What happened? Just moments ago, Shadowcloak was boasting and swaggering with bravado. But now, he scattered like a mouse at the sight of a cat.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
One moment, he was acting all high and mighty, but the next second, he was hightailing it at unbelievable speed. With several figures darting off, it was hard to tell which one was actually him.
“Huh?” Dustin was shocked by Shadowcloak’s sudden retreat. He thought the man was going to rely on his agility to continue the fight.
The quick exit after just two strikes caught Dustin off guard.
“He’s quite cunning.” He chuckled and acknowledged Shadowcloack’s sharp instincts.
His swift departure showed a keen sense of trouble and adaptability without concern for his reputation. He was fortunate to have run away. Otherwise, Dustin would defeat him.
Moreover, thriving in the martial world through deceitful means demanded a certain level of skill and cunning tricks.
“Fine. I’ll let you off tonight.” Dustin shook his head and chose not to pursue Shadowcloak. He was confident in his ability to catch up, but the prospect didn’t appeal to him.
After all, driving away Shadowcloak and resolving Alicia’s crisis was already going above and beyond the call of duty. Further involvement would only invite trouble, especially since this was the Celestial Alliance’s affair.
“What’s going on? Why did that man suddenly run off?” Alicia was bewildered, and she looked at Grace and Aurora.
Everything had happened in a flash, from Shadowcloak’s sneak attack to his hasty retreat. Alicia struggled to keep up with the whirlwind of events.
“He fled because he knew he couldn’t win,” Grace said. She smiled and explained, “He was just talking big. All bark and no bite. When he realized he couldn’t intimidate Dr. Rhys, he had no choice but to flee.”
“Yeah, lucky he took off. Otherwise, I would have broken his legs.” Aurora angrily swung her fists.
“Everyone retreat!”
As soon as the surrounding assassins saw Shadowcloak’s hasty departure, they promptly scattered. After all, he was their leader and key strategist. Seeing him flee made it clear that they would end up dead if they lingered.
“Go after them!”
The command spurred the Celestial Alliance disciples into action. They drew their weapons and were ready to hunt down the assassins.
However, Alicia immediately stopped them. “Forget it. Stop chasing after them.”
Those assassins were just pawns, and she didn’t see any merit in pursuing them. She understood that falling into their trap would only result in severe losses. Thus, she deemed the risk unworthy of pursuit.
Then, Aurora ordered, “Clean up and alert the guild to send some elites to protect Alicia.”
“Understood, Ms. Aurora.”
The Celestial Alliance disciples acknowledged and quickly cleaned up the area.
The ambush had been unsettling, but it was non-threatening. Though some were injured, the disciples managed to protect Alicia. Otherwise, if anything happened to the Marshall sisters, they knew they would be punished.
“Dr. Rhys, what should we do with Brian?” Aurora looked at the unconscious Brian on the ground.
“The ground is cold. Take him inside.” Dustin simply glanced at him.
“Will he go berserk again when he wakes up? She frowned and was confused when Dustin mentioned the cold ground. She wondered if he was worried about Brian catching a cold.
“How would I know? Just wake him up and find out.” Dustin shrugged nonchalantly.
“What if he goes berserk again?” Aurora asked again.
“Then, knock him out again,” he replied earnestly.
Aurora was speechless. Although she found some logic in his response, she still felt strange nonetheless.
“Let me handle this,” Grace said. She stepped forward and silently chanted before extending her index and middle fingers.
Then, she pressed them firmly against Brian’s forehead, and a burst of gold light gleamed. His body convulsed as if struck by lightning, and he opened his eyes.
Aurora and the others tensed up upon seeing that. They instinctively reached for their weapons. If Brian made any odd behavior, they would act without hesitation.
“What happened?” Brian scrambled to his feet and looked around in confusion.
He only recalled chasing after Shadowcloak. In the midst of his pursuit, his mind went blank, and he lost consciousness. He had no recollection of anything that followed.
“Brian, are you okay?” Aurora asked tentatively.
“What could be wrong with me? I…” Suddenly, he rubbed his neck and frowned. “Why does my neck hurt so much? It feels like it’s been hit.”
Aurora and Dustin exchanged glances. They maintained their poker faces and pretended not to know anything.
