Following Cyrus, more and more prisoners climbed out of the tunnel, their gazes just like his, skittering between the distant city lights and the violet forest ahead. Surprisingly, even under the watchful eyes of the first guard, many of them didn't shy away, almost as if they were facing the same internal dilemma as him: ''…It was only a few hundred meters ahead!''
Instead of growing weaker, Cyrus could tell that this crazy, almost suicidal thought had now firmly taken root in every prisoner's mind. After all, with the other two guards still at the back of the group, making sure that no one was 'accidentally' left behind, there was only one monster guarding them.
Granted, this one was the strongest among the guards, but he was still alone while more than a hundred prisoners were already in the open, with two hundred more inside the tunnel! If they tried to escape… could the guard really stop them all before they reached the city entrance? And even if he somehow managed that, would he really dare to kill them? Kill all of them? Who was the 'Red Arena' going to use for their fights then? The more they thought about this, the more the prisoners realized that this was their only chance!
''GO!!''
And indeed, barely a minute later, an unassuming, short young man did what everyone else had been thinking: he sped off, breaking out of the group and running towards the direction of Morwyn!
Almost simultaneously, more than a hundred prisoners did the same, scattering in every direction, with the majority of them heading towards Morwyn or the Amethyst forest.
Cyrus was one of them! After throwing a glance at the youth who had initiated the charge, he gritted his teeth and ran with everything he had, as he made his way towards the purple-treed Forest!
Even the flaring pain that was practically burning his neck alive every time his feet slammed into the ground wasn't enough to make him slow down!
Of course, Cyrus had instantly recognized the youth who led the charge just now, too. After all, just like 298, the short teen was also one of the strongest fighters in the Red Arena, someone in the top 20.
Unfortunately, even he wasn't strong or fast enough to endure what was about to follow.
With a murderous look in his arrogant, emotionless eyes under his steel helmet, the guard rushed forward chasing after the youth! The man's speed was even faster and more explosive than Cyrus had originally predicted, and in just a few steps, he'd already caught up with the short teen at the very front. It was almost as if the thick armor he wore was nothing but an ornament, not slowing him down in the slightest.
To every prisoner's horror, however, this was just the beginning.
Raising his iron fist, the guard didn't slow down as he sent it flying at the fleeing youth's back.
Even from afar, Cyrus could clearly tell: There was no mercy. No hesitation. No weakness in that fist. Just pure intent to kill!
Almost as if feeling that something was wrong, the short teen turned around and stared at the incoming fist with a terrified, desperate look when he realized who it belonged to. But that was all he could do before his eyes widened in terror as a gaping hole tore his back open before a massive iron fist came out of his chest!
Then… his lifeless body collapsed on the ground with a dull thud, his expression a mixture of horror and hopelessness as he breathed out his last.
''ENOUGH! You bastards! Those of you who come back now can still go unpunished! But anyone who keeps running will die by my hands! This is your last chance!'' The guard's voice resounded through the vast plains like a peal of thunder, his fury and killing intent crystal clear as he looked at the fleeing slaves.
Even from a distance, Cyrus could tell that the man meant every word of it too! He was really planning to slaughter them all!
Unfortunately, this threat would have worked at any other time except for tonight. Cyrus could see that none of the other prisoners had stopped running despite the guard's threat. Not the ones who were running towards Morwyn, not the ones heading for the Amethyst Forest like him, and not even the ones who were going for the mountains opposite the city!
Despite the guard's overwhelming strength and speed, it seemed that everyone had already realized it. The man couldn't stop everyone! Even an Ironbound warrior wasn't capable of that!
The guard seemed to have realized it too, and after a moment of reluctance, he focused solely on the prisoners running towards Morwyn!
He had explicit instructions to avoid alerting the city guard while he waited for reinforcements, so dealing with the slaves heading for the city was of utmost importance! As for those who were heading towards the Amethyst Forest or the mountains, he would take care of them later.
Cyrus had no idea what was on the guard's mind, and at this point, he couldn't afford to care either. He could clearly hear the cries of those unlucky prisoners who ended up in the iron warden's clutches, and by the time he reached the foliage of the purple-colored trees he was sure that at least a dozen more prisoners had already perished in the man's hands. Unfortunately, Cyrus knew that despite the ground he'd covered, his situation wasn't much better either. His life was now hanging by a thread and his injury-ridden body had truly reached the verge of collapse!