"Julia, you and Sunier should go back. We'll take care of things here," Gibran said softly. Gibran said softly, his eyes looking straight ahead. Manteco was less than a kilometer away from them, and they had to make the appropriate response. However, Julia and Sunier's expressions didn't look right, especially Julia, whose eyes were filled with unconcealable grief and indignation. This couldn't escape Manteco's notice at all.
Julia remained silent. She didn't nod or shake her head. Sunier slowly grabbed her hand. "Let's go find Raphael. He'll definitely have a solution!"
Julia wasn't willing to leave just like that, nor was she willing to entrust her family's safety to anyone else. However, Sunier's words had moved her. In the past few days, the mysterious and powerful Eight Gates Heaven Lock Matrix had left a deep impression on her. As one of the eight guts of the matrix, she more or less knew some secrets. The more secrets she knew, the greater Han Jin's image became in her eyes. What kind of powerful person could set up such a heaven-defying matrix?!
Julia had seen the power of magic matrices before, but those matrices were all dead. This one, however, had a life of its own! Moreover, as a magus, Yalina often talked about Han Jin in a respectful and confused tone, as well as the magic matrix that had provided them with great convenience. In this regard, Yalina was the one who had the most right to speak. If even she was confused, confused, or even in awe of Han Jin, what other proof was needed?
Julia nodded and followed Sunier to the top of the mountain. Gibran let out a sigh of relief. If Julia had insisted on staying, he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. If that had happened, the situation would have gotten even worse with Manteco's vigilance.
Gibran's gaze fell on Kane. "Kane, go and call Hayden and Charles."
Hayden and Charles were both members of the Red Vanguards. For some reason, perhaps it was a hidden warning, but Han Jin did not let them become formation stars. Although they could move freely in the Eight Gates Heaven Lock Matrix, they did not know the secrets of the matrix. Gibran and Kane didn't tell them directly because they were afraid that Han Jin would notice and cause unnecessary trouble. They were also afraid that their two hot-tempered companions would cause trouble.
In fact, Gibran's feelings were very similar to Julia's and Yalina's. The more secrets they knew, the more time they spent in the Eight Gates Heaven Lock Matrix, and the more respect they had for Han Jin, even though they didn't know that after becoming the guts, Han Jin could kill them at any time!
"Why are you looking for them? They shouldn't be able to help us, right? "Kane seemed a little hesitant.
"I just wanted the whole process to be more natural." Gibran said slowly, "Also, tell Julia not to appear before Manteco pushes Edwina out, no matter what. After that … she can do whatever she wants, I won't interfere."
"Understood." Kane nodded, and turned to walk back to the camp.
"It's our turn now." Gibran sighed softly.
Manteco stood on the Abyssal Ghost Snake's back, whispering something to Eva as he scanned his surroundings. He could faintly sense that there were countless pairs of eyes staring at him, but that was normal. It would be strange if those people hadn't noticed him by now.
The Abyssal Ghost Snake's enormous body suddenly stopped, and it let out a low growl. Its vicious eyes looked down at the people blocking its way, and the round, blood-red third eye on its forehead slowly opened.
"Gibran, it's you?" Manteco said lazily.
"What? You don't recognize me? "In comparison, Gibran's reaction was much colder.
"Haha, the Gibran I know is the one who likes to hide in the shadows. This Gibran who is standing here in broad daylight … is indeed a stranger." Manteco smiled. "Is there something you need?"
"There's no point in talking nonsense between us!" Gibran said. "Manteco, it looks like you haven't given up yet?!"
As if it had sensed Gibran's rude attitude, the Abyssal Ghost Snake's growls grew louder and louder, but Gibran stood there fearlessly, his aura imposing. The Abyssal Ghost Snake's Cursed Eye was indeed terrifying, but it depended on the person. If it was a seventh or eighth grade professional, the curse would almost certainly hit, but if it was a tenth or top grade professional, the curse's chances of failure would be much higher. Someone as strong as Yalina could ignore the Abyssal Ghost Snake's curse, unless her magic power and mental strength were exhausted. She had been nervous because she was worried that her companions would be hurt.
"Brother, quiet down." Manteco said with a smile. The Abyssal Ghost Snake obediently stopped roaring, and Manteco pondered for a moment. "Gibran, let's put that aside for now. I have a question, and I hope you can give me a clear answer."
