Chapter 198: An Old Enemy Appears!

"Get in line," one of the masters shouted, "enter in batches. To maintain the fairness of the competition, each batch won't contain more than a hundred members of your team. Batches will be randomly allocated inside the safe zone."

His words made Jim sneer and others had a change in their faces. Yet the disciples started to enter through the gate and there was no way to stop this anymore.

Jim tried to scan for Rana but he couldn't spot her anywhere. "Sigh, it seems I have to deal with what I have," he muttered before turning to his team, "follow me, make sure to stay together."

He started to push forward while Hector tried to keep up. "Will you enter without anyone from grade two?" he was surprised to see that.

"I don't plan to bring someone that would lead grade three to attack us," Jim simply said before adding, "the old plan can't be used now. I'm pretty sure this random allocation isn't random at all."

Despite the dark Jim saw the gratified face of Hector. The latter knew Jim's doubts were true and he couldn't think of anything to say to help.

"Just try to break fast through the safe zone," Hector said before adding, "follow the sounds of the big battles… that's where I and the higher grade disciples would be. We will try to group everyone together after bypassing the safe zone."

"I will try to catch up," Jim lied while leading everyone forward.

The disciples up front weren't that much enthusiastic at entering the gate. Yet Jim spotted the first batch that entered the forest; all were giant disciples and he doubted anyone not belonging to the core disciples in them.

During his advance he tried to spot Rana but even as he reached the gigantic gate, he couldn't spot her anywhere.

"Follow me," he said as he led the group towards the opened gate where one lightened circle appeared on the ground.

It spanned for one hundred meters just in the center of the gate.

"Step there and wait until one hundred disciples are there," one master kept shouting as Jim and his team stepped over it.

And they waited.

Jim watched a group of a hundred disciples coming towards the circle. "Only a hundred are allowed to stand there," the master said, "the portal will stop any extra disciple so don't be alarmed."

Under Jim's watchful gazes he spotted that grade two group to step over the circle until one hundred was present.

But the circle didn't stop the rest from entering.

"We are more than one hundred!" Rick shouted yet his voice vanished the next moment as the portal was activated and the scenery changed abruptly from around them.

"Damn!" Deno cursed the moment they all appeared in the big forest, "They sent more on purpose."

"Move," Jim didn't give any chances to express their anger before moving to the front while trying to create a gap with the other group fast.

"Why are you in a hurry?"

Suddenly a familiar voice came from behind that greatly startled him.

"Mench!" he turned to glance at the face of one of his old enemies. In the darkness he didn't see his face and that made him sure this little mistake wasn't a mistake at all.

The dean sent that disciple to attack him. "It seems you are eager to get defeated once more," Jim didn't stop in his tracks as he laughed at his old enemy.

"This time is different," the calm tone of Mench made Jim feel more doubt.

"Keep advancing," Jim shouted as he turned his attention to his surroundings.

They were inside an endless sea of trees. The weak light of the moon in the night didn't help much to illuminate the area around, but at least they could spot any big moves the moment it happened.

"Release the flares!"

Just before the team could run a suitable distance away, Mench's voice roared from behind. The darkness all around suddenly was pushed away as an area of at least one mile was illuminated by sun-like light.

"Illuminative orbs," Jim could tell what these flying things in the air were. They were like the orb he once had in his closet, but in much higher grade and more abilities.

"Keep running," he urged the team to keep creating the distance, but within the next few minutes he could tell that Mench's group was keeping pace with them.

And these annoying lights up above were still following them as well.

"What should we do?" Kro asked while turning to glance at the group behind, "they are drawing closer to us."

"They can't attack us inside the safe zone," Pat said, "why not wait then until they pass?"

"That's not an option," Jim hurriedly shook his head while strange glaring places started to appear in the far distance, "they are using these orbs to gather up their scattered forces and trap us here."

"But they won't be able to hit us here," Lan said.

"And we won't be able to move on and get any cores," Jim tried to explain, "they won't mind gaining nothing in this expedition, but I won't accept such fate."

The others seem to be hesitant between advancing or stopping, but Jim didn't give the order to stop or even give them any chance to debate.

He kept running towards the front with his mind busy with one thing only… how to make the best plan to kill them all!

"Keep running boy, tonight is the last night in your life," Mench's irritating voice kept ringing from behind while his sarcastic laughs got on the nerves of all.

"We need to teach him a lesson," Deno angrily said.

"No, we need to run faster or stop running at all!" Lan said in a frightened tone.

"Just keep running," Jim calmly said, "and Lan, prepare the lightning orbs now."

"Are we going to fight them?!!" Lan was given a scare.