Chapter 321: Growing Presence

"They're coming out from this side too." An Amplifier from the August Batch bellowed, leading his friends to form the first line of defence against the Frenzy Beasts. What flew out first from the Red Building of the Psychic Block were Tier 1 Floating Spiders, hundreds of them.

"We can't fight well without our weapons," An Amplifier shouted, sending a kick into a Floating Spider, turning its body into meat paste. The Amplifier then jumped high, spinning in the air as she delivered a flurry of kicks, with each kick killing a Floating Spider.

Tier 2 Skill—Skin Burst!

Her skin turned hard, resisting the attacks of the mandibles that tried to clamp her legs. Scratches formed on her skin as a result while the portion of her pant below her knees was shredded. Her flurry of attacks made the Floating Spiders target her, swarming her.

Without losing her cool, she activated her Tier 1 Skill, sensing their positions while attacking them. Thanks to her Tier 2 Skill, the damage she suffered was minimal. Suddenly, she kicked the ground and leaped back, watching three Life Leeches burrow out from the ground.

After they missed their targets, they wriggled above ground only for a second before burrowing into it. After landing on the ground, the girl cursed, unwilling to remain standing at a spot for more than a second, "Dammit, the Life Leeches are also here. Everyone! Don't stay in one place for more than a second."

"The Ring Worms are also attacking. Our footing is disrupted," Another Amplifier shouted. He then turned around, looking towards the White Building while using his strong physique to shout, "Hurry up, Jyorta!"

"We're almost done!" Standing guard beside Jyorta was Ashten Coorg, shouting back in response. "Jyorta said we need three minutes at most before everyone finishes evacuating."

"Dammit, three minutes is too long in such unfavourable conditions." The Amplifier cursed, closing his eyes to not gaze at the scenes on the screen, afraid he would lose the will to fight. Every student that was fighting refrained from looking at the scenes on the screens, focusing on their survival. It was another reason they picked the White Building to evacuate into. That way, they wouldn't have to witness the scenes on the screens. Even though they were curious, they refrained from seeing them.

After all, there was nothing they could do to affect that situation. Everyone from Marble City was active. To the students, they had to stay on their toes in the most optimal mental state to survive. It was a tacit understanding they all reached unanimously.

Jyorta's body trembled, having lost some weight. His complexion paled while sweat drenched his clothes. His eyes were red as he was mentally strained, having to maintain the aura personification on such a large scale. The property of the grass decreased the potency of his aura personification. Thankfully, the others supplemented his through their aura personifications.

Aura personifications with similar effects were stacked to achieve the desired result. But, as the one who shared the bulk of the load, Jyorta was physically strained. "Dammit, I didn't even recover much after my labyrinth exploration."

His psychic energy reserves were almost dry, only having half a day's worth of accumulation. His aura reserves were slightly better, but it wasn't far off. That's why he burned his flesh to supplement his needs, bursting with enough power comparable to his peak.

He was beginning to lose focus as he watched the students stream into the White Building. There were a lot of students, numbering between 800-900 per Batch, with a total of 12 Batches. They needed some time for everyone to enter the White Building through its four entrances.

"Thank you," Followed by a soft voice, two pale blue psychic arms seeped into his body, "Your actions calmed me down. I'll heal you in gratitude."

Jyorta turned around, gazing at a tall girl from the August Batch. She was someone who had accumulated enough Credits to receive the Unranked Skill, Regen, using it to heal him. Jyorta felt energy return to his body, his aching muscles recovered while his mental state turned slightly better.

He was still under a lot of strain, but it was bearable now, enough for him to last until everyone managed to evacuate. As the students entered the White Building, they broke out of the aura personifications, waking up to reality.

Some students took charge to explain the situation, prompting them to move. Students from the August Batch that had a lot of experience as compared to the others took charge, laying down some plans to ease their situation.

"Bring the tables and line them at the entrance. They will hinder the path of our flying enemies. We can also use them as the footholds to fight and won't have to worry about the Ring Worms and the Life Leeches." A student bellowed, running across the place as he relayed the instructions.

