Alexia, the ant queen, was dead.
Her once loyal soldiers now descended into madness with their queen’s demise.
BZZZZ!
No longer focused on reaching the feline camp, the Royal Champions spread out chaotically.
With their forces in disarray, the blinding light emitted by the spiritual crystals still clinging to the ceiling reached the felines, like a divine glow embracing its subjects after a hard-fought battle.
Sadly, the worst had yet to co.
The ground trembled beneath everyone’s feet as the Monarch charged toward the center of the disturbance, eager to extinguish all life in its path.
Eleanora was still in the midst of processing that her dear spiritual beast had been defeated.
At that mont, Michael, along with every other person carrying a communication device on their wrist, received a ssage from Robert, who was barely standing due to Eleanora’s lody.
"The tunnel has been widened!"
Indeed, while they had held off the ants and aliens, the deep tunnel Claire had carved toward the depths had been reinforced and widened by the reinforcents sent from the capital, allowing for the faster extraction of the felines.
Lord Eleanora was a problem, and the sa was true for the Monarch. However, the biggest threat had been the ant queen all along... With her demise, the rest of the colony was destined to fall.
Not to ntion, now that Michael had been infected by Hreh’tar spawn, feeling the foreign presence move beneath his skin, he understood how the plague weakening the felines worked.
He was confident that, given enough ti, he could create a cure.
Essentially, the work of the crew had been completed.
Filling his lungs with air, Michael shouted with such intensity that it echoed across the whole hollow valley.
"Withdrawal!"
Nobody questioned a command from him, much less when they were rendered speechless by the colossal Monarch charging toward them.
After exchanging uneasy glances one by one, the felines obeyed.
"No, you don’t!" Eleanora roared in fury. Since her demise seed inevitable, she might as well cause as much harm as she could.
Gritting his bloodied teeth, Michael struggled to straighten his back, Devil pointing toward the Lord.
Knowing that Eleanora would not let them leave, coupled with the fact that the Monarch was most likely focusing on her, Michael knew that soone had to stay behind and halt her.
Ruby’s eyes narrowed, nails extending, ready to fight by Michael’s side.
Only for sothing to happen out of everyone’s expectations.
With the death of her spiritual beast, Eleanora’s control over the ants had faltered. Unless she relied on her soul weapon to command a fraction of them. They were acting on their own self-interest.
Or that was supposed to be the case... if one did not account for the presence of the Monarch.
Obeying the undeniable authority of the colossal monster, the ants beca an extension of its will.
Silhouettes descended from the skies, pouncing on everyone out of the blue.
Michael and Eleanora, both being Lords, were not taken by surprise for long, their superior senses allowing them to counter in ti.
Clear blood spilled onto the ground from the struck-down Royal Champions, falling under Devil’s sharp edge.
"Ruby, stay close to —"
Michael turned toward his feline companion. His eyes narrowed to the size of needles, his heart seeming to stop.
No longer by his side, he saw her being carried away by two Royal Champions, struggling to break free. With the ants bearing auras equivalent to Grandmasters, Ruby, who was a Middle Grandmaster, was unable to escape.
She, along with hundreds of felines who had been caught by the remaining Royal Champions, soared into the sky like a flock, dragged straight toward the approaching Monarch.
"RUBY!" Michael scread, veins bulging under his skin.
Growing pale, he attempted to soar into the skies in pursuit as well. Yet the presence of the Hreh’tar spawn weakening his body, along with Eleanora’s lody destabilizing his soul, forced him to collapse to the ground.
In desperation, he tried to use Devil as a hoverboard like the old tis. Yet even his Psychokinesis technique faltered, unable to keep the soul weapon suspended in the sky for more than a second.
Eleanora noticed the intense reaction he displayed and instantly connected the dots.
"So that’s how it is! Rest assured your precious companion will end up in my hands, not the Monarch’s! Once I am done with her, you will regret killing my dear spiritual beast!" Eleanora taunted, dashing forward at Ruby with full speed.
"ELEANORA!" Michael’s vision began to turn red, fury spreading in his soul.
Just as he was about to lose himself, he was suddenly lifted off the ground, finding himself inside a cockpit.
"What?" He murmured, stunned.
[Claire has transferred the control of her cha to you, Master. Given that you are currently unable to fly, I shall fulfill that function in your stead.]
Cyberfang’s voice echoed.
Amid the chaos, the crew stood tall, desperately holding the aliens at bay and preventing them from reaching the felines.
Michael’s mind raced. With everything going on, he had almost forgotten about them. Since they were unable to fly, remaining here only endangered them when coming into close contact with the Monarch’s authority.
"Withdraw with the felines and ensure their safe departure!" He ordered in a voice that left no room for defiance before dashing toward Ruby.
They hesitated. With Michael piloting Claire’s cha, they would be too slow to catch up, yet leaving him alone left a bitter taste in their mouths.
"You heard him! Go!" Robert shouted, charging after Michael. "I’ve got his back!"
After a second of hesitation, the crew complied, following the felines on their way back through the tunnel leading to the surface.
"Michael!" Robert shouted to catch his attention.
Having been struck by Eleanora’s lody, Robert’s speed had taken a great hit, yet he was still able to fly, unlike Michael, who was far more burdened due to the instability in his spirit.
"Robert?!" Michael frowned upon noticing he had been followed. "What are you doing?! Go back!"
Robert shook his head. "And leave you alone? Never!"
"That’s not my point! You are engaged!" Michael retorted. "Look where you’re charging towards! Do you want Livia to be widowed?!"
"Of course I don’t." Robert whispered.
"But even so... I am staying and seeing this through to the end!"
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