Transcendent Gene-Chapter 310: Savior [4]

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Asher’s life became much easier as a few minutes went by.

He was stuck defending the fortress alone at the start, but not all students were weak-minded. Many of them forced themselves together and met him at the wall, asking him what they could do to help.

He told them plainly that their energy was the only thing they could provide, and they happily obliged. He led them towards the inner stronghold and gathered them together, teaching them how to share their energy.

After they’d given their consent and become a part of his array, the fortress’ capabilities were enhanced heavily.

The summoned army started to truly work the wall, and the beasts outside were held off significantly.

However, skeletal soldiers without minds of their own weren’t enough to defend the base.

BOOOOOOM!

A part of the wall collapsed, allowing several beasts in. Their roars filled the world as Asher patched the hole, but that wasn’t enough to keep them out.

Over ten beasts rushed across the fortress grounds, plowing through skeletal soldiers as they pushed towards the inner stronghold.

Asher had to maintain the fortress.

The stronghold had to be protected while the injured students within were helped.

These young Sequencers had to experience things they never imagined they’d have to do so early.

Several groups of first and second-year students steeled themselves and went out to fight the beast.

Some of them had access to their personal weapons, while others were forced to fight with fists and Sequences alone.

As long as they were brave, they didn’t let anything stop them from helping. To an extent, some of them rapidly accepted the possibility of death that came with Sequencing.

Boom!

A group of students fought against a massive bear beast. The scars across its stomach and chest showed that it wasn’t unkillable, and that was enough for them.

Elemental energy met metaphysical energy, working together to support those with physical Sequences who directly approached their enemies to deal critical blows.

They’d experienced this kind of combat before. Only, back then, it was a simulation.

The real thing was different. Everything felt more tangible. The pain they experienced wasn’t numbed, and combat itself was more jarring.

Nevertheless, it was the same thing, just more visceral.

The realization slowly set into many of their heads, helping them fight better. The battles against beasts in the fortress actually didn’t seem too tilted in the enemy’s favor.

SHIK!

A sword went into the bear beast’s neck, bringing it to the ground with a loud "Thud!"

The sound attracted the attention of other groups, who had their morale boosted by the victory.

"Let’s go!" A young man said, calling those around him to aid the groups in the distance.

He ran forward, preparing his sword and shield for another bout of combat. He was one of the few who were lucky enough to have weapons with them when the catastrophe began.

Of the thirteen remaining beasts, only four or five of them looked extremely dangerous. He chose one of them to challenge, but before he could reach it...

Voom!

A wave of energy spread over his head.

He looked up and saw something he wasn’t expecting.

On the back of a beast that looked like a combination of a lion, a horse, and a moose was a human in a hooded robe.

"That is...!" He exclaimed, stepping back.

It was something most of them were unprepared for.

While the students around Asher were only just discovering it, Brennan’s group had to face it long ago.

Humans.

Shik!

Brennan’s lance stabbed through the heart of a robed cultist, sending a spatter of blood in every direction.

The beast under him roared as he jumped backwards and stepped off. As it rampaged into the neighboring beasts, he gritted his teeth and rushed back in.

The demolition crew was done with their task. A signal had just been sent.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Not everyone on the frontlines would be returning.

Brennan knew that some of his comrades were dead, but he still didn’t want to retreat.

It wasn’t his first time killing someone, but he knew how much those at the ruin would struggle with human deaths.

He didn’t want to bring it to them. Whether it ruined their morale or affected their ability to fight didn’t matter. He didn’t want to show it to them.

His noble desire was fine on its own, but an impossibility was an impossibility.

Eventually, he had to call for a retreat, and that scene had to take place.

The traps laid by the demolition crew went off, killing and maiming not only the beasts, but also the humans who controlled them.

Some of those humans charged up the hill and attacked using knives and swords, knowing they were facing students who couldn’t kill.

They didn’t care for the fact that they were ordinary humans.

With their ordinary strength, they cut into the throats of young Sequencers and tore them apart, reclaiming their world.

The students of the First Institute had a choice to make.

Either they killed, or they were killed.

Everywhere one looked, the scenes were the same.

There were students fighting desperately against beasts. Sometimes the humans died, and sometimes the beasts died, but it was obvious which side had higher numbers.

There were already hundreds of casualties despite no more than five minutes having gone by. More casualties were bound to pile up.

Gio’s ideal situation was one where everyone was saved, but every minute brought him closer to a scenario where only the most important and talented students were saved.

The only good thing was that it was not a slaughter.

There was an abundant supply of healing serum supplied not only by Gio, but by several others who’d been saved by his grace.

The richest students of the academy all had Storage Holes of their own that were stocked for similar purposes.

The children of the Ten Great Clans were hell-bent on contributing to both the battle and the rescue effort, because this was an event that could be used for their benefit if they won.

Death was much further from the majority of the student body than it would have been before.

And life was closer as well.

CRACKLE!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A bolt of pure black lightning slammed into the ground, creating a huge crater beside Peter as he ran across the ruined island.

"Dammit!"

He gnashed his teeth and rolled away, rushing forward without pause.

He saw a figure in the distance that he’d been trying to reach for several minutes. After finally finding him, he wasn’t going to back off now.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

That man was fighting a dragon.

He flew in the air with his robe fluttering around him. Every wave of his staff caused an impact that most couldn’t dream of.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The black lightning continued to fall, but it hit a spherical barrier around his body and was redirected into the ground below.

He waved his spear through the air, summoning huge shards of aquamarine crystal that came together and shot out like a cannon.

VOOOOOOOOM!

It was no different from dragon’s breath. The only difference was that it was made by a human.

’Damn!’

Peter shook his head. The Headmaster wasn’t even a Starlight Class Sequencer, yet he was capable of so much.

’The real question is...how do I get his attention?’

He ran until he reached the border of the huge crater below the Headmaster. It dug all the way through the island rubble and even a bit into the actual surface below, making it clear just how much lightning had struck it.

The Headmaster was locked in deathly combat, but he noticed the presence below immediately and turned.

He never expected the one standing there to be a student.

"Tsk!"

He clicked his tongue and swiped his staff again, creating a huge wall of crystalline mass between himself and the dragon.

"What are you doing here?! Run!"

BOOM!

The Headmaster arrived beside Peter before he knew what happened, making him step back in shock.

"Ah..."

He made a sound as he snapped back to reality.

"I’ll retreat as soon as possible, but there’s an urgent message I need to relay to you."

BOOM!

Gio never asked for credit, but Peter started by mentioning him.

"There’s a student named Gio. He came to us with a plan..." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Not only did he describe the situation outside this part of the ruins, but he also stated Gio’s plan as he’d been told.

BOOM!

It was up to the Headmaster and the teachers to get everything sorted out when the barrier went down, so it was best for them to handle their own situations as soon as possible.

"Haha..."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The dragon broke through the crystal wall with a beam of black energy that was already destroying the ground around Peter and the Headmaster.

BANG!

Peter flinched. He could’ve sworn he was dead, but when he opened his eyes, his entire body was covered in aquamarine light that made the black energy harmless.

"I heard what you said," the Headmaster said, his voice cutting through the storm.

"Leave it to me here. We will be ready when the barrier comes down."

The Headmaster flashed a smile fitting of a great warrior before flicking his wrist, throwing Peter into the sky.

He landed without injury near the edge of the barrier. Obviously, the Headmaster wanted him to flee, but at this point...

’I can help.’

Nothing mattered unless the beasts and cultists fighting the teachers were handled first.

Peter didn’t hesitate to help in handling them.