Chapter 172 [Event] [Enigma Red Dungeon] [32] Messy Battlefield


    "It''s time to put an end to these clowns."


    "Loid, you''ve been quite busy, haven''t you?" Alfred addressed Loid, turning his attention to the students gathered around him.


    Loid lowered his head, a sly smile forming on his face. "So, you trapped me, huh? Sending Edward first to deceive me like this? As expected of you."


    "He sure is stupid," I remarked casually.


    "Yeah..." Eric nodded in agreement.


    I turned to Eric and asked, "When did all of you arrive on this floor?"


    Eric pondered for a moment before responding, "Hmm, I''d say a few hours ago. Originally, I was nning to move on and search for Milleia''s group afterpleting this floor, but we heard somemotion and stumbled upon you here."


    "I see." It was fortunate that they had arrived when they did.


    "By the way, something happened, didn''t it?" Eric inquired, noticing theplex expression on my face.


    "I…I will tell youter it''s better."


    Eric was also a childhood friend of Louisa, so it was best to postpone sharing the news with him for now.


    "Okay," he replied, acknowledging my words.


    Alfred, La, Ca, and Thomas were all present, so it was wiser to keep quiet for the time being. As for Loid, I had no doubt that this bastard held no genuine affection for anyone but himself.


    "You should give up, Loid," La stepped forward, her hand gracefully waving through the air, eliciting uneasy gulps from the surrounding men. "His Highness won''t need more than a minute to take care of all of you."


    "Oh!" La''s expression suddenly shifted, her hand covering her mouth as she noticed Ca, who was bound and unable to respond. "Oh my! Ca, what happened to you?" Though she feigned concern, it was evident that La took pleasure in Ca''s predicament.


    Ca, with her hands tied, red at La, her eyes filled with daggers. She remained silent, unable to offer a response.


    This girl never ceases to irritate people.


    "It''s a clever n, but it won''t be enough to stop all of us, Alfred," David interjected, standing with his arms crossed, a smile ying on his lips.


    We only end up in the same ce by chance though?


    "....."


    Silence settled as the atmosphere became more and more tense.


    As the confrontation intensified, it was clear that the battle lines were drawn. Loid, David, and Tyler, apanied by their group of students, faced off against Alfred, La, Eric, Ca, Thomas, and me.


    Without hesitation, Loid exchanged a brief nce with David and Tyler beforeunching himself towards Alfred, propelled by a gust of wind.


    No.


    He was aiming for Alfred.


    "I''ll handle him. Take care of the others!" Alfredmanded, swiftly unsheathing his golden sword, crafted from branches of Eden''s Tree, simr to Aurora''s weapon.


    Our other teammates looked with shining eyes at Alfred who seemed like a true leader to them. The girls—be it from our team or the ones under Loid''s orders also squealed happily. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I couldn''t help but cringe at the sight.


    I wanted to shout, "Don''t give me orders!" but I refrained from stooping to that level, considering the gravity of the situation.


    "Yes, Your Highness!" La responded, clenching her fists tightly with an enthusiastic smile. "I will burn to crisp David and stupid one right away!"


    You don''t have to go that far, La.


    And isn''t that too cruel to call Tyler, ''stupid one''?


    Whatever. Even he must be not aware that La was speaking about him.


    -BOOOOM!


    The sh between Alfred''s golden sword and Loid''s longsword sent shockwaves through the air.


    "I won''t hold back just because it''s you, Alfred," Loid taunted with a smirk, disying a hint of the camaraderie they once shared.


    "The feeling is mutual, Loid," Alfred replied, matching Loid''s smile.


    What''s with this scene?


    Is that a show of rivalry?


    Why does it feel so cringeworthy when it involves Alfred and Loid?


    "Don''t get distracted!" Tyler shouted, swinging his greatsword in my direction.


    "Septem Treina," I sighed, swinging my staff simultaneously. "Sweep."


    I furrowed my brow as a tremor coursed through my entire body "Sweep."


    I furrowed my brow as a tremor coursed through my entire body after the impact. Tyler possessed Hercules'' Legacy, granting him immense strength. His body was anything but ordinary. I could sense that his greatsword weighed several hundred kilograms, yet he wielded it with ease.


    "Hmm?" I turned my gaze to the left and noticed David making a beeline towards La.


    Ah, I see.


    Loid targeted Alfred, the "strongest."


