Ten soldiers of the Gryphon Legion, Bob Ascher, and the great swordmaster Gabriel - the little dark dragon Gilbert would be courting death if he tried to face this enormous amount of power head on.
Under Han Shuo's urging, Gilbert realised the magnitude of the situation they were in and wasted no time in making cheeky remarks. He charged over from the now obliterated wall as the archers and spear throwers on Gabriel's side regained their footing in a newly formed formation. They suddenly shot out in unison, filling the obliterated sky with arrows and spears aimed at Gilbert.
Han Shuo and the others had long since made their preparations. Emily shot out a dark magic spell, forming a grey, semi-circular protective barrier in the air. Han Shuo also chanted the incantation for Dark Mist, shrouding the entire area in darkness. Candice, Phoebe and Caspian also used a variety of methods to smash the arrows and spears that came their way.
Han Shuo had already been injured when he crossed blades with Gabriel earlier. It was a good thing that he could call upon his necromancy magic without his magical yuan. As Han Shuo cast a spell, several zombie and hate warriors suddenly appeared on the ground, along with dozens of skeletal warriors, forming a blockade in the gap in the wall that Gilbert had made.
The summoned dark creatures acted as flesh shields, filling the gap so that the attacks fell only on them.
Together with Emily's magic shield and Han Shuo's Dark Mist, as well as Phoebe and Candice's efforts, Gilbert didn't suffer any injuries in the end.
The dark creatures that Han Shuo had summoned were shot full of arrows and spears and he began to chant again, but this time it was the 'Corpse Explosion' spell that he'd just mastered as the soldiers of the Gryphon Legion approached, causing two hate warriors to explode, sending flesh and blood flying through the sky. The ten soldiers were taken by surprise and all of them fell backwards.
"Take to the sky and get us out of here!" Han Shuo shouted as he seized the opportunity, the dark creatures blocking all arrows and spears.
Gilbert didn't hesitate when he heard Han Shuo's command and swung his huge body around, crushing two houses beside him. Boulders flew through the air as trees snapped. Gilbert roared as his body, which had been hovering close to the ground, suddenly shot up into the dark sky.
"Stop right there!" Bob Ascher magically shot over at that moment, the silver spear in his hand suddenly shooting out like a silver comet. A glorious tail followed behind it, aiming for Gilbert.
As a sky rider, Bob Ascher had been through many battles over the years and had seen all sorts of situations. Not only was he quite fierce himself, but his battle experience was even richer. He understood that it would be difficult to catch up with Gilbert at the griffon's speed, so the only way was to injure Gilbert first. Otherwise, even though he had a large number of troops following close behind, it would be impossible to keep Han Shuo's group behind.
Bob Ascher's rich combat aura was concentrated in the spear as it drew a magnificent, almost piercing arc in the dark night sky. It embodied a heavy presence that put immense pressure on Han Shuo and the others. The spear flew towards them as if hunting prey, whistling through the night and seemingly using the wind as well.
Han Shuo hastily chanted another bone spell and two bone spears suddenly materialised in front of the silver spear at Han Shuo's will. They broke apart as soon as they touched the spear, and the spear continued on its path unabated.
As Han Shuo reeled in shock, Emily chanted a dark spell as a reaper's blade once again formed in the night sky. As the staff in Emily's hands drew a downward arc, the reaper's blade shot swiftly towards the oncoming silver spear.
Another explosion sounded as Emily suddenly stumbled onto Gilbert's back. She couldn't help but take a few steps backwards as the blade that had formed from her mental power dissipated in an instant.
However, as a result of her attack, the combat aura at the tip of the silver spear had noticeably diminished. Whether it was the flicker of its silver light or its speed, both had suddenly decreased.
Although Han Shuo's heart went out to Emily at this time, he didn't have the time to comfort her. He stared unblinkingly at the spear, preparing to summon the Demonslayer's Edge and meet it in battle.
Suddenly, two crossbow bolts flew out of Phoebe and Candice's hands. Candice's missed, but Phoebe's hit the slowing silver spear hard.
The spear's speed slowed again as a result of the bolt. Gilbert had increased his speed by this time and was heading for the horizon. He widened the gap between the group and Bob Ascher's gryphon and continued to pull ahead.
"Pass on my orders! The whole town is under martial law. Only entry is permitted, not exit. All transportation matrices to other cities are to be closed! No one can activate them without my order. All trespassers will be killed without exception! Bob Ascher's angry scream could be heard in the distance, even Han Shuo and the others could hear him clearly.
"Are you alright?" Han Shuo relaxed when he saw that they were temporarily out of danger, but his expression tightened as he hurried to Emily's side and held her up.
Emily took off her mask, revealing a face drained of colour, but seeing Han Shuo ask for her so urgently, sweetness flooded her heart as she gave a weak laugh, "Don't worry, this is what happens when I exhaust my magic. Don't worry about me, how are you?"
I'll be fine too after a few days of rest!" Han Shuo also comforted Emily with a smile.
Phoebe now had a stiff expression on her face when she saw how intimate Han Shuo and Emily were, but Emily was wounded and had just received her injuries from protecting them all. She wasn't able to say anything about Han Shuo's concern for her.
Coughing lightly, she braved the chilly wind to walk over to Han Shuo, concern also showing on her stunning face. She reached out a slender jade hand to wipe the blood from Emily's lips and admonished her, "You spit out blood, how can you say you're fine?"
Phoebe's slight cough and her movements made Emily realise something immediately. She pushed away Han Shuo's support with a nonchalant smile and kept a distance of two arm's lengths from him before saying, "What do we do now?"
"I'm starting to worry about the safety of the others now that Valen City has been sealed off." Han Shuo's face darkened as she looked at Emily.
Nodding, Emily said, "That's right, he was incredibly angry just now, and he won't be easy to pacify. Valen City has never closed its transport matrix to other cities before. It's cut off all communication with the outside world. Whether it be the Empire or news from other places, Valen City will be unable to receive any of it. Bob Ascher must have hardened his heart and won't give up so easily now that he's taken this step.
"The target I'd come to fight this time was Water Magus Howard at Bob Ascher's side. Originally I was confident I could handle him, but he found someone to help him who didn't play by the rules to capture me. He wanted something from our order of druids after he had captured me, but I wouldn't give it to him, even under threat of death. Before you came tonight, he said he was going to capture little Angelica to threaten me with, so I'm worried about her safety. It was at this point that Caspian finally came clean.
"Honourable Master, where are we going? If you don't make a decision soon, we'll leave Valen City!" Gilbert's voice suddenly rang out in the frosty winter air.
Valen City was a mess right now, so the best and wisest thing to do was to leave. However, if they left now, those still in Valen City would likely be in great danger. Hesitation showed on Han Shuo's face as he glanced uncertainly at those gathered in front of him.
"My cousin is very good to me and I cannot leave him in danger!" Phoebe said firmly as she saw Han Shuo looking at her.
"I can't abandon my comrades!" Candice also spoke up.
When Han Shuo looked at Emily, Emily smiled charmingly, "I'll go along with whatever you decide!"
"Gilbert, go back to the hotel!" Han Shuo trampled on the dark dragon's back after thinking for a while.