The Wolves stood at the edge of the broken hive, the sky still glowing with flares. Their HUDs flickered as a new transmission cut through the static.
Monarch's voice filled their helmets — sharp, echoing, undeniable.
"All UNE units — this is Monarch. Regroup with allied Marine squads in the designated staging zone immediately. Consolidation is mandatory. Our strength lies in unity. This will be the only way to push the central hive head-on."
Woo exhaled, his heart still hammering from the fight. Raul spat and muttered, "From one nightmare to another..." but he moved with the squad, no hesitation.
Carla slung her rifle. "You heard him. Pack it up, Wolves. We're moving."
⸻
The Descent
The Wolves descended the hive spire. Their UNE armor carried them at controlled speeds, sliding down living walls and sprinting through ruptured tunnels until they reached the cloud layer below.
For an hour they marched through the storm fields — across charred alien ground littered with corpses and burning wreckage. Occasionally they passed other UNE squads retreating in the same direction. Some looked battered, missing men, others limping with wounded in tow. Every group carried the same hollow-eyed determination.
Min-seo stayed quiet, sticking close to Woo. John gritted through his bruises, refusing help. Jerome muttered prayers under his breath. Marco hummed nervously, his way of keeping calm.
Asura walked in silence, his face unreadable. Reaper, as always, was a shadow at their edge.
⸻
The Staging Zone
At last they arrived.
A wide crater, once carved by orbital bombardment, had been transformed into a makeshift fortress. Towers of UNE armor plating lined the rim, tanks dug into position, mechs knelt along the perimeter like titans resting before another charge.
Thousands of Marines streamed in from every direction. Wounded were rushed to medics, drones hovered overhead scanning injuries, and supply pods rained from orbit with fresh ammo and stims. The air was a chaos of orders, the thrum of engines, and the quiet moans of the injured.
The Wolves pushed through the crowd, finding space among dozens of other squads.
⸻
Monarch's Voice Again
Every helmet pinged at once. Monarch's voice thundered over the comms, cutting through the storm of noise.
"This is Monarch. Sector operation complete. Local Queens eliminated. Casualties: heavy. Survivors: proud. You have done well."
The battlefield quieted, Marines raising their visors, listening.
"But this is not the end. This was the first step. Ahead lies the central hive — the throne of the true Queen. She knows you now. She watches you. And she will not wait for you to come."
The Wolves exchanged glances, their breaths heavy.
Hunter chuckled low. "Always knew she'd want round two."
Hudson murmured, "This regroup... it's only sharpening the knife."
Carla adjusted her rifle. "Good. We'll cut deeper."
Monarch's final words rang like iron through every Marine's chest:
"Hold fast. Regroup. Resupply. The march on the central hive begins soon. Monarch out."
The storm howled above. The Wolves tightened their grips on their rifles. The war was far from over.
-
The regroup zone was a sea of wounded, resupply drops, and flickering flares overhead. The Wolves sat among thousands, stims hissing into wounds, ammo crates stacked high. For a moment, the storm was quiet.
Then every helmet lit at once.
Monarch's voice boomed — colder, heavier than any before.
"All UNE units. Hold position. Reinforcements and supplies are en route. You have done well. But this war is not finished."
The chatter across the crater silenced instantly. Even the medics froze.
"The central hive is alive. At its throne sits the true Queen. She is not like the others. She wields abilities beyond the battlefield of flesh — unpredictable, erratic, laced with dimensional reach. You must expect attacks at the fourth-dimensional level and beyond to the 6th Dimension, meaning her conceptual abilities will mess with your Helmet Detections, ans sensory."
A chill ran down every spine. Even veterans shifted uncomfortably.
Monarch's voice did not waver.
"Captains — hold your squads tight. You will not survive this alone. Stick together. No ego warfare. No rash charges. The central Queen will break you if you face her scattered."
The Wolves exchanged glances — Raul swallowed, Jerome looked pale, Min-seo gripped his rifle like a lifeline. Woo felt his chest tighten but forced himself to breathe steady.
Then came the order that changed everything.
"Authorization granted. You are allowed — and required — to employ Conceptual Tactic: Existence Erasure."
A murmur rippled across the Marines. Even Carla, Hunter, and Hudson tensed. Reaper tilted his head, his visor eyes burning brighter.
Monarch's tone sharpened, as if cutting into their very souls.
"Erase her. Body, mind, soul, and idea. Lock or dismantle her existence in its entirety. Enter the Other Realm if you must. This is not cruelty — it is survival. She will not stop. She will not yield. And unless erased, she will rise again."
The words hung heavy.
Woo whispered, "...We're supposed to fight her soul?"
Raul muttered, "Man... this ain't a war. This is... this is theology."
Carla's voice cut firm. "No. This is tactics. Remember that."
Reaper rasped through his comm, cold as iron.
"So Monarch has spoken. We erase her existence... or she erases ours."
The crater filled with silence again, broken only by the storm winds above.
