Wave (2)
It wasn't about giving them a taste of defeat just to offer salvation later. If left as they were, they wouldn't have been able to hold out against the monster wave anyway—and even if they had, the true Great Wave, the ant legion, would have wiped them all out.
To save them, Wayne had devised this plan.
"Hey! Travis, you struggling out there?"
"No way... Commander Curtis?"
"Who else is gonna come save your ass?"
Curtis and fourteen Stormtroopers joined the front lines of the fortress. The left flank was taken by the dwarves with their Steel Golems and the orcs, while the right was held by Pike and twenty Gigants that had come from Enok Fortress.
With their forces suddenly more than tripling, they began repelling the monsters with ease.
The Stormtroopers fought like absolute demons. As Curtis charged forward, he jammed his blade into the nape of an oncoming C-rank monster's neck and shouted,
"From now on, we're betting on who kills more! I've got one!"
At that moment, Nancy surged ahead, stabbing the neck, chest, and flank of a B-rank monster resembling a hyena—a crocuta—in rapid succession.
Screeeeech!
Thwish-thwish-thwish-thwish!
Thud!
The monster collapsed limply, and Nancy called out,
"B-ranks count as five!"
"Damn it!"
Curtis's squad of six Gigants charged the monsters first, and not to be outdone, Bastian led his squad into the fray as well.
An hour later, not a single monster was left standing.
"We stopped the monsters! We held the fortress!"
"We're alive!"
"Wooooah!"
The fortress soldiers roared in joyous cheers at having survived.
Travis bowed his head.
"Phew! Thank you, Commander Curtis."
"Save the thanks for our boss later."
"Ah! You mean Young Lord Wayne?"
"Yeah. He didn't just warn you about the monster wave—he figured you couldn't hold it and sent us out here."
"Ah! We truly owe you our gratitude. If you'd arrived even a little later, the fortress would've taken massive damage."
Travis felt genuine appreciation.
"Don't get too comfortable yet! The real monster wave hasn't even started."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"What does this wave look like to you? The real one's the ant legion. They're coming. These monsters? Just some stragglers chased down from the forest."
"This is just the chased ones?"
"Yep. Boss Wayne's still in the Great Forest, watching the ant legion's movements. They'll be here soon."
Travis was left speechless by Curtis's words. Hundreds of thousands of ants swarming in at Great Wave scale put Westline Fortress in grave danger. If Westline fell, the barren territories around it would be hit first, and even the grand territories wouldn't be safe. The Great Forest would overrun the barren lands, and rebuilding a defensive line like Westline's could take years—maybe decades.
"But there's hope. If we band together at Westline Fortress like we did ten years ago on that day, we can hold them off."
"You mean abandon Luton Fortress now?"
"Just a tactical retreat. Boss Wayne said concentrating our forces is the only way we'll have a shot."
Travis fell deep into thought. Fortress commander Count Bred had been babbling nonsense like a madman since earlier, so the decision to retreat fell to him.
"Alright. We'll rally at Westline."
"And one more thing—request a Great Forest scout from Westline's commander. They don't realize the danger heading their way yet."
"Understood."
Enok Fortress was already retreating to Westline, and Count Shuen Abes planned to request the same investigation into the Great Forest the moment he arrived, just as Wayne had instructed.
"Well! Time for us to head out again."
"Where to this time?"
"Gotta save the other fortresses too."
"Pardon?"
Over the past few days, Wayne had triggered a total of four waves. Excluding Enok Fortress, monsters had swarmed the other grand territory outposts, and in their moments of crisis, Wayne's forces and Dresden's troops had come to their aid. And those fortresses had heeded the words of their saviors, rallying to Westline Fortress.
When the fourth grand territory's forces arrived, Westline's commander, Marquis Rob Stadem, dispatched a scouting party into the Great Forest—comprised of his own aides and Gigant pilots drawn from each grand territory.
This was far from Wayne's original plan. At first, he'd intended to use his Gigants, golems, dwarves, and orcs to trigger a massive monster wave. By spreading red Odd across a path several times wider, infusing it with a predator's aura, and following with his forces from behind, the monsters would've fled eastward in panic. That could've drawn thousands into a single wave.
But there was a problem: the grand territory outposts were even more understaffed than expected. The casualties from the monsters alone could've been catastrophic before the ants even arrived.
So he'd adapted—triggering smaller waves at each outpost one by one, with his subordinates and Enok Fortress's troops providing aid. It was more hassle, but it earned their blind trust in his words and preserved their full fighting strength.
"This should do it."
With the waves concluded, Wayne soaked in the Great Forest river, restoring even his white Odd. Somehow, his body felt light and buoyant even underwater, as if Mririk's memories and instincts were at work.
Eleven hated the water. But spotting fish darting about, it desperately stretched one leg from the bank, trying to snag some. Wayne couldn't help but laugh at the sight and kicked Eleven square in the rear.
