The patch of sterile ground stretched for two hundred kilometres and was approximately a hundred kilometres wide. The fleet didn't receive any additional orders from Avalon so it continued its travel north. Soon, they left the area behind and returned to the forested landscape. At first, Edward was worried that the sailors would become nervous because of the statues but, to his surprise they mostly ignored them. After some thought though, he realised that most people were strangely practical about that particular problem. The statues didn't try to kill them and they, most certainly, weren't a threat so they were a curiosity at best. Those who didn't ignore the statues weren't scared by them either but rather intrigued and created the most outlandish theories about their origins. That wasn't a problem either because they did it in their free time so Blackbeard wouldn't complain. However, the moment the fleet returned to the green carpet of the Ancient Forest, everyone focused solely on their tasks.

  The fleet was traversing at the nominal speed of the dreadnoughts. While, in theory, they could achieve thirty-three knots, they had only travelled a thousand kilometres due to the multiple stops throughout their voyage. A few times, they encountered structures that looked like crumbling ruins of an ancient city or a typical fairy ring of mushrooms, so they sent the survey teams to learn anything new or interesting. Their efforts weren't rewarded with any spectacular discovery or finding but they managed to pick up some new information so, at least, it was something. Nonetheless, they were close to crossing to the other side of the Ancient Forest. Their flight was as boring as anyone could desire during a transit over enemy territory. However, while that alone was some kind of achievement, it was less than optimal. Blackbeard sat on the command throne with a seemingly relaxed expression and drank coffee. He could probably fool a recruit but the experienced officers knew that he was nervous. The number of illusion screens floating near Rear Admiral Edward Teach was almost staggering.

  "Contact, contact, contact! Bearing sixteen degrees, a stationary target, approximately one kilometre away. Possible code purple! I repeat, possible code purple!"

  Blackbeard immediately tapped one of the screens and straightened. "All fleet! Execute written orders, now!"

  Knowing that Vestargo would rather kill people rather than allow them to fall into Arcadian hands, the Navy added Code Purple to the list of combat alerts. It meant that one of the ships detected something that resembled a slave camp. In that case, they had very little time to save anyone. However, Blackbeard was prepared. One of the screens that floated near him contained a draft of an order he prepared just in that case. The five destroyers that were closest to the target changed course to intercept at their emergency speed. Meanwhile, the remaining fleet deployed their gunships and assault crafts. The extremely fast and nimble ships darted towards the target in hopes of saving just a few people while the rest of the fleet split into a complex formation made of three smaller sub-formations. The two largest sub-formations flanked the target from opposing sides and were each led by a dreadnought and the third one contained both frigates.

  "I confirm the Code Purple! CB-90s are on the ground and we are beginning the mop-up operation!" Someone reported through the coms. "Our Marines found minimal resistance."

  Only after they received the report did the Rear Admiral realise that there was complete silence on his bridge. The fleet needed a moment to reach the target but it wasn't about speed but rather about stopping the ships where they were needed the most. The mass of armour and guns that made up the Arcadian warships weren't very keen on stopping just like that. Even the magic had its limits. They needed to slow first which took time. Time the people enslaved by Vestargo didn't have. But gunships and assault crafts didn't have that problem. So, while the rest of the fleet decelerated, five destroyers zoomed over the slave camp, magic bullets blazing from all their guns while only beginning to turn around after passing by. The smaller vessels reached the camp basically unnoticed. The enemies were too focused on the bigger ships and they completely disregarded the actual attack.

  Before the remaining Vespids and a few Arachnids realised what a true threat they were, the Marines and the Mobile Infantry were already among them. The Special Forces were deployed into the middle of the slave camp and fired their new weapons with shocking effects. Azure bullets entwined in purple lightning of Arcane Bullets, similar to the bolts of Arcane Lances, tore the air and shredded their surprised targets. The Marines, armed with more traditional aegis shields and staff-swords, secured the landing zones for the assault crafts. The gunships circled above the entire area and opened fire on anything that tried to take to the sky. The completely surprised Vestargo's forces were routed without mercy. By the time the fleet stopped, the slave camp was in the Arcadian hands.

  "We have one hundred and sixty-three female slaves accounted for, sir. They are confused and strangely aggressive. We are proceeding to evacuate them." Announced the report.

  "It's within expectations." Edward said with his focus on the sensor reports before he looked away toward another screen. "We don't know what kind of lies they were fed..."

  "Multiple contacts!" The sensor officer shouted, interrupting the Admiral. "Directly below us, underground, Sir!"

  "Rhys?!" Blackbeard bellowed.

  "It's a hive, Ed! Pull out everyone, this is a job for the Special Forces!"

  O???

  Rhys looked around the lightless corridors and observed everything through the monochromatic colours on his internal display. He preferred the low-light vision mode but, so deep underground, the Special Forces could only rely on the enhanced senses of their Living Armours. Rhys heard the characteristic rattle of discharging Arcane Lances from their new magi assault rifles. It meant they had encountered some defenders but not a single squad reported problems.

