CLIMAX; THE BATTLE'S CONCLUSION

The battlefield was chaos. The air vibrated with the furious beating of wings, and the scent of blood and crushed bodies filled the air. The fruit flies came in a relentless wave, their four muscular arms striking with terrifying speed, but the soldier ants held their ground.

Commander Ruth moved like a force of nature, her mandibles flashing as she cut down one enemy after another. Her movements were impossibly fast, each strike clean and efficient. She weaved through the battlefield with deadly grace, severing limbs, slicing through torsos, leaving behind nothing but mangled corpses.

Ari watched her in awe, adrenaline surging through his veins. "I can't believe how effortlessly she carved through these flies" he said to himself in awe. It was a stark reminder of just how powerful a true commander was. But he had no time to admire her skills. He had a mission of his own. His breath came steady, eyes sharp as he surveyed the battlefield. The quest demanded thirty kills, and he had no intention of falling short.

Lieutenant Brooks wasted no time lunging forward, his target clear the leader. Zippy hovered above the battlefield, arms folded with a smirk on his face, but the moment Brooks closed the distance, he moved. The fruit fly's reflexes were impressive, dodging the downward slash with a smooth shift of his body before countering with a vicious flurry of punches. His four arms moved so quickly that they blurred, striking Brooks' torso and sending him skidding back several paces.

The lieutenant coughed but didn't fall. Instead, he straightened, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, a slow grin creeping onto his face.

"You hit harder than most insects I've fought," he admitted. "But if you think that's enough to take me down, you're a fool."

Zippy chuckled, flexing his fingers. "I like you, old man. You're tough." His smirk widened. "Let's see how long that lasts."

Nearby, Evelyn stood frozen in fear, her breath shallow. The battlefield was unlike anything she'd ever experienced,her instincts screamed at her to run. " I'm scared, I don't know what to do, where to run. All I can do is just sit here and pray that I live" she said with fear in her eyes. One of the flies took notice. He turned toward her, his smug grin widening as he shot forward at incredible speed. " Ari, save me!! She screamed as she closed her eyes.

She barely had time to react before a blur of movement cut in front of her. Ari's mandibles sliced clean through the fly's body, severing it in two before it even realized what had happened. Blood splattered against Evelyn's face as she gasped, wide-eyed.

Ari didn't even stop to acknowledge her. His body was already moving again, instinct taking over. He weaved through the swarm, his movements precise and devastating. Every slash of his mandibles was fatal, bodies falling in his wake as he overwhelmed his enemies with sheer speed.

Rory wasn't having as much luck. He found himself locked in combat with a particularly fast fly, his every attack narrowly missing its mark. His opponent was toying with him, darting in and out, launching quick, brutal punches that sent Rory stumbling. The blows were powerful, each one making him grit his teeth in pain.

Damn it, they're fast.

The fly hovered above him, laughing. "What's wrong? Too slow?"

Before Rory could retort, a shadow blurred past him. Beatrice appeared out of nowhere, her mandibles slicing clean through the fly's head, silencing him instantly. His body dropped to the ground, lifeless.

"Letting your guard down in a fight like this?" Beatrice scoffed. "That was your biggest mistake."

Rory exhaled, shaking off the pain as he nodded. " Thanks Beatrice."

Beatrice didn't give him time to dwell on it. "Get back in formation. The workers need us."

The chaos of battle surrounded Ari as he moved with blinding speed, his instincts sharpened to a razor's edge. The moment his mandibles carved through the air, severing a fly in two, he barely had time to register his kill before another enemy attempted to escape. Its wings fluttered desperately, the translucent membranes catching the dim light as it ascended. But Ari's eyes locked onto it, his body reacting before his mind fully processed the movement. He gripped one of his mandibles with precision, muscles tensing as he hurled it like a spear.

The weapon sliced through the air with lethal accuracy, striking true. The fly's body seized mid-flight, its wings spasming before it crashed violently into the ground, motionless. The impact sent a faint tremor beneath Ari's feet, a sick confirmation of his success. His breath came in steady bursts, his mind barely acknowledging the sweat that clung to his exoskeleton.

