Stray

    "Oops." Jesse raised an eyebrow at the communication crystal that was darkened in his hand. "Has Mr. Ramon always been so rough?"

    Adrian grabbed his wrist and unceremoniously pulled the spar from Jesse's hand, who didn't mean to resist. The pretty blond youth turned his head with a sweet smile on his face, but he was about to speak—

    "Why did you guide them?" Adrian simply blocked what he didn't say.

    The smile on Jesse's face faded a little, he licked his ears and raised his voice. "what?"

    "Don't play stupid." The former knight commander shook his head, staring at him with fiery eyes. "When I was in the dungeon, I felt something was wrong. Although I couldn't understand the sacrificial text... But if the holy place is really that important to the blue bird, you must be informed in advance when you bring outsiders to 'visit', and you took us there directly. If I'm not mistaken, there's only one possibility - you've asked Paso Tallo for permission in words before you spoke to Mr. Ramon."

    Jesse's eyebrows rose higher and higher, almost disappearing behind her pale blond bangs.

    "You want them to see Lavinia, and that book was also meant to be seen by Wright? Although I don't know what you're doing - you let us know the truth, and Not long after we had contact with the mayor, the mayor's son declared war directly... Although I don't know if this is what the mayor meant, but fear of bad news from us might be one of the reasons."

    "A man who is too sharp is not welcome." Jesse tutted loudly.

    "There are not so many 'coincidences' in the world." Adrian said coldly, staring sharply at the pair of icy blue eyes opposite. "But I can't fathom your purpose... Your suggestion just now was very practical, and you know he's likely to agree - as long as Mr. Wright is a little more vulnerable." He paused for a moment, "or a little more arrogant."

    "Can't I be without a purpose?" Jessie spread her hands, "You're a dead brain."

    "I said, please don't play stupid - it's all over prepared, and you want us to mess with this Vincent Town thing, don't you? For poaching, such a move It's too big."

    Jesse Dillon smiled. Only this time there was no smile in his eyes, and he didn't even bother to hide it.

    "I need to know what kind of person Nemo Wright is." His tone was still frivolous, "Of course, it's not a big deal, but I'm very curious."

    "The war was brought forward because of curiosity?" Adrian hummed in a rare manner. "Even if Mr. Wright was fine, this war might have distorted him. He was a commoner before, Dylan."

    "...This is the most interesting part." The smile on the corner of the blond youth's mouth grew wider, and he muttered in a self-talking voice. "A civilian."

    "Now I only have one question left. Why did you choose to teleport to me? ... Is it because of it?" Adrian turned his head and looked at the magic circle radiating ominous power not far away - it It looks unremarkable, and even the incantations are drawn in various twists and turns, full of traces of smearing. It is mixed in the neat ordinary defense circle, like an ugly scar.

    A dark red stone mixed with white dots lay quietly in the center of the array, without any strange light or oppressive power. Like an ordinary stone that a child accidentally kicked into the circle. A fat flying insect swayed and flew into the range of the magic circle. With a puff of blue smoke, the whole thing turned into nothingness, not even ashes were left.

    "Assuming you really made this happen." Adrian took a few steps back, turned, and neatly removed the bow from his back. Almost the next second, the tip of the arrow locked onto Jesse Dylan's head. "Then you couldn't have imagined his refusal."

    "What do you think I'll do?" Jesse stared at the tip of the arrow with a grin, those eyes really smiling this time. "Trigger the formation in advance to destroy the Blue Bird Clan, or destroy the formation so that it can blow up half the town? It's too much." He licked the corner of his mouth, "...As expected, you are more suitable."

    "What?"

    "Love at first sight."

    Adrian twitched the corners of his mouth, holding the bow in his hand.

    "I really can't disarm this circle, but if I guess right...the former 'Glorious Morning Star' definitely can."

    "I used to be able to, but now I don't have the power."

    "That's not a big deal, I can solve this little problem." Jesse leaned closer happily, eyes almost poking the point of an arrow. "You can tell if I'm lying, right? If you'll beg me—"

    "Okay." Adrian was very succinct, without hesitation for half a second. "I beg you."

