Smoke billowed from the explosions. Ben, now close enough to see the carnage , narrowed his eyes. His stronghold—were almost destroyed.
The gate was gone. The walls had crumbled, massive chunks of stone and chitin scattered across the ground. Parts of the second floor had collapsed, torn apart from the blasts. The ground was scarred with deep craters, remnants of the traps he had set. And amidst the destruction—the fight still raged on.
Ben didn't slow. He pushed forward, his armor expanding, chitin plating over his arms as his pickaxe materialized in his grip. But before he could throw himself into the fray—
He slammed into the ground like a meteor, the impact sending a shockwave outward. The nearest Ravagers stumbled, thrown off balance— Ben didn't waste the opportunity. He swung. His pickaxe carved through the first Ravager's skull like wet clay, the beast collapsing before it even registered death.
A Ravager leap forward—claws flashing. Ben moved, slamming his elbow into its head, sending it reeling—then crushed its skull with a downward strike.
The Krell that followed him landed moments later. They tore into the Ravagers without hesitation. One Krell Soldier grabbed a Ravager mid-charge, lifting it with two arms while its lower pair ripped the beast's belly open, spilling its insides onto the battlefield.
Another clashed head-on, deflecting a strike with its shield before countering with a brutal uppercut—mandibles snapping shut on the Ravager's throat. But there were still too many.
Ben didn't hesitate. He pulled up his creature creation interface— "Ten more Krell Soldiers. Twenty Krell Scouts. Arm them—swords, shields, bows."
The mana drained from his reserves, and instantly—black mist erupted across the battlefield. More Krell emerged, summoned straight into the fight. They charged forward, their blades flashing, their roars mixing with the chaos. Ben grinned darkly. "Now we're talking."
The battlefield was chaos—fire, blood, and bodies clashing in a relentless storm. But Ben didn't just fight. He controlled their movement. His mind split between combat and command, his orders firing through the hive mind as fast as his blade cut through flesh.
"Krell Soldiers, hold the line! Use your shields—break their charges." The armored Krell dug in, shields raised, forming a wall of chitin and steel.
The next wave of Ravagers crashed into them, the impact shaking the ground. Claws tore at armor, fangs snapped inches from throats, but the Krell stood firm, refusing to break. The first Ravager that overcommitted was impaled immediately, skewered by a Krell's spear and tossed aside like trash.
"Scouts—go to the wall and start shooting!" Up on the ruined stronghold walls, Krell Scouts adjusted instantly.
They fired pinpoint shots, arrows slicing through eyes, joints, weak spots, stopping Ravagers from scaling the rubble. Ben's eyes flickered across the battlefield.
The Ravagers weren't just mindlessly charging anymore. Their movements had changed. No more reckless swarming. They were shifting—tightening their ranks. Ben's jaw tightened. 'I knew it, the Alpha is here.'
A group of Ravagers peeled away from the main battle, cutting through the chaos, swinging wide to circle behind the Krell's defensive line.
Ben's gaze snapped toward the source. There—just beyond the ruined walls, standing still, watching. A Ravager, larger than the rest. Thicker armor plating, scars crisscrossing its hide from countless battles. Its glowing spines pulsed in measured intervals.
Ben's grin sharpened. 'Is this different alpha?' He still not sure, but he know now is not the time to hesitate. "Shift formation! Close the gap! Soldiers, shields up! Hold the frontline!"
The Krell army moved instantly, reacting as one. The soldiers locked shields, their reinforced carapaces pressing together, creating an unbreakable barrier.
Behind them, the scouts repositioned, forming staggered ranks to fire through the gaps, turning the Ravagers' own coordination against them. The Ravagers charged in unison, claws tearing through the dirt, eyes glowing with the thrill of the hunt.
Fangs met steel. Claws met shields. The Krell held the line, their spears stabbing forward in practiced precision, skewering the first wave before they could break through.
The shift in battle drew the Ravagers' attention, forcing them to adjust. And in that brief moment of distraction— Ben moved. Straight for the massive Ravager. "There you are."He gripped his weapon tighter, chitin armor shifting across his body.
Ben pushed forward, his body moving like a blur through the battlefield. Every Ravager in his path fell—one after another.
A Ravager jumped from the side He ducked, twisted His pickaxe cleaved upward, splitting its skull clean in half. Another charged head-on, jaws stretching wide to rip him apart Ben vaulted over it, flipping mid-air, driving his blade straight into its spine.
Then he was there. Face-to-face with the so-called Alpha. The beast was massive—easily twice the size of the others, plated in thick, obsidian-like armor. Its glowing spines flared bright, flickering in controlled pulses.
Ben grinned, dark and sharp.
The Alpha moved first. It wasn't reckless. It shifted low, circling, its claws scraping against the ground, testing him.
Then—a flash of movement. It shot forward at high speed Ben reacted instantly. His pickaxe met its strike head-on, sparks flying. The impact rattled his bones, the force behind it immense.
But Ben didn't break. Instead, he used the momentum—twisting, driving his knee straight into the beast's jaw. The Alpha staggered back Ben followed through. He slammed his weapon downward.
The impact cracked the beast's armored plating. The Ravager shrieked, its body trembling from the blow—but it wasn't done. It recovered fast. With a fluid motion, it twisted, tail whipping around like a serrated blade.
Ben barely dodged, feeling the air split just inches from his face. Ben darted forward, faking left, then pivoting right. The Ravager took the bait. And that was its mistake. His arm twisted, flesh warping, chitin snapping open— A massive, maw formed where his hand had been, rows of sharp teeth spiraling deep into its abyssal throat. "Consume!"
The monstrous mouth shot forward, clamping down on the Ravager's entire torso. The beast shrieked, thrashing violently, claws tearing at the ground as it fought against the pull. Its glowing spines flared wildly, its entire body spasming as it resisted—And that gave Ben his opening.