It was starting to get bleak.

Despite coordinating their defense pretty well, the five started to be pushed back.𝒩𝔬𝓋𝓵xt.𝓬𝒪𝐌

Against the Awakened that managed to gather in Emham Forest at the news of treachery, the five attempted to desperately hold on, yet their combination of might is not able to triumph against the overwhelming odds against them.

While their stamina gets lower and lower, the enemies only increased in number.

Not only that, but their bodies also started to get weaker and weaker due to the riddled gruesome wounds suffered. Each one of them is bloodied, suffering numerous injuries from a simple cut to a poisoned slash.

Ugrok in particular suffers the heaviest as he needs to make up for the others more.

On top of the countless Awakened jumping on him, Mistin was amongst them, and he also got help from two family heads, similar in terms of power. Due to that, he was mostly occupied fighting those three.

Battling in close range is hard enough, yet there are others attacking from range.

In fact, the reason the five were overwhelmed was because of ranged Awakened that uses contemporary weapons, firing their guns imbued with mana. Dodging such a barrage is impossible for all of them.

Gasping for air, Liliya glanced over to her back and asked, “How much longer…?”

“I don’t know, there’s definitely more people to be teleported” Prof. K replied, he was currently dealing with the advanced teleportation formation. Out of the five, he contributed the least to the fight.

Prof. K could only send his copies to fight while his real body stayed beside the formation.

Knowing that the situation is very dire, Liliya grimaced as she saw the enhancing mark that she engraved on herself is already dim. It wouldn’t take long before she ran out of energy, and that would decrease the five’s battle power immensely.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.

“What happened to you, Lady Giana? Are you taking it easy on me?”

“Krggh…”

One of the family heads decided to clash with Giana yet he was surprised to find that she was not as strong as he expected. It was then, his eyes glowed and noticed that he couldn’t sense the spirit core inside Giana’s body.

From his perspective, Giana looked normal, like a regular human.

Ridiculed by someone who has a lower standing than her, she gritted her teeth in anger.

Giana was not a pushover, she dashed at the family head and fights even fiercer, the fuel of anger makes her even stronger as she was able to push the family head’s back. It was even more surprising considering that there was a deep gash across her torso.

A wound suffered from a heavy slash, and there are also multiple gunshot wounds on her.

Parrying Giana’s fierce advancement, the family head jumped back and landed gracefully. Smirking lightly, the family head then said, “Is this how far you have failed, Lady Giana? Not a glimpse of your past self, no spirit core, and even aligning with the Traitor. Once a goddess and now, you…”

“You’re just an unsightly, desperate, and weak traitor” he mocked blatantly.

Despite the cruelness of his words, what he said was accurate. Giana’s once lovely face that has been marred by Rex, was no longer beautiful. She was now desperately seeking to gain Rex’s approval. To add to her misery, she had also lost her Awakened power.

It has been a torturous couple of days for her, but this situation has been the worst.

Gazing down to the ground with a grim look, Giana’s body trembled as she was burning with fury, “I will not deny what you said is untrue, in fact, I acknowledged it to be true” she whispers, not denying the harsh truth. “But don’t you ever called me a traitor…”

Clenching her jaw, Giana raised her face to glare at the family head with her blue eyes.

“Unlike you who is sitting behind the safety of these walls, I sacrificed everything in order to keep Humanity alive. I don’t expect you to understand it, yet don’t you ever call me a traitor again!”

As she said that, a painful wail suddenly penetrated her ears.

Roar!!

Glancing to the side, Giana noticed the painful wail coming from Ugrok, severely injured.

Mistin finally landed a powerful attack that almost cut off Ugrok’s shoulder entirely, litres of blood gushed out of Ugrok’s big body, instantly creating a puddle of blood on the ground beneath his feet.

Instantly after that, the other family head beside Mistin made his move.

Fueling himself with blazing fire that created sparks of embers around him, the family head launches himself forward like a canon by creating an explosion beneath his feet. Instead of aiming for the obvious target, he went past Ugrok.

Upon seeing this, Giana’s eyes bulged before she shouted, “STOP HIM!”

Knocking the Awakened around them, Liliya and Dyrmir heard her shout and also saw the family head heading towards the unsuspecting Prof. K, he was still teleporting the people and wouldn’t be able to take his hand off of the advanced teleportation formation.

Despite the danger, Liliya and Dyrmir quickly jumped in the way to block the family head.

“Out of my way!”

Just as the family head said that his hand summoned a big two-handed blazing axe from thin air, expanding its heat in an instant. In response to this, Liliya and Dyrmir also raised their weapons to try and block the family head.

Yet, the power between them is too much, and the two have no chance.

Boom!

Splash!

It takes only a swing of the blazing axe for Liliya and Dyrmir to lose an arm in an instant.

Standing no chance against the family head, the two were knocked out of the way whilst their severed arms flew into the air. “Now you die, traitor of the SCO…” the family head smirked as he arrived behind Prof. K.

Pulling the blazing axe back, he then swung it with full force directly at Prof. K’s back.

When Prof. K felt the warmth of the flame on his back that pulls his attention away from the teleportation, he quickly turned around to look. His eyes widened when he saw the blazing axe heading in his direction, he could feel his throat tightening in response.

