Sibling Bond gave her the burst of speed she needed closing the distance to Pan in a split second Two of the spikes she blocked with her shield while she was forced to slow the others by allowing them to pierce her side and thigh
Quick as a flash Pan spun and landed on her upturned stomach avoiding the spikes Then he pulverized her organs as he leapt forward toward Randidly who was only a meter away Go for it little brother
An ashen blade shot out to stop PanÆs thrust but his Aura Shield emerged and reduced the strength of the attack enough that his arm was just laid bare to the bone rather than severed
A sense of elation filled Isabella as she saw PanÆs dagger stab into RandidlyÆs shoulder But that feeling of pride was quickly transformed into confusion as both Pan and Randidly stayed very still allowing PanÆs Stamina Syphon to work
how Pan finally asked
You can drain me up to your Stamina pool right Well just this little amount I can eat the cost
His spear cut Pan open blood filling the air in a wide arc Slowly Pan toppled over backward Randidly looked down at them for a second considering Finally he said Before you get Level 50 find Nathan
Then Isabella passed out When she awoke she was told that they hadnÆt managed to beat the previous team’s record of lasting against Randidly Ghosthound
Chapter 925
Mrs Hamilton raised an eyebrow “It certainly took you a while to head down here But I suppose I should have expected that you would drag your feet Did you get lost “
“I was watching just from a ways away ” Stan frowned down at the relatively empty VIP box Alana and Hank were still sprawled in their positions but the rest of their group had gone Hopefully the Cortez siblings would recover quickly enough to watch the next rung but they hadnÆt yet returned “But you can’t be angry at me no one else is here either “
Hank cracked a nut loudly between his fingers Alana just shook her head in disgust as she continued to brood and stare at Randidly
“The rest are mostly doing their own personal preparation ” Mrs Hamilton said studying Stan closely “They will be here when we need them But we did want to make sure you had the chance to watch Randidly fight “
“Yes I saw him massacring the Squads ” Stan said darkly His face was thin and pale and the dark stubble on his chin and neck revealed that he hadn’t shaved in several days At the best of times his brand of self care was sporadic But RandidlyÆs presence brought out all of his fears and insecurities
You were too rough with this one Mrs Hamilton thought while hiding her sigh He cannot rid himself of the flinch you implanted in him
After scratching at his neck in irritation Stan gestured out to the arena “This is his element He’s feeding on us is in a weird way Challenging him here was foolish Rather than this direct confrontation we could have just “
“Too late now ” Alana pointed out
Bah Stan threw up his hands in disgust Then he folded his arms and muttered You want a miracle out of me
Mrs Hamilton shook her head slowly Nothing so precious as a miracle Just an opinion As leader of DonnytonÆs forces you have a responsibility One to face all the battles that come our way regardless of how afraid you are Right now we are fighting a battle against Randidly Ghosthound And it is not going well
Flinching Stan took a step back His bloodless lips pressed tightly together as he struggled to control the sea of emotions that was surging in his chest Emotions he helplessly absorbed from those in the surrounding area Right now more than anyone else could ever possibly understand Stan was feeling the weight of DonnytonÆs struggle with the challenge
Their loss of hope was much more dangerous than just a single man bleakly watching the Ghosthound rampage He was living DonnytonÆs reaction to the challenge played out in miniature
To see him so full of doubt was obviously a sign of how badly things were proceeding but Mrs Hamilton would have been shocked if it was otherwise That was just how thorough a thrashing Randidly was giving to the Squads
But aside from his mastery of strategy that familiarity with DonnytonÆs emotions was exactly why they needed Stan To goad Donnyton forward Randidly was striking at the hearts of the people of Donnyton Stan was a direct line to that battle
If he could be brought around to their side
Then it would become about momentum And I have no intention to allow Randidly to pass the 8th rung
For the moment Mrs Hamilton was satisfied when StanÆs expression shifted to studious blankness Rather than facing the emotions it was fine that he relied on his inherent Skills to numb himself Ever since Randidly had changed something inside of Stan shown Stan some truth about himself the man had become increasingly reliant on numbness to get by in his daily life
It was a dangerous reliance But right now Mrs Hamilton couldnÆt deny that this cold version of Stan was better than one rocked by bitterness and fear
Yet in the face of his continued success as a commander Mrs Hamilton had no reason to remove him from his position She regretted her passive watchfulness now but there was nothing that could be done at the moment Stan was necessary Which meant she would ignore his dangerous proclivities
When Stan finally spoke his voice was rough Fine I will stay here and watch But I cannot promise you the GhosthoundÆs head Just a possibility of catching one of his hairs
Alana chuckled darkly I mean right now even that would be an improvement
Stan clicked his tongue Perhaps But I suspect that Eli will not allow this rung to pass without striking an important blow against the Ghosthound
Eli is strong sure Mrs Hamilton said calmly And when you are unaware of his Skill you can quickly fall into his trap ThatÆs how he was able to seize the spot of DonnytonÆs First Squad for a week But Randidly is smart once you know EliÆs trick well it can be seen from the fact his Squad has fallen to Tenth
If itÆs just one battle and if the Ghosthound loses his cool It is possible for him to be tripped up by Eli Iron Stan announced to the room
Both women raised their eyebrows at that Almost guilty Stan shrugged Ah well I had predicted that our conversation would go about as it did so I took some action beforehand I ordered Eli to do something very foolish
Mrs HamiltonÆs gaze sharpened But Stan remained determined in the face of her ire His back was straight and she could tell that he reduced his reliance on his numbing Skills But that just made Mrs HamiltonÆs mood turn even sourer
This fool if he wasnÆt about to take an extremely dangerous chance he wouldnÆt be nervous enough to keep himself sober What the hell have you done Stan
Mrs HamiltonÆs regret was gathering together and forming a lead weight that pressed against her diaphragm
Stan gritted his teeth If we didnÆt start to change the pace now it would be too late by the time you all got out onto the stage In this challenge we need to make sure the illusion that Randidly Ghosthound is invulnerable is shattered
Randidly looked across curiously toward a tall old man that was striding across the arena toward him It seemed that the next group Squads Twenty through Ten had already arranged themselves in formation The next rung of the HoundÆs Ladder would be starting in a few minutes
Randidly gave Helen a sidelong glance Sensing his intention Helen shook her head sharply she wasnÆt familiar with who this was
So Randidly simply accepted this and passively watched as the man approached His grey hair was combed back from his head and tied up into a man bun making the man resemble a retired samurai Of all his hair only the manÆs sideburns were still thick and black He had a plain face that would be more at home in an accountantÆs office than on a battlefield
But Randidly could tell from the manÆs gait that he was a warrior through and through And the manÆs posture spoke of calm confidence as he walked toward this most recent battle against the man who founded Donnyton