Chapter 207: A Method of Counter

'The current aura wave is emitted by only 20 Tier 2 Frenzy beasts.' Jyorta glanced around, inspecting each cage, noticing a transparent membrane covering each.

Each cage was attached to the wall, situated on platforms that grew out of it. A narrow space, 2 metres wide, and spanning the length of the cage was available on its front. A flight of stairs, intersecting many winding paths that traversed from each cage to the ground was built, allowing them access to each.

Jyorta began to notice them more as he defended against the aura, his senses observing a steady increase in the intensity of the smell, sound, and aura. It was a steady increase, the inclination gradual. Since they were defending, they wouldn't have the concentration to notice the issue.

But, as an Area Controller, Jyorta had sufficient ability to divert part of his focus, thereby observing the changes. It was then he noticed the presence of a transparent membrane shrouding each cage. Since it was a massive hall, the sounds were echoing off everywhere, the source unable to be pinpointed.

Jyorta depended on his sight, trailing past one cage after another, soon spotting some cages that were bereft of the transparent membrane. In the end, after observing every cage in his vicinity, he counted to 20 cages lacking the transparent membrane.

'Just 20 Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts can produce such an overbearing aura that is vastly superior to a Tier 2 Frenzy Beast.' Jyorta nodded, his focus broken as he heard a thud from his side.

"Haesha!" Jyorta turned around, shouting in fluster upon noticing Haesha collapse from exhaustion. When Jyorta was about to lift her, her hand grabbed hold of his, stopping him.

"I…am fine." Haesha weekly sat up, heaving exhaustive breaths, most of which felt strained. She then waved her hands, "This is nothing; I can still go on."

"Don't overstrain yourself." Jyorta focused on her, ready to help her upon a moment's notice. He was concerned, feeling slight pain in his heart as he saw her struggling figure.

Seeing his worry, Haesha smiled, "Considering how you are able to withstand aura of this level, you should have tempered yourself with something way worse right?"

"Uh…" Jyorta blinked once, twice, thrice, nodding after a pause.

"Everyone begins at the same starting line, but I could already see the difference between us becoming wider and wider," Haesha gazed at the sturdy figure of Laila, clenching her hand into a fist. "I am no longer as ignorant as I was when I arrived here. In order to train their younger generation, the Aristocratic Families must have made a lot of preparations."

"That is why most of the rankings at the top are filled with people from the Aristocratic families, but," Haesha looked at Jyorta, "Even without any backing, there are still people like Laila who are head and shoulders above everyone. The fruits of her hard work are definite now, and I don't wish to fall behind."

���Even if I were to faint, please leave me to my devices; whatever may happen, I will pick myself up." Haesha made her stance clear, leaving Jyorta to gaze at her with admiration.

He then smiled, "I will be rooting for you then."

"Hehe, watch me." Haesha flexed her muscles, her actions lacking strength, but the willpower she expressed was admirable.

Haesha closed her eyes, dispersing the tattered psychic energy barrier, retracting the psychic energy into her. She then seeped her psychic energy through her body, one line at a time, her body trembling at the aura. Blood seeped out of her orifices, forming a thin but steady file; her skin turned beet-red. Haesha was calm, the previous suffering firming her willpower and endurance.

Her psychic energy coursed through her body, underneath her skin, forming a layer, and seeping into each cell. She similarly infused the psychic energy into her heart, dispersing it, attaching them to the blood pumped by her heart.

The blood carried her psychic energy, coursing throughout her body, circulating without pause. The blood went into each muscle, organ, nerve, etc, allowing the psychic energy attached to the blood to seep into each of them.

The psychic energy passed through each of her body parts in such a way, from start at the heart, coursing through all her body before returning to it. When it returned, despite its quantity being reduced, carried in it was something different.

It was part of the presence exerted by each cell in her body, rubbed off on the psychic energy as it passed through each body part, mingling and completing its basic functions. The psychic energy now contained a trace of her aura, her aura in return was held by the psychic energy, slightly amplified.

Haesha's trembling came to a pause, her eyes shot open, the smile etched on her face becoming wider. She glanced at Jyorta once before her psychic energy shot out universally from each portion of her body, ejecting straight.

