Chapter 250: Concealment
The Druids didn't have any intentions to fight in the first place. With someone finally giving a command to retreat, everyone of them immediately turned around and ran off. They didn't even bother caring if the one giving the command was a Druid of higher rankings or just a commoner—it wasn't even important to them now.
It wasn't wrong to think of the Druids as bandits, because other than their usual activities which resembled the bandits, their behaviours were also lawless. The difference in levels between the Druids themselves weren't huge. Their hierarchy was maintained based on levels of prestige; however, such terms were unclear, unlike soldiers in the military.
Previously, they were able to put Starlight in a difficult position due to their individual capabilities. The Druids were strong and each one had no problem taking on ten mercenaries at a time. However, even so, everyone in Starlight managed to hang on with their teamwork, and even force the Druids away. From this point, they could see that the Druids weren't efficient in team battles. No matter how strong they were individually, they would still be weak facing a group of united mercenaries.
Not to mention, Rhode's sudden appearance had immediately forced them off balance. The Druids fought to a draw with the mercenaries because their powerful individual skills counteracted the mercenaries' team advantage. Now that they lost their individual advantages, what could they do?
It seemed like nothing was left for them...
"This bunch of idiots!"
Only one Druid had chosen to not retreat.
He stuck close to the wall, camouflaging into the dust and ash color. Glancing over at his fleeing companions, he gritted his teeth as rage burned in his heart.How despicable! The enemy merely brought someone slightly stronger and they ran off just like that? Don't they want to seek revenge? Forget it! I should've known that these people were unreliable!
The man held his breath. He closed his eyes and subconsciously re-adjusted his heartbeat. At this moment, it seemed that he had completely blended in with the rocks, where even his smooth human skin had turned into a rocky, solid surface. This was one of the Druids' natural ability. They could totally camouflage into something within a limited time such as animals, plants, or even rocks.
This Druid was clear of how powerful this black-haired young man was, to be able to kill three Druids in an instant. But, even so, he didn't intend to escape because in this group of mercenaries, he wasn't able to spot the one who had killed his loved ones yet. Just based on the weak and slow-moving mercenaries, it was impossible for them to kill Brown Bear and the other two. And now, this powerful young man suddenly emerged out of nowhere!
Could it be that this young man was the evil murderer!?
Thinking of his dead lover, the man gritted his teeth. If he wasn't in his camouflage state and forcing his heartbeat to the lowest, he would have burst out in anger. However, he had to tolerate this as he knew that he had no chances of winning if he fought the man head on. However, he had not given up just yet. He lurked and waited for the right opportunity to complete his revenge.
Currently, the chilly tunnel was in total silence. Without the support of the Druids, those vines had collapsed and turned into ashes. The strong gales blew into the tunnel and shook the flames on the torches, which flickered in the shadows as though a group of Devils were dancing in celebration.
"It seems like those guys finally left?"
Suddenly, a man's voice sounded beside the Druid and it almost forced a shriek of surprise out of him. However, he was fortunate that his years of battle experiences had stifled his fears. He just realised that the black-haired murderer had emerged beside him.
What a scary man!
In an instant, the Druid's heart was unsettled. It wasn't that he didn't know how oddly fast this black-haired young man could be, but only when he saw him face-to-face did he realise that this young man had exceeded his expectations. After completing his camouflage, this Druid had been fully observing the surroundings, but even so, he wasn't able to spot Rhode's presence at all. Yet, Rhode seemed to just appear in his face from the ground. How was that not surprisingly scary for this Druid? The Druid was somehow glad that he had made a right choice to avoid Rhode. If not, he would perhaps be instantly killed without spotting him.
But what about now?
The Druid sized up Rhode secretly because Rhode had his back exposed, which was a great opportunity. If the Druid could grab this chance, he should have a high chance in assassinating Rhode. However, even so, the Druid didn't act upon it. Rhode's odd movements had frightened him and he wasn't sure if striking at this distance would be lethal.
Just as he was contemplating to strike, another voice completely demolished this thoughts.
"Nice one, Master. Those useless trash who are only great fertilisers for nature after they die have indeed escaped far, far away as you expected."
Gillian shook her tail playfully as she walked over. Looking at the appearance of this maiden, the Druid had to cancel his thoughts of striking and quietly observed further. At this moment, there were two enemies present and he had lost the opportunity to attack. If he chose to risk it, then it would mean death for him. Other than being patient, he had no other choices.
"Alright, cut the crap."
Rhode gestured with his hand and whistled. Kavos led his men and arrived at the scene hurriedly with weapons clutched in their hands. Not far from them were the well-prepared Ophenian researchers. Although they weren't able to investigate the central control room, they still received many great loots in this historical remains. The researchers treasured these loots a lot and when some mercenaries tried to carry them on their behalf, the researchers rejected. After all, these were the most precious records in this historical remains and if these clumsy mercenaries were to break them, not even crying would help. Therefore, they would rather be tired and carry them and not pass them to the mercenaries.
"Move fast; I think those Druids have possibly gone to search for backup. We have to get out of here before they're back!"
Rhode commanded the mercenaries as he accelerated forward. From his actions, it seemed that he had totally missed the man hidden by the wall. The Druid, who had heard Rhode's words, was stunned. Why must I do it myself? I can just seal up the entrance of this historical remains and leave them to kill themselves. Isn't this way safer? Why didn't I think of this?
The Druid had already observed that the researchers were as weak as the mercenaries and their movements were even slower with poor alertness. From the behavior of the mercenaries, these Ophenians seemed to be of utmost importance to them...
The Druid worked out a scheme in his mind.
Although it seemed to take a long time, the mercenaries were actually moving really quickly. If it weren't for the injured Ophenian researchers, they would have already left this tunnel. And even now, most of the mercenaries had already repositioned to the front to prevent a possible attack. Rhode, on the other hand, was guarding the rear, and at the same time gazing at the entrance. The battle angel maiden who had given the Druids a major headache from before had already left the tunnel.
Hmph, these damn barbarians.
The Druid slowly inched his way along the walls toward the entrance.
At this moment, the Ophenians had also finally reached the end of the tunnel.
Now's my chance!