‘N- No, I can’t react fast enough. The people… they are going to die!’

Despite the attack might end him in the process, the thought of the people he was teleporting would die which would seal the failure of this operation is the only thing inside Prof. K’s mind right now.

Even in front of death, he feared failing the operation more.

Knowing that he couldn’t react fast enough, Prof. K close his eyes. It was soon after he did that, he could feel his chest get hit and burned by the blazing axe. Naturally, blood climbs into his throat, forcing its way out of his body.

“Guahkk!”

Prof. K grunted painfully, he spat a disturbing amount of blood.

Although he was adamant about being hit directly by the blazing axe, he still tries to stiffen his body to resist the force that would push him, trying to keep his hand on the advanced teleportation formation, using most of his energy to keep the formation active and stable.

But a frown appears when the force stopped, and he managed to stay on his spot.

It was almost as if the blazing axe’s momentum was stopped.

Slowly opening his eyes to check the situation, he was greeted by the sight of the big blazing axe embedded inside his chest, almost touching his organs. If the family head wanted to, he definitely could do more damage than that.

Prof. K thought that the family head was playing with him.

Yet he was proven wrong almost instantly when he saw a blade, cloaked with sharp green energy blocking the handle of the blazing axe, causing the family head to be unable to push further despite trying.

Realizing this, Prof. K looks back and saw an unfamiliar figure standing behind him,

Judging from the upright ears and flawless skin, this person should be an Elf, a very powerful one at that. Wearing royal armor with the royal crest as well as a cape, this Elf surely has a high standing in the Elven race.

It was Hastios, and he was sent here to help Prof. K in teleporting the innocent people.

Commencing a flick with his sword, sending a powerful surge of nature energy, Hastios is able to push the family head’s blazing axe back rather easily. As he did that, he then walks around and stands in front of Prof. K.

“Keep teleporting the people, I will help protect you”

As he said that, dozens of Elves also jumped out of the Cluster Domain.

Similar to Hastios, these Elves are also wearing intricate and detailed armor that speaks of their standings. In the eyes of humans, these Elves are definitely foreign. But in truth, these Elves were quite well-known in the Supernatural world.

It’s the Dauntless Cerion Order, the Royal Elite Guards of the Elven race.

Circling the advance teleportation formation, the Dauntless Cerion Order assumed their battle stances and watches the remaining Awakened with stern expressions, ready for a battle at a moment’s notice.

Noticing that Ugrok is still rampaging despite his injuries, the Elves readies themselves.

Like a united unit that moved and act in coordination with each other, the Elves quickly jumped at an opponent of their choosing and the battle continues, it keeps on getting fiercer and fiercer.

Prof. K on the other hand looks at Hastios back before he felt immense relief.

Earlier, there was a huge burden weighing down his shoulders that keeps on increasing the longer the battle continues. Knowing what the fight will lead to, their imminent failure, it’s hard for him to even breathe.

Yet now, he got reinforcement, and he could breathe easily again.

‘Seems like he’s not a total monster. Coming there and talking to him is the right move, I’m glad I did that instead of trying alone in a losing fight’ Prof. K thought, he was glad that he did what he did.

Meanwhile, Hasstios scans the place, ignoring the family head standing across from him.

Hastios then asked, “Where is the one called Liliya?”

“Eh…?” Pausing for a second, Prof. K quickly recovered and nudges his chin towards Liliya who is still lying on the ground not far from them. She was in pain thanks to her severed arm, and she was now still struggling to get back on his feet.

Upon catching her sight, Hastios’ expression twitched a little.

But as he was checking Liliya’s condition, the family head realized that he was being ignored by this newcomer who reeks of arrogance. Gritting his teeth, the family head quickly dashed and lifted Liliya by the hair before wrapping his arm around her neck.

It was clear what he was going to do.

Turning to face Hastios again, the family head was about to threaten him.

Even though that was the plan, he finds his body frozen abruptly. It was naught but a moment, yet the family head could see the tip of a sword already a couple of inches away from reaching his neck before he could say anything.

Abandoning his plan, he lets go of Liliya and jumped back to dodge the sword.

Landing a couple of feet back, the family head grinds his teeth in bubbling anger seeing that Hastios helped Liliya get up nonchalantly and keep on ignoring him, “Go rest, I’ll take it over from here”

Confused as to who Hastios was, Liliya didn’t complain and did what she was told.

Standing up once again, Hastios glanced to the side sensing an immense amount of killing intent being directed to him, “Stop it, don’t even try to do anything. If I wanted to, killing you will not be a problem”

“Are you even capable of burying me, Elf?” the family head replied, holding back his anger.

Just then, Hastios turns to face the family head before he raised his green sword, “Awakened in your realm relies most on Gladiator Form, an eighth-rank realm Awakened has a slight delay in activating their Gladiator Form. In addition to the suppression, that delay is going to be longer”

“Do you want to test it?” Hastios added, looking at the family head sharply.

Upon hearing this, the family head could only suffer Hastios’ condescending tone before he then continues, “You activating your Gladiator Form against my blade, which one is faster? Do you want to test whether I could bury you or not?”