During their short rest, Shirley walked over to a nearby crate and pulled out a peculiar white winged bow that shone even in the dim light. She spotted it during her fight and found a strange attraction to it. Now that they had some time to breath, she realized it was Elizabeth's Whiteangel Bow! It was hard not to recognize such a uniquely designed bow. The finely polished wood, the expertly refined curves, and the elegant design stood out even in the armory. Shirley felt something was odd about it, but she could not quite place her finger on it. Yet, this was not the time! She slung the bow and quiver over her shoulder to safekeep for Elizabeth.
After returning to their peak condition, they immediately headed out to the entrance of the prison. Time was even more paramount now. If the guards' disappearance was noted, then it would turn dire fast. While running, Freon inspected his Core with Magical Perception. With a Low Gaseous Fog Core Level, it also meant his Magical Perception was in its infancy. The two developed together. If he wanted to extend his perception out like his sister, Ten Dawn Nassandra, then he would need a minimum of High Gaseous Fog to achieve it. Therefore, he could only inspect his Core.
As he inspected, he sighed. Magical Energy was different from stamina. Although both could be restored with rest, the rate of the two could not be compared. Magical Energy meant purifying the raw World Energy prevalent and transforming it into nourishment for the Core. It was a very slow process. Stamina, on the other hand, was much easier to restore. This made Magical Energy a strategic resource, a key reason why Arcanists served in the rear of any battlefield. With the previous simple fireball spell, Freon's reserves dropped heavily! Moreover, the effectiveness truly paled when comparing Benedict or Shirley! If Nassandra was in his shoes, she could fire off more than a hundred with ease… In the end though, what mattered was maximizing the value!
Before they rounded the final corner, Benedict peeked to see the situation. As expected, there were a handful of guards at the entrance. Even if a fight broke out between the Imperial Sentinels and the Li Family, they could not just abandon their post! However, their numbers were definitely lower than what Benedict remembered. More importantly, he did not spot an Imperial Sentinel amongst them. If they were unlucky enough to encounter an Imperial Sentinel, then it would be game over! The pressure on his chest alleviated. With the current circumstances, they might be able to walk out like this. But things went awry as soon as he looked again. A patrol rushed up to the guards and exchanged a few words.
"Three of the prisoners escaped!" they reported.
"What? Who were they?"
"It was the three that came along with the heir. A Hawken boy, an Arcanist boy, and a girl."
"How did they escape?" the captain unhappily asked.
"They unlocked the cell door using a key," the patrol replied nervously.
"A key? There was one missing earlier, but there was no way any of them could have gotten it. How did they manage it?" The captain pondered more but had no idea. "Regardless, increase the patrols and security of the prison. While we're here, they cannot escape!"
"Yes, captain!" the patrol said before heading out in Benedict's direction!
Benedict was gloomy but maintained a collected composure as he reported everything to Shirley and Freon. There was less than thirty seconds before the patrol reached them. Before then, they had to decide whether to advance or retreat! However, they had to advance! If they allowed the security in the prison to strengthen, it would only make it harder for future attempts! It was like sharpening the blade hanging above your necks! Despite the dangers right now, it was the best time to attack. The three made a rough plan and readied themselves.
Freon closed his eyes and trusted his safety to his friends. His concentration was fully exerted in casting a spell! Magical Energy unceasingly poured out of his Core, rapidly draining his reserves. A magical circle was swiftly constructed as runes were carefully created in place. It was several magnitudes more complicated and powerful than his previous fireball spell! Arcanists had to fully conceptualize the power, range, speed, accuracy, target, along with countless other characteristics to use a spell. A single lapse in concentration was enough to cause a harsh backlash, ruining his efforts. In the worst case, the spell may even explode in his face! Taking such a spell head on would bring him close to death! Moreover, with his Low Gaseous Fog Core Level, every measly bit of Magical Energy was priceless. He had one chance!
But Freon's spell casting speed was horrendously slow. There was no way he could strike before the patrol reached them. Benedict and Shirley nodded as the knight nervously anticipated when the patrol would arrive. As long as they took the initiative, it would be the same as before, right? It was naïve but an earnest hope. As soon as the patrol crested the corner, the two simultaneously struck. Benedict's sword and Shirley's halberd lashed out. Though their timing was near impeccable, their angle worked against them. They could not support an accurate attack! Shirley narrowly missed someone whereas Benedict grazed someone on the chest.
Surprise was followed up by fury as the patrol of five brandished their weapons. Their bloodlust reached an all-time high seeing their captain hurt. Kill! Benedict and Shirley immediately backed off to prevent themselves from being surrounded or cornered. Thankfully, Freon was barely out of sight so the two could focus entirely on fighting. Although it was a fight, it was better to call it a one-sided beating… The captain swung his sword down, hammering on Benedict's guard. It was heavy and powerful. He was intent on returning blow for blow! Meanwhile, two other men approached Benedict from his left and right. The last two were busy duking it out with Shirley. It was dire!
Three on one! Benedict cursed under his breath. The defenses in the prison were already weakened by the Li Family, yet they were still in a pitiful state. If he had mastered the Hawken Swordsmanship Style, dealing with three random guards would be easy! Yet that was easier said than done. There was one individual alive that mastered the style and that was his father, Sir Roland! Even his brother, Sir Lorenzo, a prodigy, was a far cry from mastering it. From this, it can be seen how difficult it was. Needless to say, Benedict's own mastery of the style was in its infancy.
Benedict cleansed himself of unnecessary thoughts and focused entirely on the battle at hand. He leaped back, putting some distance between him and his opponents. He could not allow them to take his front and sides. One of the principles of fighting: limit the number of ways your enemies could attack from! The Hawken Swordsmanship Style especially emphasized this. The three guards pursued him with three accurate attacks from the front. Using the broad side of his sword, Benedict repelled two of the strikes. The third slipped through his defenses and aimed for his throat.
Contrary to the guard's expectations, the attack was easily dodged by Benedict with a simple step backwards. The guard was flustered. The precious opening was defended against? The guard chalked it up to dumb luck and continued the assault. But Benedict knew that it was not simply dumb luck. In fact, he purposely exposed the opening to tempt his enemy to attack. This allowed Benedict to not only control the number of ways the guard would attack, but also predict ahead of time the flow of the battle. By controlling the tempo, there was nothing unexpected! Much like a flowing river, whatever caught in its flow would be powerless! This was the essence of the Hawken Swordsmanship Style!
The knight stepped back again into one of the five stances. The three advanced together, furious that a measly prisoner could escape their joint attack. The captain attacked from the front, forcing Benedict to meet swords. The second slashed at Benedict's waist, but like before, he sidestepped it. Just when he dodged it, the third snuck up behind and struck! Benedict reacted too late. The sword hacked down his back and left shoulder! Taking advantage of this key moment, the captain thrusted his sword forward to kill! It was aimed precisely for his heart! The knight cursed again and strained to twist his body. The blade glided over his chest, a mere hair away from cutting into flesh. Sure enough, three on one was not something he could handle! He needed to regain the tempo!