Chapter 32: No boss
The strike team, led by Blaze, finally arrived at the mouth of the cave, the roar of the hovercopter's engines dying down as it landed softly on the earth. The team poured out of the aircraft, their eyes scanning the area as they took in the carnage before them. The ground was littered with the carcasses of ants, their twisted bodies a testament to the brutal efficiency of Arike's lightning powers.
Blaze's gaze swept across the scene, his mind already racing with the implications. He turned to his team, his voice low and even. "Alright, let's get to work. We need to assess the situation and figure out what we're up against." A warrior association personnel stepped forward, carrying a strange machine that looked like a cross between a radar gun and a satellite dish.
"I'll try to get a reading on the colossal's level," the personnel said, fiddling with the machine's controls. "But I'm not getting a clear reading... maybe it's all the earth mass blocking the signal." Blaze's face darkened, his eyes narrowing. "Give me something. We can't go in blind." The personnel nodded, adjusting the machine's settings. "It's fluctuating... going from a high B-rank to an A-rank."
Blaze's thoughts were already racing ahead. This has to be an A-rank or more, he thought to himself. He turned to his mentee, his voice low and serious. "Call the guild. Tell them to get another strike team on standby, just in case. Make sure they're ready to move at a moment's notice." The mentee's eyes widened, but he nodded and quickly pulled out his comms device.
The rest of the team exchanged nervous glances. They had heard stories about the former S-rank dungeons, how they could swallow even the strongest teams whole. If this colossal was giving off readings similar to those dungeons, it was clear that they were in for the fight of their lives.
After making the call, the team took a moment to prepare themselves. They checked their gear, made sure their comms devices were working properly, and said their goodbyes to their loved ones. It was a somber moment, but they knew it was necessary. They were about to face the unknown, and they might not come out the other side.
With their preparations complete, the team steeled themselves and stepped into the cave. The darkness swallowed them whole, but they pressed on, their lights casting flickering shadows on the walls. They knew they had to be careful, that one misstep could mean disaster. But they were a team, and they were ready to face whatever lay ahead.
As Ini and Arike entered the last cave, they were met with a sight that made their skin crawl. Before them lay a massive, formless chunk of flesh, its surface glistening with a sticky, viscous fluid. The air was thick with the stench of decay and corruption. The smell was so overwhelming that it made Arike's eyes water.
"What in the world...?" Arike trailed off, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ini's face was twisted in disgust. "This is the source of the corruption," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "This... thing is the queen."
Arike's eyes widened as she took in the sheer size of the queen. It was enormous, easily the size of a small house. Its surface was smooth and unbroken, except for the holes that dotted its surface. One hole seemed to be pumping out eggs at an alarming rate, while another hole appeared to be taking in the bodies of the dead ants.
"And what's with the holes?" Arike asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Ini's expression was grim. "I think the eggs are being produced through that hole," he said, nodding towards the hole that was pumping out eggs. "And that hole," he said, nodding towards the hole that was taking in the dead ants, "I think that's where it's absorbing the nutrients from the dead ants."
Arike's eyes widened in horror. "That's disgusting," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ini's face was twisted in disgust. "This thing is an abomination," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "It's a corruption of nature."
Without another word, Ini brandished his sword. Arike watched in awe as Ini slashed down at the queen, but instead of a single blow, he seemed to slice through the air multiple times. The queen's body jerked and convulsed, its surface rippling with each strike.
"How are you doing that?" Arike asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
Ini didn't answer, his focus solely on the queen. After a few seconds, the queen's body began to break apart, its pieces sliding off in different directions as a clear, viscous fluid dripped out.
Ini didn't even glance at the queen's remains, his eyes fixed instead on the cave opening that had been hidden behind it. Arike followed his gaze and saw a group of stronger worker ants carrying eggs. They seemed to be preparing to place the eggs inside the queen's body, making it seem as though they were being born naturally.
But as soon as the ants saw Ini and Arike, they immediately dropped the eggs and charged towards them, their mandibles snapping wildly. Ini and Arike readied themselves for battle, their eyes locked on the approaching ants.
"Get ready," Ini said, his voice low and even.
Arike nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that this was going to be a tough fight.
Blaze's strike team made their way through the cave, their lights illuminating the dark passageways. They had encountered some ants along the way, but they were able to fend them off with relative ease. The team's morale was high, and they moved with a sense of purpose.
As they turned a corner, they came across a massive hole in the ground. The team's lights shone down into the depths of the hole, and they could see the remnants of Arike's battle with the ants. Blaze's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene.
"Looks like someone's been doing some cleaning up around here," one of the team members said, nodding towards the piles of dead ants.
Blaze grunted, his eyes scanning the area. "Yeah, and it looks like they took out a lot of the heavy hitters." He paused, his gaze falling on the hole. "I wonder if that's where Arike ended up."
The team moved cautiously around the hole, avoiding the edge. As they continued on, they came across more and more dead ants. Blaze's eyes kept scanning the area, taking in the sheer number of ants that had been killed.
"Maybe having him around isn't such a bad thing," Blaze murmured to himself, a small smile playing on his lips. He didn't notice the curious glances from his team members, but he knew that they were all thinking the same thing. Ini's presence might just be the turning point they needed to take down the colossal. Or at least reduces the casualties.