"HENRY!!" roared several Damnedlings simultaneously in a mix of shock, horror, and a moment later, sorrow.

This was the first time some of them witnessed a casualty.

The human bladeborn named Henry wasn't among the mightiest, but he was up there as a C-ranker.

The guy was very likable, too, and hardworking.

It wasn't easy to accept that he was gone now.

However, what else would happen to a lone Damnedling who had the majority of his energy sapped right out of him and was tossed to the back of the enemy's formation?

It was clear from the shriek alone that Henry was no more.

The retreat grew more chaotic, and some got delayed for a moment — a mistake that might cost them their lives.

At this stage of the operation, even milliseconds count.

But who could blame them?

Everything was going well. Then, just when they were about to leave in glorious success, they lost someone.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING?! RETREAT!!" Ascalon's furious voice echoed through the white ribbon, snapping the shaken wretches out of their stupor.

His rare outburst served Egress well.

Caleb was usually an easygoing young man outside the operations, so hearing him this angry added to the chaos in the hearts of the Damnedlings, but it was good chaos.

Their legs were at least moving again now, quickly gaining momentum.

Unfortunately, the mistake still had to be paid for, and if Egress didn't want the operation to turn from a success to a disaster, then the top-ranker trio and the party leaders would have to work extra hard.

And extra hard they worked.

The smile on Daru's face was now gone, and he was swinging his sword with grim seriousness.

Lives were on the line.

If there was a moment he had to step up for the noble cause his heart was yearning for, it was now.

Ablaze with grim determination, Daru brandished his tachi, cutting the wrist of an Ashen Cleaner before pivoting his foot and transitioning into a spin, decapitating a Twisted Custodian who was attacking Thrad.

His back was now exposed, but the damned dwarf moved just in time to block the attack of an Accursed Soulcatcher, giving Daru time to reset.

Their teamwork was surprisingly smooth to such a degree, despite this being the first time they fought together.

The unexpected coordination proved precious.

Before long, the seven leaders managed to wrestle back the lost time with their swords, though they had to pay with a few wounds.

Nonetheless, the retreat was more or less fixed, and while losing Henry was heavy on the heart, the operation could still be considered a massive success.

The fact that they secured Nando's head was already a win; the thirteen new members served as the most premium of cherries on top.

Twisted-sounding as putting a value on someone's life was, Henry's loss was but a small price to pay in relation to the degree of their small triumph.

With the disaster more or less mitigated, the Damnedlings continued the somewhat orderly retreat.

"W-We'll be going-sah! Take care-sah!"

"Follow soon-gar!"

Thrad and Aesyn didn't speak, but it was clear in their gazes that they, too, were worried about the top-rankers.

Unfortunately, it could only stay that way: a worry that burdened their hearts.

They weren't strong enough to change anything.

In fact, even they had to rely on the three to ensure they would survive, so the best thing they could do to lessen the burden of the top-rankers was to put one leg in front of the other and get the hell out of the cemetery as fast as they could.

Aesyn and the two beastkins were akin to modern-day motorcycles as they bolted from the scene on fours.

It was Thrad who was the slowest.

Being a stocky dwarf for the majority of his life, he was not attuned to speed and wasn't talented in utilizing his bony body to his advantage, held back by biological psychology.

Fortunately, he was also the most experienced.

He did not say a thing from the moment the seven of them were left to their devices.

Aside from this, he left the formation a bit earlier than the other three and had been desperately working to run as fast as he could, gaining enough distance from those small decisions that coalesced into a decent escape chance.

Meanwhile, the three top-rankers fought fiercely, all at the height of focus in their own way.

Lesha had a small part of her tongue sticking out of her lips as she danced around the swords of the wraiths, her eyes predatory.

Ascalon, on the other hand, had a heavy scowl on his face.

As for Daru…he was smiling while mumbling stuff to himself. None of the three had the luxury to even spare a glance at their comrades, though.

Their plates were full.

Furthermore, they, too, had to flee soon.

There was one thing Daru had been pondering, though: how would they get enough distance to even have a chance to jump over the black fences?

Ascalon and Lesha were apparently unable to use Sword Skills, but due to the barricade's height, it was impossible for the current them to cross it in a single, regular jump.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury to keep pondering.

"Now!" the SS-ranker roared through the white ribbon.

Promptly in response, Daru and Lesha turned and bolted after one coordinated, sweeping slash.

The servant wraiths were more or less equal with them in terms of speed. The Accursed Soulcatchers, on the other hand, were faster, catching up from time to time.

But this wasn't a cause for concern, as the three knew how to use the backward momentum of each clash to keep their pursuers at bay.

Powdery ash was violently kicked to the side as the top-ranker trio ran for their lives, thickening up the mist.

Daru was the slowest.

However, Ascalon and Lesha weren't much faster, either.

The familiar backs of their comrades appeared before long.

The distance they've covered relative to the order in which they left the battle eased the worries in the SS-ranker's heart.

Soon enough, the silhouette of success and safety emerged from the distant mist.

The black fences were in view.

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