  "Observation: there is a new kind of enemy." Sentinel's voice, full of emotionless curiosity, displayed a rough sketch of a new type of bug and information on where Rhys could find the closest body.

  "Do we have any estimations on how strong it is?"

  "Not yet, however, the preliminary observations made by other units that engaged it directly suggest that it is at least five times tougher than a regular Vespid or Arachnid," Sentinel answered quickly with a voice that suggested that he was amused.

  "But? You said that with a tone that is always followed by a but." Rhys took a better look at the beetle-like bug, fairly similar to the large forest Titans but, instead of being shining green, this one was matte black.

  "Indeed. The increase amounts to nothing since our new weapons pierce its defences without any issues. Usually, a single, direct hit from an Arcane Lance is enough to kill the new bug. However, the enemies we are currently fighting are not providing us with any meaningful data. So far, they are at level fifteen on average."

  "Fifteen? That's absurdly underlevelled."

  Rhys entered a small cave where one of the new types of bugs had been killed to inspect the body. The more he looked at it, the more it resembled a beetle Titan. This average human-sized bug was also disturbingly humanoid-shaped. At first glance, everything seemed in order but, the more you looked at the hideous monster, the more things were off. The most noticeable thing was that it only had four legs instead of six. Next was that their limbs were more specialised than the regular bugs. The lower limbs were crude feet or, rather, hoofs. Upper limbs had something that could only be described as a three-fingered hand. While that creature had mandibles, its face shape and, most importantly, its eyes were far too similar to any humanoid race for Rhys' comfort. The fact that it still didn't turn to dust meant it was something more than just another Vestargo minion.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "Could it be a juvenile form of the Titan?"

  "Highly unlikely, however, I don't have any facts to support my claim." Sentinel opined with reluctance. "We never managed to fully appraise Vestargo's Titans so we don't know if they are creatures or constructs. Because of that, either hypothesis is equally likely. The possibility that something like this could turn into a Titan is highly disturbing for many reasons."

  "I guess... But Vestargo must create them somehow. They are alive so I don't think they are a form of construct, Sentinel." Rhys said as he tried to break the beetle's chitinous armour. "It's much tougher than I expected..."

  "Your claim that Titan is alive and can't be a construct is not valid. Chimaeras are alive and, at least some of them, are classified as constructs. In fact, I'm classified as a construct and I'm alive. Even my race name: Living Armour, puts a great emphasis on the fact that I'm a living being."

  Rhys wanted to argue but, since it was a valid point, he gave up. Instead, he continued to look for the beetle's weak points for the future case when the Arcadian forces would need to fight higher-level ones. He had barely finished when the main forces breached the central chamber's doors.

  "Fuck..." Wes's disgusted voice cut through the silence. "It's fucking Skalga all over again."

  "It's more of those fucking combs!" Someone else complained with disbelief mixed with disgust.

  "Heavy weapons teams, cover all the tunnels. The rest of you start opening the cocoons." The Major ordered as he rushed towards the chamber. "Ed, I think we will need help."

  "I'm working on it." The short answer was immediately followed by the two explosions that covered the hive chamber in thick dust.

  "Bugs!" Hakkan yelled with a voice that echoed in the vast chamber and he opened fire with his hand-held cannon.

  His rotary gun started spewing Arcane Bullets down the corridor and, with surprise, he realised that, in fact, he could hold the corridor alone. The narrow passage was long, specifically for Vespids so they could gain speed as they flew to defend the hive. Previously, the Arcadian forces were disadvantaged by the mobility and flight ability of Vespids. The new weapons completely negated the only advantage the enemy had. Soon, Hakkan would have to reload, but Xardrad was already standing at his side with his cannon already spinning and ready to fire. Six soldiers of the Moonshadow Company were equipped with the Mobile Infantry equivalent of CIWS and while Vespids could still, technically, overwhelm the Arcadians, it didn't matter anymore. The roof simply vanished, most probably lifted by the Earth Mages, and the Marines dropped to the chamber, allowing the Special Forces soldiers to focus on the enemies.

  "How did the Emperor say it..." Blackbeard hummed through the coms. "Ah yes. I'm sending a taxi to pick you up."

  CB-90s screamed through the hole in the roof, landing in clouds of dust, making the Major grin.

  "Make sure that all the healers are ready for the patients," Rhys said grimly and fired his weapon at the Vespids who tried to use their brief moment of respite because the heavy gunner was reloading. "We might have a lot of survivors."

  The Beetles and Vespids tried to storm the chamber but they weren't that eager to die. The constant stream of Arcane Bullets and far more precise and powerful Arcane Lances kept the bugs at bay. Rhys watched in silence as the Marines opened the cells filled with addictive honey and pulled out the hallucinating women. However, his mind was occupied by a furious chain of thought. The hive they found was the biggest so far and yet its defences were atrocious. To say they were inadequate was an understatement. He suddenly felt a faint pulse of mana underground and his eyes widened.

