"AAAAHHHH!!!"

The first attack didn\'t come from the larger group of demons, but from the A15 class. Anton, eager to showcase his power, charged at the demons with his Iron Gauntlet, igniting a fierce battle in the demon camp. Like a skilled boxer, he weaved between the attacking diagrams and delivered powerful punches to the demons.

The other A15 students were not about to be outdone. They displayed their individual strengths and launched their attacks on the demons. Despite their smaller numbers, each member of the A15 class was of noble lineage and possessed Heaven-grade Mana Flow, making them stronger than the demons in the camp. Though their mission was critical, only the weaker demons were assigned to stay away from the battle and handle other tasks, even if it meant going hungry.

However, experience sometimes surpasses talent. The demons, who had faced life-and-death battles throughout their lives, calmly observed the overly enthusiastic A15 students. They casually withstood the onslaught and appeared to be on the defensive.

Artur realized that the demons intended to drain the A15 students\' mana before delivering a decisive blow. His past fights in the House of Valya arena had taught him that these creatures were sly and cunning in battle. They didn\'t care if their opponents were weaker or fewer in number; they would use any means to ensure victory.

Before Artur could warn his friends, Robert\'s voice boomed, "Everyone, fall back! Form the Phalanx formation!"

His commanding voice sent a shiver down the spines of all the A15 students. They reflexively ceased their wild attacks and retreated to form the Phalanx formation.

Shoulder to shoulder, they stood in tight formation, forming a solid defensive wall. Robert, Anton, and a few other A15 students with high defenses and physical strength stood in the front as "shield commanders," tasked with holding off and intercepting enemy attacks. Rini, Anggi, and a few other A15 students with long-range attack abilities or magic stood in the back, providing support from a safe distance.

Although the A15 class didn\'t have mages with Healing spell faction, they did have mages capable of buffing. To counter the demons\' Curse spell faction, some A15 students prepared spells to cancel the demons\' diagrams. They stood right behind Robert, ready to assist him.

The Phalanx formation proved effective in countering the larger number of enemies, reducing the impact of direct attacks from the approaching foes. The shield commanders in the front acted as living shields, while the other A15 students in the back could easily target enemies with long-range attacks. This tactical advantage helped them deal with enemies approaching from various directions.

Moreover, the formation allowed the A15 class to use collaborative and tactical abilities, such as cross-protection and combined attacks, to enhance their resilience and attack effectiveness. The Phalanx formation also provided an opportunity for healing or support A15 members to more easily provide assistance and recovery to injured team members.

However, the weakness of this formation lay in its maneuverability. While it kept enemies at bay, it also confined allies within the formation. Like a besieged fortress, all the warriors inside would be unable to leave and could only defend against attacks from within.

Unfortunately, this formation posed a significant problem for Artur. His goal in breaking into the demon camp was to find Anna. Artur\'s worries intensified as he couldn\'t shake the image of Anna becoming a feast for the demons.

"Robert! Let me out of the Phalanx formation! I can take care of myself!" Artur yelled to Robert.

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"Artur!" Rini held Artur\'s hand tightly, restraining him from leaving the formation.

"ENOUGH, ARTUR!!! Don\'t make me handle you myself! We don\'t have time to deal with your personal issues! Can\'t you see that your reckless actions have led us to be surrounded like this!"

Robert\'s voice thundered with anger, his eyes showing a seriousness that indicated he meant business if Artur disobeyed his orders again. Artur fell silent after observing his surroundings.

Realizing their baiting tactics had failed, the demons changed their strategy. They knew they outnumbered the humans, but they also recognized that these humans might be stronger than they expected.

Their goal remained the same—to drain the humans\' mana—but they adopted a different approach. Instead of focusing on defense and allowing the humans to press them, they now became active aggressors.

They attacked in waves, offering assistance to overwhelmed demons and then withdrawing when necessary. This repeated like unending waves crashing against the rocks.

