Chapter 50: Three Hours Earlier

“Now that’s settled, why don’t you two scram? If you leave quickly enough, maybe I’ll be in a good mood today and let you off easy.” Agate tightened his grip on the massive sword, a faint uncomfortable feeling stirring in his heart.

“Hehe, if Mr. Agate has any other requests, I might be willing to comply. But asking me to turn tail and run? That seems unlikely.”

If the black-cloaked man before him had arrogantly assumed they could defeat Agate, Agate wouldn’t have worried at all. But Agate noticed that the man was fully aware of his own strength. Knowing full well he was no match for Agate, the opponent remained calm and composed—this guy definitely had something up his sleeve.

“Are you not afraid of death?” Agate’s expression turned serious.

“Mr. Agate, there’s no need to threaten us. Surely you yourself understand this—you must realize that if I didn’t have some confidence, I wouldn’t have dared to appear before ‘Flame Demon’ so recklessly. Although our combined strength with the local beasts might not be enough to defeat the third-ranked executor of the Syndicate, today’s Flame Demon is not without weaknesses.” The black-cloaked man smiled casually, his gaze shifting to the red-haired girl and Carlet behind Agate.

At the same time, three more figures draped in cloaks emerged from behind Agate and the others.

“Tch! So your real target was Xiao Xi and the others all along, huh? Despicable bastard.” Agate spat, suddenly turning around and shouting at Xiao Xi, “I’ll hold them off here—you get her and head up the mountain quickly!”

“Got it!” Xiao Xi, the red-haired girl, had already become serious upon seeing the surrounding situation. Upon hearing Agate’s shout, she immediately responded and, grabbing Carlet, leaped forward and quickly sprinted toward the mountaintop.

However, the surrounding black-cloaked figures made no move to stop Xiao Xi and Carlet from leaving. They merely watched the two girls leave, then quickly spread out and surrounded Agate.

Their actions surprised Agate greatly, and he furrowed his brows again, his voice becoming low and intense from sheer seriousness: “What exactly are you planning?”

“Hoho. I just said it. I dared to appear before you because I naturally have some confidence in achieving my goal.”

“Hmph! Do you really think you can snatch someone away from that old man at the mountaintop?”

“Haha!” Hearing this, the man in the black cloak couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “Mr. Agate, if the ‘King’ were still at the mountaintop, of course I could do nothing. But haven’t I reminded you more than once already? Since I dared to appear here, I naturally have confidence in succeeding.”

“What did you say?” Amidst the black-cloaked man’s laughter, Agate’s expression finally changed. Because just now, he had sensed it—the mountaintop, where the ‘King’ should have been, was completely empty!

“What underhanded tricks have you used, you bastard?” Agate roared furiously.

In the next instant, the red battle aura surrounding Agate exploded outward like a detonation. Gritting his teeth, he leaped powerfully into the air, soaring like a hunting hawk, and lunged fiercely toward the black-cloaked figure dozens of meters away.

Regardless of whatever methods the black-cloaked man had used to make the King leave the mountaintop, if he could just capture him, everything would become clear! Agate’s innate combat instincts allowed him to instantly identify the key point.

“Hehe, you finally figured it out! Unfortunately, it’s too late! As for the King’s whereabouts, I might as well tell you now. Thanks to Mr. Andrei Stein of the Mithril organization. Without him, we never would have obtained the corpse of the South Border Overlord. Without the South Border Overlord’s help, we would have had to go to great lengths to lure the ‘King’ away from the mountaintop.” The man at the forefront of the seven black-cloaked figures laughed loudly, his body suddenly retreating rapidly backward as if weightless. Meanwhile, the other six cloaked figures surrounding Agate leaped into the air alongside countless beasts, fearlessly rushing toward Agate.

“Pathetic pests, get out of my way!” Enraged, Agate swung his massive sword with all his might. The blazing battle aura exploding from his body not only blew most of the charging beasts backward, but many weaker ones were instantly vaporized upon contact with the intense heat.

However, the six cloaked figures rushing at Agate from different directions suddenly emitted purple-gray flames the moment they made contact with his blazing battle aura. Then, the flames from the six figures linked together like chains, forming a hexagram pattern in midair.

The moment the purple hexagram structure was completed, Agate felt as if he were carrying a weight of ten thousand pounds and plummeted straight down from the sky.

Boom! With a thunderous crash like a meteor striking the ground, Agate crashed heavily back onto the earth. The six cloaked figures forming the hexagram slowly descended from midair, hovering about half a foot above the ground.

