Chereads / The Acknowledgment - Volume One / Chapter 53 - Game Day

Chapter 53 - Game Day

 A two propeller took off from an by and , the helicopter carried the Mythics toward Kauai Island. Inside, Simón sat in his chair, looking down at his phone. The hand he held his phone with had a massive bruise on it from his math with Winter. "At that moment, I think I felt-" he trembled, thinking back to the match- "death," he thought. He sighed, leaning forward with his hand in his palm. "What's wrong with me? Have I become overly sensitive?" He thought. Leading a fleet was a of a different design from the rest. Philip with his guild is on one of the warships, "It's time to start bracing yourselves, the ants may have caught on by now-" Philip began- "They could come flyin' at any moment," he explained. "Sir, do ya reckon our strategy will work on the ants?" Elliott asks, "Only one way to find out," he replied. "Besides, our job as the defense team is to stand guard in case somethin' happens-" Philip explained, with his guild standing on the top deck of the ship- "We're in charge of killin' any ants that fly over our way and keep 'em from gettin' to the mainland," he added. "I knew I could count on you, sir!" Elliott began, "I'll follow you into battle!" He explained enthusiastically. Tommy turned to his vice guild master, "Well then, make sure you watch our backs!" He smiled. "But there's nothing to watch for! They call us the defense team, but in reality we're the standby team," she replied, "There isn't a single thing to do," she added. "All of our guild members are on deck! You could run them through some tactical drills with them," Tommy replied, "How would I do something like that? Vice guild master is only a title, you know," she responded. "Our guild was only able to grow thanks to your great management-" he began- "You not only came up with the symbol for our guild, but you were also the one who decided to expand the scope of our activities!" Tommy explained patting her head. "I'm grateful for all you've done, Eva! Because I suck at management," he laughed, "I'm not feeling great sending you out there, but make sure you get back here alive in one piece," Eva sighed.

 Tommy stepped away from his guild, "The fuck you mean Lee Lyn was deployed?! The ants might start showing up, so send him to the back! As far back as possible!" Dwight yelled into the phone, "Do you have any idea how much his ass is worth?" He asks, "The fuck you mean the troops have already been deployed?! Seriously? They can't be recalled?! Fuck!" Dwight cursed, "Then tell him to find cover and stay hidden!" He replied. "At the request of the MDA, the Mythics of each guild were deployed to the seaside of the mainland," Ultima explained, "They were stationed there as a precaution, because even if the raid is successful, there was still a possibility that the remaining ants would invade the mainland," it added. "Most strike squads were stationed to defend national territory, and each party consisted of a B-rank leader, three C-ranks, and more than 10 D-rank and E-rank Mythics," it reviewed. "Even retired Mythics joined the fight, along with those with magic that chose not to become Mythics," It continued. On the helicopter, "I'm a cameraman from the news agency that specializes in reporting about Mythics," a young man explained in light, camo armor. On his helmet was a camera attachment, "Just as my job title indicates, I film Mythics in action," he offered his hand to shake to Erik, "This raid is going to be broadcasted live nationwide!" He explained, "Oh, but don't worry about the rating, there will be a ten-minute delay before the footage goes out on air, so our editing team will be filtering thing out during that time," he adds, "I can't believe a cameraman is joining us on such a dangerous raid," Erik commented, "A truly successful Mythic is one that has someone to protect-" Tommy began- "However, you still need to take care of yourself out there, Cameraman," he explained. "Yes, not to worry. I may not look it, but I'm an A-rank," the cameraman replied, placing a hand on his sword.

 Winter turned his head to see the cameraman, "Despite having their license, there are many magical beings who choose to live normal lives-" he thought- "The cameraman, who has a license and is an A-rank must be one of them," Winter added. "I basically have two professions, this isn't my first time going to a dangerous filming location," the cameraman began, "I was even sent to cover a few dungeon breaks-" he explained, the hand on his sword began to tremble- "But I'm not sure how helpful my experience will be this time around," he added. "Don't be so nervous!" Tommy smiled, "The MDA probably let a cameraman come along because they believe this fourth raid has a good chance of succeeding-" he reached over to Winter and pulled him in- "Especially with this fine young man on our team!" Tommy laughed, but Winter only stared awkwardly, "Thanks-" he sighed, relaxing his nerves- "I'm glad you think that, but I'm sure my effort will only be marginal," Winter replied awkwardly, "After your match with Simón, I doubt any effort you exert wouldn't be any less than helpful," Erik responded. "This will be the first and last time civilians will get to witness an S-rank raid," Tommy began, "Plus, we've already failed three times before, so everyone will be eagerly watching," he explained. "Let's make sure to show them a clean victory," Tommy adds. Erik squinted his eyes while looking down at the ground, "Realistically, if we fail this mission, Klato could be wiped off the face of Gaia," he thought.

 "The world is in dire need of heroes right now," Erik added, "That reminds me," he turned to face Michel, "Hey, I never thought I'd see you here," Erik commented, "I just felt like you'd be the first to die without me, especially since you pounce every time you see a monster," Michel replied, "I do not pounce!" Erik yelled, and everyone laughed. Winter watched from the back, half amused. "Finally, we can see her fight first hand again. