There was no need for the guards to shout; such a huge commotion had already alerted the entire Tower of Heaven.
Just as Shane's group was fiercely battling the guards at the exit, a rush of orderly footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.
"It's the Magic Troops! They're here!" a cry of alarm rang out from the crowd.
Several figures in uniform robes, holding magic staves, appeared in view. Unlike the ordinary guards who charged in blindly, they quickly formed a simple formation, the tips of their staves lighting up with dangerous glows simultaneously.
"Scatter! Find cover!" Shane's heart tightened, and he shouted sharply.
However, though the warning was fast, human reaction time lagged behind.
One Magic Soldier completed his spell first. A magic bullet whistled through the air. The target wasn't Shane or Erza, the leaders, but a young man in the crowd who had just picked up a weapon.
The flush of excitement from the uprising was still on the young man's face when, in the next instant, he was blasted away by the powerful impact, smashing heavily into the stone wall.
In an instant, the only sound left in the corridor was the crackling of sparks.
The morale that had just ignited seemed to have been doused with ice water.
"Take cover! Hurry! Everyone get close to the walls, avoid their line of fire!" Shane's roar broke the dead silence.
The crimson longbow in his hand didn't stop for a second. The bowstring vibrated, and three light arrows shot out in rapid succession.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Blood bloomed on the throats and chests of the Magic Soldiers who had just cast spells, and they collapsed without a sound.
"They die too! Don't be afraid! Look them in the eye!" Shane shouted, panting, continuing to suppress the front with arrows to buy everyone breathing room.
"Bastards!" Simon roared, smashing a guard who attacked from the side with a hammer.
His action immediately drew the attention of others. Someone in the magic formation scoffed, waved his staff, and a blazing fireball trailed a tail of flame, whistling toward Simon's position!
Before the fireball even arrived, the scorching heat wave hit his face. Simon's pupils shrank, and he had no time to react.
In the nick of time, a figure rushed in from the side!
Shane threw himself forward, kicking Simon hard in the waist with his right foot!
Bang!
The two rolled awkwardly onto the ground, tumbling behind a stone pillar nearby. Almost at the same moment, the fireball crashed into where they had just been standing.
BOOM—!
The explosion was deafening. Wood chips and gravel flew everywhere, and the scorching airflow swept through, blasting half the low wall away.
"Cough, cough... Shane, you..." Simon was still in shock, looking at Shane pressing down on him, his face full of lingering fear.
"Don't space out! Move!" Shane scrambled up quickly and pulled Simon up.
The Magic Troops' attacks didn't stop. With practiced coordination, they seized the opening created by the slaves' panic from the explosion. Several magic spells wove into a net, suppressing the rioting team so hard they could barely lift their heads.
Suddenly, a blinding beam of magic slammed into the stone pillar where Erza was hiding.
Boom!
The edge of the pillar shattered, sending stone shrapnel flying like rain. The shockwave of Magic Power, carrying sharp stone fragments, surged straight toward several slaves next to her who couldn't dodge in time.
The scent of death rushed toward them.
"Get lost!"
A clear, crisp shout rang out.
Erza had dashed out from behind the pillar at some point. Her longsword drew a silver arc in the dim light. Facing the oncoming magic shockwave, her eyes were like iron, without a hint of hesitation.
Her movement was fluid and continuous.
She wasn't a Mage, nor did she have systematic Magic Power flowing through her body, but under this extreme instinct, some latent quality was triggered.
Following her instinct, Erza poured all her strength into this one strike.
Hum—
The blade collided with the magic shockwave, emitting a strange resonance.
This strike didn't completely nullify the shockwave; it only split a gap in it, but that was enough!
The scattered airflow only scratched her cheek and arm, leaving a few bloody marks, but the slaves behind her...
Survived!
Everyone was stunned, including the Magic Soldiers. An ordinary slave girl actually split magic with a sword?
Shane's pupils contracted slightly. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but his immature magic senses detected the scent of magic circulating within the girl at that moment.
Could Erza be the "natural-born genius who awakens magic" that Grandpa Rob talked about?
But aside from her shockingly high combat ability, the girl wasn't usually that special...
His thoughts raced, but now wasn't the time to investigate. He shouted, "Good job, Erza! You okay?"
"I'm fine!"
Erza panted slightly, her hand gripping the sword trembling a bit from the excessive force and that strange sensation just now, but her face wore a satisfied smile that said, 'I fought alone and protected the others.'
Shane gave her a deep look, suppressing the shock in his heart. He drew his bow again. Taking advantage of the Magic Soldiers' distraction, he pulled the string and precisely shot through a Magic Soldier's throat!
---
---
Meanwhile, deep in the prison block.
The rescue team led by Jellal was progressing exceptionally smoothly.
Using keys and forcing locks, they opened cell door after cell door. More and more people joined the team, their shouts and running footsteps echoing in the passageway.
"Quick! Head towards the exit, Shane and the others are holding the line up front!" Jellal shouted, directing the rescued crowd while tossing keys to Wally to keep opening doors.
Deep in the shadows, a pair of eyes quietly watched Jellal.
The boy ran back and forth, his delicate face covered in dust, radiating a sense of mission to liberate others.
"A fire burns deep within the fear. Unwilling to be mediocre, thirsting for power..." The person in the shadows whispered soundlessly, their voice indistinguishable as male or female. "Truly perfect qualities."
A formless whisper carrying a seductive allure quietly spread out.
"Ignore the others. Bring the blue-haired brat leader to the interrogation room!"
Deep in the prison, the overseers who had been panicking due to the slave revolt suddenly stiffened. A wave of confusion flashed across their faces, followed immediately by a fanatical flush.
Jellal, who was organizing the crowd, suddenly felt a chill.
He whipped his head around and found that the guards, who had been offering scattered resistance, were now ignoring the other slaves rushing past them like hyenas that had received a unified command. From different directions, they pounced toward him with a clear goal!
"Watch out! They're coming for Jellal!" Sho sensed something wrong first, shouting as he threw a dagger he'd picked up, forcing back an approaching guard.
But the guards' determination exceeded their expectations. Shedding their weak and incompetent appearance from earlier, they became incredibly decisive.
"Grab him!"
Four or five guards pounced at once, sealing off Jellal's escape route.
Jellal wielded his longsword to meet them, his composure calm. His combat ability was not something these pampered overseers could match.
But in the chaos, an inexplicable sharp pain shot through his brain. Jellal's vision went black, and he instantly lost his balance.
"Big Brother Jellal!" Sho screamed, wanting to rush over, but he was tightly entangled by two guards.
That opening was all they needed! The others pounced like hungry wolves, pinning Jellal down in an instant.
"Take him away!" The head guard ordered expressionlessly.
Jellal was forcibly dragged up from the ground. Amidst Wally's roar and Sho's anxious gaze, he was quickly dragged toward a fork in the path leading away from the main corridor.
"Sho! What do we do?!" Millianna was about to cry, looking in the direction Jellal disappeared. That was the way to the interrogation room; no one had ever come out of there alive.
Sho gritted his teeth, parrying a guard's attack, and shouted to Millianna, "Go! Millianna, you go ahead and tell Shane! Jellal was taken by them! Go quickly!"
Millianna looked at Sho and Wally struggling to hold back the guards who kept clinging to them, and nodded heavily.
Her petite body exploded with surprising speed. Like an agile cat, she moved against the flow of people, sprinting desperately toward the sounds of battle ahead.