The figure of Cristhian Tamara reappeared among the dense trees of the forest. A serious look was on his face as he watched the explosion.
One of the most disturbing scenarios had ended up becoming a reality. Dabrio Tamara had somehow managed to get help.
He didn't know how he had made contact, but the probability that the help he had obtained came from the branch he controlled was low.
Even if it had taken time, they would have noticed the message by now. The same would be true if he had requested help in a Beyonder function; the origin of this help was unknown.
However, this did not worry him. From what he had seen of the power of the previous attack, there was no divinity in it.
The help Dabrio had managed to obtain, or rather support, was Mid-Sequence. Based on the attack, a Sequence 5 would be the safest bet.
Wherever he had sent the rest was not his concern at the moment, but rather why he hadn't sent him away.
'I know he finally decided to face me, but doing so in one go is the style of someone very aggressive. Is he that kind of man?' Cristhian thought as he watched the fiery light and his surroundings.
Dabrio and the one who had launched the attack had disappeared, taking advantage of the explosion to hide again. Although the Unshadow Domain had destroyed the shadows, his enemies seemed to have another way of hiding that did not require them.
But against an Imperative Mage, such attempts were useless.
Raising a hand, he prepared to perform an Exile and reveal their hiding place, but before he could issue the command, the fire in the destroyed clearing danced.
The clearing burned with orange flames, and among them, a figure walked calmly, his footsteps soundless.
The flames embraced this figure and enveloped him in fiery reddish-orange like armor. In his burning helmet, crimson eyes burned, and in his right hand, he carried a burning curved dagger.
More of these figures emerged from the flames. Three in total. All of them were fiery knights. However, they were not as detailed as the knight in the middle.
The flames that had not yet been extinguished in the clearing glowed for a moment, and in the next, they were condemned to balls that exploded, and dozens of fire crows screeched.
Shriegh!
The crows screeched and accelerated, quickly closing the distance. The same was true of the rough fire soldiers who charged forward while the most stable one watched everything from behind, keeping a reasonable distance between them.
'You spared no effort, Dabrio...' Noticing that the distance between them was more than 80 meters, Cristhian was sure that the man had explained everything about the Arbriter Pathway to his support.
If that weren't the case, that knight would already be dead. His body would be nothing more than flesh on the grass.
If that knight were just 10 meters ahead, he would enter and disturb the order zone left behind after using teleportation. That way, he could use Lashing and Execution to kill him without lifting a single finger.
But Cristhian wasn't disappointed that he couldn't deal with the Knight. Now that he saw him directly, he knew he was Sequence 6. From the abilities he had shown so far, it was clear that he belonged to the Hunter Pathway.
If he had been Sequence 5, he would have been slightly worried since the abilities of that path could have been a danger to him, but that wasn't the case.
Because of that, the Knight became nothing more than an annoying mosquito that he would deal with later or incapacitated him with Psychic Piercing or Lashing once he was within range.
He would keep that in mind, but he focused on dealing with Dabrio.
His spirituality flared up again; a voice echoed solemnly throughout the forest without interruption.
"Fleeing this combat is prohibited!"
Hearing this prohibition, Cristhian was incredulous.
As a prohibition that acts as law, he could also punish anyone who breaks or fails to comply.
Practically speaking, Dabrio had sentenced the Knight and any hidden support nearby to death!
This was shooting yourself with a cannonball!
Being an experienced demigod and having some idea of his enemy's personality, Cristhian knew there must be a reason why Dabrio had chosen such a suicidal and counterproductive restriction.
For a moment, he considered whether continuing would be more efficient than retreating and regrouping, but those thoughts of doubt were quickly crushed.
Now, he had the complete advantage. The restrictions and permissions were in his favor, and with his group outside, he didn't have to worry about the recent 'Flee from combat' restriction affecting them.
Losing even one member of his group was something he couldn't afford, which was why they had taken their time planning their attack on the Second Branch. The other Imperative Mage couldn't even react before her heart was pierced, but because of a mistake, the luxury of attacking from behind was something they no longer had.
