“Damn. That. Nino!” Zero Three yelled amidst the black ants. “How dare she leave Doctor’s side! If I knew she couldn’t properly guard him I would’ve stayed behind instead!”

She was holding one of her triangular shields in one hand swinging it at the giant ants. Its edges were a bit blunt so instead of cutting it crushed the monster’s carapace before tearing through the insides. Apparently the damage was just too much so each attack always ended with the monster turning into a cloud of smoke.

Three was quite furious. After hearing that Nino had left her post by the Doctor’s side, which left him alone with Ichigo, who didn’t have much in terms of combat abilities, the young Valkyrie started hacking at the black monstrosities hoping to finish her side of the job fast enough to go back.

Nino was supposed to be joining her and the others as Sam’s personal Valkyrie, but from the looks of it she still didn’t understand the most important aspect of the position which was protecting the Doctor before anything else. The fact that she abandoned her post at such a sensitive time meant that she wasn’t ready to become his personal Valkyrie.

“Where does she get all of that energy from.” Sitta commented, letting out a long sigh.

A screech brought her attention to one of the ants as it prepared to jump at her. The orange haired Valkyrie raised her rapier to shoulder level and nonchalantly stabbed the giant insects. The moment the tip of the thin sword touched its jet-black carapace a hole exploded through its body sending it tumbling a few meters away. 𝑶𝒱xt.𝗈𝗆

It didn’t take long for another ant to take the last one’s place. Sitta looked down at her weapon, feeling dissatisfied with its destructive power. After a second of thought an idea appeared in her mind and she threw the weapon aside.

The ants didn’t give her any time so she had to move around to dodge their glowing arms and mandibles. The blue halo glowing over her head halted and a number of the runes making it vanished with new ones replacing them. The change was happening on its own without the Valkyrie noticing it. After a while the halo began spinning again painting a different pattern from what it was before.

“Alright then…”

Sitta summoned another rapier. This was unlike the one she was using before. Its blade was so thin it seemed impossible to see from some angles. It was like a single strand of hair extending from the hilt of a normal sword giving it a surreal shape that defied the normal notions of what a weapon should look like.

When she extended her force field into it, the sharp thorn revealed itself glowing with an ominous blue light. Deciding on the monster she would try her new weapon on, Sitta dashed forward before jumping into the air.

Noticing her approaching, the ant raised its head and snapped its mandibles. Sitta used a small barrier as footing to launch herself at the monster. Her figure turned to a blur and she appeared behind it as if she had teleported. The giant was motionless for a second as if wondering where its prey went. It then sensed its presence behind it and attempted to turn around only for its body to fall apart.

Standing up, Sitta looked at the cloud of black smoke behind her. A wry smile played on her lips as she let out another sigh.

“I hope Trenta doesn’t accuse me of copying her skill.

~~

Despite being told that punishment awaited her for leaving her post Nino didn’t hesitate to head for the giant ant at the back

Its size and unique appearance told the young Valkyrie that this one was different from the rest, and as if that wasn’t enough, the crown like halo over its head signified its status as a higher class over the rest of the swarm.

Nino didn’t hesitate to destroy any of the monsters that got in her way. As she got closer and closer to it, the Ant Queen turned its head in her direction, the antennas decorating moving frantically, and stared at her for a couple of seconds.

“Don’t you dare run now.”

Jumping high in the air, Nino spun her spear over her head and prepared to strike. The Ant Queen did nothing, its head moving as it followed the Valkyrie’s movements. The lack of reaction gave the feeling that something was wrong and soon enough she understood where it came from.

When Nino thrusted her spear intending to stab the gigantic ant, an invisible dome formed around it causing her entire body to bounce back with incredible force.

“Oh come on!”

Landing with a flip, Nino glared at the large monstrosity. Of all things it had to be a barrier. Not only that but one capable of withstanding an attack from a weapon enhanced through a fully charged force field.

“Argh…”

Dealing with the Queen should’ve been a sure way to end the battle. At the very least it would’ve affected the movement of the entire swarm, or so she wished. Now she had no choice but to keep fighting the Soldier Ants until the last one was gone.

The queen can’t move without pulling down the barrier first. Once every last monster is destroyed, it would have no choice but to continue its advance alone, and when that happens the Valkyries would be there to kill it as well.

Of course Nino considered the chances of it joining the battle before the very end. It wasn’t easy to imagine the leader of such an army watching as its entire swarm is wiped out.

It wasn’t long before the Ant Queen decided to confirm that suspicion as it raised its head to the sky and released a deafening cry unlike anything that came from the monsters before.

“What in the-“

Everyone was forced to cover their ears as the terrible sound turned to cause their eardrums to explode. The screeching disappeared soon enough leaving an eerie silence behind. A second later they noticed that all of the ants had halted their advance.

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

The entire swarm turned around and faced a single target. With every last monster in the swarm staring at her with murderous intent, the Japanese doll cowered for a moment. A moment later the entire battlefield was engulfed in the painful screeching of hundreds of giant ants.