[Chapter 62 Comment]
The Marei continued to swarm out of the portal, causing the people to panic. Their numbers were massive and kept increasing.
Even Baold frowned. They only had two hundred soldiers, one hundred normal staff, and one hundred other fighters. If they fought together, they might be able to stop the Marei for a bit, but a lot of people would surely die.
He didn't know how the Marei appeared in this place all of a sudden.
Baold shouted, "Shouldn't we have disturbed the flow of essence in the area so that teleportation won't be possible?"
Obviously, if the Marei could appear anywhere they wanted, the kingdom or empire in this world would have been razed to the ground. They could simply appear right in front of the king and destroy everything.
After a lot of sacrifice, they researched a method to keep away the gate, which was to use Inscription to disrupt the flow of essence so that the portal linked to the Marei world wouldn't appear in the area. They usually created a giant inscription for that and surrounded at least a few kilometers from the main city so that they could prepare for the worst. And in this place, Baold had arranged for it as well.
"We have the Inscription," Devian raised his voice, reporting to Baold. "What we have should have the range of about one Sein."
"Then, how in the world could they appear?" Baold shouted back while gritting his teeth. He only had two minutes to react before the Marei would do something. While waiting for Devian to say anything, Baold turned to the rest and shouted, "Soldiers. Get into your formation. Ten of you are to guide the normal people away from here. Other fighters are to get your weapons and fight with us. Even if you try to escape, you wouldn't be able to do it. Better to stick together."
What Baold said was true. Even the helpers from the outside knew that their number was too small to escape from the predicament. So, it was better if they fought alongside the soldiers. Baold was among them too, so their survival chance was higher.
Theo looked at the entire situation and said, "Avalon, Haruka. You guys stick with me. I'll protect both of you."
"Teacher. I'm going to fight with you. I might not be as strong as you, but I should be able to do something." Avalon stepped forth, determined to fight.
On the other hand, Haruka was concerned about something else. "Shouldn't we inform Sir Baold about the betrayal?"
"The only thing that could prove it was the shattered glass sound. If we somehow press him, that guy should have enough strength to reduce the evidence to nothing. So, it's going to be impossible to catch him that way."
"Then, are we going to let that bad guy get away?"
"Not really. Though, I will need your help as well as the ghost next to me right now."
"Don't worry. She also understands it. Please give your instruction."
"The ghost will investigate the entire area, especially around Baold and Devian's tent. Just search for anything that might be a clue. I don't want to walk into a trap in our back."
With those words, the ghost immediately followed Theo's instruction before Haruka even asked her.
"As for you and Avalon, I have another task. What do you think the enemy wants the most?"
"The Marei want to kill us, right?" Avalon frowned.
"No," Haruka shook her head, noticing Theo's hints. "They want the treasure as well."
"The treasure?!" Avalon turned to the side, watching the treasure to ensure that nothing was missing.
"Exactly. That's why I'm going to hit that guy at the right time later while securing the treasure."
"But how? Without proving his betrayal, we would be doubted instead."
"Of course. Proof is the most important. If we don't have proof, we just have to create one," Theo smirked. "So, I need your help."
Haruka and Avalon agreed to help without hesitation.
On the side, Baold was giving orders to people with Devian's assistance.
"You—" Baold suddenly stopped when he sensed Haruka's presence next to him. When he turned around, he didn't understand why Haruka came to him instead of Theo. "This attack might be related to the treasure. We have to secure the treasure as well."
"..." Baold was so panicked that he forgot about their aim. That was right. If they used their aim to guide the enemies, they could somehow gain an advantage and utilize it to get away.
"Teacher asked, 'How about we tell the normal people to bring the treasure with them and gather them in one place surrounded by a few soldiers so that they wouldn't smuggle them out?'" Haruka explained Theo's plan.
Since there wasn't any time left, Baold shouted, "People from the Research Division, gather here immediately and bring all those treasures with you. Five soldiers are going to protect them. The rest will proceed according to the plan."
