An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2479

“This punk is a real pain!” Connor muttered, looking back to see Axel still chasing them.

The squad he sent to intercept Axel was completely outmaneuvered and couldn’t get close. To make matters worse, Axel kept firing off signal flares, revealing their position. No matter which way they ran, they would soon be caught.

“Connor! Dave! Do something about that guy!” Warrick ordered firmly.

“If we leave, who’s going to protect you?” Connor hesitated. Warrick was hurt, and without their protection, he could be in serious danger.

“If you don’t take him out, I’ll be in even more trouble. Move now!” Warrick snapped.

“Yes, sir!”

Connor and Dave exchanged a quick look before they split with their squads to surround Axel. They knew they had to act fast. If Axel wasn’t taken down quickly, their whole team would be trapped and hunted down.

While Connor and Dave worked to stall Axel, Warrick shouted another order. “Red Legion, split up! Form ten squads and take different routes to escape. We’ll regroup outside the city.”

“Yes, sir!”

Hundreds of Red Legion soldiers answered in unison before scattering in all directions.

Warrick took only five soldiers with him and ducked into a hidden alley. Despite being injured, his mind was clear. He knew if they all ran together, the royal guards would easily surround them and wipe them out. The only way to survive was to break into smaller groups.

He needed most of the Red Legion to create a distraction, drawing the royal guards away from him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t stand a chance of escaping.

The city’s troops were on high alert because of the red flare. All exits and main roads were blocked, and no vehicles or people could leave. Heavily armed soldiers began searching the streets.

The scattered Red Legion squads barely managed to escape before they were caught. The orders for the armed forces were clear: engage the Red Legion with full force. If they didn’t surrender after a warning, they would be executed immediately.

As a result, small battles broke out in the streets and alleys, each one ending in violence. One squad after another of the Red Legion was slowly taken down. Even though the Red Legion was known as Warrick’s elite force, they were outnumbered and couldn’t withstand the city’s troops. They were heading for defeat.

Warrick and his men moved quickly from one hiding spot to another, trying to avoid the patrols like animals being hunted. Whenever they saw a patrol unit, they ducked out of sight, their nerves fraying with each close call.

Warrick had a sharp instinct for danger, but time was running out as the net closed in around them. He had intended to reach his hideout before the citywide lockdown, but the main routes were blocked by royal guards. Taking a longer path could mean they would run out of time, and there was no guarantee those routes were clear either.

As more patrol units filled the streets, Warrick’s soldiers began to panic.

“Sir Prescott,” one round-faced soldier said anxiously, “if we keep hiding, they’ll find us. We should make a break for it and fight our way out.” He glared at the heavily guarded checkpoint ahead, gripping his knife tightly.

Hiding felt suffocating. He would rather go down fighting—if they charged through, they might just escape.

“Are you out of your mind?” Warrick replied.

“Sir Prescott’s been poisoned. How do you expect us to break through? If you want to die, don’t drag him down with you,” a soldier with a square jaw whispered urgently.

“What are we supposed to do? Just sit here and wait? If we stay until dawn, we’ll have even less of a chance,” replied a round-faced soldier, frustration creeping into his voice.

“Fall back. We need to find somewhere to hide. I can’t hold on any longer,” Warrick gasped, sweat dripping down his face.

The Tranqurin had taken full effect, leaving him barely able to stand, let alone fight. For now, their best option was to find a temporary hiding place to avoid being caught.

If they could survive the night and the drug wore off, Warrick was confident he could escape Celestria. He had already planned an escape route long ago.

Meanwhile, Connor and Dave were still fighting Axel.

Although skilled, the two were slightly outmatched by Axel’s strength. Alone, neither could take him down, but together—with the support of a hundred Red Legion soldiers—they managed to hold their ground.

After a short but fierce battle, Connor and Dave had inflicted several wounds on Axel, but he had already taken the lives of over 20 Red Legion soldiers.

Despite their advantage, Connor and Dave felt pressure mounting. If they didn’t defeat Axel soon, reinforcements from the castle would arrive, and they would end up being the ones who didn’t make it out alive.