The Zespzap Queen lunged forward, her claws extended and drills spinning. Her swarm charged behind her in a full frenzy.

  I raised my arm.

  From my ribbon appendages, flame burst outward in a narrow line, then split, spreading like live wire. [Flame Ribbons] surged around the swarm, looping and wrapping with controlled force. One by one, the Zespzap monsters froze mid-flight, locked in a suspended dance of containment. Their wings beat in place, but their limbs could no longer move.

  The Queen screeched, spinning wildly in place, but the ribbons didn't burn her. They tightened just enough to restrain. Sparks crackled across her golden armor as she struggled.

  I floated forward, gaze steady.

  "You are not injured," I said plainly. "Nor are your kin. I'm not here to destroy you. I gave my warning. This is your chance to listen."

  The Queen's antennae twitched. Her stinger twitched behind her back, but the heat of the flames made her hesitate.

  "You wield unnatural force for such a small thing," she hissed, her voice crackling through clenched mandibles. Her tone was different now. Less threatening. More confused. Maybe even afraid.

  "You can call it unnatural. Or you can see it for what it is. A limit to remind you where this forest ends and your conquest doesn't begin."

  She stared at the flames encircling her swarm. Dozens of her warriors writhed inside them, helpless but alive. Her wings buzzed weakly.

  "Then what do you want, KiAera of the Chimera Crew?"

  I folded my arms.

  "Simple. Peace. Leave. Regroup. If your goal is destruction, we will fight again. But if your hive seeks refuge or survival, we can find another way."

  "I refuse! My Hive will not abandon its purpose. Not for anyone."

  The queen strained against the ribbons. A spark of lightning flashed from her drills. They spun faster and faster, cutting through the air. She lunged forward, straining, forcing her way through the ribbons despite the heat searing her limbs.

  I sighed.

  "I'm sorry, then. Truly."

  I moved faster than a blink, zooming headfirst at the Queen. Several of her Royal Guards broke free from their restraints. Five had. But despite them gaining on me before I could reach her because of their own ridiculous speed. I struck them with my ribbons and extended ears—activating the newfound skills [Ribbon Strike] and [Ear Strike].

  Each hit slammed into their exoskeleton with tremendous force. I knocked them out of the air in an instant. Their bodies tumbled downward and crashed into the forest below, leaving a crater behind them.

  When I reached the Queen, I stopped. The heat of my flames pressed close against her body. They singed her wings but didn't burn.

  "This is your last warning."

  The Zespzap Queen growled and struck out with her stingers. She fought greater than her warriors as expected. Her speed and finesse were superb. Like fighting against a well trained opponent using a rapier. The same amount of skill had been applied with the stabbing drills and the acrobatic slashes she made with both her claws and wings.

  Her strikes were fast, but to me, they moved like ripples in water. Easy to read. Easy to parry.

  I countered her strikes with my tail and ribbons. Then when she attempted to thrust her drills at me, I grabbed them—all dozen of them—and pulled her closer to me. I raised my hand and let her feel the power of my flames.

  The Queen recoiled, screeching as the heat seared her armor. I struck her with swipe. My paw small, but the strengthbehind it felt like a battering ram.

  It sent her flying away. Her body crashed through several trees before slamming into a cliffside. The stone crumbled under the impact. The Queen's wings were limp at her sides, and her drills lay scattered on the ground.

  I drifted over to her and landed on my feet. She tried to raise herself up, but I pushed her back down with my foot. I sat on her chest and held her stunned gaze of hatred.

  "My patience wears thin," I said. "Yield."

  The queen snarled, struggling against my weight. "Never! You will fall! My Great Generals of my left and right flank draws near your camp! All who stand against us will perish!"

  I lidded my eyes and my ears lowered. "I see."

  I stood up and grabbed her by the neck, then pulled her up with me. She struggled in my grip. Her wings beat wildly, but the wind did nothing. I was unmoved.

  I flew upward, carrying her with me. We soared through the forest, rising higher and higher until the canopy was a carpet of green below. Then I zoomed far to the left with the Queen in toll. The Queen screeched as I flew at a breakneck speed toward the trees, crashing through branches and leaves, then smacking into the earth with a bone-crunching thud.

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  I blurred toward the Left General before he even sensed me. My ribbon shot out, snatching his torso mid-turn. And I carried him around along with his Queen as I made my way toward the right sector of the UvoSath forest.

  When I reached the Great General of the right flank, I smashed the two Generals together. The sound of their collision echoed throughout the forest.

  I gave chase. Then decided to hurl the Zespzap Queen at her subordinates.

  The queen slammed into them with a resounding clang, then bounced off their bodies to collide with the tree behind them. Her generals were knocked aside in opposite directions. One tumbled over a boulder. The other was blasted through a tree.

  The Queen fell to the forest floor, landing on her back. The rest of her swarm gathered around her, confused and disoriented.

  The ribbons of flame snapped into place before they could react.

  In a flash, I bound the Zespzap Queen's limbs with five searing strands. Each ribbon wrapped around her drill-tipped arms, holding her in place mid-air. Her wings buzzed violently, but she couldn't move. Her servants—at least thousands—were also caught in coils of fire, suspended or pinned to the forest floor.

  I didn't speak yet. I watched her first.

  The queen writhed against the bindings, her compound eyes darting wildly. Heat shimmered across her armored shell. The ribbons didn't burn her alive, but they left no room for resistance.

  "You—continue with this—" she hissed.

  Her tone wasn't regal anymore. It was ragged. Shaken.

