LILY'S LAST BREATH

The battlefield was a ruin of shattered stone, cracked pillars, and broken dreams. Dust swirled around the jagged remains of the chamber where three ant warriors faced off against one of Hopper's most feared Generals—Gianna. Despite being outnumbered, Gianna stood tall, her emerald eyes glowing with predatory confidence. Her four jagged mandibles gleamed like polished blades, twitching with anticipation.

Lily stood between her companions, chest heaving, her antennae twitching as she tried to measure Gianna's movements. Beside her, Beatrice gritted her teeth, already bruised and bleeding, while Isla trembled ever so slightly, clutching her own blade in a death grip.

"You three ants think you can take me down?" Gianna sneered, her voice sharp like the edge of her weapons. "You're not warriors. You're corpses who just haven't accepted it yet."

With a blur, she lunged.

Her first strike was a sweeping arc of her right mandible. Beatrice parried, but the force flung her back, crashing into a wall. Before she could recover, Gianna was on her, hammering her with a brutal combination of slashes. Her mandibles were merciless—precision mixed with raw savagery. Beatrice let out a grunt, managing to block one strike before the next slammed into her gut.

"Beatrice!" Isla screamed, taking a shaky step forward.

Beatrice's body collapsed, blood splattering across the rubble as she fell unconscious.

"B-Beatrice…?" Isla's voice wavered as she looked at her fallen friend. Fear welled up like poison in her chest.

Gianna turned toward her next prey.

Isla's legs buckled. Every instinct screamed at her to run. But she didn't. She forced herself to stand. "I-I won't let you hurt her anymore!"

Gianna raised a brow, then grinned wickedly. "How brave. But bravery doesn't mean anything when you're weak."

Gianna lunged, her mandibles cutting through the air. Isla flinched and twisted, narrowly dodging a fatal strike. The second swipe grazed her arm, but she held her footing. Her sword trembled in her grip, but she swung wildly, desperation fueling her.

Her blade met flesh—Gianna hissed as a thin cut traced across her cheek.

"You… actually cut me." Gianna's voice lost its humor, turning to venom. "I'll carve you into ribbons!"

She brought all four mandibles down in a cyclone of slashes, Isla frozen in terror. Her legs refused to move. This was it. She closed her eyes, bracing for the end—

CLANG!

A sharp metallic sound echoed. Isla opened her eyes slowly.

Lily stood in front of her, her own mandibles locked against Gianna's in a brutal clash. Her feet dug into the stone, straining to hold her ground.

"You can open your eyes now, Isla," Lily said, her voice quivering from the pressure. "I'm here."

"L-Lily…"

A shaky chuckle escaped Lily. "You still scream like a baby ant when you're scared."

"I-I was so afraid…"

"I know." Lily's voice softened for a heartbeat. "But now you need to check on Beatrice. I'll take it from here."

"Are you sure? She'll kill you!"

"She might," Lily said, still locked against Gianna's relentless pressure. "But at least I'm not afraid of her anymore. Go."

Isla hesitated, then nodded and rushed to Beatrice's side.

Gianna shoved Lily back with a grunt. "You've made a foolish decision, ant. Facing me alone? What are you thinking?"

Lily didn't answer. She just smiled.

That smile irritated Gianna more than any insult. "You arrogant little pest!"

With a roar, she attacked. Her four mandibles sliced the air in rapid succession—slashes, thrusts, feints. A whirlwind of death.

Lily could only defend. She ducked, twisted, blocked. Every movement cost her. Sparks flew as her mandibles collided with Gianna's. Her limbs screamed in protest, bruises blooming under her chitin.

One brutal strike caught Lily in the side, and she was launched into the rubble. Dust clouded the air as she crashed through a broken column, groaning.

At the top of the chamber, Isla held Beatrice's hand. "Beatrice? Please wake up…"

Beatrice's eyes fluttered open. She winced. "Still breathing. So that means… we lost?"

"No. Lily's still fighting."

