Chapter 128: The Scream of the Colony

Luke watched as the ants poured into the Safe Zone. He had faced a few before in the Wild Zone—tough, aggressive, but manageable. These were something else entirely. Not just larger. Wilder. Consumed by something beyond instinct. A pure, mindless fury that radiated from every step.

It’s only been ten days since I came back… and there’s already an invasion?

“Start evacuation!” someone shouted amid the chaos.

Around him, people bolted toward the hotel. The first tents were already collapsing. Stalls crumpled under the weight of slicing limbs and chitinous maws. But not everyone ran. Some stood their ground. Spears rose. Swords were drawn. Shields locked into place.

Angelica emerged from the smoke, breath ragged, bow already raised. “We need to find the leader of this swarm!” she shouted. “If we don’t take it down, the Haven falls!”

Allison appeared beside Luke, her stance unshakable. He didn’t hesitate. Ducking into a nearby tent, he sealed the flap behind him and summoned Charlie from the depths of his soul. When he emerged again, the streets had become a warzone. Panic and courage clashed with equal force, rippling through the crowd.

“I need a team to hold this flank!” Paul called out, raising his shield high above his head.

Anna and Cecília had already taken position, arrows nocked. More archers scrambled into place beside them. Mages joined them on rooftops and behind makeshift barricades, weaving spells with shaking hands and steel focus.

“Archers and mages, hold the lines!” Angelica commanded. “You’re our best shot now!”

The ants broke through the palisade with terrifying ease, reducing the wooden defense to splinters. They surged into the main street, crashing over rooftops, tearing through buildings. A swarm. No formation. No pattern. Just overwhelming, crawling chaos.

Angelica’s fighters advanced to meet them.

“We have to help,” Allison said, already moving.

Luke followed. They vaulted over wreckage and broken carts until they reached higher ground. From the rooftops, he could see the full extent of the battle—volleys of arrows filling the sky, elemental spells twisting the air.

A wave of water rushed down the main street, washing over shattered wood and scorched stone. Moments later, lightning struck—channeled by mages positioned on the rooftops. The current leapt from puddle to puddle. Ants seized and collapsed mid-surge, their black exoskeletons still hissing with heat. But more kept coming. Dozens. Then hundreds.

Luke clenched his fists. They had to find the captain. Quickly. He tightened his grip on one kukri. Stamina surged through him, flooding the blade. He triggered the skill—Force Infusion. The weapon pulsed in his hand, dense and hungry, thrumming with potential.

He hurled it. The kukri spun through the air like a blade possessed. A devourer ant lunged into its path. The blade struck. Its head burst open, ichor spraying into the air.

[You have slain a Devourer Ant Soldier – Lvl 21]

Luke’s breath caught. He’d tested the skill before. Trained with it. But never like this. Never with this much force behind it.

I just one-shotted something on par with an Orc Captain…?

No. That was the truth slapping him in the face. This hadn’t been a captain. Just another foot soldier. The real captain—wherever it was—would be far stronger. Movement flickered across the rooftops. Charlie. She leapt from tile to tile like a phantom, trailing power in her wake. An arc of violence in skeletal form.

Luke recalled the kukri with a magnetic pulse, caught it in one hand, and dove into the swarm. Ants lunged. He danced between their jaws. Beside him, Charlie landed in the heart of the horde. She raised her head—and let the battlefield feel her fury. An invisible shockwave blasted outward. Her aura ignited. Battle Roar. The tide shifted. And the true fight began.

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Charlie lunged forward in a blur, both fists glowing with mana. Her [Spectral Charge] skill flared to life, and her hands, reinforced by [Steel Fists], became battering rams. She tore through the swarm in a straight line, sending bodies flying with each crushing blow.

Luke climbed the side of a collapsed structure, boots skidding against stone until he reached higher ground. From there, the chaos unfolded beneath him in brutal clarity—and revealed something far worse than insects.

Humans were fighting humans. Soldiers in Bastion armor clashed with another group wearing mismatched gear. Blades flashed. Magic tore through the air in arcs of fire and frost. Screams rose from both sides.

“They’re the Renegades…” Luke muttered, narrowing his eyes. They had waited for a moment like this. The invasion was a perfect distraction. And now they’d unleashed their chaos once more.