Chapter 237: Swarm
The worst kind of monsters to encounter were insects.
Even among insects, the most dreaded were bees. Not because they were necessarily the strongest monsters. But because of their numbers.
One bee could be dealt with. Ten could be troublesome. A hundred could become a disaster. And when every single one of them was capable of exploding... That was no longer a monster encounter. It was a massacre waiting to happen.
The first warning appeared above the ruined city.
[REGIONAL BATTLEFIELD EVENT!]
[FREE FOR ALL!]
[ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE INITIATED!]
[SURVIVE THE EXPLODING FLAME BEES]
[GOOD LUCK!]
For several seconds, nothing happened, while the students scattered throughout the battlefield stared at the notification.
Some laughed nervously, while others immediately prepared themselves for battle. A few were still trying to understand what an "Exploding Flame Bee" even was. This was not a monster they knew of.
Just then the sky turned orange.
Silas looked up. "Oh..."
Chloe followed his gaze, and her expression immediately changed.
"That’s a lot."
Far above the ruined city, something moved through the clouds. A buzzing sound began spreading across the battlefield. At first, it was barely noticeable- a distant vibration. Then it grew louder, and louder, until the entire sky seemed to be humming.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Silas looked toward the horizon as a swarm emerged from behind the ruined buildings. It wasn’t a normal swarm. It was a living storm.
Thousands of bees poured through the sky, their bodies covered in glowing orange patterns. Flames burned around their wings, leaving trails of sparks behind them. Their bodies varied in size.
The smallest were barely larger than a fist. Others were the size of dogs. Some were nearly the size of motorcycles. And every single one had the same glowing orange abdomen.
"Those are..." Damien muttered in shock.
"Bees," Emma answered.
"I know they’re bees."
"Then why did you ask?"
Damien didn’t answer, because the swarm had reached the city. The first bee dove toward the ground.
A student from another academy saw it coming.
"Get away!"
The bee slammed into the street.
BOOOOOOM!
Fire erupted across the road, while the student was thrown backward. He rolled across the pavement before scrambling to his feet.
"What the hell?!"
Another bee came. Then another.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosions tore through the abandoned streets, causing buildings to shake. Windows shattered, dust filled the air, and then the entire swarm descended.
"RUN!"
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Silas watched a swarm rush toward him and smiled.
"Okay."
Chloe stared at him.
"Don’t."
"I haven’t said anything."
"I know that look."
Silas raised one hand, and pink threads instantly appeared between his fingers.
"Relax."
The first bee charged. Silas flicked his wrist, and a thread snapped forward.
SHING!
The bee was sliced in half. Its glowing abdomen fell toward the ground.
"Wait." Silas’s eyes widened.
Chloe’s eyes widened too. "Silas!"
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion swallowed the street. Silas disappeared inside the fire, while Chloe immediately covered her face against the blast.
"Silas!"
The flames cleared, and he stood in the middle of the street. His clothes were singed. His hair was slightly disheveled.
"Right." He slowly looked at Chloe. "They explode when they die."
Chloe stared at him.
"Yes."
"I noticed."
"You are stupid."
"I noticed that too."
Another bee screamed toward them, but he immediately stepped backward.
"Nope."
Chloe laughed despite herself.
"Now you understand."
***
A swarm descended upon Alpha, but the guy was already sprinting away. If the bee had emotions, it would’ve probably been saying, "Dude, at least wait for me."
One bee exploded behind him, but he jumped onto the side of a building and dodged the blast. Another bee slammed into the wall, causing the entire section of the building to collapse, but Alpha leaped away.
Three more bees chased him, and he accelerated, his steps becoming lighter and silent as he sprinted.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosions followed him down the street like artillery.
"This is ridiculous!"
***
Damien wasn’t having it any easier. He raised one hand, and gravity suddenly increased around a group of bees. The creatures dropped from the sky, their bodies smashing into the pavement.
For a brief moment, Damien smiled... victoriously, but his victory was short-lived as the orange abdomens began glowing brighter. His expression vanished.
"Oh, no."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The blast sent Damien flying through a broken window. He crashed into the second floor of a ruined building.
