A dead silence descended upon the battlefield. You could hear a pin drop, the air so thick with tension it felt heavy on the skin. Every eye was fixed on Lulufu. His face was cold and stern, a predatory ferocity mixed with outright mockery in his eyes.
"Play a game of mutual destruction with us? Do you truly think you're worthy of such a thing?" he sneered, his voice a low, contemptuous growl. "Do you really think our Centaur Clan warriors will be scared by you, a few pathetic humans? Humph, the terms are unchanged. If you don't team up with me once, not a single human here can leave. If you want to fight, our Centaur Clan will gladly accompany you to your deaths!"
"FIGHT!!!"
As he finished speaking, the surrounding Centaur Clan warriors let out thunderous roars, a battle cry that was a terrifying blend of a warhorse's neigh and a savage animal's howl. The aura of each warrior swelled, a powerful, oppressive force that radiated a refusal to back down.
Most of the human Professionals near the dungeon entrance were young and inexperienced, having never witnessed such a high-stakes confrontation. For a moment, some turned pale, their eyes wide with unadulterated fear.
"How... how dare they?" a young Mage stammered, his knuckles white around his staff. "Are they really going to tear up the agreement?"
"Tear it up?" a grizzled veteran growled, his voice thick with bitterness. "They want to eliminate our human geniuses! Epic Professionals, once they grow, will become the very cornerstones of our race. Now that two have been found, they won't hesitate to pay any price. As for the agreement... though I don't want to admit it, even if we're all killed, the agreement probably won't be broken. At most... there'll be a condemnation." His words hung in the air, a raw, painful truth.
Humanity was weak. Compared to other races, humans needed this fragile peace more than anything. Not to mention the few young Professionals trapped in Rabbit Town; even if the entire Tieya Base City were to be annihilated, the human council would likely have to swallow the humiliation for the sake of the bigger picture. This truth filled the young faces with anger and a crushing sense of helplessness.
"But what if Boss and Thalia have already left?" a girl whispered, her voice laced with desperation. "Don't they consider whether such a huge price is worth it?"
"Consider what?" the veteran scoffed. "When have these foreign races ever put us in their eyes? They create conflicts even when there's no opportunity! And now they have one right here." The despair in his voice was contagious.
"Then what do we do now?" someone asked, a tremor in their voice.
The veteran's face hardened. "What can we do?" he gritted his teeth. "We can only fight for our lives!"
The Professionals near the dungeon entrance continued to whisper, their low voices filled with a chilling mixture of despair and grim resolution. They were already mentally prepared for a life-or-death struggle.
"Brother..." Thalia whispered, her voice a tight knot of emotion. She gritted her teeth, her knuckles white.
Vincent snapped back to reality. His gaze was fixed on the silver-armored man, Silas, the leader who stood so valiantly for their race. He took a deep, steadying breath, suppressing the roiling emotions in his heart. It was all because of them. The two of them, standing just a few dozen feet away, were the cause of this entire conflict.
"Find an opportunity to sneak away later," he said in a low, even tone, his eyes still on the confrontation. "If you're forced to act, cover your face... try not to reveal your true appearance."
The infinite potential of his Epic Professional was a silent promise of future power. The Boss Professional had even more boundless potential. But today, right now, that potential was completely useless. They had only awakened yesterday and were a pitiful Level 3. No matter how high their class coefficient, they were no match for these Centaur Clan Professionals, who were at least First-Order, or even Second- and Third-Order. If he and Thalia were exposed now, they would surely be doomed. The dangers of this world were far, far greater than he had ever imagined. He had severely underestimated the sheer, brutal murderous intent the foreign races held for human geniuses.
Thalia's face showed a worried, frightened expression, but in the next instant, it transformed. She gritted her teeth, a small, resolute nod of her head. Her gaze, when it settled on the Centaur Clan, was now filled with an intense, burning hatred.
"Since that's the case, there's nothing more to say... Kill!!!"
The silver-armored middle-aged man, who had calmly faced down an army of enemies, proved he was a leader of action. He was a man who had long since anticipated that the Centaur Clan would not give up. As he spoke, a brilliant silver light erupted from his body, and a massive, intricately carved shield appeared in his hand. He then slammed it into the void, a silent, powerful gesture.
Boom!!
A huge silver shield phantom materialized in the air, a manifestation of pure defensive force, and charged directly at Lulufu. Lulufu was not to be outdone. He sneered, a glint of dark amusement in his eyes. "Kill them all!" A massive, enchanted saber flashed into existence in his hand, and he swung it down with a primal roar. A phantom of the saber, charged with a powerful, arcane energy, struck the silver shield head-on.
