Amidst the falling debris and rubble, a giant figure landed in the centre of the cavern. It shook the entire structure, and to Ethan and the others, it was just a massive shadow within the thick dust.
Ethan’s breath caught slightly.
"No way..."
The dust parted, and it appeared...
The Ant Queen!
It stepped forth slowly and ominously, each step shaking the ground as it ca into view clearly.
The Ant Queen was an enormous, towering monstrosity. Her body dwarfs everything around her. It was easily the size of a small building, while her chitinous shell glead darkly under the faint light, layered like natural armour.
Its six massive limbs anchored her to the ground, each one thick enough to crush a person instantly.
Her head lowered slightly, mandibles large enough to crush vehicles with ease, let alone a re human. And her presence alone was oppressive and suffocating.
Ethan’s eyes widened slightly as her stats ca into view, just like with every other beast he ca across.
{Ant Queen Status}
{Race: Earthshard Ant
Growth Stage: Mature
Beast Rank: B
Strength: 51
Speed: 34
Stamina: 33
MP: 89/89}
"You’ve got to be kidding ."
It was giant, had incredible stats, and was the Boss Beast that was standing between them and getting out of this damned gate. But more worrying than her size and stats was the fact that it wasn’t alone.
Far from it.
It had hundreds of beasts at its disposal, and if ants were anything, they were creatures that worked together and obeyed their queen.
Her antennae twitched slightly, and that was all it needed.
From every tunnel, the prostrating ant beasts suddenly flooded into the cavern in organised waves. Like before, a C Rank Ant Commander led each group.
Behind each of them was a literal army of D and E Rank ant beasts.
Ethan stared, his heart racing.
’One B Rank, tens of C Ranks, and more D and E Ranks than I can even count...’
His jaw tightened.
’How the hell are we supposed to kill all of that?!’
But there was no running or hiding now; every path he could see had more beasts than he could face. This was beyond anything they had faced so far.
Even for a B Rank Gate, this was way too much all at once.
Despite that, Darius stepped forward, and that was when everything changed. He didn’t hesitate, falter, or panic; his presence alone steadied the air.
"Just stay alive," he said calmly.
He then burst forward, his speed incredible.
Even more impressive than his speed were his abilities and spearmanship.
His spear shot forward, but this wasn’t just a simple thrust. His hands ignited, a violent burst of energy erupting from his palms.
’Internal Combustion.’
Boom!
The explosion launched his spear forward with terrifying speed, piercing straight through an approaching ant. But as if that wasn’t enough, it then detonated again.
’Impact Detonation.’
The beast’s body exploded outward, green ichor spraying across the ground.
Darius didn’t stop.
If anything, he was building up montum as another explosion burst out from his arm.
’Propulsion Drive.’
He accelerated mid-motion, his body snapping forward unnaturally fast, his spear carving through one ant after another. Using controlled explosions, he enhanced his movents and increased the damage he was able to deal.
It was the best possible use of his Title: Detonation Core.
Ants were sent flying, bodies shattering, and limbs tearing apart; he was a killing machine. Once he decimated one beast, he would twist, and an explosion would burst from the side of his body to target another.
’Blast Redirection.’
His entire body shifted mid-air, his movents unpredictable and literally explosive.
Darius was relentless and overwhelming.
His fighting style was one that used explosive acceleration and constant pressure, building montum without pausing.
He was the embodint of the saying: "The best defence is a good offence."
And even while fighting, he constantly stole glimpses at Ethan and the A Rank, not wanting their deaths to also be on his hands.
"Don’t get surrounded!" he barked without turning.
"I’ll handle the big one; you guys just do your best."
His target was clear: the Ant Queen.
It made sense.
Kill the head, and the body collapses, or at least that was the hope.
Ethan watched him in amazent before snapping out of it and jumping back as a nearby ant beast attacked him.
’I guess there’s no hiding it anymore.’
If he wanted to live to see another day, he needed to go all out and unleash everything he had built over the past month, from his skills to his summons.
His fists clenched, and his eyes sharpened.
’Let’s see how far I can actually go.’
But even as he prepared and gathered himself, one cold, unnerving thought lingered.
’This still might not be enough...’
-
Ethan exhaled slowly, steadying himself as the weight of the situation pressed down on him.
There was no safety net, no backup plan, and certainly no second chances waiting for him beyond this point. If he failed to give everything he had in this mont, then there was no guarantee he would survive.
"Ti to go all in."
Without hesitation, he raised his hand and summoned his beasts once more.
"Co out, Wolfy."
There was a glow on the tattoo on his chest from beneath his hoodie, then the giant Juvenile Ulfen sprang to life before him. Its presence alone dominated the surrounding space as its eyes locked onto the nearest wave of ant beasts.
A deep, rumbling growl escaped its throat, filled with predatory intent.
At the sa ti, Ethan called out again.
"Talon."
The Juvenile Skyrend Hawk tattooed on his back materialised in the air before descending sharply. Its wings cut cleanly through the dust-filled air as it joined the battlefield.
Then, without pause, Ethan activated his final piece.
’Beast Assimilation: Spark.’
A surge of heat spread through his body, not violently or uncontrollably, but like a steady fla igniting beneath his skin.
He felt the change imdiately as his mana reserves expanded. A quarter of Spark’s MP flowed into him, reinforcing his reserves and stabilising his output.
This was the most efficient configuration he had grown to rely on.
Wolfy provided raw strength and frontline pressure, Talon offered mobility and aerial support, and Spark, now assimilated, enhanced Ethan’s own offensive capability while conserving overall mana.
’This is the best I’ve got.’
But Ethan quickly realised that he still had a long way to go...
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