Buying Time

The more that Pixel moved around, the more that she felt that her opponents were gradually adapting to her movements and were closing in on her.

Each of those that were uninjured and could still fight were getting dangerously close with each attack they had thrown at her.

It was not a matter of whether Pixel could defeat them all but instead if she could hold them off for the needed amount of time to allow the others to get away.

Each of her attempts to cause further disruption to them or those that had aided them had made her get dangerously close to being harmed by them once she had stopped evading them fully.

There had been several close calls but Pixel had been able to persist in her efforts to hold them off for as long as possible.

Bolts and flashes of Electro continued to be released in all kinds of directions as she caused her opponents to drop in numbers and damaged her surroundings.

If an opportunity had presented itself then Pixel was able to make use of her Electro Balls to cause harm to others or to at least use them to delay them further by throwing them out even if they would be evaded.

If there was an opportunity that presented itself to lessen the pressure on herself then Pixel had quickly moved in place to turn the situation to her favour.

If it was not for her current Observation Haki mastery then she may have been harmed several times over and she may not have been escape some of the coordinated attacks that had been launched against her.

While Pixel was keeping everyone else busy and distracted, each of the Minks that had still been free were busy running as fast as their legs could carry them.

Harley held tightly to the hilt of her sword with a conflicted look on her face. 'I am too weak.. much too weak.'

She was well aware that she was not at a stage where she could affect the final outcome in any way.

She may have trained in the sword for a long time ever since she was picked up by Pixel but she was still not at the stage where she could compare with adults or other Minks that had longer to train in a better environment.

If she jumped into the battle to try and aid Pixel then it would be likely that she would be doing more harm to Pixel than good.

Old Swifty was feeling a little powerless too just like his prized student since it was supposed to be him that was supposed to be acting as the Sword of Pixel.

It was his duty to protect her and carry out her orders faithfully but he had actually done very little in the long time that he had served her besides providing some guidance to Harley in her sword arts.

There was a feeling of shame that he had surpassed by a youngster who did not need his protection any longer.

A sense of duty had still existed within him and he was loyal to Pixel so he had come to the decision that he would do his best to follow the wishes of his master.

Pixel was buying them time to get away so his duty had become quite obvious and that was to ensure that everyone around him would have a better chance to survive and escape. 'It is not too far now.l'

Misty and Liquorice had similar feelings of helplessness as the others but they could only continue to run as fast as they could so that they would not become a burden to Pixel.

Cleo and Felice had witnessed the feats of their sister which had left them both even more surprised the more she had shown them all of a sudden.

Micah was feeling frustrated that he did not have his toys with him and that he could not provide any assistance to Pixel but he quickly realised that protecting the others was what he had to do in the present.

If there was one thing that had been on his mind then it was mostly that he needed to study the collars that he had collected once he got the opportunity to do so.

There were sounds of footsteps close by that closed in on them and several figures appeared to block their path.

The figures were dressed in white and blue uniforms that made them look like some kind of military or navy soldier.

They were all either carrying a gun or sword which had been resting in their hands before being pointed towards the group of Minks. "Halt! Halt! Or we will open fire!"

The mind of Micah raced through many thought before he came to a quick judgement. "Do not stop. Go through."

If they stopped there then it was more likely the others would be given an opportunity to catch up to them but even if they tried to seek asylum under the soldiers and tried to explain what had happened, it would be unknown if the soldiers would believe them.

Micah was not so willing to leave his fate to others so he chose to keep going even if it meant breaking through the obstructions using force.

There was no time to stop and bargain with those that blocked their way when there still existed a potential danger behind them.

Pixel was doing everything she could to buy them time so he could not let her down.

There were two sounds that came from the swords of Harley and Old Swifty as they both unsheathed them.