"Speak," Gibran said coldly. "As for whether I can give you an answer, that depends on my mood."
"Why are you helping them? What is your purpose? Are you trying to take the three dragon crystals for yourself, or … "Manteco's pupils suddenly contracted, and he sighed." Looks like I don't have to ask. "
Yalina, Kane, Hayden, and Charles all appeared in front of them. The fact that their target was walking alone with the Red Vanguards made things very clear.
"Manteco, take your people and retreat. I can let bygones be bygones, and we can still be friends." Gibran's words were almost exactly the same as what the others had said to him that day. Edwina was in the enemy's hands, which obviously made him lose his confidence, but he added at the end, "If you continue to be stubborn, then don't blame us for being rude."
"You've defeated many mercenaries in the past few days. The strength you've displayed is indeed shocking, but that's not enough reason for me to retreat." Manteco sneered. "Finally, I have one more question. Do you really not want the three dragon crystals?"
"Some things are far more important than dragon crystals," Gibran replied coldly.
"Such as … friendship?" Manteco laughed. "Very well, Mr. Gibran, let me test your loyalty to friendship!"
Before he could finish laughing, Manteco bent down and grabbed a person by the hair, forcibly lifting him up. There was a hint of pride in his laughter as he said, "Allow me to make a grand introduction. This is a beautiful elf, a tenth-grade ranger, Lady Edwina of the Red Vanguards! Wow … why are your eyes so wide? "
Gibran, Kane, and Yalina all looked shocked, as did Hayden and Charles. The more impatient Hayden couldn't help but rush over.
Gibran extended his arm to block Hayden, and said word by word, "Manteco, how dare you touch a member of the Red Vanguards?!"
"Touch?" Manteco narrowed his eyes, as if he was thinking about the meaning of the word. He then twisted Edwina's head and carefully touched her face with his finger. "I moved again, so what?"
"You motherf * cker …" Hayden couldn't help but curse.
"Shut up!" Gibran yelled. He took a deep breath and looked at Manteco coldly.
"You're not happy?" Manteco scratched his head, then had a look of realization. He pressed Edwina's upper body down and grabbed her carapace. Then, he bumped Edwina's butt with his crotch and asked with a grin, "You want me to move like this?"
The mercenaries from the Abyss all burst into laughter. This was an extremely insulting gesture, and Hayden was about to explode. He roared and was about to charge forward with his sword when a hoarse scream came from the forest. "Manteco, I'm going to kill you!"
Julia rushed out of the forest like a mad tiger. Seeing her sister being insulted, she forgot Han Jin's words and even forgot her own specialty. She actually wanted to fight Manteco to the death. Sunier hugged her tightly from behind. Although Sunier was almost half a head taller than Julia, Julia somehow had the strength to drag Sunier and charge forward.
"All of you, calm the f * ck down!" Gibran roared. His roar stunned the members of the Red Vanguards. Then, a light breeze blew past them, clearing their minds for some reason.
"Manteco, what do you want?" Gibran's voice trembled slightly. Of course, he wasn't afraid, but angry.
"Let's be clear." Manteco loosened his grip. He was very happy. Up until now, nothing had gone out of his expectations. "Last time, Miss Julia killed many of our men, so I believe I have a reason to do anything to this beautiful Miss Edwina! But … I also understand that Miss Edwina is my bargaining chip. The better Miss Edwina is, the more bargaining chip I have. Don't worry, she hasn't been harmed in any way. Gibran, I'm talking about 'until now'. You should understand what I mean, right? "
"Tell me, what do you want!"
"I don't want anything. The key is what you want. Gibran, it's time to test you." Manteco chuckled. "It's very simple. Kill that woman and give me her wand, and I'll return you an unharmed Edwina."
Gibran's face darkened and he didn't say a word. Hayden and Charles, however, looked thoughtful.
Manteco looked at Gibran calmly and also kept his mouth shut.
Using Edwina to threaten the Red Vanguards was an excellent idea. If this had happened twenty days ago, Manteco would have been very satisfied. In Gibran and the others' minds, compared to Edwina's safety, everyone else was negligible. Even Julia was in a dilemma. If Gibran promised not to harm Sunier, she would most likely choose to compromise. Unfortunately, things had changed. The talismans that Han Jin had injected into their bodies and the feelings they felt in the magic circle had been deeply imprinted in their minds. Just like how they couldn't ignore Edwina, they couldn't even think about attacking Han Jin.
