Chapter 404 - 404: Royal Champion
Traversing the interior of the laboratory was easy enough. This wasn't the squad's first rodeo.
If at any point the corridors became too narrow for Cyberfang to move through, the beast would simply force its way forward anyway.
And if that still proved insufficient, the correct response was always to use even more force.
"Here they are!" The children on board rejoiced when they saw their other brethren.
It turned out it hadn't been a coincidence that the freed felines Michael had found were mostly children. Apparently, most of the adults had remained in the laboratory, giving the younger ones a chance to escape with their lives.
Smart enough to not ask questions, the felines followed Michael's squad, eager to escape the hellhole.
The outside battle cries intensified with each passing second, yet that didn't deter them one bit. Quite the opposite, it fueled the felines to move with a stronger sense of purpose.
By the end, more than seventy felines crowded around Cyberfang's massive frame.
"More rescued than last time." Michael frowned. "However, there are too many to fit on Cyberfang's back. And with the chaos outside, we can't leave on foot. We would be too slow."
In that moment, Ruby's eyes sparked as she got an idea.
The hollow valley was a vast space, and not every cultist here was renowned for their strength. The researchers, for example, had been recruited not for their might but for their brains.
Due to their limited physical capabilities, they weren't able to travel on foot, proving too slow. This led to the next best option…
Reinforced vehicles!
Motorcycles meant to allow people to travel in pairs for faster transport.
Off-road cars with wheels larger than a human child.
But the most notable were the large armored personnel carriers, which could transport a large number of troops at once and had heavy machine guns mounted on top.
Making haste, the felines climbed aboard. The personnel carriers were not made to transport so many people at once, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Not one complaint was uttered as the felines clustered together. In a dark twist of fate, their malnourished bodies did not take up much space, playing to their benefit.
Two of the large vehicles proved enough to contain the majority of the felines. Enzo and Amelia were tasked with operating the machinery.
Ruby and Ava mounted the heavy machines on top. The guns would have proven useful at holding back the weaker aliens, and in dire cases where the foe proved too strong, they could simply jump off, neutralize the threat swiftly, and then return to the vehicle with their speed.
The few felines who had been able to drive before being abducted mounted across six cars to transport those who hadn't fit into the larger vehicles.
Since the squad was already pillaging the laboratory, they might as well go all the way and take everything they could. Who knew what could become useful back at the feline camp?
Michael, still riding atop Cyberfang, was to move in the middle in case any disaster struck. Nyla and Colt were to take the lead, guiding them along the path of least resistance toward the camp.
Reducing the walls of the laboratory to debris, the reinforced vehicles came out one by one.
Michael briefly surveyed the battlefield.
It appeared that, of all the forces, the cultists had proven to be the weakest, being the first to fall. Now only the Hreh'tar and the ants remained, battling to the death.
"Let's go!" Ruby urged eagerly.
In her eyes, ensuring the safety of her brethren took priority over killing their enemies.
Everybody moved, Michael being the only exception.
"Michael?" Ava threw him a cautious glance. She had spent enough time to notice when his demeanor took a change abruptly.
He did not reply immediately, feeling a dominant presence nearing.
"They discovered our plan faster than I anticipated." Michael mused out loud.
"Without a doubt, a Lord is coming towards us. Maybe it is Eleanora, their so-called leader." He said, sparing the group a glance. "Go, I will catch up with you later."
If he were to defeat the nearing Lord, perhaps all of this could come to a sudden end.
And unlike all of them, he was capable of flying. Should something dire happen, he could retreat quickly, while the others could not.
The squad wanted to argue, but with the felines in their ranks, staying only endangered them. Silently gritting their teeth, they sped off toward the camp.
Michael's gaze shifted toward Cyberfang.
"What are you still doing here? The order was meant for you too."
Cyberfang's eyes shone brighter.
[Negative. I shall disobey your order. I am not willing to leave you alone.]
Michael's eyes narrowed. This was the first time the AI of the mechanical beast had outright disregarded his words.
[Master…]
Cyberfang's head moved closer.
[Trust me.]
"..."
Michael felt reluctant. Still, if the beast was so insistent, there had to be a reason.
With a nod, he climbed aboard.
Cyberfang roared before leaping into the air.
Its claws extended, embedding deep into the structure, starting to climb it like scaling a colossal mountain.
Just to be on the safe side, Michael made Devil assume his true form.
Ascending to the very top of the research facility, with the war raging below, Michael's eyes focused ahead.
Before him, a flying silhouette descended.
It belonged to an ant unlike any other. While it clearly wasn't the queen, it still radiated a certain degree of danger.
Judging by its presence, the ant could rival most Grandmasters. The power it wielded, combined with the golden color of its exoskeleton and its ability to fly, marked it as among the strongest soldiers of its kind… A royal champion, perhaps.
More dangerous, however, was the silhouette sitting atop it.
The white hair of Eleanora flowed freely in the air, her blind gaze locked onto Michael's figure, observing his very essence in silence.
'She is an Absolute Lord.' Michael concluded, his senses flaring to the limit.
Finally, he stood face to face against the leader of the cultist operation.