5: Fallen Squad

It was a creature whose ugliness and horror were beyond description!

Its entire body was covered in a slick, dull carapace, gleaming with a metallic, cold sheen.

On either side of the carapace, eight slender, backward-jointed arthropod limbs, tipped with sharp talons, supported its flat, shield-like body.

Even more chilling was its tail, a long, flexible, scorpion-like tubular organ that swayed agilely, ending in a sharp bone spur that glinted with a sinister cold light.

At the front of its body, where a head should have been, there were no eyes or nose, only a huge mouth filled with inwardly curving, serrated teeth, like the entrance to an abyss, silently opening and closing, viscous saliva dripping from the gaps between its teeth, instantly corroding a small hole in the ground.

Although it had no eyes, the Facehugger's tooth-filled mouth precisely and slowly turned towards the group of professionals ahead, who were exuding a strong aura of The Fallen... "Capture the females! As for the others, leave no one alive!"

The scarred leader's sinister grin instantly transformed into a ferocious roar.

He toyed with the poisoned dagger in his hand, then transformed into a ghostly green streak of light and vanished before everyone's eyes!

At the same time, the brawny man carrying the rusty giant hammer also let out a furious roar, blood-red light erupting from his body, and his giant hammer, with a tearing wail through the air, swept towards the panicking Students!

The Gaunt Old Mage's staff once again spewed out thick, ink-like black mist, from which countless distorted insectoid phantoms shrieked and lunged out, their targets precisely the Students' vulnerable eyes and mouths and noses!

"Protect the Students!"

Li Yan's eyes were bloodshot, and with a furious roar, a huge earthen-yellow energy shield instantly appeared, blocking the front of the group.

"Bang!"

The brawny man's giant hammer slammed heavily onto the energy shield, and the ear-piercing clang of metal accompanied the explosion of an energy shockwave! Several Students who were slightly closer to the giant shield had no time to react and were immediately sent flying by the violent impact.

Li Yan groaned, the brawny man's hammer-wielding strength was truly terrifying, even as a five-star Earth-element Shield Warrior, he was internally injured by this blow!

"This hypocritical sense of justice is truly nauseating."

The scarred man appeared behind Li Yan at some point, and he twisted the dagger in his hand, plunging it fiercely into Li Yan's back, then a dark green energy surged wildly into Li Yan's body along the dagger.

Li Yan felt a sweetness in his throat, and a trace of red liquid had already flowed from the corner of his mouth; the energy shield he maintained also collapsed at this instant!

At the same time, the black mist insects unleashed by the Gaunt Old Mage drilled into the crowd, and all Students who came into contact with the black insects instantly felt a searing pain in their eyes, mouths, and nasal cavities.

The next moment, these people clutched their heads, fell to their knees, and violently smashed their heads against the ground!

Some Students had even lost their minds, actually tearing off their own facial skin and pulling at the flesh on their faces.

The scene was too horrific to witness.

The Students in the back rows were on the verge of collapse, seeing the tragic state of their Students who had come into contact with the black mist; these people immediately became a startled flock of sheep, pushing and trampling each other, only wanting to escape this bloody slaughterhouse.

"Stop them! Quickly!"

The other teachers and accompanying physical education teachers had bloodshot eyes, erupting with all their strength, trying to intercept the black mist insects that had drilled into the crowd.

"Blaze Impact!"

A young male teacher, who had awakened as a Fire-element Mage, roared, pushing out a scorching wave of fire, attempting to block the black mist insects.

However, the flames crashed into the black mist like a mud ox entering the sea, and were instead Backlash by the corrosive energy contained within it.

He screamed, his hands instantly charred and festering, and his entire body was enveloped by the black mist, emitting a horrifying sound of flesh melting!

"Old Zhang!"

The female teacher next to him cried out in grief, the wind blades she had condensed in her hands furiously slashed towards the Gaunt Old Mage, but he easily dodged them, and with a flick of his staff, a black qi, like a venomous snake, drilled into her chest.

The female teacher's body suddenly stiffened, her face quickly turned ashen, and she fell straight down, her life extinguished.

"Teacher Meiqin!"

Several awakened Students, seeing their teacher who usually taught them die tragically, were filled with grief and indignation, their fighting spirit ignited.

"Bastards! I'll fight you to the death!"

A male Student who had awakened as a two-star Shield Warrior roared, raising a small energy shield, and charged fearlessly towards the brawny man wielding the giant hammer.

Behind him, a female Student who had awakened as a one-star Priestess trembled with both hands, trying to cast a weak Holy Light Shield on him.

"Ant!"

The giant hammer brawny man sneered, his giant hammer's momentum undiminished, bringing down with immense force!

"Clang!"