Clearly, the six cloaked figures had also suffered in their brief clash with Agate. Their cloaks were now tattered, no longer completely concealing their bodies. Each cloaked figure bore several burn wounds. However, these figures seemed completely unaffected by the pain, still fully focused, clenching their fists tightly at their chests, desperately using their entire strength to suppress Agate.

“Damn it! These… are actually ‘Ghosts’! Hmph! I really underestimated the Federation’s resolve a bit. They actually brought out such hidden weapons!” Supporting himself with his massive sword, Agate struggled against the immense pressure, his eyes now deep red, as if they were about to spew fire.

Ghosts were also among the “weapons” developed by the Federation with the assistance of the Soul姬 Eif Babarossa. Their official name could be translated as “Mind-Controlled Puppets.” The creation process involved using specialized techniques to erase the consciousness of high-level psychokineticists, after which their mindless bodies were processed and controlled through psychokinesis to ultimately become living weapons.

In battle, these “Ghosts” felt no pain, had no fear, and were fearless in the face of death. Moreover, the psychokineticists controlling them could use devices implanted in their brains to combine their psychokinetic power, multiplying its strength exponentially to confront enemies they originally couldn’t handle—such as Agate at this moment.

If Agate had faced only six tenth-rank psychokineticists, he might have broken through and fled in that initial clash. But now, the six mind-controlled puppets had pinned Agate down under their psychic pressure.

However, each mind-controlled puppet required the sacrifice of a high-ranking psychokineticist. Moreover, the production process was inhumane and cruel. Although the Federation usually obtained the “materials” for creating mind-controlled puppets from captured prisoners of other factions, even fools understood that once such atrocities were exposed, the consequences would be catastrophic.

The excessively “high” cost and the repercussions of exposing the production process were too much even for the Federation’s Secret Intelligence Division, notorious for its ruthlessness and recklessness. Thus, the mind-controlled puppets became useless relics. The Federation’s Secret Intelligence Division only secretly produced a few before abandoning further development.

Now, the Federation’s Secret Intelligence Division had actually brought out these “Ghosts” hidden deep within their base. This showed just how determined they were!

“Hoho, thank you for the compliment. We resorted to using ‘Ghosts’ out of necessity. If we had sent in high-level experts, our every move would have been detected by the Empire and the Syndicate. On an imperial planet, engaging the Syndicate and the Empire directly, we really have no chance of victory.”

“Hmph! So that’s why you brought these things out, huh? Nice work! A few tenth-rank psychokineticists wouldn’t attract much attention entering Kaseres.” Agate said while gradually straightening his body, “However, do you really think that just six tenth-rank mind-controlled puppets can trap me?”

“Exactly. The test subjects from the space experiment were originally our Federation’s property. This time’s operation to recover the test subjects is something we’re determined to accomplish. As for defeating you, I’m not so arrogant as to think we can. The puppets’ mission is simply to hold you down here for fifteen minutes.” The man beneath the black cloak smiled casually and waved his fingers.

Understanding the subtext in the opponent’s words—”these puppets will hold you down, then I’ll go deal with those two girls”—Agate, under the dual effects of anger and anxiety, erupted again.

“You bastard, you’re asking for death!” Agate, disregarding everything, unleashed all his battle energy.

In the next instant, the battle aura around Agate’s body once again expanded uncontrollably. The six puppets that had barely managed to suppress him began to tremble violently, as if shaking uncontrollably.

“He!… Can’t even hold him down with six tenth-rank psychokineticists? This big guy’s brute strength is no joke! Although he hasn’t truly reached the super-rank level, even ordinary super-rank experts would probably only have headaches dealing with his brute strength!” Agate’s astonishing counterattack caused the man beneath the black cloak to lose his earlier composure and ease, his voice involuntarily carrying a hint of tension as he muttered to himself.

“Hmph!” Agate laughed angrily, glaring fiercely at the direction the black-cloaked man was retreating.

“Oh!” The black-cloaked man couldn’t help but be startled by Agate’s piercing gaze, which seemed capable of burning through a person. Only after a few seconds did he relax again.

Then, the black-cloaked man quickly leaped backward, hiding into the shadows of the jungle trees. At the same time, his hands rapidly executed a series of complex hand signs. As the black-cloaked man moved, the bodies of the six mind-controlled puppets gradually stabilized, and the psychic hexagram pressing down on Agate became even brighter. Under the immense psychic pressure, the ground within the hexagram’s coverage area collapsed, forming a massive hexagram-shaped depression.