With this strategy, the demons could still drain the humans\' mana while keeping their casualties relatively low. The A15 students began to realize the demons\' movements, but they had no effective way to deal with them.

If any of them left the formation, the demons would immediately swarm and overwhelm them, forcing the other A15 students to come to their rescue. As a result, the Phalanx formation they had formed ceased to be just a defensive bulwark but also a prison that trapped them.

Artur knew that there was no time to attend to his personal affairs. They were in dire and dangerous straits, and there was no guarantee that they could escape alive from this place. Yet, the fears he envisioned continued to haunt him, making Artur restless.

[Lightning Sense]

Artur successfully replenished his mana and immediately used his enhanced sense spell. With this, his response time would be faster than before. He no longer feared unseen attacks from the demons.I think you should take a look at ????????????????????????????????.????????????

[Lightning Sword]

His sword suddenly glowed blue with electric sparks. Artur stepped forward, directly facing the demons that had been encircling them. With agility, he dodged the diagrams targeting his body, crouched, and lunged forward to slash at the demon\'s hand.

Other demons attempted to save their comrade, but with Artur\'s heightened senses, he easily parried their attacks before delivering a spinning kick to the chest of one demon. The demon was thrown backward and collided with another demon. Artur then advanced alone, chasing after the demon whose hand he had severed earlier.

Before he could deliver the final blow, another demon came to rescue Artur\'s enemy by delivering a powerful kick to his body. Artur had to retract his sword and block the strong kick. Just before the diagram on the kick could hit him, Artur destroyed it with the electric charge on his sword.

Nevertheless, Artur was thrown backward and had to rejoin the formation. Dengan sigap teman-temannya menangkap tubuh Artur sebelum dia menghantam tanah.

"Tck!" Artur grumbled in frustration. He tried once again to advance beyond the Phalanx formation.

Robert noticed this and his face turned red with anger. Suddenly, his body emitted a dazzling light along with waves of intense heat that could melt stones.

[Solar Storm]

The powerful surge of heat energy sent the demons who had been dueling with him flying backward. However, Robert didn\'t pursue his enemies; instead, he rushed to Artur before he could break the formation.

But his advance was abruptly halted by a barrage of punches from The horned demon.

"Robert, forgive me, but I can\'t just let my sister be killed like that!" Artur shouted to Robert.

His friend was busy dueling the horned demon. Although he didn\'t seem overwhelmed, he also couldn\'t gain an advantage over his opponent. Both of them were still fighting, restraining their powers, but the intensity of the battle made it impossible for any other creature to approach.

Robert\'s Light Sword clashed with the horned demon\'s Kawasabocor fist. The two different-colored mana devoured each other and canceled out their effects. Robert had to step back three times to nullify the impact of the power struggle.

"Artur! I know you probably think your power is enough to survive once you leave this formation. But haven\'t you wondered why we haven\'t seen a single human in this camp?"

Seeing his opponent momentarily distracted while battling him, the horned demon grew furious and yelled in the demon language that Robert didn\'t understand. He lunged forward with the intent to kill.

Robert had to focus on his enemy again and ignored Artur. Yet, he knew his message had been conveyed to Artur. His friend was intelligent, but sometimes, he let his emotions cloud his judgment and forgot to think calmly.

Artur was also taken aback by Robert\'s words and stopped in his tracks, wanting to break through the demon\'s encirclement again. He tried to calm his mind and push away all the disturbing thoughts.

\'Why haven\'t we seen a single human in this camp?\'

Could it be because the demons were holding them captive somewhere, hidden away?

The answer was no.

If there were humans in this camp, the cunning and deceitful demons would have used them as hostages to catch the humans off guard. However, throughout the fierce battle, neither of them used any humans as hostages.

So, the correct answer was that there were no humans in this camp. Or if there were, they had long since become the demons\' food, leaving no trace behind.

Yet, Artur was sure that the figure he had seen earlier was undoubtedly Anna.

Had he been hallucinating all this time?