The corridor leading to Hopper's chamber was shrouded in eerie silence. Dust hung in the air, stirred only by the faint tremors of distant battles. Anastasia stepped forward with her mandibles drawn—twin blades gleaming with purpose. Her gaze was sharp, unwavering. Her breathing stayed calm, focused solely on the battle ahead.
Then, a shadow fell across the hallway.
A towering figure emerged, eyes glowing faintly in the dim torchlight. Four gleaming weapons hung at his sides—twice the blades, twice the danger. Viser.
"I wondered when I'd get to meet the so-called new Commander Hopper always talks about," Viser said, his voice a low growl. "You've made quite a mess of things in this fortress."
Anastasia didn't blink. "Step aside. I don't have time to waste."
A grin crept across his face. "You're confident. I like that. But before you assume I'm just another grasshopper… let me make something clear." He stepped closer, the metal of his blades clinking ominously. "Even among Hopper's elite, I'm feared. I rival two of his generals."
The air thickened, as though the corridor itself held its breath. But Anastasia stood unfazed.
"Then you'll fall like the rest."
Viser's grin vanished. "So be it."
With a sudden burst of speed and the beat of his wings, he lunged. His four weapons sliced through the air—two arcing high, two low. Anastasia reacted instantly, her twin mandibles raised. Steel shrieked against steel—furious, sharp, deafening. Sparks flared, lighting the passage in rapid flashes.
Each impact thundered through the hall. Metal screeched. Air split. The force of their blows cracked the floor, gouged stone from the walls, and sent dust swirling with each step.
Anastasia ducked low, parried, then spun upward with a vicious counterstrike. Viser vaulted over her, landing heavily behind and sweeping his lower blades toward her back. She twisted just in time, her weapons catching his mid-swing with a clang that rang like a war bell.
"You're fast," he muttered, impressed. "For an ant."
"You talk too much," Anastasia shot back, her twin blades launching rapid jabs at his chest.
He blocked them with spiked forearms, retreated a step, then unleashed a cross-pattern slash with all four blades. Anastasia narrowly avoided the full impact—one edge grazed her shoulder, drawing a sharp line of blood across her chitin. She didn't falter. Her strikes came faster, heavier, her will pressing forward relentlessly.
They clashed again and again—relentless. Movements blurred. Dodges, feints, somersaults. Their blades sang and screamed, filling the corridor with violent echoes.
"I see now," Viser said during a deadlock, their weapons locked in a grinding push. "You're not just strong. You're driven. But will that be enough?"
He shoved her backward. Anastasia skidded across the stone, catching herself on one hand. She charged again, feet pounding the cracked floor. The hallway trembled beneath their collision.
Time fractured. Minutes stretched like hours. Anastasia felt fatigue creeping in—tight limbs, burning lungs, blood trailing from her wounds. Viser's brutal strikes continued unabated, his monstrous size granting him a relentless edge.
Then—he broke through.
One of his lower blades slammed into her side, sending her crashing into the wall. Pain exploded through her ribs as debris rained down. She gasped. Her grip loosened. Her vision swam.
Viser approached, his steps slow, deliberate. "It ends here. You were impressive. But not enough to stop me."
Anastasia struggled to rise. Her legs trembled. Her chest heaved. She stared at the cracked floor, shadows dancing before her eyes. Despair crept in, whispering that this might be where she would fall.
Then… she saw her father's face.
Captain Terrence. Proud. Brave. The strongest ant she had ever known. She remembered the moment Hopper struck him down—merciless and sudden. She had sworn vengeance that day. Sworn she would make Hopper pay.
Why did I come here? she asked herself.
To save Tanya. To free our colony. To avenge my father.
But even that didn't feel like enough.
Another face emerged—Ari. Battered and bloodied, standing alone against Hopper. Just a lance corporal. No business fighting a monster like that. But he stood tall. Unyielding. Determined to protect the princess, no matter the cost.
Anastasia's breath caught.
For Tanya. For my father. For all of them… I can't fall here. Not now.
She clenched her jaw and screamed from the depths of her soul, "I refuse to lose here! Not yet!"
Her hand shot out, gripping her blades once more. A surge of strength roared through her body—a second wind, born of memory and purpose.
Viser raised his blades to finish her.
But she was already moving.
Steel rang as she intercepted his strike—fury igniting her counterattack. Anastasia was on her feet, eyes alight with fire. Her movements were faster now, no longer weighed by doubt or fatigue. Twin weapons spun like whirlwinds, her antennae twitching as she anticipated his every motion.
Viser reeled. "What—what is this?!"
"You underestimated me!" she shouted, each step, each swing fueled by resolve.
Clang. Swipe. Slash.
Her blows cracked the stone beneath them. The walls shuddered. Viser's smugness dissolved, his face tightening in disbelief. Her speed had risen, or perhaps her purpose had burned away her limits.
He aimed low—she leapt, twisting midair to drive her blade toward his shoulder. He slashed high—she caught it, redirected it, then carved a line across his arm, drawing a spray of green blood that splattered the wall.
"Damn it!" Viser roared.
She didn't stop.
Feint. Spin. Strike.
A sudden tactical feint drew his guard aside, exposing his flank. Her final assault broke through his defense. One blade drove into his chest. The other sank deep into his side.
Viser froze, eyes wide, breath shallow.
She twisted both weapons and shoved him backward. The giant staggered, fell to his knees, then collapsed fully, his four blades clattering uselessly to the floor.
Anastasia swayed. Her body screamed in agony. Her breaths came in broken, ragged bursts. Slowly, she lowered her blades. Silence engulfed the corridor.
Her knees buckled. She dropped, head bowed, shoulders trembling.
She inhaled deeply and exhaled a shuddering breath.
"Ari… I'm coming," she whispered, voice hoarse but burning with fire.
Dragging herself upright, she staggered forward, each step fueled by sheer force of will. Blood dripped from her side. Her vision blurred. But she stepped over Viser's body without hesitation.
The corridor stretched ahead into darkness.
But her path was clear.
She was not finished—not until Tanya was safe. Not until Hopper fell.
And so she moved forward, limping through shadow, carrying not just blades but the weight—and strength—of every reason she had to fight.