The Wolves knew what awaited them:
Not just a queen.
But a war for existence itself.
many squads here don't wanna do this to the queen considering they grew up in faith with God, but they got no choice.
-
The crater was heavy with silence. Marines sat on ammo crates and broken armor, staring at the dirt. Some muttered prayers. Others clutched crosses, tokens, or pictures of family. The order to use Existence Erasure lingered like a shadow.
Raul broke the silence first. "Man... erasing someone's soul? That ain't right. That's God's work, not ours."
Jerome muttered, "I grew up in church too, Raul... but we've seen what she does. If we don't erase her, she'll erase billions more."
Min-seo's voice cracked, but his eyes were steady. "Then we fight with the strength He gave us. Not out of pride. Not for power. But so the innocent live."
Even Hunter went quiet at that. Carla gave a small nod. "The kid's right. It's not blasphemy if it's survival. Remember the instructor—No ego warfare. No glory or pride. Just duty."
⸻
The Sky Breaks
The ground trembled. Then the storm above split open.
UNE reinforcements descended.
Columns of drop-pods slammed into the crater, unfolding into gleaming battle droids armed with quantum rifles. Armored transports roared down, unloading squads of Juggernaut-class infantry—each the size of a walking bunker.
Then the shadows fell.
From orbit, 15-meter UNE mechs thundered down on boosters, their impact shaking the ground. They rose tall, visors glowing, weapons humming at FTL+ charge. A dozen squadrons lined the crater rim, aiming outward like titans preparing for war.
AI drones swarmed overhead, their voices calm, linking every Marine's HUD to unified battle-map overlays. Monarch's voice echoed again:
"Reinforcements arrived. Supplies distributed. All squads—advance immediately. The longer you wait, the more the Queen spawns. Move."
⸻
The March
The Wolves rose with thousands of Marines.
The ground convulsed under synchronized boots. Tank columns roared forward, mechs stomping into formation. Juggernauts clanked ahead, their footsteps like iron thunder. Battle droids marched in precise squares, AI bots fluttering above like guiding sparks.
The horizon burned with flares from earlier victories, but ahead—looming in the distance—was the central hive.
A monolith of flesh and alloy that pierced the clouds, its peak stretching all the way toward the moon. The swarm pulsed around it—billions of Typonian forces pouring outward, shrieking into the storm.
Hudson stared up, visor reflecting the monstrosity. "That's her fortress."
Carla chambered a fresh mag. "That's her throne."
Reaper's cloak shifted in the wind, his voice a rasp: "That's where existence itself will be tested."
Woo swallowed hard, gripping his rifle tighter. Min-seo gave him a look, voice firm. "Stay close. We'll get through this."
Raul groaned. "Yeah... straight through hell's front door."
⸻
The march had begun.
The swarm screamed from the horizon.
The UNE, reforged and reborn, marched to meet them.
-
The march thundered forward, a million boots across the storm-scorched plains. Tanks roared, mechs towered, droids and Juggernauts moved in perfect lockstep. The Wolves stayed close, weapons primed, armor systems glowing under the storm's eerie light.
Then, their helmets lit again. Monarch's voice came through — heavier, sharper, echoing like the judgment of Heaven itself.
"All UNE units — hear me well. The central Queen is unlike any you've faced. She cannot be slain by blade or bullet, by fire or blast. Even destruction of her body will not end her."
A ripple of unease spread through the ranks. Raul muttered, "You gotta be kidding me..." Jerome looked pale, his hands clenching his rifle tighter.
Monarch's tone grew colder.
"Understand this: The Queen will resurrect. Again. And again. Her existence is tied to the principle of recursion. Unless erased at the root — body, soul, and concept — she will return no matter how many times you strike her down."
The silence on the comms was suffocating.
Carla's jaw tightened under her visor. "So that's why they authorized Erasure..."
Hudson muttered, "Makes sense now. Anything less, and she laughs at us from the grave."
Reaper's distorted rasp cut through.
"Which means only one thing: Existence Erasure must be absolute. No hesitation."
Monarch confirmed, his voice final and iron-clad.
"Correct. When you enter the central hive, do not hold back. Do not falter. To dismantle her existence, you must step into the Other Realm and strike her soul. Only then will her recursion end."
The Wolves exchanged grim looks. Min-seo swallowed hard, voice quiet but steady. "So this is it. No second chances."
Hunter smirked darkly, slapping a fresh mag into his rifle. "Then let's make the first shot count."
The storm rumbled overhead.
The central hive loomed in the distance like a tower to infinity.
And every Marine knew — the next battle wasn't just for victory.
It was for finality.
-
The march continued, thunder rolling beneath billions of boots, engines roaring like storms. The Wolves moved with the flow, rifles ready, armor stained with blood and ichor from earlier battles.
Woo Jin fell to the back of the squad for a moment, visor dimmed, his lips moving quietly.
"Father... if this Queen's soul is erased, I pray You take it. Don't let her spirit wander. Don't let her suffer in the dark. Bring her to where even monsters may find mercy."