His batchmates followed, prompting the others to cooperate, soon erecting the necessary barriers. They broke the legs of many tables, laying the flat surface on the ground. Line Controllers from the August Batch took charge, seeping their psychic arms into it as a form of reinforcement. Their domains also scanned the ground constantly, alert against the two Frenzy Beast races that moved underground.

Tables were laid perpendicularly on the ground, their top surface directed towards their foes. They stacked two tables atop one another, with each leg held by an Observer at the peak of Tier 1. They acted as the wall against the enemies that moved on the ground.

Amplifiers held the legs of the tables they had broken, using them as weapons. Observers collected them, ready to throw them to the fighters the moment their makeshift weapons broke. The stronger fraction of the Observers also participated in the battle.

Their only source of illumination was light emitted from the screen. It wasn't enough for them to rely on their sight. Most of the Amplifiers relied on their Tier 1 Skills to fight. They were facing some difficulties but thanks to experiencing similar situations in the labyrinth, they were prepared.

The area brightened as the Two-Faced Fireflies exited the Red Buildings from both the blocks. But, they were flying in panic, directing their lights everywhere, causing more hindrance than help.

Jyorta looked at them, watching them fly further and further away, intending to fly beyond the academy. 'There is a chance they might harm the civilian population. Since the staff went to the city walls without so much as a word of warning, the situation must be dire enough. There isn't an exception that the fighters beyond the academy would remain behind. So, the possibility isn't slim that only helpless children might be left out there.'

Jyorta looked at the petite figure beside him, "Laila, can you take charge of the rest. I'll prevent the Two-Faced Fireflies from leaving the academy."

"I understand," Laila nodded, her expression akin to one who had grasped the whole situation.

"Thank you," Jyorta retracted his aura personification of hallucination from the students, changing his mindset as he redirected them towards the Two-Faced Fireflies. His mind whirred at great speeds amid tension, fuelled by the necessity of the situation, his mindset changing to the one necessary even without the blue soul's help.

He was quick to take action, his hallucination causing the Two-Faced Fireflies to hover in the air for a couple of seconds in confusion before scurrying back in panic. He manipulated them through the hallucination, directing the beams of light towards the approaching foes.

He highlighted every enemy, the intensity of light causing them to squint. He separately manipulated the ones that could disperse their light, using them to light the area the students fought, helping them see better.

"Nice," The Amplifier girl from August Batch laughed, increasing her speed as she weaved through the crowd of Frenzy Beasts, each of her attacks claiming the life of one.

"Impressive," The Area Controller who was healing Jyorta exclaimed, gawking at his expertise at manipulating the Two-Faced Fireflies. She looked around, inspecting the state of the battlefield before speaking to Jyorta, "I'll heal you until I run dry of psychic energy."

"Thank you," Jyorta nodded, focused in his manipulation. Jyorta played a big part; as long as he was part of the battle, his contribution would be immense. Just the fact that he could control so many Frenzy Beasts was a helpful cause.

The Area Controller girl immediately realised it. Even if she participated, she wouldn't be able to affect the tides of battle as much as Jyorta. So, it was more efficient for her to heal him. Soon, another Area Controller arrived, beginning to heal Jyorta after comprehending the situation.

As for the remaining Area Controllers that possessed the Unranked Skill, Regen, they were alert, standing right behind the barriers. The moment the lead fighters were injured or showed signs of exhaustion, they used their abilities to heal them and recover their expended energy.

The Amplifiers formed the brunt of the fighting force. As long as they stood without falling, the students would remain safe.

"Everyone has entered the White Building!" Ashten Coorg shouted, transmitting his voice across the large fighting space.

"Great!" The Amplifiers quickly hopped their way towards the entrances, narrowing their line of defence.

As the energy gushed into him in large volumes, Jyorta's brain crystal was getting filled up quickly. All his fatigue was washed away while his mind even started to recover, the strain from using the aura personification no longer overtaxed him.

Four psychic arms healed him, quickly filling up half his Brain Crystal in a couple of minutes. His cells drunk the healing energy, their presence recovering steadily. As they healed Jyorta, the two Area Controllers went from surprise to shock, seeing the presence in Jyorta continue to build up. There were no signs of stopping, his presence soon surpassing the peak of Tier 2 beings.