    "...you don't have any self-esteem?"

    "Is this self-esteem more important than other people's lives?"

    "You're so unfulfilling! Not pleasant at all, alas, well..." Jesse sighed loudly, and he stood there for a while, grumbling. He immediately took out his dagger and swiftly opened his right index finger. "Don't be nervous baby, you should know this spell - now pull the collar down a little, don't move, it might hurt a bit the first time."

    Adrian took a deep breath, the blood vessels in his forehead jumped angrily. Jesse painted the circle on the back of his neck with blood-stained fingers, and Adrian's expression changed from unpleasant to serious as the other party moved.

    "You..." He didn't use a title.

    "Don't look like that, I said, you must know this spell."

    "The 'spiritual sacrifice' of the choir." The knight commander turned around, his collar open, his brows furrowed. "The time is limited, I won't ask anything else... Are you sure you can hold it up? I have no mana left at all, and I will directly absorb your power - if your mana is not enough, not only will you not be able to destroy the magic circle, but you are likely to be exhausted. and die."

    "I know, do you suddenly feel that I am very kind and brave?"

    "No. You are not the type to sacrifice yourself for this kind of thing, which means that your strength is not much different from what I used to be." Adrian said in a deep voice, "Who are you? ?"

    "A commoner." Jesse showed her neat teeth. "Go, my morning star."

    Adrian stretched out his hands, and the dazzling white light flashed again between his slender fingers. He was silent for a moment, then raised his head and took a deep look at the smiling Jesse Dylan.

    The next moment, the complex magic circle lit up directly under his feet. Adrian stepped on the magic circle in the void, jumping higher and higher. The whirling white circle made a tiny air burst under his feet, and he quickly came to the sky above the ugly circle. The bow is drawn full, but no arrows are stringed. The pure white light arrows trembled with the bowstring and poured down to the magic circle below.

    The stone in the center of the circle finally reacted. It quivered like a living thing, bubbling like liquid from the dry, cracked ground. The lines of the magic circle are like punctured blood vessels, spewing out countless dark and viscous liquids - they did not spread, but shot into the sky, like a reversed black rainstorm.

    Bone Jade's companion stone is fighting back.

    The former knight commander did not hesitate, the white light arrow precisely hit those sharp and ominous liquid black shuttles. The warm and dazzling light pressed slowly and firmly towards the circle, without missing a single corner. At the same time, Adrian released the metal bow directly, his hands kept moving, and one after another, different white circles bombarded the accompanying stones.

    Finally, a soft sound. The stone seemed to be weathered and scattered into dark red fine sand.

    The rough circle died completely.

    Adrian didn't delay for even a second, he stepped on the magic circle and descended from the air, and then his knees fell to the ground - he seemed to want to say something, but just opened his mouth, blood It spewed out of his throat.

    "I told you." Jesse Dillon didn't look different, except that his face was a little pale. "The first time will be a little painful - after all, with the strength you used to have, you will never use the choir's human flesh magic stone."

    "...Alas, okay." He stepped forward and hugged the other person, but the object of his exclamation didn't answer him. Adrian lowered his head, his body that had not carried magic for too long fell into a serious disorder - he had lost consciousness. "If you're going to be so dizzy, I'll be bored to death by myself."

    He muttered, and took out the communication crystal from the other's pocket—the transparent crystal was now stained with blood.

    "Sweethearts! ... Hey, don't cut off first, I have something important to say." Adrian's head was resting on his shoulder, the blond youth was motionless, letting the high-end The cloth was soaked with blood. He casually glanced at the dead formation. "You don't have to worry about that stupid magic circle."

    This time he cut off the call without waiting for Oliver to respond.

    It would be interesting to be rough, Jesse Dylan thought seriously. He put the unconscious Adrian Cross beside the magic circle and stretched.

    "...What does he mean?" Nemo asked with a stern face.

    "They should have done that... uh, you know." Oliver responded uncertainly, "Mr. Cross won't let him go."

    "Are you still in the mood to discuss other things?" The mayor's son said coldly, he was holding a small dark red stone - the translucent black cover was holding Oliver and Nemo in prison fastened inside.