Whack!
Splash!
"Kyaaang!"
Eleven flailed wildly onto the bank, shook itself off vigorously, and glared at Wayne.
"What? Wanna taste electricity again?"
As Eleven turned away in a huff, its fur suddenly bristled.
"Grrr!"
"I know! Fall back for now!"
Wayne hurriedly climbed into Predator and peered at the approaching ants from behind a tree.
Hundreds of ants swarmed to the riverbank.
'Already this far down!'
This river was just 20 km from the eastern edge of the Great Forest. With prey monsters dwindling, the ants' territorial expansion had accelerated, and these looked like scouts dispatched by the queen ant.
Wayne glanced skyward. Thankfully, the World Tree's branches and leaves didn't connect across the river, and the current was strong—no easy way to cross.
Then the ants parted, revealing a massive one.
'That's a princess ant!'
An A-rank monster! A 15-meter body, long sturdy legs, massive antennae on its head.
The princess ant probed the bank with its antennae, then raised them high.
Whirr!
'Huh? Spreading Odd?'
Yellow Odd sprayed from the antennae in all directions. When it touched the smaller ants' antennae, it was absorbed and vanished.
Then the astonishing part: the 2-meter worker ants clustered, linking their legs together. They extended toward the river, forming a bridge one ant at a time. It grew into a 100-meter span across the water.
'Ah! That Odd's commanding the ants!'
A memory from his brief connection with the queen ant resurfaced. When the queen issued orders, her Odd went to the princess ants first. They amplified and relayed it to nearby workers, who then obeyed.
The princess ants were essentially relays for the queen's commands.
'If I absorb that princess ant's Odd, maybe I can predict the queen's orders?'
The thought hit him suddenly. And absorbing it might reveal much about the queen ant itself.
But he was alone here. Against an A-rank and hundreds of E-rank workers.
Wayne bit his lip.
'Can I take it solo?'
The ants' bridge reached the opposite bank. The princess ant crossed daintily atop it without wetting a single leg, antennae twitching.
Wayne wasted no more time. He plunged into the water.
Predator positioned itself mid-bridge. Just as the princess ant reached the center...
'Now!'
Whoosh!
Predator swung its massive flail upward in a surge. Splat!Crackle-crackle-crack! Electricity arced from the flail's tip, ants convulsing and plummeting.
"Got 'em!"
The princess ant tumbled down. One more shock in the water, then a flail massage, and it might drop easily.
But!
Whirr! Whirrr!
Just before hitting the water, it unfurled hidden wings and soared airborne.
Wayne felt the full sting of that proverb about the dog chasing a chicken only to stare at the roof.
"Kraaaang!"
Whoosh! Thud!
"Huh?"
In that instant, Eleven—having somehow climbed a tree—leapt onto the princess ant's back from above.
The princess ant thrashed to shake it off.
"Eleven! Go for the antennae!"
The moment Wayne shouted, Eleven dashed for the head. As it flipped, Eleven launched itself.
Thud! Crunch!
"Kweeeeeek!"
Eleven clamped onto an antenna. Though the princess ant had climbed 100 meters, Eleven's shaking and biting made it wobble, wings flapping erratically. Then it lost balance and plummeted.
Boom! Crash! Boom!
'Over there!'
Wayne raced to the crash site on the bank. The princess ant had slammed into the World Tree; Eleven lay flung 20 meters back, dazed. The monster shook its head, rising groggily.
'Perfect! I'll finish it!'
Whirr!
Thud-thud-thud!
The hulking Predator thundered forward. White Odd enveloped the flail, accelerating 24-fold through its core and pouring into the weapon.
He slammed it down at the ant's waist.
Kaboom! Crackle-crackle-crack!
"Kukekekekekek!"
The massive body and legs stiffened in spasms. Simultaneously, Eleven 20 meters away had every hair standing on end, eyes bulging like it'd been struck by lightning, trembling violently.
Wayne raised the flail again. The princess ant wasn't dead—just stunned.
He smashed its legs next. Boom! Boom! Two hits, and one pair snapped. Then another. Five seconds later, as it recovered, all six legs were shattered.
"Kuaaaak!"
But it twisted its body and head, mandibles snapping at Predator.
Wayne stepped back, catching his breath.
"Huff huff! Tough bastard!"
Then its antennae quivered again—preparing to spray yellow Odd and summon more ants.
'That's my Odd now!'
Wayne charged from behind. Predator mounted its back and brought the flail crashing down on its head.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The exoskeleton was insanely tough. Five strikes cracked it; ten pierced through.
"Die already!"
Boom! Boom! Crunch!
A dull thud, and the princess ant's brains splattered. It convulsed and slumped.
Wayne had waited for this. He popped the hatch, leapt out, and touched the antenna with his hand.
Yellow Odd flowed into him. And with it, the princess ant's memories and experiences were absorbed.