If Warrick had been at his peak, Axel might have been more cautious.
But with Tranqurin coursing through his vein, Warrick had barely a fraction of his usual strength left. His power was still fading, and Axel wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. He had to capture Warrick while he had the chance.
“Get the hell out of my way!”
As the enforcers closed in, Warrick let out a furious roar and slammed his massive fist into the floor.
With a loud explosion, the earth shook violently. The ground within dozens of yards cracked and caved in, splitting apart like a spiderweb. A powerful shockwave tore through the air, sending dirt flying and walls shattering. The entire meeting room collapsed into ruins.
The elite enforcers, caught in the blast, were flung backward like ragdolls. They crashed to the ground, disoriented and battered. Even Axel was thrown back more than ten yards.
Warrick panted heavily, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Forcing his internal energy into action had only accelerated the Tranqurin’s effects. He knew that if this dragged on, he wouldn’t survive the night.
“Austin! One day, I swear, you’ll pay for this.”
With a final furious shout, he pushed off the ground and shot 30 feet into the air. He vaulted over the courtyard wall in a single leap.
“After him!”
Axel didn’t hesitate. He made a snap decision and led his elite enforcement squad in pursuit.
At the same time, the emergency horn blared.
The West Lucozian castle instantly went into lockdown. Every entrance and exit was sealed as royal guards were mobilized to form a tightening net around the fleeing Warrick.
Austin stood still, gazing into the distance with an unreadable expression. Whether he was pleased, angry, or indifferent, no one could tell.
Warrick had been drugged and was now trapped inside the castle. If he still managed to escape, it would mean fate was on his side.
Under the dark night sky, Warrick sprinted like a streak of lightning. He had blocked several of his own vital pressure points to slow the drug, but it was only a stopgap he knew it wouldn’t last.
At most, he had half an hour before his strength completely gave out, leaving him an easy target. His only chance was to break out of the castle and reach his safe house before time ran out.
“Stop him! Don’t let him escape!”
Shouts echoed from all directions as royal guards closed in.
Every path and exit had been sealed. There was nowhere left to run.
“Damn it!”
Warrick skidded to a stop and scanned his surroundings for an escape route.
The West Lucozian castle was enormous. He had been here countless times, but he always followed the same familiar paths. Now, with enemies closing in from all sides, he had lost his bearings. Panic crept in as he realized he had no idea where he was.
With royal guards advancing from every direction, Warrick had no time to think. If the guards caught up to him, the situation would only get worse.
“Screw it! I’ll take my chances.”
He glanced around, picked a direction on instinct, and took off. Fighting wasn’t his goal-escaping was.
Even when guards closed in, he didn’t slow down. With the brute strength of a warrior halfway to becoming an ultimate grandmaster, he smashed through them like a battering ram.
Ordinary guards had no chance of stopping him. Even in his weakened state, his strength was still beyond anything they could handle.
They couldn’t stop him, but they could slow him down. And even a delay of just a second or two was enough for more guards to converge.
“Deploy the Dragon-Binding Net!” Axel commanded as he led an elite squad to surround Warrick. With precise coordination, 20 men cast a golden net and trapped Warrick.
The net was woven from Dragon Ropes, and each strand was worth a fortune. It was designed specifically to subdue grandmaster martial artists and above.
Once trapped under the Dragon-Binding Net, any grandmaster martial artist would find their cultivation suppressed. The ropes were nearly indestructible, resistant to blades, and impervious to fire and water. Even the most powerful grandmaster martial artist couldn’t break free.
Warrick let out a furious roar as he struggled against the net. He tried to tear the ropes apart but found they held firm. The harder he struggled, the tighter the net constricted around him.
“Hold him down! Don’t let him get up!”
Feeling the immense force within the net, Axel’s face hardened. He quickly signaled his men to pull the ropes tighter and press down with everything they had.
“You cowards! Get the hell off me!”
Warrick bellowed and grabbed the net. He flung it violently to the side.
The ten men on the left flank were thrown backward, crashing to the ground one after another.
Axel’s eyes widened in shock. Even weakened by the Tranqurin, Warrick’s strength was terrifying. If this was what he could do in his current state, how unstoppable would he be at his peak?