    "Okay, back to the topic - I suggest you retreat immediately." Oliver raised his hands, indicating that his attention had returned to the present. "It's still too late to recover, surrender before the attack on the Blue Bird's side. Both sides are not very calm now-"

    Even though they hadn't been in the war, even Nemo knew what to expect. If Jesse Dylan's intel is correct, and the Blue Birds abandon their punctuality creed, then Blue Bird's army could arrive at any time. An uphill battle can't start with one side huddled together, but—

    "Not too calm?" The big young man raised his voice. The townspeople surrounded them, biting their ears with some boredom and curiosity, and didn't seem to take the "war" in the mouth of the youth seriously.

    "The people around you don't know yet, do they?" Nemo muttered, "so you're not very calm, really."

    "Tiger, what are you doing? Where's your father?" Fritz, their old acquaintance, finally showed his face. Behind the young hunter, a woman in a cape led the Fuller goat and gestured at them quietly. Nemo probed the probe and found a squashed gray parrot in the gap between the large and small bags—Baggarmoru hid with all his might.

    "Father is not feeling well." Seeing his friend, Teague's face loosened a little, "Fritz, my friend, we need your strength-to kill those abominable monsters together. clean."

    "No!" Fritz exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you suddenly crazy? Didn't you say a few days ago that it's better to de-escalate the situation?"

    "I've set the Bone Jade companion stone, and I've made up my mind—"

    "But they didn't!" Fritz waved at the crowd, "Don't make a fuss, I have to see Mr. Mayor. It's just a little trouble these few months - Blue Bird's punctuality We have time to prepare and evacuate, and fight with dignity! And you are really crazy enough to get a companion stone? What are you thinking? God, I should stop you when you are doing that magic circle... If the bluebirds know —”

     Teague grabbed Fritz's collar directly.

    "You don't know anything at all, I don't have time to convince everyone!" he growled, "I know you don't take that circle seriously, you don't take it seriously. My father suggested it countless times, but he always refused me, I thought..." He gritted his teeth and managed to swallow the words stuck in his throat. "Now I get it...I'm protecting you, Fritz! Or are you willing to let Merotti take you—"

    "Merotti is our friend, she is not my personal property." The young hunter firmly opened his hand, "You know, don't you? Mr. Mayor told you If you still have the slightest respect for her, don't shout here."

    The crowd seemed to realize that something was not right, and it was a little commotion.

    "...you still take me for a fool, you all." Teague took two steps back, his voice disappointed and sad. "Do you really think I'm on a whim? How many years have we known each other, but you think of me the same way as those evil black chapters... Do you think I didn't expect the blue bird to strike earlier?"

    "Do you know how long I've been preparing for this? It doesn't make any difference one day or another." He clung to the holy book with one hand and made a gesture with the other. "You'll thank me, Fritz—for so long, it's almost time. As for you..." He looked at Oliver and Nemo coldly. "Get a good feel for what it's like to die at the hands of those beasts."

    The huge shadow approached silently, and the blue bird's wings covered the sky. Their armor shimmered in the light of the setting sun, with a mysterious beauty—but no one was in the mood to appreciate it at the moment. The townspeople of Vincen Town were all gathered in one place, and the target was quite conspicuous. People are clearly aware of this as well.

    The crowd rioted violently, the white figures pushed each other, and the scene was as chaotic as a hot oil pan with cold water.

    "Don't panic, this is planned!" Teague's voice was amplified by the magic circle again, "Retreat behind me, hurry!"

    The bluebirds began to dive, and the glow of the spell fell mercilessly.

    Nemo gasped. He could understand why the buildings in Vincent Town had not been significantly damaged during the months of battle—the Blue Birds would not leave any traces of destruction at all. A cyan light beam precisely shrouded a hut on the edge of the town, and it turned to fly ash in an instant, before being submerged by the wildly growing vegetation. It was as if he had fallen into an invisible swamp, or perhaps it never existed at all.

