[Chapter 64 Comment]
[Xinhuan: Fake it till you make it!]
"Move back!" Someone said among the crowd while running away from numerous enemies.
The enemies chased with full speed, but they were bombarded with attacks from the human side, slowing them down.
"Watch out!"
Another volley of attacks was launched by the Marei. However, the soldiers in the rear raised their shields, using the Inscription to create a barrier that blocked all the incoming attacks.
In the midst of confusion, Theo led his two students deep into their rank, approaching Baold.
"Huh?" Baold was surprised to see Theo. After witnessing Theo's strength, he realized that Theo was equipped with a wide field of vision, a sharp mind, and extraordinary strength, allowing him to provide a lot of support to the main fighters.
"It seems that the problem is not as simple as we're thinking," Theo frowned.
"What is it? Do you find anything?" Baold asked. Since he came from another world, there was a chance that Theo could use an ability that he wasn't aware of to get a clue.
However, what actually happened was Theo relying on the ghost. He informed Baold, "I'm not sure. So, I'm asking you a couple of questions first. Does your place have an inscription or something?"
"Yes. The entire area has been surrounded by an inscription to disrupt the flow of energy so that the Marei can't teleport around us."
"The second question is... is the inscription near your tent?"
"Of course. Since I'm the highest authority as well as the strongest person, it's only normal for it to be around me. In addition, I'm also a Grandmaster, so I can fix the inscription if something happens. Is there something wrong with the inscription?"
"Before answering your question, I want to ask one last question. Is there a way to communicate with the Marei? I mean, something that can be used to connect the two worlds?"
"..." Baold fell silent as if he didn't want to answer that question. It was a military secret, but he felt weird about this whole thing. "If I say yes, what will you do?"
"It seems that someone has betrayed humanity. After checking your tent, a part of the inscription has been erased."
"Huh?" Baold's body shook. "Are you sure?"
"While I'm not an expert in the inscription, I know that the inscription will fail if the flow is disrupted, right?"
"Yes. I see..." Baold paused for a moment and continued, "Thank you for providing me with that information. Unfortunately, we can't do anything right now because the Marei will overwhelm us. We'll survive first and make an investigation."
"I don't think we need to do that. The fact that this traitor goes all the way to summon all those Marei, I'm afraid that this traitor intends to kill all of us here. In other words, the strong Marei will also appear..."
Baold understood Theo's point and could see it happening soon. It seemed that he had to change his strategy a little.
However, seeing how smart Theo was, Baold couldn't help but ask for his opinion. "If you were in my position, what would you do?"
"I'm not aware of the terrain in this area. But if I can lead these people, then I will be trying to find the traitor and use him to turn around the battlefield. Is there even any stronghold around us?"
"No. The closest one is about one day away."
"In that case, I will kill the enemy's leaders to cripple the enemies before running away."
"Fair point." Baold nodded. With such limited knowledge, Theo managed to come up with the same plan as the one in his mind.
If he had more knowledge about the terrain, Marei, or even these people, he would have become a better commander.
Still, they didn't have enough time.
The Marei began to step up their game.
There was a burst of essence that suddenly shook the entire area.
"Huh?!" Theo and Baold widened their eyes, turning around. They saw the giant cannon that Theo previously broke. It seemed that they used it again after knowing that the bent barrel was only an illusion.
This time, the Marei didn't send only a single high-ranking Marei. Instead, they were ready to fight both Theo and Baold at the same time by sending five high-ranking Marei.
"This is getting bad." Theo frowned.
"Yeah. It's not looking good." Baold's heart thumped. While he wanted to save all these people, the Light Bead Cannon was simply too powerful. If he wanted to destroy it, the Marei would do their best to stop him.
Theo turned his head to the other side and said, "Haruka. I want you to prepare a light talisman. Something that can produce a very bright light."
"Teacher. I don't have one like that." Haruka shook her head in disappointment. While Haruka had been provided with a lot of help, it didn't change the fact that Haruka's talisman was finite and had been prepared beforehand.