After completing all the hand signs, the black-cloaked man finally exhaled deeply, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“He! Although this guy’s strength is somewhat unexpected, the time difference isn’t too significant. Hehe! Agate, you just keep struggling with my puppets. Someone else will come looking for you soon. Next, it’s that woman’s turn…” Glancing at Agate, whose legs were already pressed into the ground, the black-cloaked man sneered coldly, turned around, opened his wristwatch, and quickly pressed several buttons.

“He! I’ve already solved the main problem here. How are things going on your end?” After the communication device connected, the black-cloaked man immediately asked with a smile.

“All is well. The plan is proceeding smoothly.” The voice from the communicator was a sweet and enchanting female voice.

“Good. You’d better get moving quickly. Hurry up. Hmph! How much intelligence did you hide from me? Agate’s strength is completely different from what you told me! He’s chasing right behind me, and the puppets I brought won’t hold him for long. If you don’t arrive within half an hour, you can prepare to collect my remains. My death isn’t a big deal. But if those two girls fall back into Agate’s hands, your situation will also be quite dire, won’t it?” For some reason, even though he had temporarily subdued Agate, the black-cloaked man deliberately adopted an impatient tone toward the woman on the communicator.

“Oh? Are you trying to threaten me?” The woman’s melodious voice sweetly countered.

“He! Angry? That’s exactly the way I love to see you!” The black-cloaked man’s voice carried a hint of lasciviousness. “This time, I’m risking my life for you. You wouldn’t go back on the promise you made me, would you?” As he said the word “promise,” the black-cloaked man’s breathing involuntarily quickened.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely keep the promises I made to you.” The woman laughed sweetly before ending the conversation.

“Pah! That sly fox.” After turning off the communicator, the black-cloaked man’s tone suddenly changed completely. With a sinister grin, he spat contemptuously and quickly chased in the direction indicated by the red blinking dot on his wristwatch.

“Go to hell!” Several minutes after the black-cloaked man left, Agate finally let out an angry roar. The hexagram pressing down on Agate gradually cracked and shattered, and the six mind-controlled puppets simultaneously exploded into ashes amidst a massive wave of crimson flames. However, after breaking free from the restraint, Agate looked around, only to see an endless expanse of silent forest shrouded in rising mist.

“Damn it! Where have Xiao Xi and the others gone?” Agate angrily looked around.

In stark contrast to Agate’s terrifying talent in physical combat, which was almost unmatched, his abilities in psychokinesis were completely non-existent. Agate’s psychokinetic level didn’t even reach the first rank. Without Xiao Xi’s guidance, Agate also lost his sense of direction and soon got lost in the endless sea of trees in the Sandral Forest…

Meanwhile, Xiao Xi, who had escaped from Agate’s side, was now constantly cursing her luck. After leaving Agate’s side with Carlet, Xiao Xi had originally intended to hide nearby, waiting for Agate to defeat the black-cloaked man before returning to regroup with him.

Unfortunately, while Xiao Xi’s plans were grand, the black-cloaked man didn’t make it easy for her to realize them. As soon as Xiao Xi found what she thought was a suitable hiding spot with Carlet, she suddenly felt an icy chill from her flank.

Xiao Xi hastily turned around and found, not far from her flank, a mysterious figure in a black cloak identical to those worn by the previous seven.

The mysterious figure, upon seeing Xiao Xi, didn’t hesitate for a moment. He immediately spread his arms and fired a psychokinetic beam as thick as a human thigh directly at her. The moment the psychokinetic beam appeared, Xiao Xi immediately realized that this opponent was definitely a psychokineticist above the tenth rank.

Although Xiao Xi, as a speed-type physical combatant, had a considerable advantage when fighting psychokineticists, the huge gap in strength between tenth and ninth ranks was enough to completely negate this advantage. And with Carlet, who couldn’t move, as a “burden” by her side, the situation was even worse!

Faced with the attack of a tenth-rank psychokineticist, Xiao Xi dared not take it head-on. She could only do her utmost, grabbing Carlet’s collar once again and dragging her to the side in a desperate attempt to dodge the opponent’s initial attack before seeking an opportunity to counterattack.

However, Xiao Xi never expected that this black-cloaked psychokineticist’s combat experience would be surprisingly rich, as if he were accustomed to fighting alone. His attacks came in wave after wave without pause. Xiao Xi, having lost the initiative, was completely overwhelmed and forced into a desperate situation.