"My patience is limited," Manteco said softly. Because they were standing opposite each other, he was the first to notice Hayden and Charles' movements, so he spoke to encourage them.
"Hayden! What are you doing? "Gibran said coldly.
Hayden's body stiffened. "Captain, you really don't want to care about Edwina anymore?"
"You'll do whatever he tells you to do for Edwina? What if he tells you to kill me? "
"No … I won't."
"Won't? You think Manteco is a man of his word?? "
"Oh … speaking of words, I don't think I'm that good." Manteco was still smiling. "But do you have any other choice?"
Gibran was silent. He had no choice but to remain silent.
Manteco looked from one to the other with interest. He had already predicted that with Gibran's ruthless personality, he would have at most a fifty percent chance of making Gibran compromise. Now that they were in a stalemate, that was normal. That was why he had already prepared a backup plan. Edwina was not only his bargaining chip, but also his bait!
Hundreds of mercenaries formed a large circle, trapping Gibran and the others inside. His trusted aides were already prepared. The mages retreated to the outside, the thieves turned invisible, a few elite archers gathered together and raised their longbows, and a few warriors quietly formed a hexagonal formation a dozen meters to the right of the Abyssal Ghost Snake, ready to attack anyone who tried to break in.
Eva smiled and didn't say anything, but she was already holding a magic scroll behind her back. According to Manteco's plan, once the fight broke out, she would attack first and attract the attention of the magus. The archers and thieves would be responsible for killing Cain and Julia, and Manteco would give the enemy a chance to lure Gibran, Hayden, and Charles in. He would also personally attack and kill the three with the warriors. He didn't want them to succeed everywhere. If they could kill two people, they would have the absolute advantage!
"I'm sleepy …" Manteco yawned. "You still haven't made up your mind?"
Gibran was still silent. Hayden was really anxious, and he kept shooting glances at Charles.
"Gibran, to tell you the truth, my children have been asking for a taste of elves. If you don't want to cooperate, then don't blame me." Manteco smiled sinisterly. "Do you understand? Children, come one by one. Don't kill this beautiful lady! "With that, he grabbed Edwina's hair and threw her out.
Gibran had been holding back all this time because he was waiting for the right opportunity, and he was going to give it to Gibran now!
Edwina's body drew an arc in the air and accurately landed in the middle of the hexagonal formation formed by the warriors.
The mercenaries around them couldn't help but cheer, thinking that their wish had come true. The Abyss Mercenary Team was a strange group of mercenaries. There were only a few dozen true elites, but there were many mercenaries under them. At most, there were more than five hundred people, which was far more than a normal mercenary team. But after a while, the number of mercenaries would decrease again, and there would be less than a hundred of them. This was because Manteco never cared about the ordinary mercenaries. He generously accepted those who wanted to join him, but only because he wanted to pick out the good ones. As for the useless ones, they would end up as cannon fodder.
The muscles at the corner of Gibran's eyes twitched. He sensed the sinister look in Manteco's eyes, but he had no other choice. Edwina was out of Manteco's control, and this was his only chance!
Gibran's body suddenly moved, and he dashed forward while forcefully activating his invisibility. Hayden and Charles didn't have time to think about Yalina, and they also shot out, one on the left and one on the right.
At that moment, Han Jin, who was at the top of the mountain, suddenly opened his eyes. He clenched his left hand into a fist and released it, while his right hand quickly formed a spell. "Dharma Body, Split Light and Shadow … Go!"
A ball of light that came out of nowhere hit Edwina, and with a thunderous explosion, countless rays of light flew in all directions. Every ray of light turned into an Edwina, and they fell like raindrops. Every Edwina was real, and they smashed into the mercenaries below.
In an instant, the area within a radius of several hundred meters was filled with Edwinas. Their postures were different. Some were lying on their backs, some were lying down, some were lying on their sides, and some were curled up. However, their hair, clothes, and even the ropes binding them were all the same.
