The speedster, Billis, was none other than the speedster Althea encountered and battled before.

At this time, his neck had a deep gash, though the bleeding had already been stopped by consuming all his potions, it still hurt like heck.

Obviously, that woman not only used the superior weapon, she also embedded her own energy, and elementalist energy had a lot of lingering effects than normal attacks.

He had no choice but to escape her, then hide to recover, intending to take his revenge when they took over the place.

He found a good hiding place and took as many consumables as he could, returning to the bunker area when he recovered enough.

Who’d have known that, several hours later, his side was actually losing?!

He saw that woman surrounded by their powerhouses and felt vindictive, and he was even about to approach when he felt the plants around change. That woman herself also changed, like some sort of intense energy suddenly emanated from her.

He grabbed two of the nearest teammates away from the eerie plants. It wasn’t that he was heroic, but he needed allies with him. He pulled them tens of meters away and saw everything that happened after that.

The three of them watched in horror as the people from their side were grabbed, trapped, and literally sucked out of life right in front of them. They didn’t dare help them out, knowing they would suffer the same fate.

"T-T-Take us away! Hurry!" One of the rescued men told him, and Bhillis grabbed the two of them, pushing them along with his speed.

He had never run away so quickly, but he was also pushed to the brink and lost consciousness.

When he woke up, it was because one of his rescues—the weakest among the three of them—was crying, saying he had received the Slave Notice.

Billis found himself in a daze.

They lost. They really lost.

Fortunately, he and his companion did not receive the slave notice. At the same time, they knew they were trapped unless they did something.

They might not be slaves, but Alterra wouldn’t let them go because of that! Rather, their punishments would be much harsher than the slaves they could order around!

They needed cover! They needed...hostages!

And they needed the best ones. Recalling the Lord’s instruction of gaining extra points if they got the elders or their family members, the decision on who to take hostage was cemented.

Billis wanted that damned woman’s children. Maybe he could even torture them in front of her!

Just the thought of that woman who humiliated him in despair made him unconsciously lick his lips, sadism glowing in his eyes.

So when he saw that the soldiers guarding the bunkers were spent and tired, his companion used his remaining mana to take down a portion of the earth blockage.

It was small enough not to be noticed immediately—a few-second delay was enough—but big enough for him to go through.

Billis used his remaining burst of energy to enter the bunkers and went straight to the children, heading out with them literally two seconds later.

He had one of each on his arms, not caring if he was being rough with them. As for the earth user teammate, he didn’t care for him anymore. He had done his part.

Meanwhile, the twins were awake and crying their little hearts out.

"MWAMMMMMAaaaaahh!!"

"DADAA! BADGUY HEW!!!"

"MAMAAAAAA! WAAAAAAAA!!"

"HUYTS! HUYTSSS! WAAAAAAAAAA!"

The children cried and cried, definitely feeling the pressure caused by his speed. Even if they had those pesky protective tokens their mother had, it probably wouldn’t work unless a certain threshold of damage was reached. This meant that the children were likely suffering at this time.

Good.

Billis ignored them, running as quickly as he could, heading to the breach area and to his allies. He had no idea it was already closed at this time, and he thought he could get as many allies out with these hostages. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

This was such a big contribution!

If they could preserve as many allies as they could, then maybe they could come back to this damned place in revenge!

"MAMMMMMMAaaaa!! Daaaadaaaaaaa!!!"

The babies continued to sob, their faces red from the stinging pain, and found it difficult to breathe.

They had no idea that their parents couldn’t hear them at all. Similarly, because they were going so fast, most people they passed would only hear some intermittent sounds.

Billis’s level was not low, and even the enemy powerhouses around his level wouldn’t be able to catch him in speed.

"MAMMMMMMAaaaa!! Daaaadaaaaaaa!!!"

They were in pain, the air drag their speed was causing definitely took a toll on their little bodies.

He grinned, enjoying their cries.

But then, he didn’t know when, but he started to feel like one of the babies under his arms was getting heavy.

"What—"

He changed positions as he ran, putting the boy on his shoulder instead, before he dropped him by accident.

The girl was no less troublesome. Despite his speed, she managed to climb up his head and pull his hair. "AH!" he yelled, shocked.

He was already a powerhouse at the level 30s. Even in Hassen City, he was not underestimated!

What was this? Why did a baby pulling his hair hurt?

At the same time, he felt the child on his shoulder getting heavier and heavier, and Billis was shocked. He wasn’t a super strength power user, but his level meant he could handle quite a bit of weight. It had been a long time since he struggled like this.

His feet slowed unconsciously as he placed more energy to handle the sudden weight.

He couldn’t even gather the wits to analyze what was going on, so naturally, he could not concentrate on using his abilities, which required heavy concentration to maintain.

When he realized what had happened, people around had already seen them and heard of the children’s pleas.

It so happened that he landed in the midst of a former battlefield, and they were all staring in his direction with various expressions—mostly shock and anger.

"THE CHILDREN!"

Billis paled.

ORCSHIT!!