Therefore, this was the perfect opportunity! It could not be wasted!
Without wasting any time and seeing an opportunity to eliminate an enemy, Cristhian raised his hand and clenched his fist. His command roared in a language that shook nature.
"Exile!"
Almost a hundred meters deeper in the forest, he felt his power collide with something and push it away. The distance between him and Dabrio had increased considerably to a radius of 300 meters, and being the one who had exiled him, Cristhian naturally knew where he would go.
Without wasting time, Cristhian quickly used his power over the law and erased the distance between him and the exile, teleporting himself and chasing after Dabrio.
Running away from a battle also included whether the battle itself abandoned you or left you behind. By sending Dabrio flying and chasing after him, the battlefield had moved, so if the Knight failed to follow them, he could punish him if he caught up with them later.
And by performing his teleportations, he would create zones of order that would further increase the chances of the Knight breaking a law!
With their target gone, the fire crows missed and hit several trees. Exploding and setting them ablaze, the rough fire soldiers did not stop their advance, but they exploded with force once they approached several trees.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Following that, multiple explosions ensued. The numerous barrels of gunpowder hidden among the trees and undergrowth exploded, causing a fire to break out. The fire tried to spread further, but the heavy rain prevented it, containing it in a controlled area.
Watching the demigods quickly disappear into the distance, Adryan Kenway smiled slightly under his fiery helmet.
"Mmm~ Mhm~"
Humming softly and focusing his spirituality on the soles of his feet, he tightened the threads that pressed and cut into his skin a little more, then took a great leap followed by a step in midair, chasing after the demigods with Sky Walk at full speed so as not to fall behind.
The wind hit him, his armor flapping wildly, and the threads surrounding him moved as if they had a mind of their own.
As he moved through the air at high speed, multiple fire crows formed beside him at various intervals and then dove to the ground.
Disappearing among the leaves, they hit more hidden barrels, igniting them and causing them to explode, sparking another fire that again failed to spread and remained contained...
...
Flying through the air and crossing the forest at high speed, David Tamara, although still stunned and incredulous at the sudden surprise attack of his target, did not let that stop him from doing what he had to do.
His companions had been hit by a Psychic Piercing from a Demigod, and the only reason they didn't lose control at that moment was because the brunt of the attack had been focused on Cristhian. Even so, because the attack had come from someone from the same Pathway but from a higher sequence, the effects were still severe.
With his experience, David quickly twisted his body in the air, stabilizing himself to see better around him and check on his companions.
Looking to his side at the still dazed and almost incapacitated Loft and Laufu, both had blood streaming down their eyes like tears and thick veins on their foreheads.
"David!" Laufu suddenly cried out in pain, opening one eye slightly, veins bleeding.
"Hurry!" Loft cried with both hands on his head, his skin turning bronze.
Although none of them had been knocked out by the attack, it was clear that they were too focused on stabilizing themselves to worry about how they were going to land.
David said nothing. He just lowered his head and watched as the trees got closer and closer, then reached out and twisted his hand.
Disorder!
His figure disappeared from his spot and reappeared next to Laufu. Using the chaos to travel the distance between them, he quickly removed Laufu's wide-brimmed hat with three pointed tips and placed it on his head.
David could feel all the hairs on his mustache bristle, as if electric currents constantly passed through his body while his heart raced even faster.
With that done, he opened his palm and pointed it at them.
The strong wind from the storm moved as if it had been tied like cattle and pulled toward them, enveloping the three of them and gradually slowing their speed.
From being a blur, they now moved like snails on dry land!
This was the Second Branch's strongest Grade 2 artifact. It belonged to the Sailor Pathway. Although David, with his abilities, had several ways to stop their unexpected journey, he decided that the best course of action was to take this artifact.
He did this not because it was easier, but because if he hadn't, Laufu would most certainly be dead now due to the negative effect of the artifact.
