Junt returns her attention to the battle, quickly deducing what may be occurring outside.
“Everyone! On guard, a Great Bat may be outside. Be prepared to attack on sight!” declares Junt, rallying the troops as the defiants join her. They all charge outside, and Junt follows her own order splendidly. Her slash at the great bat tears off a wing, allowing the other defiants to quickly finish it. A slight slice of relief washes over her, quickly vanishing when she looks up. It wasn’t just a great bat, nor were its stragglers. Before her eyes was an army incomparable to the first group. Without losing sight of the enemy, she quietly orders a nearby general to request backup. Taking care to mask her fear, Junt releases a deafening screech before charging forth.
Ants continuously pour out of the entry tunnel as the war with bats rages on. On this corpse-ridden battlefield, blood is splattered, screams ring out, and lives are extinguished. From afar, the small scuffles and intense battles where Greats and Defiants clash all seem to blend. Guarding one of the entry tunnels stood the seventh evolved defiant Anuck. Turning her attention back to the outside after having let a group of generals drag an especially powerful Great Bat corpse inside. Anuck feels the urge to join the fight outside, but her sense of duty to guard is greater.
“We will win this battle; our numbers are far superior. The enemy has no chance to rest, while our forces keep being rotated out by her Majesty. We haven’t yet even used half our forces; there is no reason for a single digit to join in,” thinks Anuck while judging the state of battle. She surmises the battle would last until the bats tire out, leading to an ant victory. Despite the outcome being clear to Anuck, she can’t shake the feeling that they're missing something.
Deep within the ant colony, Ari is dutifully carrying out her duties. Having thrown the latest bat corpse down the tunnels, she tends to a wounded soldier.
“Why can’t I help them better… if I could then,” Ari gloomily thinks, looking over to a pile of corpses. Shaking her head, she deludes herself into thinking she is doing her best when something strange occurs. A shaking black screen with foreign yet understandable symbols appeared. Ari tries to decipher the meaning, but it vanishes when her attention goes elsewhere. Ari hears the frantic running of ants. Heavily wounded generals burst into the chamber. Ari starts heading over to treat them, but stops midway when she realises. The generals’ wounds are fresh, too fresh.
One of the generals is sent flying by something just out of sight. Stepping into the room comes a blood-soaked figure, its wings riddled with holes. This was no random bat; Ari quickly recognises its broken leg. Vivid images of when she and Elchi fought this great bat flash through her mind. “Someone help! There, there is a great,” fearfully chirps Ari before hearing a whirling sound. Zooming past come spiked tentacles which hook the great bat’s flesh. These tendrils then drag the thrashing bat across the room and down the tunnels. As the sound of breaking bones and last screeches mix, Ari and all the other ants are left bewildered.
Three days have passed since the war between bats and ants began. Despite the ants’ sheer numbers and the bats' splitting screeches, the forest has concealed the war. In this secluded place, a great bat falls to a sneak attack, while a defiant dies elsewhere. Neither side shows signs of giving up, but it appears as if the ants are slightly ahead. Proud of her prediction being correct, Anuck casually dices an intruder. Anuck feels a tap on her back, turning around to see the ninth defiant Ayu freshly arrived.
“Queen says you're free to take a break, big sis Anuck. I’ll take over guarding here, so, watcha gonna do? Go and rest up or go and join the hell outside?” chirps Ayu with a slight chuckle at Anuck’s surprised face.
“So, I’m finally relieved of this station? I’ve been itching to get out. I’d have hated it if this ended without having personally bested a great bat,” confidently declares Anuck, not only as a response but also to motivate those who hear. Ayu playfully sends her off with a slam to the abdomen while wishing Anuck good luck. Leaping onto the battlefield, Anuck joins the active defiants and begins searching the skies. She spots what appears to be a great bat hovering far away. Anuck points it out to the others, feeling as if something's wrong.
“Isn’t that one too large for the distance it's hovering at?” questions one of the defiants. The group watches as it spreads its wings and its mouth begins moving.
“Ruler of the Night, Dwelling in the Caves, On this day, Let nightmares reign; Ultimate Magic: Nightmare Bat Hurricane!” bellows the bat lord Omori, unleashing countless dark cyclones that devastate the battlefield.
“What is this…?” thinks Anuck as dark winds bite at her body. Using her impressive strength, she manages to avoid being swept up. While looking for some escape, a corpse flings into her side, knocking her off balance. Anuck endures the pain initially until her leg stings. Checking on her leg’s condition, she sees only a stump. Alert to potential danger, she looks around frantically, trying to find the culprit. The hazy form of a bat flies towards her. Anuck quickly reacts, slicing it down the centre, yet feels nothing. She felt nothing until it gnawed at her before disappearing. Faltering from the pain, she exclaims, “What the hell was that!” before thinking “, Was it an illusion? No, this pain is far too real.” Lightning falls from the sky and strikes Anuck, electrifying her body and smoking her insides.
Amidst the hurricanes swarming with shadowy bats, Anuck is left twitching. Smoke puffs from her exoskeleton as she struggles to breathe. Beginning to recover from the strike, she is once again thrown off balance by another attack. Her grip on the earth loosens, and the hurricane sweeps her away.
Whilst her body is flung wildly, she thinks, “So this is how I die… how pathetic,” while she closes her eyes. It was then that the gigantic magical attack ended, leaving Anuck to fall safely onto the ground. She opens her eyes, struggling to remain conscious. The screams of the survivors begin ringing out, and Anuck is crushed by Bat Lord Omori’s landing.

Comments (0)
See all