"Naib!" One of Naib's officers, Khalil, exclaimed in desperation.
He already has his hands full by fighting Alexander and Eden at the same time while the other officer, Nur, is bloodied all over; wounded in different parts of his body while desperately struggling for his life against Emille and Leif.
They were waiting for Naib's decision to surrender or at least retreat in an "every man for himself" style.
As Naib himself struggled against Helena, flashbacks of the moments when their mercenary group was gloriously decimating the enemies surfaced in his mind.
'If only I didn't take on this damned commission…' Naib thought as he valiantly fought off Helena's attacks.
Seeing that his men would crumble any moment now, Naib clenched his fists. Hard as it may be, he needed to call the retreat.
"Everyone! Run! Assemble in the headquarters after six months!"
Hearing Naib's order, the mercenaries felt like they'd been granted a second life–which is still in peril since they had to actually escape before celebrating.
Still, they had a chance and it's all that matters.
Like panicking ants, the mercenaries kicked up a cloud of dust and dirt as they sprinted in off in different directions, desperate to escape the loose encirclement of the Rougenfortians.
'Tch, it'll be hard to wipe them off now' Helena inwardly cursed as she thought about the most efficient thing to do.
Her musings were cut short as her opponent, Naib, suddenly darted off in another direction, not willing to stay and fight her for another minute.
Pride be damned but Naib isn't willing to die here.
As long as he's alive, then their mercenary group could make a comeback no matter how long it took.
Unfortunately, his escape only served to give Helena the answers that she was looking for.
'Ohoh…yeah, why didn't I immediately think of that?' Helene inwardly thought before opening her mouth to give orders. "Alex! Emille! Leif! Eden! Drop what you're doing and help me corner their leader!"
Helena knew that Naib was just as skilled as her and it would be hard for her to stop the guy from escaping.
If there's anything Helena learned during the past few years of leading an army, it is that teamwork makes the impossible possible.
In the past, she always acted recklessly, trying to accomplish everything alone and as a result, there were multiple times when she almost lost her life.
She had comrades and trusty subordinates now so why should she stupidly try to catch Naib alone?
After hearing the grand marshal's orders, the generals immediately complied, dropping everything they were doing to chase down Naib.
Green arrow intent-infused arrows whistled through the air, aimed straight towards Naib's leg.
'These bastards!!' cursed Naib upon realizing that all five Rougenfortian military leaders were all focused on him.
If it was only the four Swordmasters chasing after him, Naib was confident in escaping. Unfortunately, the arrows from the ranger which were all targeting his legs made it impossible for him to escape.
Try as he might, Naib knew that it was futile.
If he focused on dodging the arrows, the Swordmasters would catch up but if he focused on running, then the arrows were bound to hit him.
Gnashing his teeth in frustration, Naib turned around and faced the Swordmasters, completely disregarding the idea of escaping.
If he wanted to escape, he knew that he had to pay a price.
Grabbing something from the small pelt belt bag he had, Naib smiled crazily.
It seems that the time has come for him to use his trump card. He never once thought that he would be using it for a chance to escape from the soldiers of some newly established kingdom.
As for the Rougenfortian military leaders, they raised their vigilance upon seeing Naib's weird actions.
They had some idea that he would be using some kind of trump card right now but they didn't know exactly what the trump card was so as a safety precaution, Helena ordered them to keep their distance as they encircled Naib.
Her orders proved to be the correct course of action as Naib quickly consumed some kind of pill, prompting his skin and his eyes to turn entirely crimson.
His muscles bulged unnaturally as veins started popping out from his arms and legs, making Naib look like some kind of monstrosity.
The guy didn't know if there were any side effects to this pill but he couldn't care less.
He would die anyway if he didn't use it so why hesitate?
In a seemingly berserk state, Naib started to uncontrollably drool. Clenching his falchion tightly, he smiled creepily as he eyed Helena and her men as if they were prey.