The first boulder fell just as the Royal Knights entered the middle of the Valley.
A rumble rolled overhead, and a rock weighing dozens of tons hurtled toward the front of the convoy. The Knight commander's reaction was swift; he raised his lance, and hundreds of Knights released their Soul Power together, forcing the boulder off course.
Before they could reform their ranks, a shower of shattered stone fell from both canyon walls.
This time, the academy carriages were the targets.
"Out of the carriages!"
At Flender's shout, the Shrek group burst from their carriage.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun took the front. White Tiger Fierce Light Wave and Phoenix Fire Line swept across each other, blasting apart the stones hurtling toward them. Tang San landed in the middle of the group and spread Blue Silver Grass along the ground. It wrapped around Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and several academy students who had been too slow to dodge, pulling them into a hollow in the canyon wall.
Xiao Wu turned to look for Bai Jin.
The carriage roof was already empty.
"Don't look." Tang San stared at the ridge. "He's gone up."
Bai Jin climbed invisible steps, one after another, until he stood in midair.
Hundreds of black-clad figures poured from hiding places on both canyon walls. Their Martial Souls varied, but their movements were disciplined. Agility Attack System fighters cut into the Knights' formation first, Control System fighters sealed the road behind them, and every Power Attack System fighter charged the competing teams.
The wind through the valley turned bitterly cold.
Bai Jin knew that coordination well.
It was exactly how Spirit Hall's local Enforcer Squads trained.
"You change clothes often enough." He looked down at one black-clad figure's boot sole. "Forgot the shoes."
Three crossed anti-slip grooves were pressed