Across the battlefield, Isla clutched her mandibles tightly, trembling. She tried to keep her stance firm, but fear was eating away at her resolve. She could hear the buzzing all around her, the frantic shouts, the brutal sounds of combat. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the flies notice her.

He shot toward her, his four arms raised to strike. She let out a terrified scream and swung wildly, her mandibles slicing through one of his limbs. The fly shrieked in agony, blood spurting from the wound.

Rory, seeing his opportunity, didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, bringing his mandibles down in a vicious arc, crushing the wounded fly with a powerful blow.

"Yes!" he gasped, his chest heaving. "I finally got one!"

Isla puffed out her cheeks. "I was the one who injured it! That should be my kill!"

Rory smirked. "We can argue about that later. Right now, we have a battle to win."

The battlefield was shifting. The initial panic had faded, and the soldier ants were cutting through the flies with ruthless precision. Commander Ruth was a whirlwind of destruction, carving her way through the enemy with terrifying ease. Ari's speed made him nearly untouchable, and Brooks fought with the resilience of a war veteran.

Zippy was beginning to realize the full scope of their strength. His confidence wavered as he watched his swarm thinning out. His forces, once so overwhelming, were being wiped out one by one.

Brooks advanced on him, his mandibles gripped tight in his hand. Zippy gritted his teeth and launched another flurry of punches, but Brooks didn't even flinch. He took every single blow head-on, barely moving an inch.

"How?" Zippy panted. "How are you not phased by my strength?"

Brooks smirked. "Because mine is greater."

Before Zippy could react, Brooks surged forward, closing the distance in an instant. His mandibles slashed through the air, striking Zippy across the chest with incredible force. The impact sent the fruit fly tumbling across the ground, his body crashing into the dirt. He groaned, gasping for breath.

Damn it… he's too strong.

His vision swam as he forced himself up, his wings twitching weakly. His gaze darted around the battlefield, searching for his comrades—but most of them were already dead. The realization sent a cold wave of fear through him.

These ants… they weren't normal.

These three in particular—Ruth, Brooks, and Ari—they were monsters.

Brooks took a step toward him, slow and deliberate. A fly rushed at him in desperation, but Brooks caught him by the throat and snapped his neck with a casual flick of his wrist.

Zippy's breath hitched.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. Ari was gone.

Where the hell did he go?

Panic surged through him, his antennae twitching frantically. Then, in a blur of movement, Ari appeared behind him. His mandibles gleamed as they sliced downward in a deadly arc.

Zippy barely reacted in time. He twisted his body at the last second, the attack missing his neck by a hair's breadth. Instead, a deep gash split across his back, pain flaring through his body.

Gasping, he shot into the sky, wings flaring desperately. Zippy staggered in the air, his wings buzzing unevenly as pain flared through his body. His vision blurred, his breath ragged. He clutched at the deep gash Ari had left on his back, his fingers trembling as he tried to process what had just happened.

"Goddammit… he's too strong," he hissed under his breath, spitting out a glob of thick, coppery blood. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the absurdity before him. "Don't tell me… he's a high-ranked soldier?"

Panic twisted in his gut. That would explain everything—the raw speed, the overwhelming strength, the way Ari cut down his soldiers like they were nothing. But if that was true, then the real question was…

"Why the hell would they send those three powerful ants on a simple food expedition? They're just collecting food!"

His breath hitched. No—this wasn't normal. Something was off. The enemy wasn't just a bunch of scouts and workers gathering resources. This was a coordinated force, and Ari wasn't just some random soldier.

He clutched his bleeding wound, looking down at the battlefield, at the corpses of his swarm, at the monsters standing amidst the carnage."Monsters…" Zippy thought bitterly. "I ran into goddamn monsters."

If they stayed, they would all die.

He grit his teeth, swallowing his pride. "Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"

The remaining flies wasted no time obeying. They turned tail and fled, their wings carrying them away from the blood-soaked battlefield.

Ari watched them go, breathing heavily.

The battle was over.

They had won.