The battle on the ground slowly escalated. Stronger spells were used, injuries accumulated, even deaths were unavoidable.
Tepo watched with narrowed eyes, but he didn't intend to help anyone. This fight was between the two alliances and had nothing to do with him. He would only protect himself and Yerive.
But unfortunately, the enemies viewed things differently.
By now Yichén had the attention of four opponents and was still able to hold on. Finally, one of them was fed up with the futile struggle. His eyes found Tepo and Yerive as a vicious grin formed on his lips.
Tepo frowned. He noticed how a warrior separated from Yichén's fire zone. With an ugly face the man dashed towards Tepo.
Cursing inwardly, he had no choice but to meet the opponent. His knife slashed out with [Subtle Strike]. A saber met it.
Immediately Tepo felt a pain shooting down his arm. He tumbled backwards.
F*ck! That's definitely no aspirant!
The enemy warrior was pleasantly surprised. He immediately followed up with another attack.
"Yerive! Get to safety!"
Yerive was startled as he heard Tepo's anxious shout. His mind blanked. He wanted to help his friend but didn't know if it was possible.
Gritting his teeth the young man came to a decision. He suddenly ducked and rolled below the train. His eyes focused on the battlefield.
Tepo was relieved. This allowed him to fight more freely. But his situation wasn't great.
A saber aimed for Tepo's neck. He immediately used [Time Dilation: Target]. But the enemy was a lot stronger. Even affected by the ability his attack was still so fast that Tepo could barely react.
A loud clanging sound rang in Tepo's ears.
"Ahh!"
His wrist bent dangerously. His fingers opened involuntarily, sending his knife flying.
The warrior's eyes shook. Suddenly he pumped out his force without holding back. [Infectious Flames] spread around him. A zone similar to Yichén's was created.
But unfortunately, his wasn't potent enough. The enemy used a defense spell and ignored the flames. They couldn't touch him.
Tepo's back was against the train. His mind raced as he tried to come up with anything.
"It's over, little blue b*stard!"
The Red Alliance warrior's eyes screamed of his blood lust. He liked his lips. His saber swung at Tepo's neck again.
Suddenly a violet vortex appeared in the air. The warrior was confused. His saber touched the vortex, immediately losing all momentum as if the attack never existed in the first place.
As the warrior's eyes showed his disbelief, a sharp blueish, conic energy suddenly shot out from below the train. The warrior reacted a moment too late. He tried to dodge, but the attack still hit his shoulder.
Tepo gritted his teeth. He wasn't sure if Yerive's attack was good or bad. Now he was forced to attack.
Dashing forward, the young man activated [Rapid Pierce] on his fist. He shot at the warrior.
Suddenly a saber appeared in Tepo's path. His chest involuntarily tightened. He felt death breathing down his back. At the last moment he evaded slightly, the saber puncturing his stomach.
Indescribable pain flooded Tepo's nerves. But his experience came into play. He knew that he couldn't draw back his attack or this would be his end.
His fist continued. It found its target.
"AHH!"
The enemy tumbled backwards. His face was mangled, but his defense still blocked the brunt of the attack.
"B*stard!"
Suddenly an angry shout came from behind the warrior. Fire burned in Yichén's eyes. He only needed a few seconds to push back his enemies, but Tepo almost died in the meantime.
Now a flaming fist arrived. It burst on the red warrior's back. The man cried in pain as flames seared his skin. With one more attack from Yichén he finally fell to the ground as a burned corpse.
Tepo had one knee on the ground. His face was pale, his vision swaying. He was losing too much blood. Yerive shouted his name in concern, his eyes teary.
Suddenly a shower of light shrouded Tepo's body. His wound began to heal visibly. His actions quickened as he hastily took out a dark root and put it in his mouth.
The young man stood up shakily, looking towards the right. There, on the train stood a young woman spreading healing spells over the battlefield. She was too busy to even notice Tepo's thanks.
"CAREFUL!"
A loud scream suddenly left Yerive's mouth. Tepo's body trembled. He had just recovered somewhat, but now a chill engulfed him. He instinctively knew it. Death was close and he had no hope of avoiding it.
