Chapter 18: Surrounded

"Go!"

After everyone received the order to gather, they used their strength and promptly jumped out of the crater. Once they got out of the crater, they quickly lowered their bodies to reduce their presence and rushed toward the targeted position.

Emrys did the same.

"Keep up! Move immediately!" The espers did not dare dally as they followed in each other's footsteps and hurried out of the crater.

The landing point of their aircraft was about two kilometers away from their current position. Based on the time they took to come here, they should be able to reach that position within fifteen minutes.

"Dodge it!"

While they were moving, Emrys suddenly sensed something, turned, and shouted loudly. However, his warning came late.

A giant Aphid bolted out of a crater, and it stabbed The nearest esper in the belly with its razor-sharp forearm before it lifted him up.

"Arrrrhhhh!"

That esper cried out in pain and started twitching in midair, for he was suspended in the air by Aphid. Blood flowed out of his body like water, dyeing the ground red.

"Give me your gun!"

An experienced Third Star Esper snatched an electromagnetic rifle from a new recruit who was petrified with fear, and then skillfully released the safety before pulling the trigger.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The electromagnetic rifle spat out a series of fiery bullets that pierced into the giant Aphid's head. After a dozen rounds, the forefoot that the Third Star Esper had accurately fired upon, ruptured, and the esper's body was released as he fell down.

Without waiting, that Third Star Esper continued to fire the electromagnetic rifle, suppressing the giant Aphid and preventing it from getting closer.

On the other hand, two espers brought the injured one away in a hurry, so that he would not get caught in the fire of battle between the Third Star Esper and the Aphid.

The esper was seriously injured. The insectoid's forearm had torn into his chest and abdomen as blood constantly poured out of his mouth. However, anyone could see the wounds slowly closing.

"He must have awakened a regeneration skill," Emrys muttered inwardly and shook his head.

Meanwhile, the Third Star Esper successfully killed the insectoid and came back to take a look at the injured esper, and immediately ordered, "You, take him on your back and move."

Turning his head, he said to Emrys, "We are relying on you. Let's go!"

Emrys nodded and they again started moving.

Hisss!

They hadn't walked for long when Emrys warned everyone again. To their horror, a swarm of giant Aphids charged over. They seemed to be attracted by the stench of blood on the injured Esper's body.

"Run, run for your lives!"

The Third Star Esper shouted and told everyone to run. At the same time, he stopped and started firing at the Aphids.

"Run!"

Everyone started running. No one even looked back at the Esper who stood behind, risking his life to give another second for everyone to escape.

"Die, you bastards!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Third Star Esper continued to fire his electromagnetic rifle, raining the energy bullets at the swarm of giant Aphids. Unfortunately, there were simply too many of them and he was soon swallowed by the insectoids.

"This cannot be continued for long. We have to think of something else!"

Emrys shouted at the running Espers. He then stopped, turned around, and opened fire at the swarm of giant aphids.

When retreating, escaping without thought would often result in being pursued from behind. In the end, no one would survive.

"Let's do this. Half of us will fight, covering the other half. When we cease, we'll start retreating and the other half will start fighting these damn insectoids." Someone gave an idea that immediately struck everyone in their minds. They looked at each other and agreed.

Just like that, everyone started fighting and retreating.

Whenever Emrys and a few espers use their abilities and electromagnetic rifles to bang the swarm of aphids, the other half would cease and retreat. Once they pulled themselves a distance away, they would start firing again to cover Emrys and other's retreat.

Just like that, Emrys and the recruits covered each other as they slowly moved toward the landing point of their aircraft. After a tough battle, everyone finally managed to retreat. When they got closer to the landing point, other espers met and helped them deal with the swarm of aphids.

"Everyone, get back to your units!" Dan shouted at the espers.

"We don't have time for that," Emrys shook his head and spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Enemies are coming."

"Where!"

"They are already here. Nine o'clock! Attack!" Following Emrys's shout, a massive swarm of insectoids appeared in their lines of sight. Aside from giant Aphids, there were also many Armored Beetles and Thunder Mandibles!

"Boom!"

A Thunder Mandible in the distance, with its huge belly that shone with blue light, shot a bolt of lightning out of its tail toward the Espers.

"Everyone, fight! Fire! Take cover!"

The leader of a different suicide squad cried loudly and flew in the sky before landing in the middle of swarms of insectoids. He was a Fifth Star Esper.

Seeing him, a few more Suicide Squad Leaders charged forward, followed by all the gathered Espers. These espers didn't even have time to rest and form a plan when they were again pulled into the middle of battle. Having no choice, they had to start fighting again.

"Swishhh!"

Emrys almost instinctively rolled as he rushed to hide. Unfortunately, there was no place to hide. In the end, he even took hold of an electromagnetic rifle and started firing energy bullets at the swarm of insectoids. This was the only choice he could make at the moment.

The few new recruits behind him were clueless, but when Emrys took action, they followed suit.

"Boom!"

At that moment, a Thunder Mandible landed in front of a squad not far from Emrys.

The instant it landed, a high concentration of lightning bolts instantly engulfed the surrouding areas. The bolt of lightning that splashed all over after the explosion still possessed terrifying lethality, and several Espers did not manage to find cover in time. As such, they were hit by the flying bolt of lightning and reduced to a crisp.

As for the squad targeted by this Thunder Mandible, there was no need to mention them anymore. They had already turned to ashes and disappeared.