Juni transformed her bat into a broad sword and dived down while Venti took off her round glasses then summoned a pair of spears, one in each hand.

The two of them dived toward the swarm of giant ants without hesitation.

Doing the same as Nino, they cranked their force field up to its maximum output then spread it to their weapons.

Juni landed on one of the ants crushing it on the spot. It exploded into a cloud of smoke and the sound it made alerted the others around it to what happened. Grasping her weapon in both hands, the tomboy took a step forward. She raised the broad sword over her shoulder then brought it down, splitting the unlucky ant that was in front in half and crushing the ground beneath it.

Venti landed with a bit more grace. She held the incoming swarm with her eyes, keeping track of each of the monsters. She then took a step forward and twisted the spear in her right hand drawing a wide vertical arc through one of the giant insects. The next second its body was severed in two. Taking another step Venti drew another arc and at the same time another ant fell into a puff of black smoke. One of the monsters tried attacking her from the side, its white mandibles spread wide as it let out an annoying screech, bet it didn’t get anywhere near the Valkyrie as it was bisected before long.

The white claws can penetrate the barriers. Sam’s voice came in through the communicators. It’s highly likely that your force field won’t be able to stop their attacks. Avoid getting hit as much as possible.

Roger!

And Nino, we will talk about you abandoning your post later.

Ugh…

WHAT!!? Came Zero Three’s voice. How dare you leave Doctor’s side! You were supposed to stay there and guard him!

Unacceptable. Zero Five said only one word, however everyone could sense her disapproval from it alone.

ραΠdαsΝοvεl.cοm “Okay, okay! I get it already!” Nino said as she blocked one of the ants thrusting at her with its glowing arm. “I will go back right away, just wait a few seconds!”

When she first saw the monsters she had a feeling that physical attacks were the only things that could affect them. She didn’t know where she got it, and she didn’t have the time to tell the others. With the swarm approaching there was no time to explain and because of that she decided to join the battle despite being allocated to guarding the Doctor.

As she slew one beast after the other, looking for an opening to retreat, she spotted something at the back of the swarm and she immediately understood.

“Sorry, Doctor, you will have to wait a little more.” She said, a smile forming on her face. “I think I have found their queen.”

~~

Trenta allowed gravity to pull her down. Once her feet touched the ground, her posture lowered gradually as she prepared to draw her sword. She inhaled a deep breath and gathered her focus, then, with the world slowing to a crawl, her body became a blur as she shot forward like a launched arrow.

She crossed the battlefield and appeared on the other side slowly sliding the katana back into its sheath. White lines began to appear on the giant ants’ carapace, and a moment later, thirty of them collapsed into pieces before disappearing into a line of smoke leading to the Valkyries.

“Showoff.” Triska said as she brought down a large battle ace on one of the ants.

“Is it my fault that I have such a cool skill?” Trenta replied with a faint smile.

She was one of the few who had discovered their innate ability soon after her heart was modified. ‘I Am The Storm’ is what she named it. An ability that relied mostly on speed to deliver hundreds of slashes at the same time. It also required the Valkyrie to allocate most of her force field to the blade of her sword so she was the most suited for the battle against the giant ants.

“Don’t get cocky now.” Triska warned as she swung at another ant. “You don’t want to end up making mistakes, do you?”

“Of course.”

A shadow fell on the two putting an end to their conversation. Looking up they saw another black ant, this one several times larger and much more menacing. Their image was reflected in its circular glass like eyes, but what drew their attention was the crown like halo over its head, which was different from what the rest of the swarm had.

I think I have found the queen.

When they heard Nino’s announcement through the communicators, Trenta and Triska smiled at each other.

“We have found one as well.”

~~

How long are you going to stay up there?

Zero Five’s voice had an unusual hint of annoyance in it causing CS to shrink a little. She was looking down on the battlefield with a difficult expression, her brows furrowed and her lips pursed.

“I… can’t touch those things.” She said. “I hate insects.”

… What?

“Just look at them! They’re so disgusting! I can’t believe you actually went so close to those things!”

There weren’t a lot of things that CS feared, however insects were a special case. Whether it was flies, roaches, bees or mosquitos, she couldn’t stand the sight of them, and ants weren’t an exception.

It didn’t matter that they were larger than the average Valkyrie, CS simply couldn’t bring herself to get close to those black monstrosities.

CS, if any of the soldiers behind me get killed… Five said, her voice chillingly cold. I won’t let you hear the end of it.

Five was moving through the swarm cutting one ant after the other with her katana. Sadly no matter how fast she was the number of monsters was too much for her alone. Unlike her partner she feared the disappointment her beloved Doctor might show if he hears that any of the soldiers stationed at her gate had lost their lives. She was adamant about not letting any of them receive as much as a scratch and so she wore her oni mask and began shaving at the swarm rushing forward.

“Ugh… I get it, okay?”

Giving up, CS looked down at the squirming black carpet and gulped audibly. She then took a deep breath and forced herself to overcome the disgust she felt, creating runes over her head until a new halo formed.

As she cut down another ant Five was about to berate CS one more, but then something fell from the sky crushing into the center of the swarm and causing the ground to quake.

“CS?”

The cloud of dust soon settled revealing the form of a giant cat. It looked unlike any feline known to humans, with rough golden fur that seemed to be carved out of stone and fangs large enough to crush anything instead of tearing it apart.

The giant beast opened its maws and a voice came out.

“This way I won’t have to touch any of them, right?”

Five was speechless, but after a moment of thought she realized she had nothing to complain about.

“Just… don’t push yourself too much.” She said with a sigh. “Your heart might collapse if you keep this up for too long.”

“Got it!”

Saying nothing else, the giant beast began rampaging through the ant swarm. Five stood there watching everything unfold with a tired expression, but then she spotted something far ahead and prepared to rejoin the fight. 𝑶𝒱xt.𝗈𝗆

“So that’s the one…”