Inside the ancient zone, the situation was only getting worse as time passed. No way out had yet been found, and their food was dwindling by the day, as was their spirit. Although they were still resisting for the moment, their faces didn't look good as tensions were beginning to build up.
Fortunately, François was able to maintain a sufficiently good cohesion. Still, this wouldn't last long as the army only wanted one thing: to get out of here, facing whatever trials may happen.
''Get ready to fight!'' Jean ordered, having spotted the demon presence nearby. Most likely, he had spotted them by the noises, Eloise thought.
More than a hundred demons arrived, all of them expertly equipped. Unlike the first demons that had barely defensive uniforms, at least a quarter of them had heavy full armor while the rest had light armor.
But the worst part had to be the presence they emanated. Even from a hundred meters away, Eloise felt chills in front of their leader.
Eloise glanced at her war menu, her face darkening.
[Cleppe's bloc (squadron) - 99 men (81 in your group)
There was still 63 Cleppe's soldier under Jean, 26 under Alain and 16 under Benjamin, but those who weren't with them were dying like flies.
''They only have one or two Knights!'' The demoness leader exclaimed. ''So try to leave some of them alive!''
''Don't limit yourself,'' Jean ordered before placing two small pills in his mouth. ''No matter how many enemies there are, there will always be only one path for Cleppe!''
As if it was a common hounds' hunting, the enemy leader charged towards Jean, closely followed by another 7 figures whose aura made one guess that they were Knights. The rest could only lag behind in the face of this speed that created immense pressure.
''30 Cleppe soldiers and I will take care of the Knights, the rest will have to block any enemy advance!''
''That's suicide! We should just flee!'' Benjamin suddenly declared.
''And where do you think you can do that?'' François became annoyed. ''We're already taking most of the risk, so just do the job we asked you to do.''
Jean lunged too at the demoness so that their fight wouldn't be in the middle of the allied troops. As their battle began, François blocked one Knight while the other blocked one in groups of 5.
Despite their efforts, the Knights weren't able to break through the encirclement that had begun with their own rapid charge, limiting their options and allowing Cleppe's soldiers to surround them.
And once surrounded, the coordination of the Cleppe soldiers, their weapons, and their levels allowed them little movement. But that didn't matter, the Knights had more energy, and they would win a time's battle.
Emilie did not stay behind despite her usefulness. Standing out from the others would directly lead to her death and the loss of boost, so she would have to block the enemy army.
''We have to push them back!'' Shouted a Cleppe soldier. ''Form a shield wall! Leave no space! The rest shall position themselves behind and be ready to fire at them!''
The demons came with incredible pressure, making the group doubt their survival. It wouldn't be long before the shield wall collapsed and by then... It was best they didn't think about it. They would already be too busy dealing with the energy rays the demons would send out, the shields being too small to cover the entire height.
''Shoot!'' When the demons reached the 20-meter line, they received energy attacks. Shooting from further away wouldn't do any damage given their armor, and closer would have no effect. Their only goal was just to hold the position for as much time as possible.
But even Cleppe's soldiers didn't seem to put much confidence in Jean's victory, not to mention others. They would probably be torn between fighting and fleeing if the latter was possible.
The demons in front of them were most likely noble, and their values would have forbidden them to turn back, thus not being able to promise the opposing group survival.
''Back off! Let them exhaust themselves and then we will charge!'' An enemy demon ordered, "We have the advantage of the time! Don't let your families alone!''
They were right. Much of their energy was being deflected by demonic energies and the incoming energy could do little to them at this distance.
Also attacking from a distance, the demons were quickly gaining the advantage while at least a third of the humans' energy had been depleted.
''Stop the bombardment for now!'' The Cleppe's soldier shouted. But at these words, the enemies charged forward.
Reaching the 20-meter limit, the Cleppe's soldier ordered something different. ''Now!''
The Nirl and Balbigny soldiers began to attack with their energy while the Cleppe's soldiers took out something from their bags. Placing the sphere in their hands as if to inject energy, they threw it about ten meters away from them, onto the demons.
The result was instantaneous. A wall of flame formed on all sides of the projectiles, and although they weren't perfectly aligned, there was hardly any free space to charged through.
''Throw another one as soon as the effects wear off!''
The demons, on fire, retreated backward with cries of pain. The aim being only to gain time, the projectiles weren't launched to kill. They did not divide the enemy as that would force drastic measures' use.
The flames lasted for about 30 seconds, allowing them to breathe a little more thanks to the demons' ignorance. But 45 seconds per round wasn't enough and they had to throw more.
''Keep throwing and get ready to defend!'' The fifth and final volley was launched, burning little by little in an unbearable wait. All of them, Cleppe's soldiers or not, were stressed. The enemy was outnumbering them, better equipped, and slightly stronger. Yet, they had to hold on, perhaps even die for a fight they couldn't even see and which looked lost in advance.
The flames stopped and so did their hope. No news of victory had arrived, and they had to fight.
Knowledge : Even if a sword isn't very useful against armor, this is a fantasy world as energy exist. Still, that means shields need to be extremely resistant, so much that not anybody can afford them.