[T.L: punisher87]
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Flash!
Whenever Harmila, Yulian's thunderbow, shot an arrow, the giant tree's fruit would inevitably fall. Valkas caught the fruit in mid-air and safely sent it to the rendezvous point.
The fruits they obtained contained mostly living prisoners, unlike those that had already fallen to the ground.
The pace of the rescue was increasing. The prisoners who arrived with each fruit were released by Enya, and those who walked to Hedo's back collapsed on the ground.
The prisoners felt relief, knowing that most of them had survived, but it was only temporary.
"Ah... My arm, my arm!"
"Mage, my daughter is still inside the castle. Please... please save her. Please!"
It was difficult to control people overwhelmed by fear.
Starting from those whose families were trapped among the fruits, to those who couldn't suppress their screams due to pain, to those whose minds crumbled and tried to escape the ranks for no reason, to those who grabbed Enya and begged for help, and even those who carelessly leaned against Qwaul's machine...
Sobs, moans, screams.
With each increasing number of rescued individuals, the area where Hedo guarded the gathering point for prisoners turned into a chaotic battleground.
There were so many people who had lost their families, became disfigured, or were overwhelmed by despair.
Among them, there were a few who managed to maintain their sanity, but if things continued like this, it seemed that Valeria and Qwaul would also have trouble analyzing the situation.
Enya was an exceptional mage. The reason her comrades left her at the prisoner gathering point was because her magic was particularly specialized in defense.
However, Enya was also a very kind person. She lacked the cold-heartedness to control people even if it meant resorting to cruel methods in this situation.
Originally, Hedo, Valeria, or Qwaul should have taken on that role, but all three of them were completely focused on the prisoners and couldn't pay any attention to it.
"Stay still! Everyone, maintain the ranks! It will be difficult for me to help you if you don't follow the instructions!"
There weren't many prisoners who listened even when Enya shouted.
Some prisoners even retorted to Enya, asking what good it would do.
'I can't afford to act frustrated. Even if the prisoners are in a pitiful state, if I lose control now, our allies will be in danger. If Sir Hedo takes my place and provides a distraction, the comrades who haven't received the protection of Sir Hedo and the other prisoners being rescued may die!'
Soon, Enya clenched her staff and unleashed her mana on the prisoners who tried to break free from her control. Cruel as it may be, she had to overpower them with force.
Enya's staff was trembling slightly. It was unexpected for her to be pointing her staff at the prisoners instead of the Chaos Army.
"If you continue to cause trouble, I won't have a choice. Return to the ranks immediately. This is your last warning."
"Yeah, go ahead and kill us. I've already lost my entire family. I have no reason to live... I might as well..."
Suddenly, a prisoner fell, and Enya's pupils widened.
She had intended to subdue them, but it wasn't her who had brought down the prisoner.
Someone had used magic before Enya.
"These crazy bastards, they don't even realize how grateful they should be."
He was one of the prisoners who had just arrived at the gathering point, someone with a history with Enya—Pascal Chip.
"I am Pascal Chip, a magicl officer of the Imperial Defense Corps. From now on, those who do not follow the control will be subject to military law. Do those who risked their lives to come to this hell to rescue the prisoners trapped in the enemy's hands seem funny to you? Are those people aiming their staffs not at the enemy, but at you?"
"Pascal...!?"
Pascal Chip, the leader of a group of thugs who tormented Enya in the past at the Vermont Academy.
He had completely transformed into a different person after the operation to eliminate the Dark Magic Society during Jin's time as a reserve flagbearer. He had become a respectable officer in the Imperial Defense Corps. During the invasion of Diphus, he was protecting the civilians as a member of the defense force and ended up becoming a prisoner. Even after being rescued, he was still fulfilling his duty.
-Ugh... I will definitely repay this favor someday...
Those were the words Pascal said after the operation to eliminate the Dark Magic Society.
"After that day, I vowed to repay the favor someday. I never expected that I would be able to help in a moment like this. Since there are members of the Imperial Defense Corps among the rescued prisoners, I will assist in controlling them. Please focus on what the Tikan Mage Commander is doing."
When Pascal subdued a few more unruly prisoners, the chaos subsided quickly. It would have likely resulted in the same outcome if Enya had done it, but it was clear that it had left a mental impact on her.
Enya nodded.
"I understand, Sir Pascal. I will entrust it to you."
The confusion at the prisoner gathering point was finally brought under control.
Enya redirected her focus to rear defense, and Hedo swung his sword without needing to look back, momentarily forgetting the commotion behind.
Though the sun was not rising due to the haze, it was already past 6 o'clock in the morning.
Three hours had passed since the rescue operation began, and nearly three thousand prisoners had gathered at the rendezvous point.
Compared to the estimated hundred thousand people, it was still far from sufficient, but each and every life was invaluable.
Now, the prisoners were taking care of each other's injuries, tending to the fallen and deceased.
