Drones overhead.
Cameras opening and closing.
Zooming in and out.
Beneath them, soldiers screaming as chaos sang all around.
Armor black and white.
At the forefront of it all—
A tornado.
Kim Tae-soo.
Leader of the Storm Guild.
He breathed in slowly.
Out slowly.
The world around him slowing with each breath.
His right hand shaking slightly.
Gripping his large blade.
---
Giant winged ants charged forward.
Seeing the lone soldier standing ahead of them.
Drawing closer.
A barrage of bullets fired off.
Soldiers marching forward behind the volley.
The bullets moved in and out of the winged ants.
Black blood making small shows of rain in the air.
The ants fell violently.
Leaving trails carved into the earth.
Stopping finally in front of Kim Tae-soo.
He looked back at the soldiers behind him.
Then forward again.
---
The earth began to shake.
The remaining ants opened a path.
A giant hulking hominoid ant emerged.
Eleven and a half feet tall.
Its body more like black armor than flesh.
Each movement shaking the earth beneath it.
A powerful scream blowing dust far from the ground.
The system spoke.
*"Royal Guard has entered the battlefield."*
From its mouth—a powerful energy beam.
Black and red.
The pressure pushing the wind away.
Mana moving through the armor.
Through the weapons.
Each soldier's right hand touching another's shoulder.
Forming a small V shape.
Kim Tae-soo at the center.
Both hands gripping his giant sword.
Brilliant white light consuming the blade.
He rushed forward.
First step cracking the earth beneath him.
Jumping forward into the black and red blast of energy.
His blade moving as if digging through darkness.
Cutting a path through it.
Screaming in pain.
Reaching the royal guard.
Swinging.
Stabbing it through the chest.
---
Both of the creature's arms like pillars.
Grabbing the sword.
Holding it.
Pushing it away.
Lifting the sword upward.
Kim Tae-soo still holding on.
The creature swung him.
The sword rose through the creature's shoulder as it moved.
Throwing Kim Tae-soo violently to the ground.
Still holding the sword.
Sending him around like a ragdoll.
Kim Tae-soo twisted the blade.
Cut off the creature's hands.
Landed on the ground.
The ant stepped on him.
The earth cracked and broke.
Powerful dust clouds rising.
Kim Tae-soo coughing blood.
Eyes still burning.
Pushing back on all four limbs.
The creature pushed back a small distance.
Space between them.
The other ants releasing violent black whips outward.
The other soldiers meeting them.
---
Kim Tae-soo slowly got up.
Grabbed his sword with both hands.
Rushed the creature.
Coughing blood.
Vision blurry.
Finding the same wound he'd carved before.
Black tentacle-like whips appeared on the creature.
The system spoke.
*"Second skill activated. Abominable Healing. Tentacles attracting nearby ants. Absorbing them into the body."*
The hands grew back.
The injury closed.
The sword still inside as the wound sealed around it.
The creature unleashed a powerful right fist.
Kim Tae-soo pulled his sword free.
Used it as a shield.
The impact launched them both into the air.
The creature jumped and followed.
Swinging another fist mid-air.
The force of it cracking the earth below from above.
A sound like thunder rolling outward.
Kim Tae-soo used his sword as a shield again.
The blow threw him back.
He became a blur.
An instant.
A powerful sound from the earth as dust and rubble flew outward.
The creature landing.
Another powerful impact.
Screaming.
---
Drones pulled back toward the tent.
Chaos wrapping from all directions.
Voices inside frantic.
"What do we do?"
"We're not making it."
"The ants keep coming. No stopping. No sense."
"They haven't even entered the dungeon yet and sub bosses are coming outside. None of this makes sense."
"We should retreat."
"We're losing manpower."
"Retreat?"
A voice cutting through.
Sharp.
Furious.
"Are you crazy? What would you tell the public? What would I tell the allies supporting this? Funding this?"
Silence for a moment.
Then the same voice.
Lower now.
Carrying its own weight.
"I would tell them I'm still fighting."