  "Everyone! We are evacuating immediately! That's an order!" He ordered on an open channel and he grabbed the closest people and dashed towards the waiting assault craft. "Everyone back to the craft, NOW!"

  "But we haven't managed to open most of the cells, Sir!" Wes protested but he was running towards the closest CB-90 with an unconscious woman in his arms.

  "This is a trap! Something is beneath us and we don't have time to disarm that! Run for your lives!" Rhys helped more people board the CB-90, and once the craft was full to the brim, he turned towards the pilot. "Go! Go! Go!"

  The small ships were painfully slowly climbing to the sky and Rhys detected more of those strange mana pulses running deeper underground.

  "Rhys-" The Admiral started with a serious voice on the private channel. "If you are wrong you have seriously hindered the rescue operation and possibly condemned some of the women we could save to death."

  "I know that!" He shouted in anger. "But I can't risk everyone else’s lives."

  "I’m not giving you shit here but I wanted to tell you that I'm fully backing your every decision on the ground... Holy shit!"

  The floor of the hive collapsed in a pillar of dust. The Major heard a resigned sigh from the Admiral.

  "I hate him..." Blackbeard started speaking before he fell silent as the roar of something rising from the hole silenced everyone. "A Titan! All ships, fire at will!"

  Rhys, with gut-twisting certainty that the enemy was too close and couldn't miss, observed the enemy Titan raise its claws toward Dauntless. The proud flagship of the Empire was hit but its shields flared with sparks as the Titan's claw violently pushed the dreadnought aside instead of piercing his hull. The mighty warship groaned with the sound of grinding metal when some more fragile elements broke under the unexpected stress. However, it was his turn to repay the attack in kind. The main turrets were turning from the moment the Admiral gave the order to fire at will. As the battleship was slightly tilted from the blow, his main cannons opened fire from point-blank range. Twenty metres. A distance where even the air pressure from firing the massive spell was deadly and made it impossible to miss. Six enormous and overcharged Inferno Lances pierced the chest armour of the enemy Titan at the same time. It was a Ninth-tier spell and a sign that Arcadians weren't playing anymore. It cracked the Titan's carapace with the satisfying crunch and the bug roared in pain but not with the agony of death.

  The Admiral wasn't someone prone to panic and, instead of trying to get away from the behemoth, he redirected the power to his shields. Dauntless was firing all his cannons at the enemy which wasted its only chance at damaging the flagship. With any other opponent, that attack would have proven fatal, but not against one of the Arcadian dreadnoughts. With a roar of disbelief, the bug Titan grabbed a large boulder and attempted to throw it at Dauntless but Relentless opened fire, which tore away its rock-throwing limb. The dark green-red ichor sprayed the area and the following cry of pain was satisfying. The rest of the fleet soon reached the positions where they had a clear line of fire and executed the Titan. The beetle Titan's carapace cracked, and each volley of fire ripped a crater in its body. Soon, the creature was pummeled back to where it came from.

  There were no cheers on the bridge when it was confirmed that Titan was dead.

  "Status?" Blackbeard asked with a hollow voice.

  "We can't detect any life signatures from the hive, Sir." The Ensign said with a voice full of sorrow. "I recommend sending the survey team to be sure... I can go, Sir."

  "You don't have to, Ensign Ramsey. We are already there." Rhys's sad voice sounded on the bridge. "I confirm no survivors."

  "Damage report." Edward looked at another officer.

  "Only Dauntless was hit during the encounter and we only received negligible damage. We lost a few windows, more than a few dinner plates, a few unsecured things, and got a lot of minor injuries, mostly bruises, bumps, a few sprains, and one broken arm. The rest of the fleet reported no damage whatsoever."

  "We should really replace the porcelain with something less brittle, Sir." The first officer said with a voice that suggested the man was trying to lift the mood.

  "Return to the ships. We will continue north." The Admiral quietly ordered, appreciating the effort but clearly he was still angry. "Prepare a retaliation strike from Dauntless, Relentless, Hunter, and Warrior. The destroyers will monitor the impact zones for any activity."

  Alarm claxons roared with fury as red warning lights flashed near the missile launcher bays. With a clang, hatches opened and the missiles climbed in the air following the paths plotted by the weapon officers. Once the destroyers confirmed detonations, the fleet moved on. There was no retaliation in return, no sudden arrival of defenders, nor even a shred of ill will directed towards the fleet. The next morning, the strike team reached the coastline and watched the absurd sight of trees trying to grow in saltwater. No one commented despite the ridiculousness of the situation.

  "We are returning to Avalon." Edward decided dryly. "Navigation?"

  "The coordinates are set, the jump drive is ready, Sir." The officer said.

  "Fleet, we are returning home. Be prepared to return here at any time. We still have things to do here."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on my Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG