King
Chapter 858 - 858 80 Dusting Off the Sleeves After the Deed is Done

858: Chapter 80: Dusting Off the Sleeves After the Deed is Done 858: Chapter 80: Dusting Off the Sleeves After the Deed is Done “Fire Element disturbance; that’s bad, the enemy is releasing a forbidden spell, scatter quickly!”

No sooner had the white-haired elder finished speaking than the assembled Clergy, defending en masse, scattered like startled birds.

The anticipated forbidden spell did not fall; instead, because the team dispersed, they presented Belsden with an opportunity, and casualties steadily mounted +1+1+1…

Realizing they had been duped, the people were powerless.

It was an overt plot.

Maxim could control the forbidden spell with ease if they had not scattered; a real forbidden spell would have descended.

With their frail bodies against the forbidden spell, ninety-nine percent would end in complete annihilation, with the remaining one percent leaving perhaps a trace of remains.

If they chose to dodge, the original defense formation was lost.

Against Belsden’s surprise attack and while on guard, an Eighth-order Holy Knight could withstand a couple of moves, and the rest would meet tragedy.

The gap in strength was too great; no amount of preparation could stop a surprise attack by Sanctuary powerhouses!

Magicians had it worst; even an Eighth-order Great Sorcerer, once Belsden got close, had no chance to struggle.

A Giant Dragon distracted the crowd’s attention upfront, while the Earth Bear played the role of a sneak-attacker from behind.

This golden combination left the journeying Clergy utterly dispirited.

They could only watch helplessly as their numbers dwindled, not even knowing where to begin a counterattack.

They had thought Dragon Knight Hudson might be a weak point, but regretfully the Giant Dragon wouldn’t engage in close combat with them, instead staying high above and releasing magic harassment.

They couldn’t advance even five kilometers before being ambushed seven times; the once two-hundred-strong party had now lost more than half its members.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yelach said with a somber expression, “Those hypocritical Nobles care most about their reputation.

Hudson’s willingness to stoop to ambushes makes it clear; they don’t intend to let us leave alive.

The cannon fire has ceased, and the enemy’s navy surrounds us.

Our evacuation plan set earlier is now impossible to execute.

Our only chance now is to hide on the island until the mist covers this marine region once more, which will be our opportunity to break out and leave.

If we all gather together, we’ll be an easy target.

From now on, we move separately, our fates left to luck.

As long as someone survives, they must bring the message back, to ensure…”

Before he could finish, a downpour of meteors disrupted his speech.

“Another ambush from the enemy!”

The thought barely formed in his mind when Yelach, without a moment’s hesitation, instantly ordered, “Split up and run!”

The order was cruel; it meant most of the team would die in the enemy’s pursuit.

But there was no choice.

It was better to scatter and seek a slim chance of survival than gather and be gradually worn down by continuous ambushes.

Since the enemy had destroyed the boats anyway, there was no escape from Poison Dragon Island even if they stayed together.

The only gamble left was hoping that a merchant ship would mistakenly enter the area when the mist descended again to create an opportunity for escape.

Otherwise, they could only die of entrapment, starvation, on this desolate island.

The team scattered, indeed gaining a slim chance of life, but this also created opportunities for Belsden.

What was only guerrilla warfare at first turned into a full-on slaughter.

With disaster looming, every person was for themselves, and they only needed to outrun each other, not the enemy.

The white-haired elder running at the front suddenly sensed something wrong—feeling as if he was being watched from behind, he turned to see the Giant Dragon bearing down on him.

“Earl Hudson, let’s talk!

We are all…”

Before the elder could finish his sentence, a heavenly firestorm enveloped him, panicking him into a desperate dodge.

Yet all his efforts were in vain; he avoided the Magic Attack but could not evade Maxim’s Divine Dragon’s tail swipe.

The inherent frailty of a magician was revealed at that moment.

Even with a Magic Shield, he could not escape being turned into mush.

In his last moments before death, the elder realized the crux of the issue.

Having no old grudges, and having bypassed many underlings only to target him specifically, it was clear they were after the “Staff of Glory” he held in his hand.

Unfortunately, by the time he realized this, it was too late.

Had he thrown the Divine Artifact away while fleeing, he might not have met such a swift end.

After retrieving the Staff of Glory, Hudson sighed.

He wasn’t ruthless by nature; the artifact was simply too troublesome, and he had to silence any witnesses!

When he had taken the Divine Sword, he hadn’t realized its significance.

It was only when the elder was about to cast a forbidden spell with the wand that he recognized it as the legendary “Staff of Glory.”

“Holy Crown,” “Staff of Glory,” “Holy Sword of Light”—two out of the three set pieces of Clergy’s Divine Artifacts had fallen into his hands.

If word got out, the Mountain Domain would never have peace again.

Not only would the Clergy cause trouble, but other forces on the Continent would be covetous as well.

The deep roots of a truly top-tier power were evident from this small Clergy squad.

They were simply too powerful for a single Dragon Knight to handle.

For the sake of safety, he had to resort to killing.

Hudson had made up his mind to wipe out all of the Clergy line—if he couldn’t, he’d have to seal off the Misty Marine Region, forbidding any vessels from traveling this route.

This was clearly not something he could accomplish alone; he had to enlist the aid of several neighboring Coastal Major Nobles to have any hope of achieving it.