That order shocked them, but Baold didn't have any time to explain as the Marei were about to reach them.
A few elite soldiers stepped forth and planted their shields on the ground. The inscription on their shield suddenly glowed. A translucent energy wave burst out and formed a huge wall that blocked the Marei.
The Marei released their own attacks. Some used their essence to hit the barrier, some looped around them, and some used their own bodies to destroy it.
Seeing the situation, Baold continued directing the people to face the Marei while the people from the Research Division followed Baold's direction.
As one would expect from the Minister of Defense, even though he had gone behind the desk, he was still a former general who struck fear in neighboring countries. He commanded the people carefully to ensure that they could survive.
He even used his own Inscription to fight back. Even the outside helpers decided to follow Baold's direction completely after seeing his ability.
Unfortunately for him, the number of enemies coming was simply too much. One thousand Marei had already come out of the portal, and they showed no sign of stopping.
Theo hadn't done anything since Baold didn't want to involve him in this fight. Besides, Theo's killing intent was so strong that he wondered how he should ask Theo to follow his command. And Theo had yet to make any movement; he just kept staring at the incoming Marei.
After the first clash, Theo finally said, "Haruka, use your talisman according to my instruction. Avalon, use your expertise to fight against the Marei and protect Haruka." Baold wasn't aware of Theo's movement. He kept ordering the people to withstand the enemy's attack until the Research Division took away the treasure. Only at that time could they begin luring the Marei.
"Group A, Group B. Take five steps back, but don't create any holes. Group C will be the vanguard this time. Group D will overwhelm the enemies with your firepower," Baold shouted.
Group A and B consisted of soldiers and some outside fighters. The outside fighters managed to keep up with the soldiers' maneuvers, so they did what Baold wanted. In addition, Devian was among them, so it was clear that they were better.
However, most people in Group C and D were fighters. They easily lost sight of the soldiers and didn't know what to do. Even with Baold reinforcing his voice with essence so that everyone on the battlefield could hear him, they were still not accustomed to following orders.
As a result, their reaction time was a bit too late.
"Tsk." Baold saw that the Marei had reached them before they could enter their position. This would leave a gap to exploit, so Baold created another inscription above his head to help them.
However, this was the exact time when Theo showed his ability, specifically through his students.
All of a sudden, giant vines intruded into the battle from the sides. The vines grew so big that they captured some Marei, restraining them for a moment.
The people from Group C and D were quite shocked but realized this was their chance. Group C hurriedly moved forth and killed the restrained Marei. Meanwhile, Group D began to use their abilities to overpower the Marei with their firepower.
"!!!" Baold widened his eyes in shock. A single interruption actually made the two groups regain their composure and know where they needed to stand and what they should do. "By creating those vines, Group C had to stand where they needed to be to kill those restrained Marei. And Group D could calmly support them after seeing the solid wall. To think he could control those two groups with just a single move..."
It appeared Baold had underestimated Theo. Even though he was a teacher, he knew about military formation and conditions well enough to solve their problems with ease. Baold might be able to do it, but with soldiers, not normal fighters.
Although he wanted to know more, Theo's action actually grabbed a lot of Marei's attention.
"Wait. A hundred of them are moving toward you!" Baold gasped as the right side of the enemy turned around and tried to kill the ones standing in their way.
Seeing this, Haruka took out a few more talismans and asked, "Where should I toss them, Teacher?"
"Not yet. Save those for the hundreds, if not thousands, of Marei behind these guys." Theo stepped forth before summoning a spear in his right hand. He had prepared some weapons within the Space Ring, and it seemed they came in handy.
"A spear?" Avalon frowned. He was ready to fight against these hundred Marei with Theo, but Theo actually said, "Watch this, Avalon. I'm going to show you something."
"Teacher. There are a hundred Marei in front of you. Let me assist you." Avalon wanted to go to him, but he had to protect Haruka.
"What one hundred? I'm just going to fight one Marei," Theo smiled at him. Avalon was shocked and confused at the same time. But Theo also added, "A hundred times, that is."