Sometime later, Elizabeth and her friends were travelling through a quiet forest path on the hillside. This path was irregular and poorly maintained, judging by the jumpy steps, overgrown vegetation, and fallen trees. It was probably used by hunters in the past, though it seemed to have fallen out of use in recent times. Normally, a hunter would have travelled at a very slow pace, careful not to lose their footing and slip into the ravine below; however, Elizabeth and her friends were the exception. With Benedict carrying Freon, and Shirley carrying Elizabeth, the two martial artists kept releasing their Martial Perception to sense the slightest disturbances in the earth. Anytime the ground seemed to shift or potentially collapse, they could quickly change direction and move out of the way. Furthermore, while they were being carried, Elizabeth and Freon were constantly casting Formless Step and Verdant Apathy around them. This pushed their speeds even higher and erased their fatigues.
They would have been comparable to streaks of light as they whizzed through the forest, except they were not alone. Right behind them, Sir Winstin was carrying Ten Dawn Yvonne, the four other Royal Guards were carrying the other Ten Dawns while the remaining Grand Knights tried to keep up. Due to this, Benedict and Shirley were forced to slow down, since none of them could use Martial Energy. They were still extremely fast though, far faster than any horse-mounted rider. This small group of less than thirty people covered ground quickly. Although more people survived the previous battle than this, they decided to split up into three groups. The first group were those that were too wounded to move, where transporting them would simply kill them. They were left behind on that battlefield. The second group was acting as a decoy as they headed back to the main camp. Since Elizabeth was the target, they would hopefully mislead the attackers. The third and final group was obviously Elizabeth and her friends. Their goal was to use a roundabout route and high speed to maneuver around the enemies and reach General Petra first.
This plan, proposed by Sir Winstin and Ten Dawn Yvonne, was staunchly opposed by Elizabeth when she heard it. None of the soldiers could survive a second attack without Elizabeth and her friends' support. This was essentially a death sentence for everyone. For those who fought so hard to survive, this was an option too cruel. She could not accept it. That was why she wanted to recreate the miracle her master made by healing everyone, but this was an obvious lost cause. It was a method that exceeded a Rank 2 Lord, and possibly a Rank 3 King. A Half-Rank 2 Lord like herself had no qualifications to understand it, much less try it. Therefore, she was left without a choice. She decided to do as they say. In exchange, she would return to the main army at the maximum possible speed! She needed to get General Petra's help before everyone died! Her impatience was transferred to her spell as their speed spiked! Trees and rocks became mere blurs, as the landscape transformed into one long stroke.
They eventually stopped where a landslide had blocked the trail. Elizabeth found it strange since she remembered the army had investigated this area before, and there were no reports of a landslide. Either way, they were about to circle around when Sir Winstin suddenly threw the Ten Dawn off his back, grabbed his glaive, and swung into position! Bang! A powerful impact slammed into him, sending sparks flying and releasing a minor shockwave. Even his feet began to slide from the incredible force! He roared, and forcefully redirected the momentum away. People could then see a black dagger fly by and pierce a boulder. Boom! The boulder was instantly pulverized into dust, showing the monstrous destructive power behind it. Benedict and Shirley's eyes widened because this weapon was too iconic to forget. Was it him? Multiple powerful auras then erupted around them, as if to answer their fears, as people emerged from the woods.
Lord Xu was the first to show up, revealing the fierce aura of a Perception Realm Expert that washed over everyone. Many of the Grand Knights shrunk back out of fear. Alongside that unnerving demonic smile, he truly felt like a monster in human skin! Next was the couple from the Tiuxan School, Little Sword of the Jian Family, the bald Perception Realm Expert, Imperial Sentinel Kong, Imperial Sentinel Mao, and a few others that Benedict and Shirley did not recognize; however, judging by their incredible auras, they were certainly not pushovers. They must be Perception Realm Experts! Elizabeth kept a calm face, but she was inwardly shocked, since there were a few that stood out to her. For example, Lady Lanfeng of the Fragrant Orchard House, Lord Xiaobo of the Red Fox Gang, and Lord Ru of the Southern Wind… They had gotten famous for almost assassinating Emperor Lianghu many years ago, and would have succeeded until Cardinal Hui and the Four Cardinals stepped in. Their severe crimes landed them a lifetime sentence in the capital's prison, or so Elizabeth believed. The Imperial Council must have gotten desperate to release them now. As Imperial Sentinels, famed experts, and heinous criminals stood side-by-side, it painted a bizarre, yet menacing scene. It felt like Elizabeth was facing the entire Xingyuu Empire together! The oppression was immense.
"How was our surprise, Your Highness?" Lord Xu sneered.
"I can't say I'm too fond of it," Elizabeth replied tit-for-tat. "Was the landslide your doing?"
"Well, we wouldn't want the game to end that quickly now, would we?"
"I wouldn't dare to since you prepared this grand stage for us," she said sarcastically as her gaze travelled through the crowd.
"I'll spare you the guesswork… There's fifty of us here, all Perception Realms."
Hearing that, Elizabeth's heart dropped. There were less than twenty people on her side, and no one was in a state to fight anymore. The Ten Dawns could not use their large-scale tactical spells, and the Royal Guards were barely hanging on with Freon's Verdant Apathy. Elizabeth and her friends were the only ones that could do something, but… she looked around her. They were currently on a mountainous stretch of the road that overlooked a steep ravine, meaning any big moves could destabilize the ground and cause another landslide. That would kill everyone. Therefore, they had to limit their strength and any damage they caused. The problem was that they were outnumbered two-to-one, and it was unfeasible to hold back in this situation. Neither option was good. In that case, fleeing might be their best option. Their opponents did not have good control over Martial Energy, so Elizabeth's side would be faster. It would become a chase. She had to let her allies know without their enemies catching on.
"How'd you know we were coming here? We didn't plan our route until the very last second," Elizabeth said, in the hopes of buying more time.
"Your General Christina kept a very detailed map of the area. It was easy to guess your route from that."
"And what happened to her?" The girl narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"Elizabeth, calm down," Shirley whispered as Lord Xu smiled. He wanted to see their looks of despair more than anything. It was his secret little pleasure. While he prepared to fan the flames, Elizabeth looked at him flatly.
"Don't worry, he won't rattle me."
"Oh? You don't care about how she begged for mercy? Or how we strung her up and tore her limb from limb? Her screams were like… music to the ears." He smirked. "We know all about it. That woman was your aunt, wasn't she? There's no use pretending to be calm. We might be willing to hand over her corpse if you decide to drop on your hands and knees and beg."
"Bark all you want. I'm not listening," she sneered, while preparing a spell.
"Lord Xu, stop wasting time," Sentinel Mao snapped.
"Alright." He stepped back to let the two Imperial Sentinels take charge.
"Attention! Kill everyone except Princess Elizabeth! Charge!" Sentinel Kong roared. Bang! The ten Perception Realm Experts, and forty Perception Realms with Martial Energy simultaneously accelerated with their auras towering! It felt like the world was falling down!
"Everyone, cover your eyes!" Elizabeth shouted. She then activated the spell, Luminous Sky! The entire forest was suddenly flooded by a piercing white light!