Section Thirty-Three: Battle in the Prison (Part Two)

"Of course, that's not a problem. The last time I got that cannon from you, I had it aimed straight at the entrance—if he really manages to get out, he'll be in for a nasty surprise. But when you say you need more soldiers, you mean the men from the First Regiment, right? Are you suggesting we temporarily replace the soldiers currently guarding the city walls as well?" Hendry tried to discern Antonio's intentions.

Antonio was very pleased with how quickly the Governor grasped his meaning. Indeed, he intended to deploy all of his men—not only would it make command easier, but with thousands of rifles encircling the residence, even if Grant could fly, he would be shot down.

"Yes. Except for keeping the battery on the ramparts manned, I plan to have your men relieve tonight's guards. The rest of the First Regiment will come here. This time, we mustn't let him escape," Antonio replied.

"No problem, leave it to me. I'll have Klubi see to it at once; the switch will be done within a quarter of an hour," Hendry agreed readily. As long as Antonio was willing to share the credit, why insist on taking it all for himself?

"So, you are Grant?" Wei Wuzhi was genuinely startled. Though he'd been impressed by the other's strength, he'd never expected that the leader himself would take such a personal risk.

"Yes, I am Grant," Grant admitted. "Every member of the Revolutionary League is a brother or sister to me. They've repeatedly begged me not to take risks—Leonardo especially opposed it—but I told them this would be the last time. I couldn't bear to watch Mr. Hegel grieve over his daughter. He ought to focus his energy on more important matters, so this small thing is all I can do for him."

"Aren't you afraid of being caught or killed by them?" Wei Wuzhi asked, casually sending out two arcs of sword light that wounded the two guards who dared to rush them.

"Of course I am. If I came alone, I wouldn't even have a thirty percent chance. But we at Communeson are used to saying, 'Follow me,' not 'Go for me.' And besides, aren't you here?" Grant smiled, picking up a sword dropped by a wounded soldier, and at the same time, grabbing a small round shield.

"Even if I came alone, my chances would only be thirty percent," Wei Wuzhi said.

Grant laughed. "But together, doesn't that give us sixty percent?"

"Perhaps even more," Wei Wuzhi replied proudly, though in his heart he felt a flicker of admiration. He'd heard Leonardo talk about the difference between 'follow me' and 'go for me,' but now, seeing it in action, he truly understood.

In the third level of the dungeon, a fierce battle raged. The five-man Inspection Hall team clashed with Wei Wuzhi and Grant, while the Governor's personal guards and prisoners fought nearby.

Though the suppressing side held the advantage in numbers and overall strength, they were the ones being forced back. In the narrow stone stairwell, the forces of Gaul City couldn't bring their full numbers and equipment to bear. Meanwhile, Wei Wuzhi and Grant fought side by side, supporting each other, and the other prisoners seized the opportunity to grab fallen weapons and charge upward with them.

Euclid wielded his Frost Lance, unleashing the full power of his glacial magic and weapon, but he still couldn't withstand the combined assault of Wei Wuzhi and Grant. If it were just one of them, the five-man team could suppress them, but together they were like a two-headed serpent: if the team concentrated on one, the other would break through; if they split up, Euclid and the white-robed mage Aladdin could barely contain one, but the other three couldn't hold off Wei Wuzhi or Grant. Among them, only Euclid could withstand a frontal attack from either; the monk Ullega would instead be overpowered by Grant's twelfth-level Dragon Elephant Vajra Art, unless a second white-robed mage could augment him with white magic.

But with only one white-robed mage of magister rank present, they couldn't cover both sides and were forced from the third level, driven back toward the surface.

The five-man team consisted of Euclid the Knight, Aladdin the White-robed Mage, Farrell the Moon Elf, Ullega the Monk, and Linda the Swordswoman. Euclid was a dual-classed Heavenly Knight and Frost Knight—Heavenly Knight being a rank above Great Knight, nearly as powerful as a Sword Saint. With the addition of his special Frost Knight class, Euclid's combat prowess was not necessarily inferior to a Sword Saint. Aladdin, the white-robed mage, was of magister rank, mastering all schools of magic except dark and necromancy, with good prospects for advancement. Farrell was an outstanding member of the elven race, blessed by the moon goddess Aphrodite, who was both the goddess of the moon and the patron of hunters. Ullega and Linda, the monk and swordswoman, were slightly less powerful; though often bickering, they cooperated perfectly in battle, even shielding each other from harm.

Grant had once found this group a formidable challenge, but today was different—he now had Wei Wuzhi as an ally. Although Wei Wuzhi's Taoist arts were not as versatile as Aladdin's magic, focusing more on lethal techniques, he could still temporarily enhance himself and Grant. The five-man team had an even harder time resisting, and the narrow corridor meant the guards behind them couldn't surge forward all at once.

As the fight wore on, the rebels' morale soared. With two powerful leaders driving them, they pushed the suppressing forces from the third level nearly to the prison entrance in one unstoppable advance.

A large number of guards were driven out like dogs. Hendry's face was ashen, but Captain Klubi dutifully gathered the retreating soldiers and withdrew them from the field, replacing them with men from the First Regiment.

At last, even the five-man team was forced out. Euclid was the last to withdraw, holding his Frost Lance. Seeing Major General Antonio, he shook his head with a bitter smile. "It's him. And there's another with him, equally formidable. The five of us together couldn't defeat them."

"No matter," Antonio replied coldly, waving his hand. "I have thousands of rifles waiting for them!" At his signal, a battalion from the First Regiment stepped forward, raised their modified guns, and took aim at the entrance.

A few foolhardy prisoners rushed out first. Having been so long without sunlight, they were utterly unprepared; the glare blinded them, and they instinctively shielded their eyes with their hands.

At that moment, the guns thundered. Great clouds of white smoke billowed up as the ignition spell set off the powder. The hapless prisoners trembled violently, their bodies riddled with bullets, and collapsed to the ground, their dark red blood soaking into the earth.