The legion of the Endless Storm shot breath.
Remaining soldiers rushing down the mountain.
Armor white and black.
Painted with red and black of blood—friend and foe alike.
A small fraction of ants chasing.
Grabbing onto one soldier.
Forcing the others to stop for a moment.
Blades pulled.
Hacking the creature to pieces.
Quickly grabbing their brother.
Pulling him to their shoulders.
Running again.
No man gets left behind.
It was not spoken.
It did not need to be spoken.
---
At the top—
Droplets of shadow above.
A single man standing.
Body slowly vibrating.
Cut wounds penetrating both armor and flesh.
Body enveloped with heat.
Gums bleeding.
Everything nothing but a blur.
But in front of him—
A hulking beast.
A mixture of human shape and ant.
Something else entirely.
Skin black as oil.
Shiny.
Extremely tall.
Each step slowly shaking the earth.
Its mouth opened like a flower.
The pink and red of the inside blooming outward.
Dancing with the black of the outside.
Revealing layers of teeth like razors.
Sharp black blades layered behind one another.
Black and red energy dancing and fusing within its throat.
The powerful beam blasted forward.
The force of it pushing and cutting the air simultaneously.
A sound like a powerful crack.
As if the air itself broke.
The ground tearing open like a boat slicing through sea.
Reaching Kim Tae-soo.
A powerful explosion ignited.
Everything consumed by brilliant white light.
Dust and smoke becoming one.
Kim Tae-soo fell.
Both knees touching the ground.
Figures in front of him.
The smoke clearing.
The ground cracked and destroyed.
A line drawn from where destruction started and stopped.
---
Everything cleared.
In front of Kim Tae-soo—
Ha Joon.
Carrying Eun Byol on his back.
And at the front—
Chi-Long.
Her jian pointed at the hulking ant.
Her black ponytail dancing more violently now.
Her eyes fixed on the creature.
Witnessing the violent energy swirling within its stomach.
Her face unmoved.
The creature started to move toward her.
She cut the air.
Brilliant red flames exploded where she stood.
A violent gust of wind cracked outward.
The earth shaking beneath her feet.
Red fire eating the air around her instantly.
Her jian moved.
Poked a hole within the creature's stomach.
Clean.
Precise.
The red flames painted a path—from where she had been to where she stood now.
Most of her body still on fire.
The creature looked down slowly.
Beginning to understand what had just happened.
Too late.
She raised her jian.
Sliced upward.
The creature split in two.
---
Ha Joon and Eun Byol behind her.
Kim Tae-soo behind them.
All three witnessing it.
The creature falling in two separate directions.
Black blood painting the cracked earth.
Chi-Long's flames dying slowly.
Her ponytail dancing slower now.
Settling.
She didn't look back at any of them.
Just looked up.
Toward the mountain.
And began walking.