Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me Chapter 746: A Hostage

The Heavens Honor sword remained poised against Jason’s neck.

A thin line from the blade's edge grazed his skin, letting a single drop of blood trickle downward. Jason froze in place, eyes brimming with terror, yet simultaneously... prepared.

Prepared to meet his end.

Yet the fatal blow never descended.

Truth be told, Daniel hesitated on how to handle this fool. Slaying him posed no challenge, yet while it would wound the foes, the gain wasn't substantial enough.

Moreover, he believed capturing the Goblin Guild leader's brother alive offered greater worth. Beyond marking a grand triumph for their side, it would inflict massive disgrace upon the Goblin Guild.

Such an act promised numerous benefits to Everlight Moon.

Several seconds ticked by before he settled on his choice.

"Killing you is easy... but keeping you alive is more valuable," Daniel uttered deliberately.

Jason’s eyes bulged momentarily, as though his mind struggled to grasp the words. Hope—a spark he deemed extinct—flared faintly in his stare.

Yet alongside it surged an even profounder dread.

Could he truly survive?

Death had seemed inevitable, but Daniel’s declaration reignited a glimmer of hope within him.

Survival trumped all else. Dishonor? Disgrace? In time, the sting of this loss would fade from memory. A handful of feats could restore his standing.

"Half Step S Rank... someone like you holds plenty of knowledge," Daniel pressed on, his look icing over.

"Your guild’s structure... the arrays... the mana centers... the commanders..."

He edged the sword in a bit further.

"And I need all of it."

Jason stayed mute. His breaths came heavier still.

All traces of hope vanished once more.

He’d utterly overlooked that mercy wouldn’t come without strings.

Captured now, refusal to spill their desired intel meant death or torment at their hands.

And spilling it... would invite his brother’s wrathful torture and execution later.

Either path led to doom.

Upon reflection, perishing under Daniel’s blade might prove the kinder fate.

"...."

Right then, a shadow stirred in his rear.

A Fallen glided soundlessly from the gloom.

Shadows instantly coiled around Jason’s form. Hands, legs, mana circulation—all locked in an ebony prison.

"If you make a wrong move..." Daniel warned, eyes averted,

"you lose your head."

He bent in close, murmuring gently into his ear.

Jason shuddered violently. Resistance was nowhere in sight.

He wouldn’t dare.

This beast spoke no jests, and a whim could end him swiftly.

The Goblin Guild’s domain kept crumbling.

Arrays flickered off sequentially. Mana hung volatile in the atmosphere, with erratic energy bursts ripping through the void unpredictably.

Cracks marred the earth, battle debris strewn across the landscape.

Amid the turmoil... one shadow darted forth.

Daniel.

Jason trailed, ensnared by shadowy tendrils, flanked by the stealthy Fallen.

Shadows bore him onward.

Not a whisper from each footfall.

Each motion flawlessly exact.

One instant gone, the next materializing dozens of meters distant, as if space bowed to his will.

Patrols of Goblin Guild Awakened lunged to block him.

Opportunity eluded them entirely.

One barely raised his gaze before his frame cleaved apart.

Another grasped nothing of the strike.

A shadow whisked past...

His head tumbled free from his torso.

Daniel spared them no glance.

Yet at key spots... he paused with intent.

Certain edifices drew his eyes.

Minor aid hubs.

Resupply paths.

Nodes overlooked casually...

Vital arteries in conflict.

His blade arced up, then down.

Blast.

Additional structures tumbled. Pathways lay in wreckage.

Escape wasn’t mere withdrawal; he carved lasting scars.

Everlight Moon lay within instant reach via Fallen Step.

Having ventured deep, maximizing havoc before retreat made perfect sense.

Their clash had already ravaged the Goblin Guild’s holdings into near-total devastation.

Still, concealed hubs and buried facilities beckoned as prime marks.