"I see." Theo reached out for the pocket in his shirt and handed it to her.
"This is..." Haruka gasped, seeing a light talisman. The symbol and pattern seemed to be the same as the one from her original world.
Theo wasn't the type of person who wasted his knowledge and experience. After seeing how useful the talisman was, he began researching it.
Without Haruka realizing it, the talisman in her hand was actually an illusion. The paper, the touch, and everything that Haruka could sense from the talisman indicated it was a real talisman.
"I will activate this talisman at your discretion." Haruka agreed to use the new talisman.
Theo nodded and examined the enemies once again, making sure that he prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Baold commanded out loud, "There is a Light Bead Cannon behind us. Speed up, everyone! We have to get out of its sight. I'll try stalling them."
After Baold's words, an inscription appeared above the people. The inscription glowed brightly before shooting out another laser that would pulverize everything in its way.
The previous high-ranking Marei that Theo and Baold met flew forth to stop the laser. This time, another high-ranking Marei accompanied him.
Both of them struck the laser with their hands. The essence coming from their bodies clashed with the laser, dispersing the energy around them.
After that, both of them let out a roar that caused the Marei to follow them. They advanced forth as if trying to catch up and overwhelm the humans with their numbers.
The other three high-ranking Marei released their roar not long after, gathering a few hundred Marei around them and began making their move.
Instead of chasing after Baold and the others, they moved to the side as if trying to attack them from the flank and crush them.
It was clear that these Marei were good at strategy and had a clear mind to formulate their plans. It wouldn't be an easy task to fight against an army with these intelligent leaders and huge numbers.
"This is not looking good." Baold clicked his tongue. "Devian. Bring your elite team to stop the rear and catch up to us."
Devian frowned upon the order. On the one hand, stopping the rear meant fighting those two high-ranking Marei. He could handle one, but the other one would be a huge problem, let alone with the help of a few hundred Marei. On the other hand, he knew that this was the only way to survive.
A few of his elites might die as a result, but if he didn't do it, all people would die from the Marei's onslaught.
Having no choice, Devian shouted, "Follow me!"
Devian decreased his pace to become a wall to stop the enemy's advance.
The Marei took this challenge and prepared their charge.
Devian took a deep breath and glared at the Marei, shouting, "Come at me! I will be your opponent."
To his surprise, the high-ranking Marei actually looked at Devian in silence.
When the Marei were about to reach Devian and his elite soldiers, they made a ridiculous movement. What happened next truly dumbfounded everyone. They would never think such a case could occur.
Commander Devian, who was ready to face the enemies, suddenly found the Marei avoiding him.
That was right. Instead of charging forward, the Marei actually moved to the left and right, avoiding him as if he was a wall.
"!!!" Devian, Baold, and all the other people dropped their jaws to the ground. They couldn't believe what they saw. Unlike Devian, the elite soldiers who were beside him were confused about why they didn't get attacked. But once they saw their leader's face, everything clicked in their minds.
Devian would have been swarmed by the Marei. With his strength, it should be possible for him to emerge from it and catch up to them.
But they never thought about what if Devian was on the enemy's side? What if he was the traitor and wanted to kill every single one of them to avoid being known as a traitor? He would be protected from danger. The Marei would have been instructed to avoid him.
And this was what was happening to Devian.
At the same time, Devian was also shocked because he didn't expect the Marei to actually avoid him.
He couldn't help but turn around, looking at the people. Their expressions showed shock, disgust, and hatred.
The moment he met Baold's gaze, he knew that his entire career was over.
"So, you are the traitor, Devian." Baold instantly connected everything, including how he was adamant about checking Theo and the others not long ago. He simply wanted to make sure to get all the treasures he could get from the tower. Everything truly made sense this time.
"Sir, I..." Devian was also shocked, not able to say anything.
Only one person was calm enough to smile as if he enjoyed the show. That person was none other than Theodore Griffith.