucent barrier materialised around James at the last instant. One of the outcasts had reacted with impressive speed, using a tank skill to protect their leader from lethal damage.

Unfortunately, the killing blow didn't land.

Although the shield prevented death, James wasn't unharmed. By the time the barrier broke under Alyssa's strike, her dagger redirected and continued toward his lower chest, near his stomach, burying itself deep into flesh.

James immediately leapt backwards, clutching his stomach where blood gushed between his fingers. His face twisted with pain and fury.

"You harlot!" he shouted, his polite mask shattering completely.

Moon, the Lieutenant, and the veterans emerged from their hiding positions in the surrounding trees and rocks. They moved in with their weapons drawn, surrounding the outcast group before they could organise a proper defence.

The veterans' eyes widened briefly as they registered what element Moon had just used.

A mid-tier element that required exceptional mana control and affinity. Having such a powerful element guaranteed its user immense power even in the second sanctuary.

But they didn't have time to dwell on the revelation. Alyssa was still in the centre of the outcast group, surrounded by hostile awakeners who'd just realised they'd been ambushed.

"Alyssa, you can drop the act now. Get back here," the Lieutenant called out, his voice cutting through the chaos with authority.

Alyssa rolled backwards, putting distance between herself and the outcasts as she scrambled toward the safety of her own group.

One of the outcasts already had another spell conjured, tracking her movement before he released it.

Moon's hand shot forward. A wall of earth erupted from the ground, intercepting the fireball mid-flight. The projectile exploded against stone.

"Seven on seven," the Lieutenant announced, his sword drawn and ready. "Fair odds. James, you're wanted by the Association for murder. Surrender now, and you'll face trial. Resist, and we'll bring you back in pieces."

James pressed one hand against his bleeding stomach, his other hand finally drawing his sword despite the injury. His eyes were wild now, the polite facade completely gone.

"Fair odds?" James laughed, the sound unhinged. "These pathetic tricks came from you, didn't they, Nathaniel?"

More blood continued pouring from his stomach wound. Although Alyssa hadn't hit his heart, she'd injured another vital organ. His breathing was becoming labored.

"You've murdered ten awakeners," Marcus interrupted coldly. "You don't get to talk."

The two groups faced each other across the clearing, weapons ready, the tension thick enough to cut.

James's eyes fixed on the Lieutenant with disturbing familiarity. "Still playing the noble soldier, Nathaniel? Still pretending you're better than the rest of us?"

He spat blood onto the ground before continuing, "We both know what you did to get that position. How many did you step over? How many did you leave behind? Do they know?"

The Lieutenant's expression remained neutral, but something flickered in his eyes. "That's ancient history, James. You made your choices. I made mine."

"Choices," James sneered.

"You always were good with words, weren't you?"

"What do you guys want?" Jonathan's voice cut through the exchange, calm and almost cheerful.

A smile remained on his face as if everything happening didn't matter to him.

Moon's eyes locked onto Jonathan immediately.

For some reason, the man gave him an unsettling feeling. Compared to everyone else, even James with his psychotic edge, Jonathan seemed different.

His body was too relaxed. There was something fundamentally wrong about how disconnected he appeared from the danger surrounding him.

Moon couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, but his instincts screamed warning.

'If we're going to fight… he needs to die first,' Moon thought coldly.

The Lieutenant considered for a moment, his sword still raised.

"I want his head." He gestured toward James.

Jonathan's smile remained fixed in place. James's smile, however, vanished completely.

"Hah—" James laughed before his eyes suddenly froze.

Thwick.

The sound of an arrow entering flesh was the only sound heard.

Jonathan's arrow penetrated James's skull between the eyes. The outcast leader's expression froze mid-sentence, his mouth still open, his hand still clutching his bleeding stomach.

Then he collapsed backward, dead before he hit the ground.

Everyone stared in shock. Whether it was Moon, the veterans or the outcasts themselves. The Lieutenant's eyes widened fractionally at the execution, not expecting Jonathan to fulfill his request.

Jonathan lowered his bow with the same pleasant smile, as if he'd just done everyone a favor.

"There you go," he said cheerfully.

The remaining outcasts turned to stare at Jonathan with expressions ranging from horror to resignation.

They knew better than to question him. Within seconds, Jonathan had taken control of the group through sheer unpredictable violence. No one dared challenge someone who'd just killed their own leader without hesitation, so easily too.

Fighting Jonathan meant that they were dead. Whether it was the internal battle during such a troublesome encounter, or the threat that the veterans still posed.

Jonathan looked at the Lieutenant, then let his gaze drift to Moon. His smile widened slightly. "Here you go. With your goal fulfilled, we'll be making our way out now."

He gestured casually for the outcasts to follow him.

Marcus stepped forward, his voice hard. "What makes you think we'll let you leave? Your friends over here will earn us some good cash, i'm sure you are worth some yourself, even if I've never seen you befo—"

Whoosh!

An arrow exploded toward Marcus's head at an insane speed. Marcus could only watch in shock as the arrow fastly closed the distance within fractions of a second, his body was unable to move, or better put, didn't get the chance to move.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.