[Chapter 68 Comment]
[Hunter_Keenan_2132: Theo, you are good at making deals, but I wonder how you will increase your assimilation rate in the long run…see more]
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"Here they come!" Lendrix shouted, watching numerous Marei demolishing the trees that stood in their way.
The two high-ranking Marei were leading the charge at the very front, prepared to face off against Theo. Despite the shocking illusions they had witnessed, they believed that two high-ranking Marei would be able to distract Theo and ultimately dispel the illusion.
To protect Theo, the elite soldiers stepped forward. A few of them raised their shields to create a giant wall to obstruct the charging Marei. The Marei slammed their bodies into the wall, pushing the elite soldiers back a few meters.
But the soldiers quickly regained their footing and stopped the enemy charge. The Marei attempted to loop around, but the rest of the soldiers engaged them from both sides, preventing their advance.
"Attack them!" the elite soldiers shouted, and they advanced carefully while wielding their blades. With each swing, they cut down one or two Marei. Their training and skill made them formidable opponents.
As the battle raged on, the Marei managed to gain some advantage, pushing the elite soldiers back when their numbers became overwhelming. However, the high-ranking Marei noticed something unusual. In previous engagements, Theo had always made the first move, causing them to retreat. But this time, he hadn't acted, as if he were intentionally sending the soldiers to their deaths.
Theo's inaction made the high-ranking Marei doubt themselves. They wondered if there was a secret plan at play. They communicated in their language, which only a single ghost could hear, but it was impossible for anyone to decipher their conversation.
One of the high-ranking Marei said, "What is he planning? You fought him first, so you might know him better."
"There's a chance he's luring us in. Once we go deep enough, he'll eliminate all of us," the other replied.
They couldn't rule out this possibility, considering Theo's abilities. However, they couldn't back away, as they had to stop Theo from making any move.
"The main group must believe this maneuver will turn the situation around if they succeed," one of the high-ranking Marei remarked.
"We currently have an overwhelming number. Should we push through?" the other asked.
"I think we should be cautious," the first one replied.
They decided to warn the low-ranking Marei to move forward carefully. If they could kill the soldiers, it would be beneficial, but they didn't want to fall into a trap.
Unbeknownst to them, Theo was sitting on the ground, meditating. Even without doing anything, Theo's mere presence instilled fear and slowed down the enemies.
Lendrix seized this opportunity and issued an order, "We'll employ strategy D."
As soon as they heard the command, the soldiers began to move back. The Marei, who had slowed down earlier, didn't know what to do. They were torn between following the high-ranking Marei's commands and the faster retreating speed of the soldiers. The soldiers were getting away, and the Marei instinctively moved faster, chasing after them.
However, it played right into the soldiers' hands.
Once the Marei were about to reach the soldiers, they suddenly fell to the ground, as though something had tripped their feet.
"!!!" The front Marei became an obstacle that caused those behind them to stumble as well.
Without hesitation, the soldiers raised their swords, activating the inscriptions on their blades. When they swung their swords, their essence flew forward and hit the falling Marei.
At the same time, the momentum of the Marei from behind kept pushing them forward, causing them to break through the wall the soldiers had created. But the soldiers were prepared for this scenario. They quickly hid behind trees, confusing the Marei.
As the Marei continued to advance, some of them fell into traps set by the soldiers, stumbling to the ground. Suddenly, a few soldiers emerged from behind the trees and swiftly killed them, slicing their heads or necks.
The soldiers continued eliminating the Marei one by one, using their tactical advantage to avoid injuries. With their skill and effort, they managed to kill a hundred Marei without sustaining any harm. This was why Lendrix had told Theo that he and his elite soldiers could handle that number.
In fact, they were capable of dealing with even more, but the presence of the high-ranking Marei undermined their confidence.
Seeing that they would lose too many Marei before they could even reach Theo, the two high-ranking Marei decided to join the battle directly. They split up and attacked from opposite directions, intending to aid both sides.
One of the high-ranking Marei on the right side leaped into the air, alarming the soldiers. They activated their shields and jumped back as the Marei landed and struck the ground with a powerful punch, creating a crater.
