Gasps echoed across the entire camp. Heartbeats pounded like war drums.
The pride, the adrenaline, the momentary sense of victory that the humans had been feeling was instantly snuffed out.
Especially when, despite how much they searched through the swarm of screens, they couldn't find him.
They couldn't feel his presence, the overwhelming sense of dominance and reassurance he gave.
They couldn't find their Apex.
Just where the hell was he?
But none of them were given the answer.
In the next instant, as if they had all agreed in unison, the Apexes jumped.
Their bodies plummeted through the sky like falling stars, the sheer force of their descent creating sonic booms that shattered the fragile silence.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
They landed at multiple locations around the base of the mountain, each impact sending dust and rock shooting skyward, forming clouds of chaos around their landing zones.