Regardless, they could not hold strong forever. Thirty people, especially people of their ability, would eventually find a weakness and exploit it. It was only a matter of time! A blade narrowly slashed Benedict's face, scattering blood, as he barely dodged three arrows. He could feel the iron in his lungs grow. The exhaustion was starting to catch up to him. It was the same for Shirley, whose swings were growing weaker. A halberd might have extraordinary power, but it required an equally extraordinary strength to wield. Her strength decreased far faster than Benedict. A sword crossed her back, a second before her halberd came sweeping back, leaving behind a bloody wound. Both Benedict and Shirley heaved heavily, as their injuries and exhaustion mounted rapidly. Meanwhile, their opponents were none the worse for wear… They sustained a few superficial wounds, but that was it. Everyone was healthy! That was the challenge of fighting outnumbered. Their flexibility was a lot higher!
Benedict and Shirley shared another subtle glance, the intent being obvious. They both knew they could not win. That much was clear from the previous exchange. If they carried on like this, their deaths were guaranteed! Thus, they had to focus their efforts on breaking out of the encirclement. That was the sole way they could turn things around! Thankfully, they both figured out who among the thirty opponents were the weakest. The two immediately charged in that direction, catching their enemies off-guard since they never expected their formation's weakness would be discovered that quickly. It was a first for them! Although they reacted quickly, it was not quite quick enough. Benedict and Shirley almost broke through when…
A dark shadow darted across the battlefield at lightning speeds! Whoosh! It travelled right at Benedict and Shirley like a ghost with sword light shining! Bang! The two jumped back and slid across the dirt to distance themselves from the new threat as sweat rolled down their faces. Benedict had instantly used his Bloodline Ability and Shirley had instinctively dodged, but… they assessed their injuries grimly. Benedict had taken a deep slash to his waist, while Shirley had gained a heavy cut along her shoulder. Both were near fatal injuries that would have been fatal, had they not reacted in time! That was how dangerous their new opponent was! Flicking the blood casually off his daggers, the man sneered eerily. Benedict and Shirley were sure of it… This was a powerful Perception Realm!
"Lord Xu Geming, what are you doing here?" the leader of the thirty spoke angrily.
"It's not everyday you see thirty people losing against two, so I had to come and see it for myself," the man curled his lips in mockery.
"Why you… We don't need your help! Go and handle Princess Elizabeth as planned!"
"Relax. Your precious Imperial Sentinels should be handling that as we speak. There shouldn't be a need for me there."
"Hmph, you damned heretic," the leader snorted.
"I take offense to that. We believe our Reverent Monk's teaching to be pious," he replied snidely.
"Did you say Princess Elizabeth?" Shirley interrupted, while quietly channeling her recovery method. Benedict quickly caught on and followed suit. They aimed to prolong the conversation as long as possible to recover their Martial Energy!
"What does that have to do with you?"
"It has everything to do with us," Benedict said. "We're her friends."
This made Lord Xu narrow his eyes. "Oh, I recognize you two now… You're the leeches always hanging off the princess." His insulting description left them speechless. "Since you're the only ones to survive the Battle of Liguang, do you know what happened to Reverent Monk? We've been searching for him all this time." His tone was gentle yet dripping with killing intent. Like a predator eyeing his prey, he would strike the moment they spoke a lie. That was his confidence in his absolute strength. He could handle them as easily as children!
And in a strange twist of fate, Reverent Monk was the one name Benedict and Shirley were intimately familiar with. It was also the one name they hoped to never hear again! After all, Reverent Monk back in the Battle of Liguang defeated not only them, but Elizabeth, Freon, and Xiuying at the same time. It was an overwhelming, hopeless defeat too. A sea of bitter memories bubbled up to the surface for a split-second, a fact they soon regretted. They might have shown no obvious signs, but a Perception Realm's senses were much superior to the average person. Naturally, Lord Xu sensed it. The man then smiled widely. Boom! A humongous torrent of killing intent exploded from him, scaring Benedict, Shirley, and the thirty soldiers around him. Even the soldiers fighting in the distance paused out of fear, feeling the threat of death encroach. The entire battlefield seemed to freeze and fall silent for an instant. Benedict and Shirley felt the blood drain from their faces. Everything went to show how strong this man, Lord Xu Geming, was! He must be a Perception Realm Expert!
Meanwhile, Elizabeth ignored the complaints of the physicians around her as she pulled herself to her feet, her eyes brimming with resolve. Although she could barely feel her limbs, although she could barely see straight, although she could barely breath properly, she persisted. Her willpower was nothing short of monstrous! Back when her Core collapsed in the Lannisail explosion, the pain was several times more intense. This felt nothing more than a sudden reunion! However, even she knew that her body was reaching its limit. It was bound to break down completely. Fighting against time, the girl was helped over to Freon and the other Ten Dawns. She lacked the means to help them, but Freon with his spell, Verdant Apathy, and Ten Dawn Iris with her healing methods could. They were the sole individuals who could do something here.
"Can you wake them up?" she whispered to a physician who nodded. Lifting the two, a pungent smell was wafted near their noses. It did not take long before they were forcefully roused awake.
"Elizabeth?" Freon muttered incoherently.
"Can you cast Verdant Apathy?" Going straight to the point, she was too injured to care otherwise.
Freon clutched his head in pain as memories flooded back; however, one had to admit that his mental fortitude was every bit as strong as Elizabeth. Thanks to his special training to awaken his Bloodline Ability, he gained an incredible pain tolerance. His clarity returned at a shocking speed! He quickly pieced together the situation and realized what Elizabeth was asking for. While Verdant Apathy could not heal their wounds, it could dull the senses and remove any pain. It was a very useful medicine in their case. Furthermore, once Ten Dawn Iris recovered enough, she could exercise her own healing methods, except… Freon gave Elizabeth a questioning look. Ten Dawn Iris had backlashed down to Half-Condensed Drop from the Battle of Liguang, which robbed her the ability to extend her Magic Perception. She could no longer use her more advanced healing methods because of this. Did Elizabeth overlook this?
Regardless, he inspected his Core and Channels. While they had suffered major damage from his backlash, he remained at Half-Condensed Drop. He was quite thankful that this was the limit of the damage. There were no lingering side effects. Taking a deep breath, he began to carefully circulate his Magic Energy before building the Magic Circle for Verdant Apathy. A scorching pain suddenly arose from every part of his body in response. It was like he was being torched alive! The pain was so unbelievably visceral, it felt like he was being attacked from every possible angle at once, as though its sole reason for existence was to torment him. That went to show how wounded he really was. He almost slipped in casting his spell multiple times, which definitely kept him on edge. If he backlashed again at this stage, there was no telling what might happen! He needed absolute focus!
It was very slow, almost at a snail's pace, but his spell gradually approached completion until finally his spell, Verdant Apathy, activated! Gentle green flames then erupted from his wand and showered everyone. It felt like the world's most wonderful massage, as though their pain and exhaustion were literally being scrubbed away from the body. It was a miraculous feeling. It might not heal their wounds, but the effect this had could truly not be understated. Freon almost felt as good as new again! He regained his spellcasting ability. That said, it did not actually improve their conditions, only hide them away under a pretty sheet. They needed Ten Dawn Iris's help for the former.