hapter 29: Breaking Through the Encirclement
After taking a 300% damage execution from Roland, Yoshimura Kuzen first endured several heavy punches, then was dragged along by Roland's movements, acting as a shield against many attacks from the Contractors.
Even so, this Ghoul actually didn't die, and even retained the strength to resist.
It must be said that the vitality of the Ghouls in this world is truly too tenacious!
Roland swapped his primary and off-hand behind Yoshimura Kuzen's back. He pulled the nichirin blade out of the latter's body, while the hand that had previously been punching firmly gripped a protruding bone spike.
He hung onto Yoshimura Kuzen's back like that, as if taming a wild beast, his body swaying and surging continuously. Throughout the process, he had to use the sword in his hand to parry attacks coming from all directions.
Orlando also knew that this was a critical moment and didn't cause any trouble for him. He extended dozens of tiny tentacles to pierce into the wounds on the Ghoul's back, helping him stabilize his body while absorbing the rc cells within.
Yoshimura Kuzen struggled as hard as he could, trying to shake him off, but due to his massive size and large movements, he repeatedly injured the surrounding 'Bronze Tree' adventure group by mistake.
Midway through, the sensory-type Contractor using mental power tried to use a mental shock again, but Roland timed it perfectly and slashed him across the shoulder.
Perhaps because the skill was interrupted and he suffered a mental backlash, the man let out a muffled groan and then collapsed to the ground, bleeding from his facial orifices.
"Bronze Bull, what are you doing? Use 'Taunt' to pull that guy down!"
Deadwood looked at the chaotic battlefield, the veins on his forehead bulging as he shouted at the several 'Tanks' in the front row.
The main tank, Bronze Bull, didn't reply. He just stood in front of Yoshimura Kuzen with a flushed face, using the large shield in his hand and the Koukaku on his body, coordinating with several sub-tanks to barely restrict the opponent and prevent him from plunging into the rear of the team.
The sub-tank, Lanti, finally found a gap in the battle to look back and answered his question with a bitter smile:
"Boss, it's no use! Brother Ox's targeted 'Taunt' is always dodged by that guy, and our area-of-effect 'Taunts' aren't strong enough. Our throats are almost hoarse from shouting, but we just can't pull that guy down!"
Deadwood had no choice but to turn his spearhead toward several assassin-type Contractors:
"Then what about you, Blood Bee? You've been slacking off for ages. Where's your damage? Why does that guy still look like nothing's wrong?"
Blood Bee's face suddenly turned even uglier, and he said irritably:
"What can I do? I've already hit this guy with 'Blood Shadow Slash' three times. By all rights, he should have bled to death by now, but his health bar is still so long! I suspect he put all his attribute points into 'Vitality'!"
With a grim face, Deadwood fired another arrow and scolded:
"I don't care what method you use. If his health hasn't dropped below 50% within three minutes, you'll have to deal with the consequences!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Roland, who was riding on Yoshimura Kuzen's back, raised his blade and cut down an assassin-type Contractor, then pocketed the scarlet card that dropped.
"Stop holding back! Everyone, attack with everything you've got! Pile on the damage and kill him!"
Hearing Deadwood's roar, the several Contractors in the front row couldn't help but glance at each other, collectively rolling their eyes to show their speechlessness.
How could they have been holding back in that situation! They had already been fighting with all their might, yet they were still being suppressed by that terrifying swordsman in black.
A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in the hearts of the Bronze Tree adventure group members. In a daze, they all had the illusion that they were raiding a high-difficulty boss.
High damage, thick health, varied moves, and flexible movements—what's even more ridiculous is that he occasionally treats them to delayed-timing strikes!
Whether they received his attacks or had their own attacks parried by him, an icy energy would spread into their bodies.
This energy made their hands and feet go numb and their torsos weak, not to mention their speed and flexibility were gradually slowing down. Their entire bodies felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, unable to stop shivering.
Where on earth did this monster come from? How come I've never heard of such a person in the Paradise before?!
In just that short amount of time, the older of the Technique Twins was cut in half by Roland's Scrap Silver Slash. Amidst his younger brother's sorrowful cry, his cold corpse turned into a warm scarlet card.
However, although Roland firmly held the upper hand in this battle, he understood that he was already surrounded here. As time passed, his situation would become increasingly unfavorable.
Enemy reinforcements could arrive at any moment. Even now, the siege from Yoshimura Kuzen and this group of Contractors was already making him feel a bit troubled.
What if the next Ghoul to arrive as reinforcement was the 'One-Eyed King' Takatsuki Sen? What if it was the original protagonist, Kaneki Ken? Would he be suppressed and then defeated?
He had to find a way to disengage as soon as possible and get rid of the entanglement of these enemies!
But how was he to break through this heavy encirclement?
The surrounding enemies weren't like the ordinary flesh-and-blood Bandits from back at the Hirata Estate; every single one of them was a Ghoul with amazing recovery abilities, and they even had three Healers. It was simply too difficult to land an effective kill.
And if he couldn't cause effective kills or even effective damage, trying to open a gap in the encirclement was nothing short of a pipe dream!
Just as Roland was feeling a headache over this, the power supporting him from the shadows struck again!
A hail of bullets accompanied by several rockets swept in from behind the Bronze Tree adventure group. Although they were blocked by defensive items and two sub-tanks who rushed back to help, it successfully created an opportunity for Roland to break out.
With a sweep of Scrap Silver Slash, he knocked back two assassin-type Contractors and the boxer fighting with a cybernetic mechanical arm. Roland stepped up, soaring into the air—Frost Breathing, Seventh Form: Snow Owl Droplet Wave Thrust!
Roland turned into a raptor diving straight down, swooping toward the three Healers in the rear.
The blade, dyed snow-white by the frost energy, pierced straight through the chest of one Healer. He raised his leg and kicked her toward the two sub-tanks, then switched to a low stance and struck repeatedly, slashing the remaining two into critical condition.
Deadwood commanded his subordinates, wanting to tighten the encirclement again, only to see Roland sheathe his long sword.
Just as he was wondering if the opponent was about to surrender, the scabbard, which Roland had poured all his frost energy into, slammed heavily onto the ground.
In the next second, frost spread, binding everyone's feet. Blade light condensed, almost forming physical edges!
Frost Breathing, Twelfth Form: Aurora Borealis of the Cold Sky!
This move consumed all the remaining Breathing Technique stacks in Roland's body, and its lethality naturally rose accordingly. Amidst the blade light flying all over the sky, he received the kill notifications for those two Healers.
Unfortunately, there was no time to rush back into the encirclement to pick up the scarlet cards!
Taking one last deep look at the Bronze Tree adventure group trapped within the frigid blade light and memorizing each of their faces, Roland turned and quickly fled into the distance.
The power helping from the shadows opportunely threw several smoke grenades mixed with special ingredients, making it impossible for the Bronze Tree adventure group to pursue him even after they broke free from the blade light.
By the time the grey-white smoke dissipated, only his own group members, all injured and covered in wounds, remained before Deadwood's eyes. Even Yoshimura Kuzen had been teleported back to 'The Nest' because his summoning time had expired.
"Fuck!!!"