    Tyler focused on me, considering me a threat.


    And David zeroed in on La, exploiting his elemental advantage over her.


    But...


    I shifted my attention to Eric, who was fending off the onught of mobs rushing towards him.


    "Eric!"


    "Huh?" Eric pummeled a foe with a fierce punch before ncing in my direction. "What''s up?"


    I smiled at him and pointed towards Ca and Thomas, who were restrained with five students each, ready to pounce at the slightest movement.


    "Free them," I urged. Eric looked at Ca and Thomas, who were on the verge of snapping under the strain. The five students surrounding them remained vignt, poised to attack.


    "Are you sure?" Eric asked, aware that the already "out of control" situation would be even more chaotic if we released Ca and Thomas, who belonged to a different group.


    "Do it. It''ll be fun," I replied with a mischievous smile, infusing Ruah into my staff to push away Tyler.


    Eric''s expression twitched momentarily, but he eventually grinned. "I suppose!" With a burst of bright red light, he propelled himself high into the air.


    -Bam!


    A reddish shockwave emanated as Eric propelled himself towards Ca and Thomas with tremendous speed.


    "Hey! It''s Eric!"


    "Stop him!"


    "How dare he?!"


    "I''ll use you as a meat shield, you bastard!"


    The individuals guarding Ca and Thomas franticallyunched attacks, swinging their weapons in a desperate attempt to halt Eric''s advance. However...


    -BOOOOM!


    Eric delivered a powerful punch, shattering the air and sending a burst of reddish energy that sent everyone hurtling away, except for Ca and Thomas.


    "Phew..." Erded gracefully on the ground and moved swiftly behind them, removing the metallic ropes that bound their hands. The bindings were tight, and forcing them off could have caused severe wrist injuries. "I''m going to set you free. If you have an ounce of pride, you''d better help us defeat Loid and David."


    Thomas stood up, rubbing his wrists and ring at David, who had caught him off guard. "Don''t worry about that. I''ll tie him up naked on this tree."


    "I see..." Eric nodded, observing as Thomas charged towards David, who was currently engaged inbat with La.


    Ca, too, rose to her feet, a fierce gust of wind swirling around her as she fixed her gaze on David—or so it seemed...


    "I''ll deal with this b*tch!"


    "C-Ca?" Eric stammered, taken aback by the sudden insulting from a Duke''s daughter. He watched in disbelief as Ca rushed towards David.


    -BOOOOM!


    Thomas caught David off guard, swiftly binding his legs with vines and mming him onto the ground. "Wha-argh!"


    "UGH!" Ca mercilessly stepped on David''s prone body and then leaped towards La.


    Wide-eyed, La swiftly erected a wall of red fire to shield herself.


    "Die, La!" Ca shouted, swinging her sword with a fierce whirlwind swirling around it.


    -BOOOOM!


    As Ca''s sword collided with La''s fiery barrier, a powerful explosion erupted, sending shockwaves rippling through the surroundings. The force of the impact caused the ground to tremble, creating cracks in its surface.


    La gritted her teeth, her eyes zing as she maintained her defensive stance against Ca''s relentless assault. The wall of fire flickered and wavered under the strain, but La managed to hold her ground.


    Damn…


    She is sure angry at La.


    She might not have taken kindly to La''sugh.


    Honestly I expected Thomas and Ca, both of them to help us against Loid and his army of clowns but whatever.


    In the midst of the chaos, the sh between Alfred and Loid continued unabated. Each strike reverberated through the air, creating a dazzling disy of light and sparks.


    Alfred''s golden sword, infused with the power of Eden''s Tree, emitted a radiant glow, pushing back against Loid''s relentless attacks. The sh of their des sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, causing the students around them to stumble and lose their footing.


    The forest which was the current battlefield really had be a mess. Trees, leaves, trunks were flying everywhere and explosions rang here and there.


    "Edwaaaaaaard!" Tyler shouted uselessly loudly and swung his sword-


    -Bam!


    But Eric, having freed Ca and Thomas, swiftly rejoined the fray. He leaped into the air, his body enveloped in a crimson aura as he soared towards Tyler, who was still locked inbat with me.


    He kicked away Tyler and joined me. "You can leave him to me," he said and nced at Loid and I followed his gaze. "We should better finish this battle quickly, Edward. We are wasting time. I have a bad feeling. Elona, Miranda and Milleia are still up there."