CHAPTER 277: CHAPTER 276- HELPLESS

Sarah’s eyes widened in horror, her breath caught in her throat. Ruby and Ariana both frowned, their expressions darkening as the old man wheezed out the truth about the Acolytes’ scheme.

"They... they’re hell-bent on causing a massacre," Ruby muttered under her breath.

Explosives. Dozens of them—planted all around the venue.

And only the Juggler knew their exact locations.

"Please... no more... no more..." the old man whimpered, collapsing to the ground, groveling at her feet like a broken creature. His hands clawed at the floor as if begging for mercy.

There was not a single physical wound on his body yet the man appeared paler than a sheet and believed death was a mercy for him.

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. Her jaw tightened. Without a flicker of hesitation, she lifted her boot and brought it down hard on his neck. A sharp *crack* echoed in the chamber, severing the fragile thread between his brain and body. His limbs twitched once, then fell still.

The silence that followed was heavier than any scream.

She turned toward the others, her expression grim. "We need to get everyone out of here—fast."

If her calculations were right, they had less than an hour before the explosives erupted, turning this place into a graveyard for thousands.

Ariana grimaced, clutching her side. "There’s only one path out... a straight one. And Duke Nolan is still fighting a dragon there."

The venue was trapped by mountains on three sides. No back exits. No secret tunnels. Just one deadly road ahead.

Ruby’s attention snapped back as Ariana staggered, her knees threatening to give out. She rushed forward, steadying her.

"Ariana? Hey, stay with me."

"I’m fine," the silver-haired woman rasped. Her skin was pale, her breath shallow. "Just inhaled too much toxin... Give me a minute."

Ruby’s gaze swept down her body—burn marks marred her skin, her clothes torn and darkened with soot. Ariana might have claimed strength, but her body screamed otherwise.

Sarah wasn’t much better. Though she stood tall, the violet-haired girl swayed on her feet, her eyes glassy. Ruby could see the strain in her trembling hands.

The serpent’s toxins filled every breath they took. Fighting it was one thing. Breathing it in with no reprieve—that was slowly killing them.

"Miss Vermillion."

The sudden voice startled Ruby as she turned toward the familiar silver-haired teenager.

The younger woman strode up, her expression sharp yet calm. "I believe it’s better to keep the students inside the arena, at least for now. They’re too injured—and too shaken—to survive the chaos outside. The crowd must be surging at the gates, and panic will crush them before anything else does. Until we find a safe route, they’re better off here."

Ruby nodded slightly, glad someone else shared her thoughts. "You’re right. The front gate will already be choked with people."

She turned to her companions. "Ariana, Sarah—you two stay here with the students."

Ariana’s eyes flashed, her pride bristling. "I can still fight—"

"Headmistress," Elana cut in gently, yet firmly, "the students need you here. Not just as a fighter, but as their pillar. They need a leader to steady them."

The words pierced deeper than any order could. Ariana clenched her fists but said nothing more.

Sarah, meanwhile, didn’t even attempt to argue. In her state, she knew she would only drag the others down.

Ruby’s gaze shifted to the students still standing. "Aries," she called, "stay here and guard them."

The black-haired girl straightened immediately, saluting. "They’ll only reach the others over my dead body."

Ruby’s lips twitched into a brief, approving smirk before her attention turned to another. "And you—can you fight?"

Allen swallowed hard and raised the branch clutched in his hand. "Yes."

Ruby’s face darkened. A branch? That was suicide. Her eyes slid toward the corpse of a fallen Acolyte, the steel of his sword glinting faintly beside him. She looked back at Allen, who followed her gaze and flushed in shame, realizing his blunder.

Ruby turned next to Ariana. She reached into her pocket and handed her a small artifact—the long-distance communicator Adrian had given her earlier. Her voice grew heavy as she placed it in her hand. "Keep this. And keep yourself safe, Ariana."

The silver-haired woman grasped her shoulder firmly. Her eyes, weary yet resolute, locked onto Ruby’s. "Then promise me one thing—keep him safe."

Ruby’s jaw clenched, but she nodded without hesitation. "I will."

°°°°°°

Spade continued to breath roughly. His body had taken several wounds in these few minutes. His body ached and three ribs were broken. His nose was bleeding and fists were shaky.

’And they said he has nothing but that artifact to rely on.’ Spade scoffed. For the past few minutes all he had done was to go against him in pure combat.

He never tried using that artifact but just his strength. And that baffled Spade to no end.

How could a non-believer be that strong?!

Adrian narrowed his eyes and asked, "I guess this is it." He pulled his revolver and pointed it at Spade.

He had injured him enough for the man to barely move at the speed he once was.

Spade chuckled, "You really believed that I can only use fortification, eh?"

Adrian’s mind raced as he suddenly found the Acolyte’s body glowing. As if sunlight was pouring into him.

*THWACK*

Adrian shot a bullet but the explosion was absorbed into the man, as if Adrian was feeding him.

"I never believed I would be using this, but you are a strong man, I give you that." Spade spoke with a grin of amusement on his face, as if he had already claimed the victory.

His scars started to heal, his fatigue began to vanish.

While Adrian was utilising the potions he had in store...this man was healing himself naturally.

’This is fucked up,’ Adrian muttered under his breath.

In the distance, he could see that several other beasts had attacked the venue, and because the dragon was still mid-fight with the Duke, things were turning messy.

And to add more problems to the already worst situation,

[Adrian! They had set explosives around the venue! We need to evacuate as soon as we can.]

Ruby’s voice rang from the communicator.

Adrian’s mind went blank.

Over a thousand people.

Ruby was there. Elana was there.

His students were stuck.

And...Ariana....

"What happened, Runesmith? Giving up?" Spade asked as he stood before him, rejuvenated and ready to destroy Adrian.

Just then, Spade frowned upon seeing the gauntlet disappearing and something else appearing in Adrian’s right hand.

A rusty sword handle.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Run.

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