# 77
**Chapter 77: Breakout**
Molly hoisted her greatsword, staring at Moon Ghost in utter disbelief.
“How is that possible? That was… regeneration?”
“No. The instant your blade touched him, half his body dissolved into moonlight to dodge the strike.” Lin Qiye had caught every detail with his mental perception; he frowned as he answered.
“A nasty Forbidden Ruins.”
“Looks like he’s the only one here so far.” Lin Qiye’s gaze swept the surroundings, his eyes brightening. “This is our chance! If we can rip off his mask, we win!”
The moment those words left his mouth, Molly’s eyes burned with fervor. Dozens of recruits who had just grabbed weapons from the depot all swiveled as one toward the lone Moon Ghost.
A single, isolated Mask Squad member!
Sensing the predatory stares, Moon Ghost’s mouth twitched. “This isn’t how I pictured it…”
In his original plan, he was supposed to drift through the depot like a phantom in the dark, silently culling recruits.
How… had he been exposed already?!
Right then, Baili Pangpang threw out an arm, pointed at Moon Ghost, and bellowed:
“Brothers—get him!”
At his shout the recruits surged forward, weapons and Forbidden Ruins flashing in a roaring tide!
Moon Ghost cursed under his breath; his figure blurred and melted into the air.
Left without a target, the recruits froze, glancing around in confusion.
Lin Qiye moved.
He shot like lightning toward a patch of empty air, eyes blazing. His Straight Blade slashed at nothing—only for a Short Sword to materialize and parry!
Forced back into visibility, Moon Ghost looked at Lin Qiye in exasperation.
“Bro, must you be this harsh?”
Lin Qiye smiled; then his eyes erupted with blinding gold. A surge of divine majesty burst from him and slammed into Moon Ghost’s psyche!
Yet although Moon Ghost had suppressed his realm to “Lantern,” his body was still “River”-class; the Seraph’s pressure had little effect.
“Divine coercion? At Lantern rank it’s already this strong—so this is the Seraph…”
He wavered for only an instant before whipping his Short Sword into a flurry, trading blows with Lin Qiye’s Straight Blade!
Clang-clang-clang—!!
Sparks flew in rapid succession. Both weapons moved at terrifying speed, but within seconds Lin Qiye felt crushing pressure.
Moon Ghost was, after all, Mask Squad—his swordplay was no joke—while Lin Qiye had only begun learning the blade. The exchange immediately tipped against him.
Fortunately, he wasn’t alone. Those few seconds of restraint let the recruits close in again, sealing every escape route and launching a shameless gang-beat!
Under the storm of attacks, Moon Ghost could only rely on his moonlight-form and veteran experience to stay afloat. Luckily he could moonlight-ify his mask as well, or it would have been shattered by the blasts long ago.
“Where the hell are those four?! We agreed on a team fight—how did it become me versus an army?!”
He cursed while dodging wildly through the crowd.
The moment the complaint left his mouth, a figure silently appeared atop a building to the east.
A man wearing a Tianping mask. Lin Qiye spotted him instantly, expression darkening.
On the roof, Tianping gazed down at the chaotic battlefield. He clapped his hands softly and murmured:
“Force-field shift.”
Instantly, metal shards, rubble, weapons, and bricks scattered nearby all floated up, forming an inverted bowl above the crowd—ready to fire at any moment.
“Gravity double.”
He clapped again. Everyone beneath the debris felt their bodies sink; many nearly toppled. Movement slowed to a crawl under the crushing weight.
In the crowd, Moon Ghost finally exhaled. “Any later and I’d be toast!”
“Useless Moon Ghost—can’t handle a thing?”
From the southern road, Vortex strolled up, tone flippant.
Next, Rose appeared on the west road, twirling a tiny hammer that ballooned to three stories tall in an instant—one swing could flatten the depot!
To the north, Wang Mian stood with hands in pockets.
His calm gaze swept the forty-odd recruits.
“Regrettably—you’re surrounded.”
Surrounded?
Four people… surrounding nearly forty?
Ridiculous as it sounded, none of the recruits laughed.
They really were surrounded.
Among them, Lin Qiye’s eyes grew grave.
“Now what?” Molly asked, greatsword on shoulder, face grim. “Fight them head-on?”
“We can’t win with numbers this small.” Lin Qiye shook his head, mind racing.
He half-turned, gaze passing through the half-collapsed depot to land on Vortex beside the southern wall.
“When I move, follow me,” he whispered.
Molly and Baili Pangpang’s eyes sharpened; they nodded slightly.
“They’ve only got four, one in each direction. If we break out together in a single direction, we have a real chance.” Lin Qiye raised his voice just enough for every recruit to hear.
“When Tianping makes his move, we charge the woman on the west!”
The recruits’ eyes flickered; no one answered, but they understood.
Seated on the roof, Tianping flicked a finger.
“Drop.”
In an instant the suspended metal and masonry plummeted, razor edges glinting!
Almost simultaneously, most recruits—despite double gravity—pounded toward Rose. Molly’s eyes flashed; her greatsword quivered as she slashed upward!
A fierce invisible shockwave burst from the blade, smashing the falling shrapnel into harmless grit that rained aside.
Meanwhile, Rose—wielding a hammer now the size of an apartment block—arched a brow at the oncoming horde and sneered.
“Seeking death!”
Whoosh—!!
The hammer grew again, blotting out the sky as she swung it down at the stunned recruits!
It eclipsed the sun itself!