Shattered rocks flew towards the soldiers, but their shields blocked the debris. However, the ground's unevenness disrupted their formation, making it difficult for them to move in the unfamiliar terrain.
Meanwhile, the other high-ranking Marei concentrated essence in both hands, forming a sphere between them. The sphere multiplied into three, emitting a fluctuation of essence that caused a small shock wave.
"Raise your shield output to the maximum. Here it comes!" The soldiers alerted each other, reinforcing their shields.
The three spheres shot out lasers towards the soldiers, hitting three of them. Although they managed to block the attack, the force behind the lasers numbed their hands, and they were thrown at least twenty meters away.
"Retreat!"
"We have to form another position!"
The soldiers panicked as they suffered from the interference of the high-ranking Marei. There was only one course of action.
"Retreat!"
"We should retreat!"
Lendrix, overseeing the situation, finally intervened. The soldiers who had created the wall earlier shifted their position, forming a hole in their barrier. Lendrix gathered all his essence and slashed downward, sending out a crescent-shaped wave of essence.
This wave ran through the ground and sliced through everything in its path.
"!!!" The Marei attempted to enter the gap, only to meet their demise.
The two high-ranking Marei were startled, realizing they needed to reorganize their army. If they allowed their numbers to be further reduced, they would be in trouble.
Haruka and Avalon, watching from a distance, were in awe.
"Amazing," Haruka gasped. "There's a reason why they are elites. Even with a traitor among them, their strength is still formidable."
"Indeed. If their commander wasn't a traitor, we could probably hold the enemies back on that hill," Avalon nodded. "Although I hate to admit it, they are better knights than I am..."
"I wonder if we can become that strong too? I mean, our bunch is already pretty strong, but they are still improving rapidly under Teacher Theo's guidance. Since Teacher Theo wants us to be friends and forget our differences, he must want us to be able to coordinate like this, right?" Haruka pondered.
Avalon fell silent. A single person's strength was indeed good, but if they could work together, they could fight against someone above their level.
But before they could continue their discussion, a great change occurred in the surrounding area.
All of a sudden, the temperature in the area drastically decreased. The air became so chilling that they thought it was winter. Sucking in the cold air alone caused a sharp pain in all their bones. Everyone who noticed it couldn't help but use their essence to warm up their bodies.
However, the change had yet to end.
The forest suddenly darkened as though a black cloud had covered the sun. But it became even darker as time passed.
When they raised their heads, they saw that the sun had turned black like a solar eclipse.
The forest instantly turned eerie, as if it had become a haunted place.
But more importantly, they could feel a dreadful feeling, smell blood, and even hear someone's voice echoing in their minds.
"This is…" Haruka gasped as she fell to her knees while clutching her head. "No way."
"What's wrong, Haruka? Are you alright?" Avalon panicked. He was also confused and scared of this change, but he didn't know why Haruka suddenly dropped to her knees.
"We have to get away from this place…" Haruka's body was trembling. "I don't know if this place has the same creature, but this is… like a Disaster Grade Supernatural Being in my world."
"What?" Avalon widened his eyes in shock.
The reason why Haruka trembled was clear. A Disaster Grade Supernatural Being could decimate multiple cities in her world.
"Are you telling us that something bad is going to happen?" Avalon sucked a cold breath and shouted to Lendrix, "Sir Lendrix. We have to get away. My friend actually recognized this phenomenon as it's similar to a monstrous being appearing in her world!"
"!!!" Lendrix, who was still confused by the change, turned around to check on them and listen to what they had to say.
But at that moment, he suddenly dropped to his butt because he was shocked by something behind those two students.
When they turned around, they saw the same clown that Theo had used previously. But instead of the funny clown, it was covered with blood. The smile became sinister, and its hands held murderous weapons.
Instead of a funny clown, this appearance resembled that of madness.
"Veil of shadows, veil of light. With whispers soft and words arcana, I create a shimmering mirage."
"Through veils of fantasy, deceiving senses and shaping dreams until nothing is as it seems."
"Come forth my will. The illusion shall dance and forever spin. Let the world be enveloped in the never-ending illusion."
Theo opened his eyes as he said, "Toon Demon Second Authority, Toon Territory."