CHAPTER 1470: THE EXTRACTION PLAN II

"AAAH!"

Amy squeezed her eyes shut, clinging to Lydia with all her strength. Lydia wrapped her arms around her, her own heart hammering as the ruins erupted with gunfire and chaos.

From the side, two mountain bikes suddenly launched into the fray, skidding across broken stone. Owen, balanced on the frame, fired his weapon in rapid bursts.

Daniel vaulted from the bike mid-motion, his twin daggers flashing as he spun into the enemy ranks. Steel clashed, sparks flying as the Dragxtarn soldiers drew blades and charged at them.

From the back window of the bus, Lydia’s face went pale.

"Owen!" she screamed.

A jeep barreled in from the opposite direction, braking hard across the courtyard. The bus jolted to a stop beside it, and Maddie sprinted straight to the bus door. Gavin hit the open button, and she immediately jumped before the door completely opened.

The moment her boots hit the floor, she slapped a glowing charm onto the dashboard. The runes shimmered faintly.

"Protective charm?" Gavin guessed, already shifting gears.

"Yeah. Now drive!" Maddie snapped.

The bus roared forward, the jeep peeling off in the opposite direction toward the fighting. Maddie looked over her shoulder, biting her lip anxiously.

Gavin noticed. "You know, Jack. He’ll be fine."

She forced a thin smile. "I know."

"Maddy!" Lydia called, her face lighting up despite the fear.

"Seatbelt, Lydia!" Maddie ordered. She strapped herself in tightly, bracing against the violent jolts of the bus.

Suddenly, the massive metal gate behind them opened. From its shadow, men in white uniforms marched into the chaos, their boots pounding across stone, joining the fight. Meanwhile, several sprinted toward the bus, chasing them at light speed.

They raise their hands and all of a sudden, roots burst from the cracked floor, lashing against the shielded hull with violent thuds. The protective barrier shimmered, holding firm, but the impacts rattled the bus like a drum.

Then, from both sides, the surrounding trees twisted unnaturally. Branches groaned as they stretched, intertwining into a massive wooden barricade that sealed off the road ahead. Gavin slammed the brakes.

"Sh*t!" he snarled, the bus screeching to a halt.

Through the back window, Maddie’s eyes widened. Two Paladins were striding toward them, their presence heavy, implacable.

"Gavin—they’re coming!"

"I see them," Gavin muttered, glancing at the rearview mirror.

Maddie drew the pistol at her hip, her hands trembling. "Should we fight them?"

Gavin shot her a look. "You think you can take on Paladins?"

Her voice cracked. "No... but maybe I can stall them."

"Only for two seconds before you got killed," Gavin snapped. "It’s not worth it!"

Frustration twisted across her face. "Then do you have a better idea?"

Before Gavin could answer, the wooden barricade in front of them exploded. A thunderous blast tore through the air, sending splinters and debris flying.

From the cloud of smoke and shattered timber, a lone figure strode out at an almost casual pace. His blonde hair was a tangled mess, his twin pistols gleaming in his hands, and a broad sword hung across his back.

His expression was calm, almost relaxed, as if the chaos around him were nothing more than background noise. Behind him, black-uniformed Noxcra operatives surged forward, colliding with the Paladins in a deadly clash.

"Mr. Thornberry, you’re a sight to behold!" Gavin’s eyes lit up with raw excitement.

Jay didn’t waste words; he simply raised a hand, a sharp gesture that said ’Get out of here.’

"We’re leaving, Sir!" Gavin slammed the pedal. The bus roared forward, tires screaming against cracked stone as it tore through the gap and sped away at high speed.

The paladin saw the bus about to get away, he marched to stop the bus, he raised his hands, summoning his power, then once again thick roots burst from the ground, twisting and surging upward to ensnare the wheels.

Before they could ensnare the vehicle, a flash of electricity struck the bark, burning them to cinders in an instant. The paladin’s eyes widened in shock, but before he could recover, a cold slash of wind struck him.

The Instinct inside him forced the Paladin to take a quick step back, but sadly, not fast enough. Soon, he felt pain flare across his waist. When he looked down, he saw blood trickling from a shallow cut, staining his white uniform.

He grit his teeth and then raised his gaze. Before him, a man stood in calm demeanor. He lowered his blade, then, with a mischievous smile tugging at his mouth, he spoke in a nonchalant tone, "Where do you think you’re going?" His voice was low and mocking, yet the murderous intent in his eyes was undeniable.

