Passing The Death Aura Formation

Unlike, Asher, Wendel wasn't strong enough to simply ignore the shadow beasts on his trail or incapacitate them so he was forced back. However, he didn't retreat back to his teammates as he knew that dragging along two more third-stage Guardian shadow beasts would be adding more pressure onto them. Nonetheless, it didn't mean that Wendel was planning to sacrifice himself.

Defeating the two monsters with his own power was impossible but keeping them busy for a while wasn't. Wendel had quite a few protective artefacts as well as special offensive ones, one of which could release one attack at the fifth-stage of the Guardian realm. Safe to say that while things looked threatening to him, Wendel wasn't scared.

'I can't reach him. Damn it.' Wendel frowned.

Unlike the others, Wendel refused to believe that Asher had no other intentions by running towards the altar, but he couldn't figure out what they were.

'Even if he's after the hand, he can't get away with it and there's nothing else there so what is it?'

Wendel couldn't figure it out and in truth, no one could. This was because without a technique on the same scale as 'Life Perception', it would be impossible to see the white object atop the desiccated hand.

Asher now stood at the altar, just three metres away from it. He didn't proceed any further than he could feel a terrifying aura from it; the aura of death.

Despite there being a space of three metres between him and the altar, Asher had the feeling that if he took one step forward, he would die. He could even see some corpses belonging to some monsters laying on the floor. He had been unable to identify them properly from a distance and thought they were rocks, but now that he was close to the altar, Asher could ascertain that they were dried-up carcasses.

'I can't keep wasting more time. There should be a way to get across.' Asher thought.

Asher took out a marionette and placed it in front of him while pumping mana into it. In just two seconds, it grew up into a live version of him, a clone. This was a cloning technique he had learnt from his memory.

Typical cloning techniques required the user to be in the Paragon realm and even the techniques that created 'false clones' -clones that couldn't move- required the strength of a seventh-stage of Guardian realm mage. However, the technique Asher used could form a true clone using a physical component requiring only the strength of a fourth-stage Guardian mage or a peak rank third-stage Guardian mage. Although Asher was neither, with his experience in handling energy and his impressive knowledge, he could forcefully use the technique even at the early rank of the third-stage Guardian mage.

Asher controlled the wooden clone to step into the three metres region. It had taken the first step in and Asher could sense a bizarre aura of rot drill into it. At the same time, it moved at a really slow speed that it could only proceed one step at a time. The clone kept on walking but when it had taken the third step, it began to creak. When it was just two metres from the altar, it collapsed into ashes.

At the same time, a scream sounded from behind. One of the students from the six-man team had died.

'I'm running out of time.' Asher thought.

He wasn't worried about the other teams but his teammates instead. If the others died, his teammates would get surrounded. In such a situation, even with the knowledge and skills of his past life, it would be extremely difficult for Asher to get them all out safe and sound.

. . .

At this point, the students realized that even if they tried to retreat, the shadow beasts would chase after them, and even if they had done so, the reaction would have still been the same. They knew now that they had to defeat these shadow beasts or die trying as, literally speaking, their lives depended on this battle.

They all fought with their all but even then, it was obvious that they were slowly losing. Lawrence's teammates had managed to conclude their battle, although their leader was still stuck in a fierce fight. Under his orders, the duo went to assist the six, or rather, five-man squad in their battle.

As for Emma's team, they took on a defensive approach instead and tried to buy time until the recon member had concluded their battles.

The early rank second-stage Guardian shadow beasts attacking Asher's team were all killed leaving only the two mid-rank second-stage Guardian and the two early rank third-stage Guardian shadow beasts. Owen held down one of the third-stage Guardian shadow beasts while the other was taken care of by Melissa, although she had a difficult time doing so. James and Noah each took on one of the mid-rank second-stage Guardian shadow beasts while Luna offered magical support to them.

Although she seemed to have things easier, it was thanks to Luna's support that not only Noah and James but also Melissa, had yet to suffer severe injuries.

In this battle, Noah and James didn't hold back and used all their skills as well as the fruit of their training the past year and a half with Asher. Even though they were only mid-rank second-stage Guardian mages, they were still able to tangle with the mid-rank second-stage Guardian shadow beasts.

Melissa was a peak rank second-stage Guardian mage but she had some special items to keep her safe, courtesy of her father and some from Asher. This was why, even when facing an opportunity with the attack power of a mid-rank third-stage Guardian beast, she was still alive. The majority of that had to do with the blue barrier covering her which could tank the full blow of a fourth-stage Guardian mage, while another had to the thin sword in her hand, a rapier[1].

The blue barrier was from a necklace Asher had given her before they had entered the tunnel; one of the 'excess' protective items he had in hand. As for the rapier, it was a weapon given to her by her father right after she entered her third year at the academy. It was a grade three Guardian weapon and one above average. It was on par with a phase three Guardian mage, or to be precise, a third-stage Guardian mage, but Melissa could barely wield its power completely and as such, could only fend off the shadow beast but not kill it.

. . .

Although his teammates looked to be doing alright now, Asher knew better than to think so. The situation can only remain the same but not for long. The more time went by, the worse it got.

'It's impossible for this distance not to be traversed. There has to be a way.'

Asher began thinking up various ideas, and theories, and running calculations within that moment. His mind zoomed in on the knowledge stowed away in the depths of his soul as his senses dwindled.

From the outside, it looked as if Asher went into meditation or deep thinking as his eyes were closed, but in reality, his conscience was not even present. If someone were to attack him at this very instant, even if it were a seven-year-old, Asher would not even notice and would be incapable of fighting back. This was why he only went through his past life's memories anew when he was alone in a safe place.

Luckily, Asher had already immobilized the two shadow beasts that had pursued him while the rest were preoccupied fighting the students. Even if that wasn't enough, he already had a secret card prepared.

'Got it.'

After what seemed like four seconds to others, but presumably hours to Asher, he finally opened his eyes as he found an answer.

'It's a formation. A death formation that utilizes the death aura from the hand and the altar to attack any intruders. That part can be easily seen from how the clone had died, but the important thing to note is that death can't exist without life. If there was no life, there can be no death. In other words, while 99% of the three metres space around the altar might be plagued with death, 1% would contain life; the safe route.'

Asher took in a deep breath and slowly breathed out, releasing with the air a green flow of mana. He then squatted down and placed both hands on the floor, casting a spell while he did so.

Suddenly from all directions outside the three metres space around the altar, small green plants rose up from the ground and dashed towards the altar.

Asher didn't have time to begin calculating for the patterns of the formation so figured he might as well barge his way. By using plants, he could easily point out the places filled with death aura and the places without it.

Like a moss growing profusely, the little plants -less than an inch in height- grew wildly as they penetrated the three metres mark. Even as they died, one batch had managed to go in safely. It had only gone in for about half a metre before like the rest, it died.

'Again!'

Asher injected his mana into that half a metre long path of greenery and made it spread out in a wide direction. Similar to before, 99% of them died but one had managed to survive and find a path. Unlike the first surviving batch, this one moved towards the left and stopped about two metres away before approaching a death zone.

'Again!' Asher injected more mana in.

In this fashion, Asher went on until he found the 'life path' within the formation. It was a zigzag path that sometimes went left, right, forward and even backward before it finally led to the altar that was just three metres away from the starting mark.

Without further hesitation, he stood up and went after it, using the life path to approach the altar. The hand was now just an arm away from him.