Chapter 403 - 403: Three-Way War
"My legs are getting heavy." One of the boys murmured in exhaustion.
Despite running with everything they had, the felines weren't cultivators. That, on top of being on the verge of passing out due to a lack of proper nourishment, meant that the soldier ants were mere seconds away from catching up to them.
The feline man gritted his teeth, tears streaming down his eyes as he glanced at the two women.
"I will try to divert their attention. While they focus on me, run with everything you've got and don't turn back."
Instantly, the two women became paler than ghosts.
"Absolutely not!" One of them retorted. "We just escaped confinement. No one is sacrificing their lives! We will stand together until the very end!"
The man didn't bother explaining himself. He threw one last glance at the barely standing children before diverting his course.
"Hey! Over here! Catch me if you can!" Shouting at the top of his lungs, on top of waving his hands above his head, did the trick.
The mandibles of the pursuing ants snapped open and shut, eager to catch him. Since the feline man was the tallest among their running prey, they judged him the juiciest target.
"Don't look back." The man muttered to himself. The ground behind him thumped as the ants crept closer.
In the end, his luck ran out. Tripping over a protruding branch, he fell to the ground, barely managing to buy a few seconds' head start for the others.
"So this is how I die…"
Facing the approaching mandibles, he closed his eyes, fully accepting death.
Yet a few seconds passed, and he still drew breath.
Cautiously, the man opened his eyes.
His breathing hitched.
The once towering ants, which rivaled houses in size, had abruptly stopped.
Each one of them bore a single, clean slash, splitting them into two perfect halves. Clear blood flowed from their remains as their corpses dropped to the ground one by one.
Before the collapsed man, a tall figure stood. His eyes carried unparalleled power, wielding a sharp blade with one hand, not a speck of blood staining his figure.
"Are you alright?" Michael's voice was steady, not a trace of exhaustion despite his monumental show of force.
The feline man got his breathing under control. Uncaring about his own safety, he gazed at the group only to realize that he had failed to divert every ant, a few still trailing after the woman and the children.
"Help them—"
His shout died in his throat.
Abruptly, Cyberfang appeared. The mechanical beast pounced on the closest ant. Under the immense load, the ant toppled to the ground, torn apart by the beast's mechanical jaws.
Simultaneously, Ruby appeared over another, her nails shifting into claws, cutting the foe mercilessly in pieces.
The weight of Ava's hammer carried such force it shattered the exoskeleton of another ant, reducing it to gore.
Amelia and Enzo dealt with the last two.
Everything had happened so fast the rescued felines needed a few seconds to comprehend that they had been saved.
"Let's leave daydreaming for later." Michael said calmly, getting hold of the man. He placed him onto Cyberfang's back, while the others of the group moved the children and the women aboard.
"T—Thank you! You were so cool, almost like a hero!" With tears in their eyes, the children swarmed around Ruby. She was the strongest human that bore their feline traits, leading them to grow quite attached to her.
[We are being pursued. Initiating retreat protocol.]
Cyberfang roared before speeding off. Regardless of how fast the squad had neutralized the ants, they were spotted by the ant line.
In a flash more than a hundred ants were hot in pursuit of their trail.
Michael made a mental note that the ants were unable to catch up to Cyberfang's top speed. There was no need to rely on Amelia overcharging it.
Shifting his attention to the dazed man and the women, the only three grown-ups among the group, he spoke.
"Where did you come from and how did you escape?"
The feline man answered without hesitation. Even if Michael lacked any of their kin's traits, it didn't seem like he was working with the cultists.
"The place where they had locked us in got attacked by aliens. If I had to guess, the cultists tried to contain an alien they couldn't control, leading to quite the aftermath. Once the opportunity to escape presented itself, we sped off without turning back."
He spoke swiftly, unwilling to waste valuable time.
"But there were more of us that weren't able to make use of the moment and get away. I can guide you to them, so please help them!"
Michael nodded. "No need to ask. This was our intention from the beginning. Lead the way."
Following the instructions of the feline man, Cyberfang headed to the research facility.
"What about the ants following us?" Ruby asked, after barely escaping the embrace of the children.
A faint smile tugged at Michael's face.
"You will see."
It didn't take long for the research laboratory to appear on the horizon. It was hidden masterfully like the last one.
The place was currently in disarray. Flames ravaged the facility. Cultists, some wielding guns, others blades, did their best to keep the Hreh'tar aliens at bay.
"It seems that whatever happened caused quite a ruckus, leading to more aliens attacking the laboratory… Lucky." Michael mused.
There were the cultists holding back the aliens and the ants still pursuing the squad.
Michael's goal was to rescue the felines trapped in the collapsing structure… The other three groups could go to hell for all he cared.
"Finally, reinforcements!" Some of the cultists saw hope in Michael's squad, only for that emotion to be extinguished when they noticed the ants following close behind.
With an uproar, Cyberfang lunged high, diving past the cultists' fortifications and the aliens battling them.
A moment later, the ants diverted their attention, joining the fray of the battle.
Michael's gaze instantly locked behind them. Notably, the ants didn't just attack the aliens but even the cultists as well.
"What is the meaning of this?" Amelia murmured, baffled. "Weren't the cultists and ants working for the same entity? How come they attack one another?"
Michael smirked.
"The ant queen must have countless subjects under her rule and cannot constantly monitor each one. We will exploit this blind spot and the ants' limited intelligence by turning them against the aliens and the cultists. By the time they realize what has happened, we will have vanished with the freed felines."
Rather simple, yet surprisingly effective strategy.
With the addition of the ants, neither the cultists nor the aliens were capable of stopping Cyberfang's charge.
The mechanical beast broke past the fortifications of the laboratory in search of any lingering felines.
It was only a matter of time before their plan was discovered. They needed to make haste.
Meanwhile, at the heart of the ant nest, the queen trembled violently.
"Alexia? What's wrong, Dear?" Lord Eleanora gently caressed her spiritual beast. It was the first time she had acted so out of character.
Alexia slowly shifted her gaze toward Eleanora.
"My children… they are fighting… unaltered humans…"