They didnât attack outrightâthis was enemy territory, and they were outnumbered. Instead, they grabbed Old Manâs team to retreat, while two positioned themselves as rearguard.
The foreigners wouldnât let them leave. At least ten launched assaults immediately.
The Youth Army fought back hard.
Xiao Xuan and one other were seven-star evolved; the remaining two, six-star. Against these mostly three-to-five-star fishermen with poor gear, it was a massacre.
In Cloud Peakâs battle manual, they would go all out against their enemies unless special orders were given.
These foreign evolved fishing on thee lakes were basically three to four stars with poor equipment. The gap was huge compared to Xiao Xuan and his group, who had green and blue grade equipment. They were like beggars.
The disparity showed instantly. All four boys killed one opponent each in seconds.
Chaos erupted.
The foreigners screamed curses, attacking wildlyâOld Manâs squad included.
Soon, over two hundred surrounded them, with more arriving. The situation looked dire.
Forced to fight, Old Manâs squad resolved to take enemies down with them. Years of pent-up rage exploded.
But as battle raged, they realizedâthese kids were monsters.
Those fearsome foreigners fell like wheat before a scythe. The boysâ green and blue-grade weapons cleaved through flesh and steel alike.
They even unleashed skillsâprecious attack scrolls, unimaginable luxuries in Stink Nest. The leader had multiple.
When the outer circle closed in, all four activated job skillsâand Xiao Xuan even triggered his bloodline.
They were fifteen. How were they this strong?
When power gaps were this vast, numbers barely matteredâunless they were overwhelming.
These foreigners werenât. After dozens fell in moments, the rest broke.
One slash, one kill. One skill, one corpse. Who could withstand that?
The charge became a rout as survivors fled to regroup.
The battle paused. Between the factions lay over thirty bodies.
Old Manâs squad stood dumbfounded.
What just happened?
Theyâd barely fought, yet so many were dead?
Were these boys gods of war?
Drenched in enemy blood, the four exchanged glancesâunimpressed.
Too weak.
These were insects compared to the icy plainsâ mutated beasts or Black Dragon Cityâs attackers.
Not one had lasted a single exchangeânot even Tarokov, now headless beneath the corpse pile.
"Letâs go!"
Though the enemy was cowed, their numbers swelled. Several had already run toward Stink Nestâundoubtedly calling reinforcements.
Xiao Xuan knew they couldnât linger.
They retreated with the dazed squad, pursued at a distance.
The foreigners shadowed them, unwilling to engage but refusing to leave.
Xiao Xuan and the other seven-star turned back, slaughtering a few, but the rest scattered, only to regroup once they resumed retreating.
If it were just the Youth Army, theyâd have escaped easily. But Old Manâs squad was too slow. Even carrying them wouldnât help.
After ten minutes, a thunderous rumble came from behind.
Old Manâs face drained of color.
"Ice Bear Knights!"
Stink Nestâs strongest forceâthe ruler Ivanâs elite. Three hundred knights, all five-star or above, riding level-four ice bears. The captains were six star evolved, and the two leaders were seven-star.
Their charge was unstoppableâlike ancient heavy cavalry.
Against them, escape was impossible.
"Are they tough?" Xiao Xuan asked urgently.
As mission leader, he had to bring Old Man back.
"Too tough. We canât win." Old Man gritted his teeth. "You go ahead. Weâll slow you down. They want usâthey wonât chase you."
"No!"
Xiao Xuan pointed at Old Man. "You twoâcarry him back to the boss!"
The two six-stars hoisted the reluctant Old Man and sprinted toward camp.
To the rest, Xiao Xuan said, "You go too. Weâll hold them off."
Then he and the other seven-star charged the approaching cavalry.
Seeing two teenagers daring to challenge them, the lead knight burned with indignation.
"Lances ready! Crush them!"
A hundred knights lowered their lances, spurring their mounts into a devastating charge.