The negative effect of this artifact was that the body would be in an accelerated state with reduced rationality, which also included accelerating the heart to the point of causing cardiac arrest in a normal person.
Only a Beyonder belonging to a Pathway with considerable physical enhancements could withstand this deadly effect.
If he didn't take off the hat, it was very likely that Laufu would suffer cardiac arrest or lose control—something they couldn't afford in the current situation.
Considering all this, David did not immediately descend to the forest floor. Instead, controlling the wind, he flew with his companions in a different direction.
Although they were imprisoned in reality and could not be thrown into the void, Dabrio Tamara could still choose where to exile them.
Remembering his leader's words that the possibility of the man receiving support was not low, David decided to be cautious. Using the wind and water control provided by his hat and his own abilities, he hid his group in the dense rain while looking for a safe place to descend.
BOOM!
The sudden explosion caused the Mentor of Disorder to turn his head to where it came from, stopping in midair.
In the distance, he saw a fire begin to spread through a small area of the forest. Before he could gather more information from what he saw, multiple explosions followed the first, each at a certain interval.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With each explosion, a part of the forest caught fire.
'A direct confrontation?! Mr Cristhian is already facing Dabrio and his allies!' David felt a little dazed as he felt an intense pressure fall on his shoulders.
They had barely been separated, and they had already attacked!
He wasn't worried that the explosion would attract the townspeople's attention. First, they were in the depths of the forest, and with the rain, it was impossible for the sound to reach them. Second, even if it did, again, because of the rain, it was very easy to mistake the explosions for thunder.
"David, find a place to land..." Laufu growled under his breath.
"Mr Cristhian said that if Dabrio managed to get support, it wouldn't be very numerous nor very strong. It's very likely that once he separated us, they all focus on attacking him..." The Paladin paused for a moment before continuing quietly.
"Let's get down, it'll only take a moment before we recover and can go help him."
At Dabrio's level, psychic piercing already affects all aspects of the target's soul. It was only because the power of the attack was focused on their leader that they were still alive, and as members of the Arbiter Pathway, they were only slightly resistant to this type of attack.
Although their souls had suffered damage, it did not severely affect their movement; with some rest to recover, they could still fight.
Hearing the request and knowing that every second was precious, David nodded and after a few moments, descended to the ground. He was sure they were far from where Dabrio wanted to send them.
Carefully, he laid his companions on the ground, taking even more care with Loft, who had not said a word for some time.
Being only a Sequence 6 Judge and therefore not having the same resistance as Laufu, the Sequence 5 Disciplinary Paladin, the damage he suffered was considerably greater.
Loft was wholly focused on using Cogitation to calm himself down. His skin slowly regained its natural color, losing its bronze hue.
Laufu had barely finished speaking when he returned to doing the same, using Cogitation to calm himself and ignoring the ravings that assaulted his mind.
David, for his part, just looked around. The area they had descended into was identical to the rest of the forest, with dense trees and undergrowth.
The cold temperatures didn't help, his racing heart pumping hot blood through his body, but even so, the cold made him shiver.
Krabom! Krabom!
Thunder rumbled in the clouds, lighting everything up white for an instant.
It was at that moment that his spiritual intuition kicked in a little. His eyes moved involuntarily to the top of the tree where Loft was lying, a dark figure already in midair, descending toward the man.
David's hand shot up and twisted his wrist, and instead of falling on the still-tense Loft, the mysterious figure fell several meters away. Failing in his attack, it hit the ground hard.
Pum! Rumble!
The ground cracked from the powerful impact, and dust, dirt, and branches flew everywhere.
Ice began to spread from where he had fallen, quickly freezing the ground and making it difficult to move, lowering the temperature even further. The plants near the point of impact began to decay visibly.
The layer of ice spread rapidly, and the damp ground acted as fertile soil for it.
The figure raised his right hand, his thumb held up beside his forefinger, with his index finger aiming at them—a revolver with only an objective in its sight.