    The bluebirds trained to charge forward until—

     Teague swung down the scripture, and the four corners of the scripture flashed overwhelmed arcs. This time, the light film is not just as simple as covering each room - the entire huge army of blue birds was completely sealed inside, and the blue birds angrily attacked the abnormally thick light wall, but...

    "Sister!" The little boy reluctantly got up and beat the light film that was only allowed in and not out. The grass stem blowing the bubbles fell to the ground, and he looked a little dazed, his nose flattened on the light film. "Wait for me-"

    The long braided girl a few steps away covered her mouth and let out a suppressed scream.

    The panicked people did not seem to be as flexible as the young leader thought. About one tenth of the people did not respond and were locked in the light film together with the blue bird. At this point, Nemo had to admit that Teague's plan did have merit—according to the Blue Bird's attack method, concentration did reduce damage more than dispersal. If people follow his orders calmly, he can indeed control most of Jade Bird's forces cleanly and beautifully with this one hand.

    Unfortunately, reality often does not completely obey a person's imagination.

     Teague's expression was flustered for a moment, and then he regained his previous composure - if you ignore the slightly trembling lower lip and the cold sweat on his forehead.

    "Don't panic, that group of beasts is over! They will never split!" he announced loudly, and then ordered again. "Translate for me—don't hurt the people inside, so they can die decently. They have no way out, and if they dare to move, I will strip them alive."

    "Nimo." Oliver's expression became serious, and he put one hand on the black barrier. "Get rid of this thing."

    The two of them have never been leaders, but they know the thoughts of ordinary people better than anyone else. Stupid, impulsive, ordinary people with tiny courage—

    The girl with long braids rushed back first.

    She rushed to the huge red prison like a sacrifice, passed through the thick light film, and hugged her relatives firmly. She held the little boy tightly in her arms and turned her back to the chaotic Blue Bird army. She was the first, then the second, the third.

    Unlimited.

    In just a few minutes, a third of the crowd rushed back.

    "Bring me back!" Teague roared, with a hint of panic in his voice for the first time. "Sober up, that's acceptable—"

    That is an acceptable sacrifice. Nemo mentally helped him finish the sentence.

    The young leader made a small mistake, just an unplanned one. He has planned more than 90% of things properly, but everything is going to collapse. The blue birds struggled frantically in the cage, and the light of the spell flashed like lightning. The blue light pierced through the human body, turning the limbs it touched into ashes. The screams of the people mixed with the howls of the blue birds, and they all had one thing in common—they were all trying to squeeze out, no matter what the cost.

    Some people found knives from nearby houses, and some were holding simple attack spells. The two sides were crowded together in the cage, and the confrontation was maintained delicately. Nemo shivered and exhaled, and for the third time slammed the black cage that held them together—the cage built by the companion stone collapsed.

    The screams and screams around her were instantly clear countless times.

    "Oliver, hurry up." Now the battle between the two sides is still in the tentative stage, and no dead have appeared yet, but if there is a little more stimulation...

    "—Tell that group of beasts, if they don't stop, I will activate the Nightmare Praise—" Teague announced rightly, his voice no longer had the cold confidence, full of shake. He still held on to the holy book firmly and refused to let go, and a spark of sparks began to appear in the corner of the cover of the holy book.

    This is not a big town, half of the people have rushed back. But if the cage is removed, the bluebirds who have suffered a great loss will surely be scattered, and there will be no second chance like this. He still has a chance, as long as they can be deterred...

    He still wins.

    Unfortunately, this statement is completely counterproductive. Once the principle is broken, no one believes that the threat will stop at the level of "threat". The people may not know what the Nightmare Praise means, but the Blue Birds understand the words of war.

    After a moment of silence, the Blue Bird army, which was barely maintaining its formation, suddenly collapsed. Nemo saw at a glance the leadership position that had been guarded in it. The blue bird, who was blind in his right eye, was standing there, chirping loudly. Pasototu's attempts to stabilize the chaotic army were in vain.

    The next moment, the ice rises from the soil. It is no longer a collection of sharp spikes, but a regular, more gentle ice surface. It bypassed each pair of entangled humans and blue birds, and immediately separated them completely.

    In the cage, a twisted and delicate ice wall appeared.

    (m..=)