531 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind (1/2)

Nobody expected Frangipani to come forward, as he had been reticent from the beginning. The battle was almost at the peak, and Arthur and his companions were about to lose. Frangipani came forward and indicated that he could win the battle.

Normal people would think that Frangipani was crazy. However, the gamers weren't normal people, and Frangipani was a special NPC to them. When Frangipani came forward, the morale of Arthur and his Guild members was boosted. The Strange Encounter Mission wasn't that simple after all.

The other gamers weren't bothered with Frangipani even though they recognized him. They were focused on Arthur and the Little Fairy.

The body of Frangipani emitted powerful Mana and transformed into a huge arm that swept aside the gamers who were blocking the way. The gamers didn't manage to get out of the way and were in a pathetic state.

Arthur and his companions followed behind Frangipani and proceeded towards the Dark Portal. When Arthur pulled the Little Fairy to the front of the portal, the Little Fairy seemed to recall something and looked back at Frangipani as she said, ”Leave with us. Though your appearance is frightening, I believe you're a good creature. My race will accept you. You don't have to stay here. Sherlock won't let you off. He's a terrifying Devil.”

Frangipani smiled and shook his head. He looked at the Little Fairy and said, ”Get lost. Don't make things difficult for me!”

”Ah?”

The Little Fairy was befuddled. However, the gamers had pulled the Little Fairy along to leave the place.

In her vision, she saw the despondence of Frangipani mixed with a sense of relief. It was as though he was happy after completing a mission.

”Wait, isn't Frangipani leaving with us?” The Little Fairy was full of doubts, but the gamers were in a hurry to leave and weren't interested in Frangipani's plight.

Frangipani turned around and faced the horde of opposing gamers. His body emitted powerful Mana. Skilled Mana users could observe that the Mana didn't originate from Frangipani. It was as though an invisible creature was releasing Mana behind Frangipani.

However, the gamers weren't experts in Mana, and the observers who were highly skilled in Mana weren't able to observe the phenomenon at close range.

Frangipani's Mana stopped all opposing gamers while a protective oyster escorted Arthur, his companions, and the Little Fairy through the Dark Portal. Peasant was the last creature to enter the Dark Portal, and when he did, the Mana from Frangipani vanished, and he collapsed feebly to the ground.

He looked spaced out while his lips quivered. His lips seemed to be saying, ”Life is too difficult.”

…

The Little Fairy arrived on the Surface World in shock. When she saw the dim cave, she thought she was back in the Underworld. However, from the surrounding plants and the Mana ripples, the Little Fairy was very confident that she was back on the Surface World. The fresh air and fragrance of the soil were very different from the Underworld.

The Little Fairy was in tears. She didn't expect to return to the Surface World alive.

She used to despise Underworld creatures like Orcs, Gnomes, and Houndhead Men. But now, their sacrifice and fearlessness helped her escape from the Underworld.

It wasn't time to celebrate. The opposing gamers could appear behind them at any time. Arthur pulled the feeble Little Fairy up as he pointed to the front and shouted to his comrades, ”Proceed forward! We have to leave this place! Dragonborn and his friends are waiting for us by the cave!”

Shouting and the sounds of movement and battle were heard from the interior of the cave.

The shouting was in the Victorian language that was also the Surface World common language. Arthur and his companions couldn't understand, but they figured that the Victorians were fighting over the Little Fairy.

Arthur and his companions looked at each other. They were worried that Dragonborn would be attacked by opposing gamers and be unable to escort them.

Without Dragonborn's protection, they wouldn't be able to leave the cave, as the Victorians would kill them. Arthur and his Guild members would die and lose their equipment. However, the opposing gamers would capture the Little Fairy. What if they killed her accidentally?

Arthur was mentally prepared. If the situation didn't look optimistic, they would retreat back into the Dark Portal. They would rather face the Changan City members. Arthur was prepared for the worst as sounds of galloping horses approached them. A group of horsemen soon appeared before them, and the leader was Dragonborn.

Dragonborn rode a huge horse in the spacious cave. The gamers behind Dragonborn also rode Warhorses, and they looked like they went through a vicious battle. Dragonborn was even wounded, but he was unaffected by the injuries.

Behind Dragonborn was an NPC without any green symbols as well as two Forest Wolves.

Standing beside the NPC was a Fairy without any green symbols.