Fortunately, there hadn't been any serious casualties among the members of the Vamel alliance so far.
Most of them were still running across the wasteland, extracting the fruits from the giant tree and eluding the Giant Beasts.
However, their physical condition wasn't without its problems. After running through this hellish terrain for several hours, exhaustion was inevitable.
Hedo and Mary, in particular, were experiencing the most strain. The area where Hedo stood was covered in puddles of sweat, and Mary repeatedly gasped for breath, barely managing to stay close to the Rikalton Castle but being pushed back repeatedly by the Giant Beasts.
"Ugh, huff...!"
As Mary had yet to infiltrate the castle, it was due to the relentless interference from the Chaos Beasts whenever she approached a certain distance.
Thanks to that, the Giant Beasts were unable to advance as they pleased, relieving some of Hedo's burden and ensuring some progress.
"Elder sister!"
Daytina's voice resounded as he leaped in front of Mary, swinging his greatsword.
The giant's fist aimed at Mary was deflected, and in that opening, Haytona struck a rock that was flung behind Mary.
"What are these damn bastards doing here? Instead of bothering me, go and rescue the prisoners! Did you really think I couldn't handle something like this?"
"Elder sister, you seem exhausted."
"If you continue trying to break through on your own like this and deplete your stamina further, you'll be overwhelmed when a situation arises inside the Rikalton Castle. Anyway, this area is our responsibility. As you can see... there are no surviving prisoners here anymore."
Mary didn't even realize that she had been pushed back to the area belonging to the Tona brothers.
"Heh, damn it."
"I won't mention joining you in infiltrating Rikalton Castle. Although it may seem like I'm resolute, I understand that it's not our role. So please allow us."
Mary locked eyes with her siblings.
Looking into their resolute and firm eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if these really were the Tona brothers.
"...I thought you were nothing more than muscle heads, but now you're finally playing the role of human beings."
"It's all thanks to you and the youngest, elder sister."
"We're making an effort to follow the words you said last time."
Though their words were rough, Mary remembered that the Tona brothers were there when she resisted Rosa alongside Diphus before Jin returned.
It occurred to Mary that perhaps the Tona brothers had already become reliable siblings since that time. No, it was certain.
"Alright, I will rely on you a bit. Can you make sure there are no corpses in my way?"
"Of course, elder sister."
"Go!"
As they started breaking through again, Mary felt that the path was much easier compared to before.
"Get lost, you monster bastards! The madwoman of the Southern Continent and the sons of Hell are coming out!"
"Kahaha! Get lost, get lost!"
"Crazy bastards..."
The giants who had become accustomed to concentrating their pressure on Mary alone were losing their momentum.
After about twenty minutes, the siblings finally reached near the outer wall. Mary had managed to conserve some energy, and the Tona brothers still had enough strength to go back the way they came.
"That should be enough. Although your lines were cheesy and cringe-worthy due to being backed by shouting, you have become considerably stronger, haven't you?"
"Wow, thank you!"
"Now go back. Don't move alone from here. I should be able to enter without any trouble. Most of the giants have been pushed back."
"Hoo, elder sister!"
"What?"
"We wish you good luck..."
As the Tona brothers tried to hold Mary's hand and bow their heads, Mary suddenly pulled out her sword and scanned her surroundings.
She felt a presence. It was a distinct aura of hatred, different from the giants.
When they checked the source of the aura, the Tona brothers couldn't help but make distorted faces.
"T-those... things that we killed to dust during the attack on the Garden of Swords... they're resurrected!?"
Myu and Ann.
They were looking down at the three siblings from the outer wall.
[Oh, my. It's truly a scene that can't be watched without shedding tears. Wishing you good luck? Since when were you all so close?]
[Hey, 7th flagbearer. You used to act so high and mighty, but now you've fallen to the point of needing help from those wretches? It's almost pitiful enough to kill you, isn't it?]
The siblings stared back at Myu and Ann without answering.
"If you died, you should have at least been buried with some dignity. What kind of cockroach are you? I don't understand why there are so many bugs resurrecting these days. But come to think of it, it's right that we put an end to you with our own hands. Come down and let's fight. You won't survive this time."
"The day has come to settle our long-standing grudge. The persecutions, humiliations, and shames we've endured. We'll pay it all back today, you damn bastards!"
While Myu and Ann mocked the Tona brothers, Haytona quietly whispered to Mary.
'Elder sister, we will deal with them. Take this chance to go.'
'They are beyond what you can handle right now. Your stamina is barely enough to retreat.'
'No, elder sister. There's no point in trying to escape. Besides, we have a plan. We don't intend to die in your place, so please go now. Even if we get overwhelmed in the fight, me and Haytona will hold on until our temporary allies arrive. So, good luck!'
Although they hadn't discussed in advance how to handle such a situation, the Tona brothers were already leaping towards Myu and Ann, leaving Mary no time to think.
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