There were more than twenty Edwinas in the hexagonal formation formed by just a few warriors. This unimaginable scene stunned all the mercenaries. Manteco had just said that he would play them one by one, but now he couldn't even split ten Edwinas between each person!
Gusts of wind blew in their faces, and the first one to be stripped of their clothes wasn't any Edwina, but the endless forest. The flying leaves and broken branches even blocked the sky. A few of the stealthy thieves who had approached Kane screamed in pain. Leaves were such thin things, but when they hit them, it was like being hit by a heavy punch. The pain was unbearable! The messy broken branches were sharper than daggers, and they easily pierced through their leather armor and deeply into their bodies.
Then, the Abyssal Ghost Snake let out a deafening roar, and its body suddenly became even more bloated. Countless leaves stuck to its body, and its neck, which was as thick as a bucket, also swelled several times. It couldn't even see anything, let alone release the curse. It could only shake its head desperately, trying to get rid of the leaves.
Although the Eight Gates Heaven Lock Matrix wasn't a killing matrix, it still had variations in attack and defense. In the past, Han Jin didn't have to do this because Yalina and the others were helping him, but now, it was time for the Eight Gates Heaven Lock Matrix to show its power!
The hurricane blew faster and faster, and the layers of leaves and broken branches that danced in the wind blocked people's vision and blocked the light. It even made people feel as if they were walking in the night. They could see at most about one meter in front of them, and could not see anything further than that.
One mercenary after another was wrapped in leaves, and finally turned into a rolling green ball. Then, they were blown into the sky by the wind, and after flying a few dozen meters, they fell back down. The moment they touched the ground, the dense layers of leaves and branches all merged into the wind, and the people in the green ball fell heavily to the ground, bleeding profusely. Some fell to their deaths, while others were very strong and only suffered injuries. But before they could react, the leaves and branches flew in from all directions, wrapped them up again, and flew into the sky again.
Gibran didn't expect the matrix to have such a shocking change, and he couldn't help but stop. When he realized that the wind and the flying leaves and branches had no effect on him, he was about to join the battle when he heard a muffled shout from behind him, "Captain, save me …"
Hayden and Charles were also among the people being attacked. At first, they were confident in their strength and didn't care at all. They released their protective combat power to disperse all the leaves and branches, but the leaves and branches seemed to have some kind of unknown attraction. No matter how far away they were or how much they were crushed by their combat power, they would fly back to where they came from. More and more leaves and branches surrounded them, and even occupied the whole space.
With Hayden and Charles' abilities, they hadn't reached the level of physical combat power. Since they couldn't block the space, they couldn't block the maggot-like leaves and branches. In the end, they were wrapped tightly.
Gibran couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew that this was because they had bad intentions towards Yalina, so Han Jin was teaching them a lesson. However, their safety was guaranteed.
The wind howled without restraint, and more than a dozen giant green turtle shells appeared in the field. They were the magicians trying to use their magic shields to resist the attacks of the leaves and branches. Because of the magic shields' characteristics, they were the last ones standing, but that was all they could do. More and more leaves and branches stuck to the magic shields, and some of them even reached seven or eight meters tall. This kind of pressure would crush the magic shields sooner or later!
Yalina raised her magic staff, and a lightning ball shot out, hitting the largest green sphere. The Abyssal Ghost Snake's painful howl came from it. The Abyssal Ghost Snake's body was huge, and most of the leaves and branches were attached to it. Now, it had turned into a wriggling green hill more than twenty meters tall.
Yalina's magic awakened the others, and they no longer had the time to enjoy the magnificent scene. Julia drew her longbow, and Gibran also rushed over with his dagger. However, they didn't know where to start.
"Oh no!" Yalina yelled. She didn't have time to cast a powerful spell, so she released a circle of lightning at the green hill as fast as she could.
The green hill suddenly collapsed, and then turned into countless flying smoke and dust, revealing an empty ground.
"Damn it! Space Scrolls again! " Morrisons flashed out from the side and cursed, "Where did they get so many space scrolls?!"
"As long as you have the gold coins, you can buy them." Léger also appeared.
"Impossible." Yalina shook her head. "These aren't scrolls made by the magicians and alchemists of Isolated Cliff City! I've seen them before. Their scrolls can only take away twenty people at most. How could they take the Abyssal Ghost Snake with them? "
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