Silence engulfed the place. Then his voice came from inside.
"I hate bees!"
***
Rihanna and Emma were fighting together.
"Don’t kill them!"
"I KNOW!"
A bee charged toward Emma; she dodged. Rihanna struck another away from them, but the bee returned.
"Why is it still coming?!"
"It’s a bee!"
"That’s not an explanation!"
The creature suddenly accelerated, causing Rihanna to grab Emma.
"DOWN!"
They dropped, and the bee flew overhead, slamming into a building.
BOOM!
The upper half of the structure exploded. Concrete rained down around them.
"I officially hate this challenge," Emma couldn’t help but comment.
Rihanna nodded. "Agreed."
***
Godfrey wasn’t running.
He stood in the middle of the street as the swarm descended upon him, his weapon raised. He had decided to use a halberd for this stage of the tournament.
"Come on."
The first bee reached him, and he struck- the creature flew sideways and exploded against a building.
BOOM!
Another came. He struck it too.
BOOM!
Another.
BOOM!
Godfrey’s expression slowly changed.
"Wait..." He looked at the swarm, then at the growing flames. They had stacked up at the building. "Why am I making this worse?"
He immediately started running.
***
Meanwhile, the six substitutes had their own problems. Peter Green was moving through the ruins when he heard the buzzing.
"No..." He looked up.
He started running. Salmoa Freda was already doing the same. Victor Wesley ducked behind a concrete barrier as a swarm flew overhead. Natalia Nat sprinted through an alley while explosions chased her. Darren Cole climbed onto a ruined building to escape the swarm below. Christian Golf looked at the approaching bees, then at the destruction around him.
"Who designed this tournament?!"
Another bee crashed nearby.
BOOM!
Christian immediately ran.
"I TAKE IT BACK!"
***
Back with Valecrest’s main team, Silas regrouped with the others.
Damien emerged from the ruined building, his clothes covered in dust.
"You’re alive." Silas looked at him.
"Unfortunately for you," Damien retorted, making everyone suck in a cold breath.
"Good."
Damien glared, but Silas ignored him.
"Nobody attack the bees."
Godfrey raised a hand.
"Agreed."
Emma nodded.
"Definitely."
Chloe looked toward the sky.
"Then what do we do?"
Silas watched the swarm. The bees weren’t attacking randomly. They were spreading and forcing everyone away from certain areas. And as more explosions erupted, something became obvious.
The bees weren’t trying to kill one specific academy. They were driving everyone toward the center of the battlefield.
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"They’re herding us."
Damien looked around.
"You’re right."
Neil arrived beside them.
"The battlefield layout is changing."
"What?"
Neil pointed. Several explosions had destroyed buildings and blocked roads.
"The swarm is eliminating routes."
Silas looked toward the horizon. The massive tower they’d seen earlier was still standing. Every major route toward it was being flooded with bees.
Then Silas noticed something else. A few distant students from another academy were moving in the same direction as them.
They saw Valecrest and stopped. Silas stopped too.
For a moment, both groups stared at each other. Nobody attacked. A bee flew overhead, and everyone immediately ducked.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the street. Silas slowly stood and looked at the strangers.
"Temporary truce?"
One of the opposing students hesitated.
"Against the bees?"
"Against the bees."
Another explosion sounded nearby.
BOOM!
The student immediately nodded.
"Deal."
Damien looked at Silas.
"You just made an alliance in three seconds."
Silas shrugged.
"Bees are excellent negotiators."
Chloe laughed.
"They really are."
The two academies began moving together. There were thousands of exploding bees between them and whatever awaited them ahead.
And for the first time since Stage One began, Valecrest wasn’t fighting another academy. They were fighting the battlefield itself.
Above them, the swarm continued growing, and somewhere beyond the flames, something even larger began moving through the clouds.
Silas looked up, and his smile slowly disappeared.
"That’s not a normal bee."
A gigantic shadow passed across the ruins, but there was no system notification, no warning, and no special designation. Only the sound of countless wings.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...
Silas’s eyes narrowed.
"Everyone..." He looked toward the sky. "RUN!!"
The shadow disappeared beyond the clouds. Then the swarm descended again.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!