BOOM!!!
The sound was deafening. Both the saber phantom and the shield phantom shattered instantly, sending a wave of concussive force through the air. Above both their heads, health bars lit up simultaneously, accompanied by two colossal damage numbers that would have shocked any Zero-Order Professional to their core.
13,487!42,153!
The former number hovered over Lulufu's bald head, the latter above Silas's silver helmet. Both their health bars barely moved, each taking a small, almost insignificant, percentage of damage. The fact that their health pools were so massive was a silent testament to their terrifying power.
As the two leaders moved, a wave of battle erupted. "Kill!!!" The cries echoed in all directions. "Sky-Shattering Slash!!" "Blaze Inferno!!" "Holy Light Recovery!!" Rabbit Town, a peaceful place just moments ago, became a swirling, chaotic battlefield. A flurry of various skill lights permeated the entire area. Health bars flickered, and a continuous stream of damage numbers burst forth. Flames, sword glints, saber glints, and arrows poured onto their opponents' heads like a torrential rain. Since they were all energy bodies, their pain was greatly reduced, allowing them to fight with a reckless abandon. The battle was thus even more intense and brutal.
Amidst the chaos, a flurry of green light frantically intertwined, a testament to the power of the healing Professionals. Their respective Priest teams were desperately working to restore the health of their critically low members. Buffs and debuffs were cast like a tempest, intertwining around both allies and enemies. The entire scene was a dazzling, terrifying display of colored lights.
"First, kill all these Zero-Order Professionals! See if the Boss and Thalia are here!" a command from a Centaur warrior cut through the chaos.
Suddenly, a team of Centaur Clan warriors broke away from the main battle, their hooves thundering as they charged straight for the dungeon entrance where the Zero-Order Professionals were gathered. These young students, who were facing enemies at least a Tier above them, had no ability to resist. One hit was an instant kill.
Panic erupted. Someone, their face white with terror, screamed, "Enter the dungeon!!!" A desperate, collective thought sparked a rush toward the portal.
But the next moment, another terrified scream cut through the air. "The dungeon is sealed by their items! We can't get in!!" The Centaurs had been meticulous. They had used some form of sealing item to trap the humans, eliminating their only escape route. The Centaurs, with their incredible speed, were already upon them.
"Human brats, die!" A Centaur mage grinned ferociously, his eyes filled with a sadistic glee. He waved his staff, and a hexagonal magic circle, glowing a menacing red, appeared. He was about to summon a massive area-of-effect fire skill, a Meteor Shower. The Zero-Order Professionals' faces were a mask of sheer, unadulterated terror.
"Silence!"
A voice that seemed to come from nowhere shattered the moment. A phantom figure appeared in a blur of motion behind the Centaur mage. A brilliant saber light flashed, stabbing fiercely into the mage's back. A strange white bubble formed around the mage, flashing once before shattering. As it did, it broke the red magic circle on the mage's staff.
At the same time, a large damage number appeared above the Centaur mage's head:
3148!
The mage instantly lost half his health, and his Meteor Shower skill was canceled. "Human, you seek death!" The surrounding Centaurs reacted immediately, a series of attacks raining down on the human assassin.
3479!2157!1318!
A flurry of damage numbers burst from the figure's body, their health plummeting to near-death. The assassin, however, was a master of his craft; his figure instantly vanished into the void, escaping a near-certain death.
Then, a large group of human Professionals surged from all directions, blocking the Centaur's path. A barrage of skills poured onto the enemy. "You horse-riding bastards, your opponents are us!" a burly warrior bellowed with a wild laugh. The Centaurs were forced to stop and engage, and the battle in that area became even more intense.
The Zero-Order Professionals, still shaken, were in awe of the selfless sacrifice. Some of them, their eyes now red with fury, gritted their teeth. "These bastards, let's fight them to the death!" They took out their weapons, ready to help.
But at that moment, a beautiful woman with a badge on her chest arrived. "I am Yuna from the Combat Affairs Department!" she shouted, her voice ringing with authority. "Students, don't be impulsive! They are at least First-Order, Second-Order Professionals. Your actions now won't have much effect, you'll just be sacrificing yourselves. Now, follow us! We'll get you out of here!"
She spread her hands, a torrent of intertwined green and white light surrounding her. "Spirit Wind Blessing! Holy Domain Barrier!" The two colors of light rushed outward, covering the entire dungeon entrance area and all the students. They instantly felt their dual resistances and agility soar.
"Go!" she commanded. Dozens of melee Professionals around her took the lead. The Zero-Order Professionals, snapping back to reality, gritted their teeth and, in a mighty procession, followed them, desperate to rush out of Rabbit Town.