Beatrice coughed. "That crazy ant is only going to get herself killed…"

She tried to push herself up from the floor, but Isla stopped her.

"No—you can't help her. Not in your condition," Isla said firmly.

Below, Lily dragged herself to her feet. Blood dripped from her mouth. Her legs trembled. But she didn't fall.

Gianna laughed as she approached. "You can barely stand."

"Maybe," Lily said, wiping her mouth. "But you're the one who can't finish off a lowly Corporal."

Gianna's eyes narrowed.

"And to make it worse… I wasn't even born for war. I was a worker ant."

Gianna's face twisted with fury. "You dare mock me?!"

Lily gave her a bloodied grin. "A General beaten back by a worker? What would Hopper say? He'd be disappointed in you."

Gianna roared and lunged, all four mandibles coming down in a cross pattern aimed to slice Lily into pieces.

At the last second, Lily smirked.

She sidestepped.

The mandibles slammed into the earth—there was a shockwave. The ground where Lily once stood exploded in dust and rubble.

Gianna pulled—but nothing moved. She looked down.

"What the—?!"

Her mandibles were stuck. A thick, gooey substance clung to the stone and the tips of her weapons.

She struggled harder—only to realize her arms were attached to the mandibles as well. "W-What is this?! I can't move!"

Lily stood above her, breathing hard. "We found this material deep underground—rare rocks that release a resin when broken. It hardens with pressure. We usually use it to bind up prisoners."

Gianna snarled, still thrashing. "You… you planned this?"

"I can't take credit for it," Lily said with a tired smile. "It was an idea from someone I admire. He found a better use for them in combat."

She stared at the goo-covered crater, then softly, "Thanks, Ari. You saved me."

She stepped up to the immobilized Gianna. "Now… I can finally avenge my parents."

Gianna's eyes widened. "No—wait—!"

With a cry, Lily raised her mandibles and plunged them into Gianna's chest.

The General screamed, her body convulsing. Blood poured out in waves, dark and thick. Her legs buckled beneath her as she was pinned down.

Gianna's vision blurred. "How… how did I lose… to a pathetic insect…"

As the light faded from her eyes, her mind flashed to a memory—Hopper, laughing, their hands clasped. He had believed in her once. And now she had failed him.

She collapsed with a dull thud.

Lily dropped beside her, tears spilling down her cheeks. Pain surged through her whole body, but she didn't care. "I did it… I really did it… Mom… Dad… You can rest now."

For a while, there was only silence.

Up above, Isla clutched Beatrice, worry etching her face. "It's been too long…"

Suddenly, Beatrice groaned. "Ugh… I feel like I got kicked by a rhino beetle."

"Beatrice! You're okay!" Isla helped her sit up.

"Barely." She coughed. "What about… Lily?"

Isla looked toward the crater. "She hasn't come up yet…"

Then—movement. A figure climbed out of the crater. Lily. Bruised, bloodied, barely standing—but smiling.

"She did it…" Isla whispered, eyes wide with awe.

Beatrice managed a weak grin. "I would expect no less from her. Even knowing she might die… she didn't give up. And by some miracle, she won."

"She really defeated one of Hopper's General…"

Lily staggered toward them. "Hey, guys…"

She raised her arms weakly in triumph. "I won against Gianna—!"

She took one step forward—and something flickered in the corner of her eye, too fast to react to—

Suddenly, a sharp, wet crunch.

A mandible erupted from her back, piercing straight through her chest.

Time froze.

"LILY!!" Isla screamed.

Lily gasped, blood gurgling at her lips. Her eyes widened, then dimmed as the light slowly faded from them. Her body went limp.

Behind her stood another figure—cloaked in darkness. A shadowy silhouette, mandible dripping crimson.

Lily collapsed into the dust, eyes open but lifeless.

"No… no, no, no…" Isla whispered.

Beatrice's voice broke. "Lily…"

The sky above the ruined chamber seemed to mourn with them as the dust finally settled.

The silence did not last. Beyond her fallen form, the war raged on.