Dodging the attacks of a tenth-rank psychokineticist while carrying Carlet in a small area was an extremely heavy burden for Xiao Xi’s already limited battle energy.

Soon, Xiao Xi felt that if she continued dodging like this, she wouldn’t survive long enough for Agate to defeat the seven black-cloaked men facing him—she and Carlet would likely perish at the hands of this monstrous psychokineticist.

“No choice!” Xiao Xi gritted her teeth in frustration and was forced to change her strategy. She stopped engaging in close-range skirmishes with the tenth-rank psychokineticist and instead grabbed Carlet, leaped onto a nearby giant tree, and quickly fled in the opposite direction of the psychokineticist.

However, the black-cloaked psychokineticist clung to her like a shadow, and his movement speed was surprisingly not much slower than Xiao Xi’s!

Damn it! What kind of place is this Sandral Forest? What kind of monstrous psychokineticist is this? How can there be a psychokineticist who can run as fast as a ninth-rank speed-type warrior?

Xiao Xi cried out desperately in her heart, but her body didn’t dare to pause for even a moment, dragging Carlet like a headless fly and continuing to dash deeper into the jungle.

Boom!

Behind her, the black-cloaked psychokineticist continued to fire psychokinetic blasts at Xiao Xi, forcing her to keep changing directions to dodge. Under the immense strain, the red-haired girl was soon panting heavily.

“You should leave me behind. If we keep going like this, neither of us will escape!” Feeling Xiao Xi’s fatigue, Carlet finally shouted at her.

“What?” Xiao Xi gasped for breath, dodging another psychokinetic blast from behind.

“I said, leave me behind! You might still be able to escape on your own! If you keep carrying me, are you planning to die together with me?”

“What? Leave you behind? You’re just trying to escape, aren’t you?” Finally understanding Carlet’s shout, Xiao Xi bared her teeth at the girl behind her.

“You… ungrateful!” Feeling her good intentions misunderstood, Carlet was so angry she couldn’t speak. This red-haired girl was practically her nemesis; no matter what she said to her, it always ended in an argument.

“Haha! I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I!” Xiao Xi was delighted to see her “nemesis” speechless with anger.

“Hmph! Keep running with me then! Don’t blame me when you finally run out of energy and get caught!” Seeing Xiao Xi’s smug expression, Carlet inexplicably felt a surge of anger.

“Less talk! Just a prisoner daring to look down on me! Be careful not to get a beating later!” While dodging attacks, Xiao Xi even took the opportunity to shake a tiny fist at Carlet. With all her frustration having nowhere to vent, Carlet simply turned her head away and fell silent.

“Hmph!” Seeing Carlet give up arguing, Xiao Xi smugly hummed again and refocused on escaping. However, after the previous series of exertions, her battle energy was already running low. Despite her best efforts, her speed inevitably slowed down.

The black-cloaked psychokineticist chasing the two girls quickly closed the distance, but just as he was about to catch up, he suddenly slowed down, continuing to follow the two girls at a leisurely pace.

In fact, by this point, the purpose of the black-cloaked psychokineticist following them had become clear. He hadn’t slowed down because he had exhausted his strength—he still had enough energy to keep firing psychokinetic blasts, forcing the two girls to change their escape direction. The reason he didn’t immediately capture Xiao Xi and Carlet was obviously because he wanted to force them to keep fleeing, moving further away from Agate’s location.

However, inexperienced Xiao Xi and Carlet, seeing the psychokineticist slow down behind them, were too busy mentally celebrating their “luck” to think of such complicated tactics.

Thus, the two girls were chased by the black-cloaked psychokineticist, running deeper and deeper into the Sandral Forest.

As Xiao Xi and Carlet sprinted through the forest, several kilometers away, Zack and Cloud were also desperately fleeing with another female psychokineticist student from their group.

All three Almeythius students were more or less injured from beast bites. After stumbling and running frantically for a while, the exhausted Zack and Cloud finally collapsed onto the ground. The female student they were supporting in the middle had closed her eyes tightly and was already unconscious.

“Phew! Phew!” Leaning against a tall tree, Zack caught his breath while pulling out a soaked bandage from his small bag, tearing it and hastily tying it around his wound. The less injured Cloud crawled up a nearby small tree using his hands and feet.

“How is it? Have those damned beasts caught up yet?” As soon as Zack finished bandaging his wound, he anxiously shouted at Cloud, who was looking from the tree. In his urgency, Zack had completely abandoned his image as the idol-level campus heartthrob of the Almeythius Academy, spouting curses in a stream.