The instant Jing Yuan and Yingxing reached an agreement, another Abundance creature of unknown origin let out a howl and lunged toward where Cecilia was hiding.
Blade moved at once.
His body shot forward like a phantom. A flash of steel cut through the air.
The creature's head flew high, blood spraying in an arc.
Blade landed, staggered, and nearly fell. But his sword was already rising again, turning toward the next abomination.
Cecilia stayed tucked behind a stone pillar, watching the scene with amused interest.
"How interesting. So this is the bond of the High-Cloud Quintet?"
In her opinion, even the game should have given those five some kind of team synergy bonus.
Though, to be fair, their in-game performance had always been a bit questionable.
Ahem. Game balance was one thing. At least in reality, their combat ability was still more than solid.
Sure enough, with the three of them joining forces, there was no need for reinforcements at all. The escaped Abundance inmates were already on the verge of being wiped out.
Jing Yuan handled the battlefield-wide cleanup. Jingliu intercepted anything that slipped through. And Blade focused specifically on any creature trying to get close to Cecilia.
The three of them worked together with startling tacit understanding, as if the eight centuries of estrangement between them had never existed.
Cecilia watched with great delight. She even felt like applauding and cheering them on.
But just then, two very different roars rose from the deepest reaches of Shackling Prison.
This time, though, one could tell at a glance that these were boss-level Abundance monstrosities.
As the sound of breaking seals rang out, two more figures stepped onto the battlefield.
In an instant, two waves of Abundance aura flooded the entire area.
Neither figure made any unnecessary move, yet everyone present recognized them immediately.
Mingxiao, the Wingweaver warlord of the Denizens of Abundance.
And Zaofu, the charioteer of the Wise Steeds.
These were two figures who had once held extremely important positions among the Denizens of Abundance.
The former had personally been captured by Jingliu. The latter had been taken down by Teng Xiao.
They had always been among the most cooperative of Shackling Prison's major inmates. Yet now, they had become the first high-level prisoners to break free.
With their arrival, the already precarious situation took another sharp turn.
Well... actually, not really.
Mingxiao and Zaofu had been imprisoned in Shackling Prison for far too long. Even though they had once stood high among the Denizens of Abundance, their strength was no longer what it had been.
And the ones blocking their path now were Jing Yuan and Jingliu in peak condition.
Mm. Plus Blade, who was not quite back to full strength, but close enough.
"…Jingliu?!"
"And Teng Xiao?!"
Clearly, the two of them had recognized their old enemies—though one of them had apparently mistaken Jing Yuan for Teng Xiao.
But unexpectedly, even after laying eyes on their former captors, neither of the escapees showed any intention of fighting.
Instead, they shot into the air, plainly intending to flee Shackling Prison altogether.
"You think you can leave that easily?"
A sharp light flashed in Jing Yuan's eyes. The Lightning-Lord instantly appeared before the two, blocking their escape.
At almost the exact same moment, Jingliu's figure appeared on the other side, her icy sword formation sealing off every remaining route.
Mingxiao's expression changed.
As the Wingweaver warlord, he had fought Jingliu before. In that battle long ago, it had been this very woman who had personally taken him down and locked him inside this sunless prison.
Zaofu's face looked even uglier.
He realized now that the golden figure before him was not Teng Xiao. But the pressure of a Hunt Emanator radiating from him was no weaker than Teng Xiao's had been—if anything, it was stronger.
"Move aside," Mingxiao rasped, his hawk-like eyes fixed on Jingliu. "We do not wish to fight you."
Jingliu gave no answer. She merely raised her sword a fraction.
Her meaning could not have been clearer.
"Damn it…" Zaofu gritted his teeth. "Mingxiao, we fight! At worst, we just get thrown back in here again!"
The words had barely left his mouth before he charged.
As the charioteer of the Wise Steeds, Zaofu's true form was that of a snow-white celestial horse. But after eight hundred years of imprisonment, he had long since lost the ability to fully return to that shape.
Now he could only charge in a half-human, half-horse form, his four hooves hammering against the stone floor, each step making the entire prison tremble.
But his charge only made it halfway.
Because the Lightning-Lord had already crushed him into submission.
Seeing this, Cecilia no longer paid the battle much mind. Instead, her attention shifted toward the cells those two mini-bosses had escaped from.
There, she sensed a distinct trace of advanced technology.
She had already noticed it when the two major Abundance beasts were just about to break out.
Those two had not been awakened by the lingering Abundance aura.
No. Judging from the situation, they had been deliberately released.
Cecilia narrowed her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
To tamper with the most secure prison on the Luofu, and to time it perfectly so that high-priority inmates would break out when Jing Yuan and the others were at their busiest…
That kind of chaos-stirring method looked awfully familiar.
And sure enough, just as that thought crossed her mind, a childish voice rang throughout the entirety of Shackling Prison.
"The Stellaron Hunters are here! Everybody else, move aside!"
A silver-gray figure appeared out of nowhere beside Blade.
"…Silver Wolf?" Blade's brows knitted at once.
"Hi~" Silver Wolf waved cheerfully at him. "Kafka sent me to pick you up. Said the plan's changed."
No sooner had she spoken than another figure materialized beside her.
Long crimson-violet hair. A black coat. An elegant, composed bearing.
Kafka.
She had appeared in exactly the same way as Silver Wolf—silently, without warning, as if she had always been there.
"Listen to me, Bladie." Kafka smiled faintly, her gaze sweeping across the chaotic battlefield.
"It's time for us to leave."
Blade's hand tightened slightly around his sword.
"…Kafka. I can die now."
Kafka's smile stiffened for just a moment.
Of course she could see it.
Blade's condition was nothing like what she had anticipated. According to the script, he was supposed to be captured in Shackling Prison and remain there until a certain moment arrived.
Not stand here like this, with the dense Abundance aura in his body nearly gone.
But she had not forgotten her mission.
If Blade still wished to seek death, then that could wait until after they had withdrawn.
At that point, whatever choice he made, she would respect it.
In the next instant, the three of them blurred at the edges.
Though she was honestly glad that her companion might finally be able to fulfill his wish.
A breath later, all three had vanished from Shackling Prison.
Off to the side, Cecilia was dumbfounded.
No way. Jing Yuan, were you really holding back again?
So… the three Stellaron Hunters had just escaped?
Looking at Jing Yuan, who was still "locked in stalemate" with Zaofu in the distance, Cecilia could tell at a glance that he had done it on purpose.
But Cecilia had no intention of simply letting it go.
She still had a few things she needed to discuss with the Stellaron Hunters.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 80
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 74
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 48
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 50
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 47
Uma Musume: From Beginner 42
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