The distance was controlled, coming to a stop a millimetre above her skin. Each portion of psychic energy passed through her body, expanding upon their direction of ejection, coming to a stop as they formed a barrier conforming to her body's shape.

The psychic energy barrier perfectly outlined her body, pushing away the impacting aura. A second later, it was retracted into her body, emerging out another second later, forming an oscillation. This created a wave effect, keeping the external aura at bay. As every second passed, her skin colour inched towards normalcy.

When the aura pierced through the erected psychic energy barrier, Haesha retracted it into her body. It was then automatically mended, thanks to her psychic energy flowing along with her blood. The next second, her psychic energy seeped out through her body, erecting a new barrier.

Jyorta stared at her, his mouth agape. He looked at how Haesha combated the aura, using the strength and means at her disposal to create a method on the spot. He flashed her a thumbs up, sighing at the fact that there was no lack of geniuses around him.

Seated far from them, Laila gazed through the corner of her eye, watching Haesha's action. She smiled, 'Just as I assumed, she has good instincts as an Esper.'

Laila continued with her task, resisting the aura with her psychic energy barrier. She didn't attempt anything out of the book, just pressing on with her displayed abilities.

Jyorta gazed at her for five minutes straight, thinking of the delicate measures and control one needed to replicate what Haesha had just done. He didn't dare imagine being able to do it when he was a Line Controller.

Even at present, he would have struggled a lot to produce an effect on the same level as her. If they were competing in the process of creating a construct, Jyorta would surpass his peers. The speed of manipulating psychic energy, the rigidity of his created structures, etc. were the fields he was well-versed in.

But, in cases such as what Haesha had displayed, he was below average. Everyone had things they were good and bad at; the same thing applied in this case, since the abilities of Espers depended on their mental faculties.

A minute later, Jyorta stood up, walking towards a cage situated nearest to him.He climbed the flight of stairs—narrow, and lacking any handrails. A couple of times, he felt the sensation as if he would fall off. But, thanks to his abilities as an Area Controller, he could climb up the stairs with ease while defending against the aura.

As he approached a cage, the aura impacting him became stronger, including the stench and sounds. Jyorta arrived on the narrow platform, gazing into the cage before him, situated an arm's length from him.

Crawling within was a Life Leech, a Tier 2 Frenzy Beast. He couldn't determine if it was an Esper or a Warrior upon first sight. Life Leeches looked the same, indistinguishable between Warrior and Esper until Tier 3, beyond which obvious differences appeared.

The Life Leech lay on the floor, its mouth sucking on it, showing no signs of success. But, it continued to suck on the floor, as if such an action would destroy it.

Jyorta was cautious, his body steady, his focus on the transparent membrane covering the cage. He noticed three membranes, one over the other. After a moment of thought, he linked the membranes to a filter that prevented the Frenzy Beast within from sending its aura out.

One membrane blocked the sound, the other the smell, and the final one the aura. Upon closer observation, he noticed the outermost membrane beginning to dissipate, the process slow. Soon, he noticed a small needle-sized hole form in a spot before him, immediately sensing a different stench seep out through it. The stench mixed with the surroundings, faintly increasing its intensity.

'So, my conjecture was right. Each membrane blocks something and continues to dissipate. This is why the intensity of the aura, the smell, and the sound has become higher than when we entered.' Jyorta nodded in thought, involuntarily taking a step back in fright upon noticing a gaping maw, the size of his head before him.

It was the Life Leech's mouth, lacking any teeth except for winding muscles that possessed multiple layers, with each contracting and expanding on their own. It was sucking the floor for a moment, appearing before him in the other, frightening him.

A barrier covered the cage, blocking its approach, preventing him from suffering any harm. Though, in his alarm, he forgot about the narrowness of the platform he stood upon, his leg lacking any anchor upon a back step. His body lost its balance, tilting towards the back without control.

"Careful," A hand shot forward, grabbing hold of his collar. The figure jumped, the force transmitting to his body through the connection, negating his fall. The jump was more powerful than he had imagined, watching his foot rest on the platform as a figure landed beside.