The small energy shield shattered instantly!

The Shield Warrior Student's arms also emitted clear bone-cracking sounds, and his entire body was thrown back like a broken sack, crashing against the cold wall of the air-raid shelter, sliding down, his fate unknown.

The weak Holy Light Shield also burst like a soap bubble, and the female Student who cast it collapsed to the ground in fright, her face as pale as paper.

Another Student, who had awakened as a three-star Ice Mage, suppressed his fear, hid in the chaotic crowd, and condensed an ice spear, shooting it towards the scarred man.

The ice spear shot out with a faint whoosh, but the scarred man, without even turning his head, backhanded his dagger and easily shattered it.

"Little bug, courting death!"

A murderous glint flashed in the scarred man's eyes, and his figure vanished like a ghost, reappearing behind the three-star Ice Mage the next moment.

The dagger flashed with a cold light!

"Pfft!"

A young head, with an expression of disbelief, flew into the air, and the headless body gushed hot blood, slowly falling down.

"No!"

Li Yan's heart bled as he witnessed this scene!

These were all his Students!

He let out a furious roar, and blinding earthen-yellow light erupted around him, as if the earth itself was enraged.

"Earthquake Strike!"

He slammed his fists heavily onto the ground!

Rumble!

Centered on him, the hard ground violently undulated and cracked like waves! A violent shockwave swept towards the three main attacking The Fallen!

The scarred man and the giant hammer brawny man's expressions changed slightly, and they had to jump back to dodge; the Gaunt Old Mage stumbled from the shock, interrupting his spellcasting.

"Protect the Students into the air-raid shelter!"

"Quick!"

A trace of blood overflowed from Li Yan's mouth; unleashing such a powerful move had cost him dearly, but he still stood like a rock in front of the scarred man and the giant hammer brawny man, his eyes resolute.

"Li Yan! You're courting death!"

The scarred man steadied himself, his killing intent surging in his eyes.

He could see that Li Yan was at the end of his rope.

"Iron Anvil, hold him off!"

"Old Ghost, use your treasures to greet those little brats behind us!"

The giant hammer brawny man roared and charged at Li Yan again, his heavy giant hammer swinging impenetrably, forcing Li Yan to only endure the blows.

"My little darlings have been eager for a long time!"

The Gaunt Old Mage cackled strangely, suppressing the discomfort from the previous tremor, and raised his staff again, the black mist surging wildly, and insects even thicker and more malicious than before were coalescing, their target directly the last few Students about to enter the air-raid shelter!

Just then, a clear phoenix cry came from within the air-raid shelter! A huge ice-blue figure, accompanied by gusts of cold wind, rushed out from the air-raid shelter!

Qin Yuyan's nine-star magic pet—the Ice Phoenix!

The Ice Phoenix hovered in the air, layers of frost permeating its body, instantly freezing all the black mist insects approaching the entrance of the air-raid shelter.

Qin Yuyan's figure appeared at the air-raid shelter entrance; visible cold air permeated her body, as if she was enduring immense pressure, her face was pale, and even a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

She rapidly waved her hands, and the next moment, a clear phoenix cry rang out, and the Ice Phoenix hovering in the air violently flapped its wings, a huge ice tornado quickly formed around the Gaunt Old Mage, and swept his figure into it.

After one strike, Qin Yuyan immediately leaned backward, but fortunately, a Student quickly helped her up.

"Boom!"

Several Students who had been guarding the air-raid shelter door saw that the last Student had also entered, and immediately pushed the air-raid shelter door with all their might!

The Ice Phoenix in the air also rapidly shrunk back to its normal size after Qin Yuyan collapsed; it used its last bit of strength and drilled into the air-raid shelter just as the door closed.

Seeing all the Students enter the air-raid shelter, Li Yan, who had been entangled by the giant hammer brawny man, finally let out a sigh of relief! He looked at the other teachers who could still fight, and the other teachers also looked at him.

"Fortunately, the Students are all safe!"

The Gaunt Old Mage looked extremely disheveled at this moment; even though he was only trapped in the ice storm for a few seconds, his eyebrows and hair were already covered in ice shards, and his entire skin was frozen a purplish-red due to the ice storm! His internal magic power also experienced a momentary stagnation because of this.

At this very instant, a shadow, like a deadly poisonous arrow shot from the deepest shadows of hell, erupted without warning from a blood-soaked shadow at his feet, at a speed that surpassed the Gaunt Old Mage's reaction limit!

It wasn't a jump, but a launch!

The Facehugger's flat body compressed and accumulated power in an instant, then, like an arrow shot from a strong bow, with a faint, sharp sound of tearing air, it lunged straight at the Old Mage's wrinkled face, which had already turned purplish-red from the cold...