  "I told you to leave. I meant what I said."

  She thrashed once more, then stopped. The swarm buzzed with uncertainty.

  "You're not here to destroy us?"

  "No. Unless you force us to."

  I hovered closer, slowly. My hand remained raised, ribbons held taut. I made no move to tighten them.

  "You and your swarm will not be harmed further if you seek peace. That's not a threat. That's a promise."

  The queen didn't speak. Her wings trembled but didn't buzz. Her soldiers stayed frozen, held in flame, silent.

  Then, the air cracked.

  A sonic boom shattered the stillness. It wasn't from the sky. It was from a body—blazing fast and furious—that broke into the area like a flash bomb.

  Nex.

  He appeared at the edge of a cliff, wings flared, eyes glowing with pressure, fury, and disbelief. The wind from his arrival blew dust and smoke off the floor. His claws dug into the stone.

  "You've got to be kidding me."

  I turned to face him. Calm. Still holding the flames steady.

  "Nex let's not—"

  "You handled it?" His voice was sharp. Bitter. "This? You stopped this swarm?"

  His eyes moved from the bound queen, to the scorched ribbons, to me.

  "I spent days tracking them. Fighting them. They tore through three sectors before I even caught their trail. And you—you just show up and end it in minutes?"

  "They were going to overextend," I said. "They were loud. It wasn't hard to find them."

  He looked like I slapped him.

  "Don't downplay it."

  "I'm not."

  "Yes, you are."

  He stepped forward, voice rising.

  "Do you know how many injuries I took trying to corner them? I've been tearing through their scouts, their sentries, running blind while they kept slipping through cracks in the forest. And you just walk in, make your little speech, and suddenly 'Queen Buzzcup' is tied up like a caterpillar in silk?"

  "Such insolence!"

  The Zespzap Queen growled behind me. I didn't flinch.

  "Nex, calm down."

  "Don't tell me to calm down," he snapped. "You weren't here."

  "I'm hear now."

  We stared at each other.

  Nex's wings beat once, lightly. He exhaled, hard. Still furious. Still struggling to let it go.

  "You always do this. Show up at the last second and make me look like a fool."

  "That was never my intention."

  "Doesn't matter what your intention was. It's what happened."

  He turned away for a second, pacing. Then glanced at the still-bound queen.

  "Now what? You gonna let her go with a hug and a lesson on teamwork?"

  "I told her what would happen if she stayed. She has a choice. So does her swarm."

  "That's weak."

  "It's controlled."

  He snarled back in response. His gaze fell on one of the Generals. The Great one of the Right.

  "That one wounded Loa and Tilz!"

  The wind hadn't even settled from Nex's exit into the sky when it ripped again.

  A sharper sonic wave exploded through the treeline. I turned just in time to see him return—not flying this time, but cutting through the air with speed alone. His wings stayed tucked. His talons pointed forward. And in a flash of motion, he swung his arm wide.

  A crescent-slash of sound burst from his claws.

  The arc screamed through the air, aimed directly at the Great General.

  "Nex—don't!" I shouted, too late.

  The General turned its head. Its eyes widened, and it raised one of its bladed arms to block.

  The slash struck it full on.

  Its head and limb twirled in the air, then struck the ground. Particles sprayed across the dirt. The General's body swayed, then toppled to the side. Motionless.

  Nex landed next to it, breathing heavily.

  "There. Lesson learned."

  Nex form flickered with a brilliant glow. It subsided as his variant grade went from [Rare] to [Elite]. His gaze went to the other Great General. The one still alive.

  I moved. I blurred from my spot, moving faster than any of them could blink. I reached Nex and grabbed his collar, yanking him up.

  "You idiot! What are you doing?"

  He squirmed in my grip, trying to break free. I didn't let go.

  "They were going to attack again," he said through gritted teeth. "While you were away on your fancy trip. It was me that fought them. I know what they're capable of."

  I glared.

  "So you decide to kill them while restrained?"

  "Why not? Weren't you doing it yourself?"

  "No! You weren't listening!"

  "I'm listening now! Let go!"

  He twisted around and raked at me with his claws. The strike brushed harmlessly against my face, then I grabbed him by the scruff. He screamed a [Sonic Screech] point blank at my face. I clamped his mouth shut. My ears rang from the pressure, but the blow itself had not hurt.

  "Stop it, Nex. This isn't a fight anymore."

  "If it was, you would have lost!" he said with muffled fury. "Again! And again! Because you always show up too late to do anything useful!"

  "I was doing what you couldn't!" I roared back. "It's important as to how we end this. The way we win matters!"

  His eyes blazed with anger and pain. The same emotions I felt inside myself. But we couldn't fight now. Not like this. Not against each other!

  "Listen to me," I said firmly. "They're not alone. We're fighting against two fronts."

  Nex's body relaxed. The heat left his eyes, replaced by confusion.

  I turned to address the Zespzap Queen. "That's right. The one you're collaborating with. Fluzzerscreech. Queen of the Recon Flies."

  She just stared at me, doing her best to hide her astonishment on her face.

  In the far distance, the violet collision of a summoned crystal wall and a vicious chain of yellow lightning exploded into view. The impact rippled through the trees, shaking the ground beneath us. The blast had come from the central sector of the forest.

  The Zespzap Queen twisted in her bindings and cried out.

  "She's already breached your crystal perimeter!"

  I turned to face her again, calm and certain.

  "Sure. But your Central General will fall before then. I trust in Oath."