Chapter 67 - Attack (13)

The forest was eerily quiet, the only sounds being the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant cries of battle.

Nathan led the group, his katana in hand and his wings slightly unfurled, ready for anything.

Behind him were Natasha, River, Lucas, Marcus, Maria, and a handful of other cadets they had managed to gather.

The group moved with purpose, their eyes sharp and their weapons at the ready.

For the most part, the Fantasians they encountered were weak—too weak, in fact. It was either that or the first-year cadets were just that strong.

Nathan wasn't sure which it was, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Their goal was clear: gather as many cadets as possible and make it to the airships.

From what Nathan had seen, it was unlikely that help was coming.

Why?

Because the Fantasians had taken the control room, and while there was a chance the instructors had called for reinforcements before they were killed, neither Nathan nor the others wanted to take that chance. Waiting around hoping for rescue wasn't an option.

But there was something else that scared him and the others more than anything else.

The instructors were all at least Class Two, with many of them being Class Three. Yet they had been killed—most likely by the Fantasians.

That meant the enemies they had been fighting so far were child's play compared to the ones waiting at the control room.

And yet, they needed to get through there to reach the airships.

So the solution they came up with why was gathering a group—hoping they could at least outnumber the Fantasians and win with sheer numbers. That was the hope at least.

But Nathan had a different reason tho. To him, the group they were fathering was for nothing more than cannon fodder. Meat shields.

After all there was absolutely no way they could overpower whatever was waiting for them at the control room with mere numbers.

So far, they had only found two groups of cadets.

They found others. Well they found their corpses. Turns out many had already been killed by the Fantasians, and even among the two groups they had found, five cadets had lost their lives.

Nathan couldn't help but think, 'I guess they are at least strong enough to kill no-name extras.'

They moved through the forest for a while before Nathan and the others suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

The air grew heavy, the tension palpable. Before anyone could react, a figure landed on the ground with enough force to crack the earth beneath them.

Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the figure for a moment.

When the dust settled, a hooded figure stood before them. He was tall, his posture relaxed but his presence commanding.

He then turned to look at Nathan, his expression hidden beneath his hood, and sighed.

"Seems like Jero failed, huh?" he muttered, his voice calm but laced with disappointment.

Nathan's grip tightened on his katana, his wings flaring slightly as he prepared for a fight. The hooded figure turned to face him fully, his tone casual but firm.

"I challenge you to a duel."

As soon as the hooded figure issued his challenge, Nathan's face twisted into a look of confusion.

'Huh. Who the hell's this random ass dude?' he thought, his mind racing.

But before he could even completely process the situation, the man's figure blurred, vanishing from sight and reappearing right in front of him.

Nathan barely had time to react as the man's fist shot forward, landing a square punch that Nathan managed to block with his wings.

The force of the impact was staggering tho as it sent Nathan flying backward through the air, his body crashing through trees and skidding across the ground.

The man didn't give him a moment to recover. He leaped after Nathan, his movements impossibly fast, his intent was clear as day—he wasn't here to play around.

Nathan scrambled to his feet, his wings flaring as he prepared to counter, but the man was already on him again, his attacks relentless.

Meanwhile, Natasha and River immediately tried to go after Nathan, their instincts screaming at them to help.

But before they could take more than a few steps, a large group of Fantasians emerged from the woods, their weapons drawn and their eyes gleaming with malice.

Natasha and River froze, their expressions hardening as they realized the gravity of the situation.

These Fantasians were different. Their auras were stronger, their movements more precise, and their presence far more intimidating than the ones they had been fighting so far.

And to make matters worse, they were outnumbered. The cadets exchanged uneasy glances, their grip tightening on their weapons.

The hooded figures didn't waste time. With a collective roar, they lunged at the cadets, their weapons flashing in the dim light.

Natasha and River braced themselves, their minds racing as they prepared to fight.