Chapter 1057 Pure Speed

The brilliance of the artifact was apparent to many, and anyone who laid their eyes on it would recognize its power. As his squad witnessed its abilities in the Red Temple, Skyline of Crestview also gazed at it with widened eyes.

"You"ve been entrusted with an artifact?" Skyline muttered with visible shock, making no effort to conceal her emotions. Her hand trembled with excitement, which was evident on her face. "Silver Rose is foolish enough to give his artifact to a scout!"

"There is no one more capable of fleeing with the artifact than I am…" Arthur said with a grin as he carefully stowed the eyeball into his bag and turned around. His eyes taunted the general as his mana flared. "I am the fastest in the Golden Division!"

Arthur then bolted through the sky at an alarming speed. His figure nearly disappeared as the sheer force parted the clouds around him. A strong gale of wind shook the entire forest following his flight, surprising Skyline.

"I know he"s just trying to save his army, but that artifact is genuine! Fighting Xeloria is harder than catching a single scout and utterly meaningless! Capture him!"

Following her command, the entire vessel began to move. Its acceleration was modest, but there was nothing stopping it. At the same time, a hundred or so figures soared from the deck and rushed after Arthur.

Although he had made such a declaration, Arthur did not reveal his true speed. After all, it would be meaningless if the enemy couldn"t catch up to him after he tried to bait them. Thus, he made sure his speed was just slightly faster than theirs.

The entire vessel chased after him. Although some troops might be waiting on the ground, it was better than making his army an easy target. As he flew across the sky, countless arrows and mana beams sought to shoot him down.

Almost like a ghost, Arthur darted between them without a single one landing on him. A single man had lured away an entire army, and they couldn"t even catch him. The entire Xelorian Army witnessed the scene from the ground, and their awe was immeasurable.

***

"Alexie…" muttered Hawkins with emotion as he stared at the sky. The speech that took place between him and Skyline was loud enough for others to hear, as it was enhanced by mana. However, their shock at Alexie having the artifact morphed into grat.i.tude as they witnessed his escape.

"I misjudged his character," said Leon as he a.s.sumed his beast form. "He"s not a man who betrayed Xeloria, but a hero we"ve overlooked. His warning and sacrifice are the true marks of n.o.bility."

"Our plan has changed. We must reunite with the rest of the army instead of focusing on the bandits," said Kain as he slashed another man down. "However, these bandits are endless! What makes them so loyal to Crestview?"

"That"s not our concern," said Hawkins as he raised his fingers as if controlling a puppet. Strings of mana left his fingertips, cutting through the enemies, disrupting their attacks or ending their lives. "We must find our captain before he"s surrounded!"

As the three were planning, an echoing battle cry came from the mountain. They turned their attention to see over a thousand bandits rushing at them riding horses, abandoning their safe formation. Even if they ran now, they wouldn"t be able to outrun them for long.

"Things are a lot more straightforward now!" said Leon with a grin as he pounded his chest. "Kill or get killed! This is an all-out war!"

"I don"t think we"ll survive this next battle, gentlemen," said Hawkins with a grin as his strings spread like a flower. "It was an honor to fight alongside great men like you!"

"Don"t give us the death speech, Hawkins," said Kain with a grin, although he knew the odds seemed grim. "We will make it out of here alive!"

Before the army reached them, something streaked across the sky. A single figure came crashing down toward the bandits and their horses, like a meteor intent on destroying them. A deafening explosion echoed as the figure tore through the bandits, disrupting their formation.

"Who is that?" muttered Kain with a frown as dust rose from the ground. As the bandits rushed around him, the newcomer turned out to be the most arrogant man alive, Dorian Stormblade. His grin was that of an excited child who had found his playmates.

Light scattered as the white spear cut through it, casting a fierce bloodl.u.s.t over the battlefield. Dorian seemed insignificant within the thousand men, but he showed no fear.

"Bring it on, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" shouted the crazed man as he struck with his spear, killing a bandit before leaping over his corpse to the next. In just a few seconds, he transformed into a demon in the bandits" eyes.

The three lieutenants were dumbfounded as they watched him before a few more joined in. Joey from the same squad landed as well, striking bandits left and right. The exhausted Koby also descended with a torrent of flames.

"Lieutenants!" the rest of their soldiers rushed toward the three, horrified at the signs of explosions around them. "Are you alright?"

"We are the last people not to be, idiots," said Leon with a frown. "What is the scout team doing here?"

"After Alexie lured away the Crestview Army, the three of them seemed to go mad as they rushed toward the bandits. We said we needed to rescue Alexie, but they just laughed at us."

"The same ones who stood against me for insulting him?" asked Leon with a laugh. "They trust that he could take down an entire army alone! What kind of absurd notion is that?"

"If that was so absurd, what makes Sir Jonathan trust him with the artifact?" asked Kain with a frown as he watched the three wreak havoc among the bandits. "We cannot afford to lose the artifact. We need to chase after them."

The battle raged on all fronts, and the Xelorian Army found itself divided into two. Sir Jonathan had the same idea as he divided his forces between fending off the rest of Crestview and chasing after the flying vessel.

In just a few moments, the vessel was barely visible from the ground. The chase grew intense as countless soldiers pursued Arthur to no avail. He was as elusive as a fish in its pond, with no one able to get a grasp on him.

Skyline was about to descend herself when Arthur landed on the ground and stopped running. Instead of ordering her soldiers to attack him, she had them surround him as she scanned the area.

"What are you doing, scout?" asked Skyline with suspicion as her vessel descended to the gra.s.slands. In the middle of the vast field, the man stood with a confident smile on his face. "Have you decided to switch sides? Crestview will treat you well!"

"Seeing this giant vessel that they gave you, I have no doubts about that," said Arthur with a smile. "I stopped running because I wanted to have a word with you, alone."

"Are you considering switching sides?" muttered Skyline with an intrigued grin. "You would not be able to escape if I get close," she warned.

"I don"t need to escape after this," said Arthur as he spread his arms. "Come down unless you fear me, General Skyline of Crestview. What I am about to say will determine the future of Crestview."

As she heard his words, the warrior jumped from the vessel and landed on her feet, sending shockwaves through the ground and creating a giant crater. Then, she began to stroll toward him with confident strides.

"One wrong word, and I"ll end your life," said Skyline as she held the hilt of her sword. Arthur smiled at her and glanced at the vessel, making the general command them to retreat. "Speak, for no one will eavesdrop on us."

"What I"m about to say is not a threat nor an insult, but Crestview is facing imminent destruction if you do not cooperate with me," said Arthur with a smile as he opened his palm. "If you do not hand over the artifact and trust me, then your entire army will be obliterated."

Whoosh!

The great sword left its hilt as it pa.s.sed through Arthur. Skyline did not hesitate to slash through his neck, but she felt no resistance of flesh as it pa.s.sed through him. For a moment, she suspected he was just a hologram.

"Arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you think you can use such tricks on me?" spat Skyline as she grabbed her sword with both hands. "No skill can protect you for long!"

"It was not a skill, but pure speed," said Arthur with a grin as he took a step to the side. Skyline flinched because he disappeared for a moment, then realized that her eyes had failed to see his movement. "I dodged your attack faster than your eyes can see."

"...Who are you?" muttered Skyline with sweat covering her neck. "What did you mean by what you said earlier?"

"As I stated in the beginning, this is not a threat nor an insult," said Arthur with eerie golden eyes as he grinned. "Your army has no chance against me. Hand over your artifact, and I promise that Xeloria will not obtain it."