Tepo turned his head in slow motion. His eyes fell on a figure not far away standing still in the chaotic war. They wore a confident grin, putting down their hand which just threw a dagger.
Images overlapped in Tepo's head. It was one of the silent members of Seven Strikes!
Tepo felt indignant. All his ambitions seemed to crumble before him. His relationships were severed one by one. The smiling faces of his friends flashed before his eyes.
Even in his old life the young man was never met with such a helpless situation. There were no big differences in strength. The outsiders had some trump cards, but those were still possible to overcome.
But not now. Tepo couldn't do anything. He could only let the situation happen.
Suddenly a broad back appeared in Tepo's vision. Tepo also seemed to vaguely recognize it. Wasn't this the female soldier leading them through the dungeon?
A small shockwave spread following a thunderous rumble. The soldier stood her ground, her blue robe only flowing slightly.
"Stay your hands! The Hub City Alliance is apprehending criminals! No one is allowed to move!"
Confusion spread on the battlefield. The situation changed all of a sudden. A blinding light engulfed the battlefield. No one was able to lay their eyes on the silhouette floating in the air.
A frightened scream rang out:
"F*ck! Boss, the alliance is here!"
"Fight a way out!"
"Don't resist!"
"Lord Lendias, surrender if you value your life!"
The blinding light was immediately suppressed by two other powers.
Tepo snapped back to reality. Sweat ran down his head, his body trembling. He realized that new powerful warriors had arrived.
"Thank you."
A dry voice left his throat, but the female soldier was already on the move, chasing behind the assassin.
In the sky the battle between the Red Alliance elder and Blue Alliance elder came to a stop. The sphere surrounding them disappeared into thin air.
Although both of them did their best to look unperturbed, sharp eyes would know that the clash ended with Wang Guo's defeat.
The elders wore grave expressions. Not far away a battle at their level was going on. Lendias was shrouded in a majestic light, but he was tightly suppressed by two soldiers.
"Ahh! Help!"
"NO!"
Chaotic screams rang out on the ground. Rage burned in the elders' eyes as they looked down. They saw how foreign warriors weaved between their subordinates, taking them as shields against the Hub City Alliance.
Dozens of golden armored soldiers had appeared at some point. They encircled the scene with stern faces. The situation for team Seven Strikes turned dire.
Before they could make any desperate moves, an enormous pressure suppressed them. The two elders took action, aiding the Hub City Alliance.
With their help there were no surprises. Lendias held on a bit longer but eventually team Seven Strikes succumbed to the numerical superiority and was captured entirely by the Hub City Alliance.
Tepo watched the situation with an incredulous expression. Every warrior of the two alliances had disbelief on their faces. No one expected that this was how this war would end.
Frowning heavily, Tepo wasn't sure if his presence had played a role in this war. Was it only a coincidence or had Seven Strikes cooperated with the Red Alliance?
Fortunately, not many had noticed the attack on him. Yerive was the only one who held some doubts. Even Yichén guessed that it was just a coincidence.
Tepo took a deep breath, leaning against the stone train next to Yerive. He looked towards the sky with a complicated expression.
Floating in the air were the two alliance elders and the man who questioned Tepo in his cell. Who would've thought that this man would turn out to be a high-ranked warrior?
The Hub City Alliance bigshot thanked the elders for their cooperation. He promised them compensation but also demanded their absolute secrecy.
A vague pressure emitted from him, shaking the warriors on the ground. As they looked at the half-dead members of Seven Strikes, who were escorted by mighty golden-armored soldiers, everyone was reminded once again why no one dared to mess with the Hub City Alliance.
After the golden soldiers slowly left, the elders decided to stop the war. Both sides cared for their wounded and dead. A sad atmosphere hung over the battlefield. Although the scene seemed almost harmonious, deep down the grievances only strengthened.
Battles like these were the reason why the war between the two alliances never ended. The young warriors didn't care for some vague battle for inheritance, but they cared for the friends they lost today.