"You... who are you?" the paladin growled, tightening his grip on his sword.

Jay arched a brow. "Oh, you don’t know me? Hah. That’s disappointing." He clicked his tongue, lips curling as though truly let down. "I know Fargy and Fred get all the fame, but... maybe I should’ve taken that interview." He pinched his chin in mock seriousness, as if weighing the thought.

Not many people knew the nickname of Fredhardt and Fargo; moreover, people from other countries, so it’s no wonder the Paladin didn’t know the name Jay’s mention, he just thought Jay was playing with him

"Stop joking around! Do you know who I am?" the paladin roared in fury.

Jay blinked, then gave a short, incredulous laugh. "Seriously, you think I don’t know who you are? You’re not very intelligent, are you?" he looked at him with pity.

The paladin’s face flushed, humiliation burning hotter than his wound. "You—! You’re going to die!" With a furious snarl, he lunged, zig-zagging in unpredictable bursts to confuse his enemy before he launched another attack.

But Jay didn’t move. He only raised his hand, and the tips of his fingers began to spark, crackling with a sinister rhythm.

The Noxcra agents fighting nearby stiffened; they knew that sound. "Move!" one shouted, and they simultaneously took a long leap to the sky.

Jay’s smirk widened. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he released it.

A violent electromagnetic pulse exploded outward, rippling the air in a blinding wave. Hitting their armor like a hammer.

The paladins convulsed, their screams strangled into silence as electricity tore through them. One by one, they collapsed, twitching, then lay still upon the scorched ground.

Jay lowered his hand, the last sparks fizzling into the silence. He glanced at the Paladin sprawled on the ground, then clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... all power, no technique. What a waste." His voice dripped with contempt.

Without another look, he strode past the fallen knight, dismissing them as though they were nothing more than debris in his path.

The battlefield fell silent, the air thick with immense pressure.

Sparks still danced faintly across the broken ground, but Jay walked through it as if nothing had happened. His steps were unhurried, almost lazy, boots crunching against the stone with a steady rhythm.

Behind him, his subordinates followed like shadows, disciplined and silent, their presence amplifying the calm menace that radiated from him.

Garrof gave a low whistle at Jay’s power display, then he turned his head at Lloyd, "Don’t you have the same electro power? Can’t you do that too?"

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Which part of my power looks like that?" he muttered. Though his own abilities were of the electro-type, he could feel it in his bones—Jay’s power wasn’t just electricity. It was something far heavier, sharper, more dangerous.

"Call for reinforcements," one of the Paladins whispered urgently to his comrade.

The other nodded, tense, and turned to retreat toward the gate. But before he could take two steps, the ground erupted. A jagged wall of stone shot upward, slamming into place and cutting off his path.

Startled, he froze, and in that brief hesitation, death found him. A massive blade cleaved into his back, blood splattering hot against the stone.

Jack hefted his great zweihander onto his shoulder, his face twisting in a smirk. He spat to the side. "Running somewhere?"

The Dragxtarn tried to rally, lunging forward with their swords. Their roars shook the air, but it was hollow thunder, against Jay, an Archknight. Every strike they make was rendered into nothingness.

He brushed aside their strikes with one move, and adding the Noxcra agents and ex-Ultima fighters joined the clash, the Dragxtarn’s desperate resistance crumbled like a sand castle.

Soon after their weapons were ripped from their grasp, their bodies slammed to the ground. They writhed in pain, coughing blood, armor dented and broken. Once-proud warriors of Luxembourg and the so-called divine knights of the S.A.I.N.T. organization were all dragged to their knees like beaten curs.

Jay slipped his hands into his pockets, watching their humiliation with detached indifference. "Take them all," he said, voice calm, cold, and absolute.

A sudden gale howled from above, rattling the treetops. Shadows stretched long across the ground as a figure vaulted through the night sky, blotting out the moon for an instant.

"Spread out!" Jay barked, instinct snapping through his voice.

The Noxcra agents, Garrof, Lloyd, and Jack, scattered in a practiced blur of motion. But the heavily injured Dragxtarn and Paladins that were left kneeling on the ground had no chance.

The figure crashed down with explosive force, and in the blink of an eye, they were shredded, their cries drowned beneath the creature’s roar.

"Tch. There goes our informant," Garrof muttered with a sharp click of his tongue.

"Forget them, we’d better focus on that ’ugly’ thing first." Lloyd’s jaw tightened, eyes narrowing.