Evolution begins with an ant colony

With a fierce grin, Leona turned to Ember, her eyes flashing with determination. "Alright, Ember, keep up with me!"

Her words held a mix of excitement and confidence as she tightened her grip on her katana. She shot forward with remarkable speed, propelling herself into the heart of the battle. As she charged ahead, Ember’s voice reached her ears, filled with a playful tone. "Hey, wait up! Leave some for me!"

She couldn’t help but grin even in the midst of the impending clash.

Vector’s eyes widened as Leona charged directly at him, her speed almost unreal. Before he could react fully, she was upon him, her blade slashing towards his neck with killing intent. He managed to bring his own blades up just in time, the clash of metal ringing through the air. Despite his quick reflexes, the force behind Leona’s strike was overwhelming, pushing him back with sheer power.

His feet stumbled and before he knew it, his back collided with a sturdy tree. The impact rattled his entire body, and a sharp, painful cough escaped his lips, accompanied by a spray of blood. Gasping for air, he struggled to regain his composure, his gaze fixed on Leona, who stood before him like a force of nature.

Vector’s inner thoughts spiraled into a whirlwind of panic as Leona’s unexpected assault shattered his carefully constructed plan. "The hell? This wasn’t how Quinton said it – not even close. How could this woman, this.... Monster, be so.... Strong?" His previous confidence was unraveling thread by thread, replaced by a raw vulnerability he hadn’t bargained for.

"Damn it! If all the monsters are this strong, the whole plan will go up in smoke. Forget about getting their cores; we have to find a way to get out of this forest with our lives!"

The impact of the collision reverberated through his body, and as he struggled to his feet, he cursed his own misjudgment. He had utterly misread the situation, miscalculated the strength of their opposition. Each heartbeat hammered the realization deeper into his consciousness: he was outmatched. His once well-laid strategy now seemed futile, and desperation gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.

"Quinton, you damn fool," he seethed inwardly, berating the man who had misguided him. The assurance he had clung to had been shattered by the sheer force of Leona’s attack. His own overconfidence had betrayed him, and his belief in his own superiority had crumbled in the face of their ferocity. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Leona charged toward Vector once more. Sensing the imminent danger, Vector’s panicked voice rang out, "Use the firebombs god damm it, now, all of you!" His men, still in a daze due to Leona’s earlier attack, snapped back to reality and responded, "R-right." Their hands trembled as they fumbled to retrieve the firebombs from the bags attached to their belts.

With fear in their eyes, they managed to grasp the firebombs and pulled the igniters, hurling them at Leona. Seeing the bombs hurtling toward her, Leona swiftly slashed at them, causing a massive explosion upon impact.

Experience exclusive tales on empire

The large explosion caught the attention of everyone 0 around the anthill. Gedion then said. "Seems like the party has already started over there, let’s hurry up and join in on the fun." He then darted off Mara followed closely behind him.

Gedion and Mara, with their weapons at the ready, advanced towards the group led by Quinton. Quinton wore an air of aristocratic disdain, but his face twitched slightly with unease as he sized up his opponents.

Gedion’s eyes gleamed with mischievous excitement, and he twirled his twin short swords with a skilled flourish. Mara, her demeanor focused and determined, gripped her tribal-motif axes, her stance portraying her readiness for battle.

Quinton’s group consisted of four individuals. Beside him stood a lanky man with ash-blond hair and a sly grin. He held a curved blade that seemed to resonate with darkness. A woman with a sleek, confident aura wielded dual daggers, her eyes locked onto Mara with calculating intensity. The remaining two were a burly man with a giant mace and a roguish-looking figure with a crossbow.

Gedion and Mara moved with a synchronicity that left Quinton and his group bewildered. In a matter of moments, it became abundantly clear that the strength and speed of their opponents surpassed anything they had anticipated.

Mara’s axes whirled through the air in a blinding flurry. The man with the curved blade barely managed to deflect her strikes, but he was quickly becoming overwhelmed by her relentless assault. His defensive maneuvers turned into desperate parries as Mara’s axes closed in, and with a final powerful swing, she decapitated him, ending his life.

On the opposite end of the battlefield, Gedion’s short swords orchestrated a deadly dance. Facing him was an opponent brandishing dual daggers, who quickly discovered the challenge of matching his lightning-quick attacks. Gedion’s movements possessed an almost clairvoyant quality, as if he could predict her every intention.

His strikes flowed with remarkable precision, countering her thrusts and parries in a seamless choreography of offense and defense. His every motion mirrored a whirlwind, and in a decisive moment, he disarmed her with a lightning-fast maneuver, causing one of her daggers to crash onto the ground.

Yet, the battle did not end there. In a swift, stunning display of skill, Gedion capitalized on her moment of vulnerability. His short sword found its mark with uncanny accuracy, silencing her in a final, fatal strike that left her crumpled on the forest floor.

Meanwhile, the burly man with the mace had found himself outmatched by Gedion’s agility. He swung his weapon with brute force, but Gedion’s evasive maneuvers and calculated strikes wore down his stamina. In a stunning display of dexterity, Gedion disarmed the man, his short sword slicing through the air with precision and striking the man’s wrist.

The man cried out in pain as his grip faltered, and the mace fell to the ground.

Gedion didn’t let up. With the man now defenseless, Gedion delivered a final, precise strike to a pressure point on the man’s neck. The man’s eyes widened in shock and agony as he collapsed, his body going limp. A few drops of blood stained the forest floor, marking the end of the man’s life in a chilling display of violence.

As the roguish figure with the crossbow struggled to find a clear shot, Gedion’s attention shifted to him. With uncanny speed, Gedion closed the distance and disarmed the crossbowman in a matter of seconds, rendering him powerless to continue the fight.

Amidst the intense battle, Gedion and Mara exchanged playful banter that contrasted with the seriousness of their actions.

"Hey, Gedion, you mind leaving some of them for me?" Mara quipped as she elegantly sidestepped a sword swing.

Gedion laughter rang out as he swung his short swords. "Oh, come on, Mara, there’s plenty to go around!"

Their camaraderie added a unique dynamic to the fight, showcasing their familiarity with one another’s combat styles and tactics.

The battle had transformed into a one-sided display of skill and dominance. Gedion and Mara, their movements fluid and precise, had taken complete control.

Quinton’s confidence crumbled as he saw his plans fall apart. Fear showed in his eyes, he then turned around trying to run away.

But before Quinton could flee, Mara and Gedion stopped him. The two ant guardians exchanged a look that said they knew they had won. They wore a smug grin on their faces, as they were sure of themselves and their victory.

The bloodied battlefield was silent, ittered with the bodies of the dead adventurers. Gedion and Mara’s strength was clear, and Quinton couldn’t help but feel overpowered.