chapter 48

Minutes after aiding the fleeing Ravena, Ataparag instructed them to head east to meet the incoming reinforcements from Galica. He also shared intelligence about the locations of the monsters attacking smaller villages and tribes. He learned that the enemy had split into multiple groups to assault various settlements across the province.

"So, they're planning to overrun every town here?" Ataparag muttered, his jaw tightening.

As he prepared to leave, an elderly Ravena grabbed his arm, urging caution. "Wait, General! I saw how fiercely you fought, but you can't go alone. It's too dangerous."

The elder warned that, according to reports from their messenger birds, over fifty thousand monsters roamed the mountains. Ataparag knew the odds were daunting, but the sheer number stunned him.

"I can't summon enough insects to handle that many," she whispered to himself. "And my body's energy is limited right now."

Despite her apprehension, he realized that if she didn't act quickly, the monsters would take their captives beyond the kingdom's borders, making rescue nearly impossible. "Thank you," she told the elder, "but you said they've taken many hostages. I have to save them, no matter what."

With a reassuring smile, he bowed to the Ravena elders, entrusting them with leading their people to safety. After her farewell, Ataparag wasted no time, sprinting away from the village.

She relied on his crimson item to travel at breakneck speed, pausing briefly to conserve energy. "I need to preserve my strength," she murmured. "I don't know how powerful these enemies are."

"I wouldn't have trouble if they're as weak as that Prime Hube I fought earlier," she thought, "but I can't get complacent, especially since my body isn't at its strongest."

She glanced at his hands, then raised them to cover her eyes, reflecting on her crimson eye's limitations. It allowed him to swap positions with an object, but only every five seconds, up to five times in three minutes. While invaluable in combat, her body's limited energy restricted its use.

"It'd be easier with Toto and Nyabu to buy me time," she sighed, "but they can't keep up with my speed."

After several minutes of travel, Ataparag reached the edge of a small town. As expected, monsters had surrounded it, capturing its residents. "This won't be easy," she muttered.

She observed hundreds of hostages loaded into caged vehicles pulled by massive beasts. Creeping closer, she assessed the situation. Over five hundred monsters swarmed the area, but their leader was nowhere in sight.

"They're likely inside a building," she thought. "Strange, though—I don't sense a strong presence."

Ataparag expected to feel the leader's aura, as Hubes typically projected their power to intimidate enemies. "Maybe they're being cautious, or they're not that strong," she mused.

Hube society, like that of Demon Beasts, valued strength and influence, with the most powerful claiming leadership. As she strategized, insects emerged from her coat, spreading silently across the area.

"There are too many," she whispered. "It'll take at least half an hour to summon enough insects to match their numbers."

Her insects began latching onto the monsters, but she hesitated. Some were too close to the hostages, and an explosion could harm them. While confidents he could kill the monsters with her explosives, it wasn't an effective way to save the captives.

"I can't attack from the shadows," she thought, "but if I reveal myself, they'll overwhelm me."

Ataparag sighed, rubbing her cheek in frustration. She was used to fighting alongside allies who handled distractions while she finished enemies. Lost in thought, she didn't notice a monster approaching from behind.

In an instant, its massive hand seized her head. Caught off guard, Ataparag froze. "Impossible! How didn't I sense it?" he whispered.

Before she could react, the monster crushed her skull, blood and flesh splattering as his body crumpled to the ground.

"Huh?" the monster grunted.

This crystalline-bodied creature, marked with the Black Scorpion emblem on its chest, was Dia, known as Diamond Head—one of the Black Scorpion's lieutenants. Examining the body, Dia realized it was one of his own monsters, not Ataparag.

Then he noticed something on his arm—a small insect growing larger, pulsing with energy. Glancing up, he saw Ataparag standing atop a cage, hands raised, pointing at him.

With a snap of Ataparag's fingers, the insect exploded, shaking the ground with a deafening blast. "Her presence is overwhelming! How didn't I sense her planting that insect?" Dia growled.

"An intriguing ability," Dia said. "You drain your enemy's energy and turn it into explosives."

He unleashed an aura, dispersing the smoke from the blast. To Ataparag's shock, Dia's arm remained unscathed despite the explosion's intensity.

"I smell human and Demon Beast blood in you," Dia said, "yet your presence rivals a Prime Hube."

Ataparag raised her hands again, and four insects on Dia's back and thighs grew rapidly. With another snap, she detonated them. The explosion sent debris flying, alerting every monster in the area.

As the smoke cleared, Ataparag stayed vigilant, waiting. Dia unleashed another powerful aura, dispelling the haze. "Impossible," Ataparag gasped.

Dia stood in the crater, unharmed, not even scratched. "If that's all you've got, you should surrender," he taunted. "I don't waste time fighting weaklings."

As Ataparag faced Dia, another monster appeared behind her, its razor-sharp claws poised at her throat. In a flash, it pierced her neck, its hand tearing through her throat.

This monster, with blade-like claws, was Luca, another elite lieutenant of the Black Scorpion. "I didn't expect you to dodge my attack," Luca sneered, flicking the blood from his claws as the body of a monster—not Ataparag—fell.

Turning, Luca saw Ataparag standing three meters away. "You escaped my attack so quickly," he said. "I suspect you have an ability to swap positions with objects, like you just did."

Ataparag raised her hands, and an insect on Luca's body grew larger. He noticed but smirked, confident he could withstand the explosion. As Ataparag snapped her fingers to detonate it, Luca vanished like a popped bubble.

"What? My insects disappeared!" Ataparag whispered, stunned.

"Surprised?" Luca reappeared. "Did you think you were the only one with a crimson eye?"

Green marks glowed in Luca's eyes, signaling his own crimson eye. "My ability sends objects to another dimension, rendering your explosives useless," he said.

As he spoke, a surge of mud engulfed Ataparag, wrapping around her body. She tried to evade, but it matched her movements, encasing her. "No! This can't be!" she gasped.

She attempted to detonate the mud, but it reformed, binding her again. "You can try all day, but you'll never escape my mud," Luca said.

A lion-like Hube approached, radiating an overwhelming presence. This was Leo, the Black Scorpion's leader. Ataparag sensed his power and knew he was the group's commander. "His presence is immense," she thought. "He's definitely their leader."

She summoned four more insects to drain her energy and detonated them, shattering the mud and leaping free. But the scattered mud reformed, pursuing and binding her again.

"What are these things? They move like they're alive!" she exclaimed.

No matter how many times she destroyed the mud, it regenerated, restraining her. "I told you, no one escapes my mud," Leo said. "Stop wasting your strength and surrender."

"It's high-tier mud magic," Ataparag realized.

The mud fully enveloped her, forming a massive sphere. "Mud Crash!" Leo declared, clenching his right hand as if crushing something. The sphere tightened, compressing Ataparag inside.

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