Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Although Hebrew Adam had the highest cultivation among the first military academy students of Xuan Gu, he was still far inferior to the black-clad, masked person whose cultivation was indiscernible. After just two moves, Hebrew Adam was struck in the arm.

It was unclear whether it was the power of the masked person’s short sword or their cultivation that was superior, but the fact remained that the specially-made combat uniform, which even a level-five exotic beast couldn’t tear through, was easily sliced open by the masked figure.

Blood flowed from the wound, but before it could stain the black combat uniform, it was washed away by the rain, streaming onto the ground. The combination of injury and the rain’s sting must have been incredibly painful, and Romani couldn’t help but empathize with Hebrew Adam’s suffering.

Ruo Manni was also surprised because, just moments earlier, when her attack had missed, the masked person had thrown away his short sword and fought her barehanded, clearly intending not to harm her.

But why didn’t the masked figure show the same restraint with Hebrew Adam? Ruo Manni wondered, ignoring the fact that she was still bound and lying in the muddy water, her mental powers on high alert. If the masked person attempted to kill Hebrew Adam, she was ready to use her mental powers to form a long needle and “pierce” the masked person’s brain.

Fortunately, Su Forty-three, Tino Venamoinen, and Tamaki Kazia arrived just in time. The three of them joined the fight, and together, they managed to barely hold the masked person at bay.

Whether by design or coincidence, the fight between Hebrew Adam and the masked person moved away from Ruo Manni, otherwise, she would have been trampled in the fierce battle.

With the masked person no longer pressing her and the immediate threat gone, Ruo Manni could finally focus on herself. Although her hands were tied, her legs were free, and with a bit of effort, she managed to stand up.

However, the way her hands were tied was incredibly tight, and Ruo Manni couldn’t free herself. At this point, she needed to use her mental powers to control the situation and prevent the masked person from dealing a fatal blow, so she couldn’t afford to use her powers to “untie” herself.

The four boys fought fiercely against the masked person, and by the time Sheila arrived, it was clear she couldn’t join the battle. Seeing Ruo Manni still bound, she ran over to help untie her.

She struggled with it for a full minute, her backside sticking up in the air, and finally managed to untie the ropes, panting as she did. “That was tied really tight, every knot turned into a dead knot.”

By this time, the four boys on the battlefield were clearly at a disadvantage. Hebrew Adam had gained three more sword wounds, and blood mixed with rainwater flowed onto the ground, creating a harrowing sight. Tino Venamoinen and Su Forty-three were also covered in wounds, while only Tamaki Kazia had relatively lighter injuries.

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts—the masked person’s short sword could easily cut through their specially made-combat uniforms. If he wanted to kill them, it would be effortless.

Ruo Manni didn’t have time to talk to Sheila. She picked up her long whip, infused it with mental energy, and lashed it towards the back of the masked person’s head. At that moment, the masked person’s sword was about to stab Tamaki Kazia’s arm, completely ignoring the attacks from everyone else.

The long whip, enhanced with mental energy, snapped like lightning toward the masked figure. He dodged, and while his sword didn’t hit Tamaki Kazia, a simple wave of his hand sent Ruo Manni’s whip flying, which then struck Tamaki Kazia’s face.

Fortunately, Ruo Manni sensed the danger and retracted her mental energy just in time, reducing the force. Although the whip hit Tamaki Kazia’s face, it only left a red mark without drawing blood.

Realizing her whip couldn’t harm the masked person and could easily be turned against her teammates, Ruo Manni quickly retrieved it and tossed it aside. She didn’t even consider using the long sword on her back. Instead, she summoned her willow leaf-throwing knives.

Controlling three willow leaf knives with her mental power, Ruo Manni launched them at the masked figure from three different directions. Although the force behind the knives was weaker due to the dispersed mental energy, and the masked person deflected them whenever they got close, Ruo Manni kept using her mental power to send them flying back.

These relentless, hard-to-avoid, and unpredictable mental energy knives finally posed a certain threat to the masked person, somewhat restraining his fierce attacks.

With Sheila now joining the battle, the other four boys coordinated their attacks, and for a moment, they managed to fight the masked figure to a standstill.

After exchanging dozens of moves, the masked person couldn’t find a way through their defense or gain any advantage. His eyes fell on Ruo Manni, and everyone could see that he intended to take her out first.

However, Hebrew Adam and the other boys weren’t foolish. There was no way they’d let the masked person attack Ruo Manni, their powerful support. If not for her keeping the masked person at bay, preventing him from fighting at full strength, the four boys might have already been defeated.

At first, Hebrew Adam thought the masked person might be an instructor testing them. But when he was wounded after just two moves, it became clear that the masked figure wasn’t holding back at all.

This uncertainty about the masked person’s identity made Adam’s team focus solely on self-preservation. But the masked person’s combat skills were far too superior. Despite their efforts, Sheila and the four boys struggled to hold him off. Tino Venamoinen, Su Forty-three, and Hebrew-Adam were already injured, and the masked person managed to break through their encirclement, moving towards Ruo Manni.

Ruo Manni certainly wasn’t going to stand still and take the attack. As soon as the masked figure broke free of the encirclement, she dashed in the opposite direction toward her teammates, continuously blowing her distress whistle.

In fact, Ruo Manni had been signaling for help since the attack began, but aside from Adam’s team, no reinforcements arrived. A sense of foreboding crept into her mind—they might not get any backup.

Her teammates seemed to realize this too, attacking the masked figure with increased ferocity. With their abilities, they knew they couldn’t outrun him. Their best option was to fight with everything they had.

No one held back anymore, and their all-out attacks successfully stalled the masked figure’s advance toward Ruo Manni, completely restraining him.

Seizing the opportunity, Ruo Manni managed to drive one of her willow leaf knives into the masked person’s arm. She clearly saw blood on the knife as she “pulled” it back.

Just as Ruo Manni was about to press the advantage, directing the other two knives at the masked figure’s back, he suddenly sheathed his sword and leaped out of Adam’s team’s encirclement. He then pulled off his mask, revealing a familiar face.

“Instructor Dudley!” Sheila exclaimed weakly, leaning breathlessly against a tree. Of the five, she was the least injured and the last to join the fight, but even she was exhausted from the battle.

Relief washed over Ruo Manni, and her mental control slipped. The willow leaf knives dropped from the air, narrowly missing her teammates. As this thought crossed her mind, everything went black…