The butcher sighed before answering Steve's question.
'We can't run in a single group anymore. It would make all of us an easier target for their AoEs and team-based Perks. And we can't stay here for long either. That leaves us with only one option– scatter and run.'
He looked at his teammates and pursed his lips before adding further.
'The more individual trails we create with our escape, the better off we all will be. So those who can afford to run away by themselves, do so. And those who think their survival depends upon a co-op, find your partner quickly.
We don't have much time.'
The White Raven team understood the severity of the situation quite well. They looked at each other, trying to come up with an exit strategy.
Becky looked at her teammates and clenched her fists before suggesting something radical to Eren.
'Eren… the alliance of these many teams is not something most of us would be able to handle. I… I suggest we give up some of the items we obtained from the three Sage Legacies and…'
'Fuck no.'
Eren shut Becky up right away. He looked at her in such a way that she had a cold shiver running down her spine. The butcher looked at his other teammates to see if anybody else agreed with Becky's self-sabotaging suggestion to get out of the mess.
'It is impossible for you to comprehend how much I have invested in obtaining these Sage Legacies. It has taken everything from me to get my hands on them. And you want me to give some of them up just because they carry some heat?
Death is part and parcel of a ranker's life. If you like giving up so easily, you shouldn't be here in the first place.'
Eren had run out of patience with Becky. But he also understood that now was not the time to take his anger on her. He told his other teammates to get started with the plan he had come up with.
Eren's teammates had also come to realize that Becky was letting her survival instincts get the better of her. They knew they had been nurtured by Eren to serve as his support at the graduation event all this time.
Nobody tried to escalate the matter any further. There were much more serious matters that needed their attention at the time.
Bel and Ana didn't want to separate from the group. They excelled at team play and needed their teammates' support for them to bring out their true potential. As a result, they wanted to barge out of the incoming siege together.
The dual berserkers Ron and Dino had also chosen to fight together. Their coordination with each other was brilliant. So it also made sense for them to break the perimeter together.
Eren, Jake, Renita, Steve, Ramy, and Becky had decided to break the siege individually. Meaning eight trails were supposed to be created by Eren's team after breaching the siege. That is if all of them succeed in breaking it and escaping the enemy teams surrounding them.
Eren's teammates had decided to disperse in multiple directions to escape the perimeter-in-making. Since the perimeter breach would happen at the same time in multiple directions, the enemy teams wouldn't be able to back each other up.
Eren's teammates would be in a pinch trying to escape multiple opponents. But it was still better than facing the combined force of multiple teams banding together. Plus, they would have an element of surprise on their side when they did this, raising their chances of getting away from their enemies.
Eren took out the transcendent-grade dagger he had received from Sage Loxley and felt its contours with his fingers. Blade reflected the image of his own emerald-green gaze.
'Make no mistake. With or without the infiltrators involved, these bastards would approach us with the intention to kill.
So my suggestion to you is simple. Prioritize your safety by focusing on fleeing. But when you do get a chance to kill your enemy, make sure you kill them for good.
All those who have survived inside the Sasara World are capable of surviving the Life and Death Altar, including us. So they will not make the mistake of letting the defense mechanism kick in only for you to resurrect in a few minutes and target them. We also need to make sure we don't commit that mistake ourselves.'
Eren's teammates understood what he was talking about. And why he was telling them to kill the participants for real.
All those who had survived the Sansara World till this point had the capability of returning to the Life and Death Altar at least once or twice. So it didn't matter what the background of the participants was-whether they were legit participants or infiltrators. These opponents would keep coming back for Eren and his team if they let them go.
Incidentally, the other participants had a similar mindset. They didn't want to add to their trouble by allowing the defense mechanism to kick in for their opponents. They didn't want to hamper their chances of obtaining the last Sage Legacy in any form by allowing their opponents to live, offering them another chance to raise opposition.
The victims of the political power plays were now dead set on killing each other if it could allow them to get better rewards out of the Sansara World. Therefore, the butcher advised his team to have the same intentions as their opponents.
***
Gondel and his teammates were excited to catch Eren's teammates in their wide-spread net.
Gondel was an outstanding Expert ranker from Sansara Academy, which was located in the eastern duchy of the Edinburgh kingdom– the Lehan duchy. He was often referred to as Gondel the Geek by his friends and foes alike.
Gondel was an average-looking man with a rather stout build. He was practicing the Array Master class.
There were many advantages an array master could get inside the Sansara World. These advantages were what allowed Gondel and his team to enter the Sansara World despite various groups of infiltrators targeting him.