Meanwhile, buried in the Goblin Guild’s heartland, commanders grasped the crisis.

Jason... lived.

Yet taken prisoner.

Anger, astonishment, and worry rippled through their ranks.

Danger loomed far graver than foreseen.

Beyond forfeiting a top powerhouse...

The fallout ahead terrified.

Intelligence.

Confidentials.

Layouts.

All hung in peril.

Resolution struck swiftly.

Offensives paused at once.

Priorities shifted.

A solution they must unearth.

Save him... or finish him off.

Regardless, Jason couldn't stay captive in the enemy's grasp.

They had observed the whole fight, convinced Jason would triumph.

Yet the final twist stunned every one of them.

By then, stepping in was far too late.

The guild's lands suffered massive destruction, forcing them to remain and bolster the surviving troops and defenses.

Even more crucially...

They lacked the guts to confront Daniel.

Though S-rank themselves, their strength matched Jason's only when he'd tapped into the arrays' power.

Time flew by swiftly.

At Everlight Moon's frontiers, tension hung thick in the air.

Blood's metallic scent still permeated the atmosphere.

Battle scars marred the earth from the clash before.

Numerous Awakened stood weary and injured, yet unyielding.

Suddenly, shadows rippled mysteriously.

A few lifted their gazes.

The instant after, Daniel materialized.

Dead silence fell.

Seconds ticked by before realization dawned on the crowd.

And trailing him...

A figure was hauled along.

Eyes bulged in disbelief.

"...That..."

"Is that Jason?!" murmurs rippled outward.

Shock surged through the ranks like a tidal wave.

Daniel ignored them completely.

A subtle sneer curled his lips.

He'd chosen on purpose to skip the war room straightaway.

He aimed for allies and foes alike to witness this spectacle.

It would shatter enemy spirits while igniting their own side's fervor.

Morale among their forces would soar.

They'd battle with renewed vigor.

They'd claimed huge triumphs—wins the foes probably never dreamed possible.

All in record time, no less.

Straight to the central structure he went.

Toward the command center.

Into the secluded realm he stepped.

The group was assembled already.

Varnus stood poised and steady.

Elira pored over the stats.

Darius wore a grave look.

Sarah and Aron held their posts.

All stares fixed on the entrance.

Daniel strode in wordlessly, advanced several paces, then yanked Jason from the darkness

And hurled him smack into the room's heart.

His body slamming the floor resounded through the hush.

"Brought a guest," Daniel remarked.

Moments passed in stunned quiet; they'd viewed the fight too.

They grasped the events, yet shock lingered.

Darius reacted first, grinning as his eyes sparkled.

"This guy's a goldmine of intel!"

"We must question him right now. Before—" Elira surged ahead instantly.

"—the foes make their move."

Varnus stayed mute, merely observing with a profound, weighty, contemplative stare.

He grasped the full import—this marked a pivotal shift.

A golden chance.

With Jason in hand... they could land a war-altering strike.

Beyond that, they might edge nearer to the secrets.

Possibly even discover a cure for the toxin plaguing his body... and Daniel's.

And maybe expose the puppet masters lurking in the shadows.

Snaring Jason held the potential to unlock solutions to countless woes.

And ultimately...

Perhaps he'd unearth the truth of his wife's murder.

The motive behind those Goblin Guild scum slaying her...

His eyes lingered on Daniel briefly.

Then... he nodded deliberately.

Abruptly, Jason chuckled.

A raspy, hollow sound.

He raised his head, eyes brimming with terror

Yet laced with something more—mocking defiance.

"You think you've won...?" his tone feeble, yet distinct.

"This war... has only just started."

In that instant, Elira snapped her head up, eyes flaring wide.

"...No."

All heads swiveled her way.

"Multiple powerful presences... racing toward the guild," she blurted fast.

"Moving at top speed."

No words came from anyone.

But the meaning was crystal clear.

The adversaries had arrived to reclaim Jason.