His heart was trembling, but his voice was steady. He wasn't praying for victory this time. He was praying for her soul.
Raul glanced over, hearing just enough. He shook his head with a crooked grin. "...Only you, Jin. Prayin' for the enemy queen."
Min-seo looked at him seriously. "...Maybe that's why he's here."
Asura didn't comment, but his sharp gaze lingered on Jin for a beat longer than usual.
⸻
The Arrival
Two hours later, the march ended.
The Wolves crested a rise, and there it stood.
The Central Hive.
It was not a tower. It was a continent of flesh and alloy, a spire that pierced through the very clouds, reaching high enough that its jagged crown brushed the curve of the moon. Veins of light pulsed up its body, each the size of rivers, carrying energy like the heartbeat of a god.
The storm itself seemed to bend around it. Lightning split the skies, but every bolt was drawn toward the hive, feeding its endless glow.
Carla whispered, almost reverent: "...It's bigger than cities. Bigger than nations."
Hunter chuckled low, masking his awe. "That's not a hive. That's a world."
Hudson's voice was flat, heavy. "...That's her throne."
Monarch's voice boomed through their helmets, echoing over the battlefield like thunder:
"UNE Marines. You stand before the seat of the true Queen. This is where the war will end. Hold your squads, hold your faith, and remember your orders—erasure must be absolute."
The Wolves tightened their grips on their rifles. Around them, billions of UNE soldiers spread into formation — tanks rumbling, mechs lining the horizon, Juggernauts bracing for war.
The swarm stirred in the distance, a tide of nightmares screaming in answer.
The storm was ready to break.
-
The Wolves stood at the foot of the central hive, storm winds whipping, the silence cutting deeper than any scream. Their helmets buzzed with sudden alerts.
⚠️ WARNING — AMBUSH DETECTED.
Sectors: Right flank. Left flank. Center front. Estimated force: Overwhelming.
The Wolves stiffened, rifles rising in unison.
No one breathed.
For a heartbeat, time felt like it stopped.
The silence pressed down like an eternity.
Then their helmets flared again:
⚠️ CONTACT — RIGHT! LEFT! CENTER!
Carla roared, "OPEN FIRE!"
The plain erupted.
⸻
Opening Shots
The Soldiers and surrounding squads unloaded everything they had. Quantum plasma fire streaked through the storm, cutting down wave after wave of Typonian infantry charging from the mists. Enemy bodies exploded by the dozens — but the tide kept coming.
Hunter laughed grimly as he swapped mags. "Feels like shooting into a damn ocean!"
Hudson's voice was clipped, precise. "Then we drain it one shot at a time."
Min-seo fired controlled bursts, jaw tight, muttering prayers between trigger pulls. Raul shouted over the storm, "BRING IT, YOU BUG-EYED DEMONS!"
⸻
The Swarm Fires Back
The return volley came like a storm of meteors. Beams of alien energy ripped across the field, blowing apart squads and scattering armor plating like toys. Marines screamed as stims hissed into shattered bodies.
Explosions painted the horizon. The Wolves ducked behind fractured UNE barricades, popping out to fire in rhythm. The sky itself turned red with tracer fire and energy beams.
Then the ground shook.
⸻
The Giants
From the mist, 15-meter Typonian war mechs thundered forward — grotesque machines of twisted flesh and alloy, each one bristling with cannons that glowed like miniature suns.
The Wolves froze for half a breath. "...Oh no."
But then, from behind, the UNE answered.
BOOM!
The UNE mechs — titans of steel and cosmic nano-tech — surged into view, their own weapons igniting at FTL+ speed. The battlefield shook as machine met machine, colliding like gods at war.
One UNE mech tackled a Typonian giant, driving it into the dirt, and unleashed a storm of plasma bolts point-blank. Another Typonian beast ripped into a UNE titan's arm, tearing it free, only to be impaled by a quantum blade that cleaved it in half.
The plain had become a battlefield of titans.
⸻
The Wolves Push
Carla barked over the comms, "Keep moving forward! Don't get pinned — stay with me!"
The Wolves dashed from cover to cover, their armor boosting them to Mach speeds even while under fire. Asura blurred ahead, Blink-Stepping between volleys, cutting down enemies with surgical precision. Reaper moved like a shadow, slashing through targets that never saw him.
Woo and Jerome dragged a wounded Marine behind cover, Min-seo firing to keep the flank clear. Raul shouted, "Stim him! Stim him!" as Marco injected the soldier, his severed leg regenerating in seconds.
Overhead, Monarch's voice boomed into every helmet:
"All UNE units — hold your lines! Mechs engage their giants, infantry suppress the swarm! Remember: the central hive cannot be breached until their vanguard breaks!"
⸻
The world was chaos.
The sky burned with fire.
And the soldiers, pressed against the storm of infinity, fought tooth and nail — knowing this was only the first clash before the true Queen herself.
——————————————
To be continued...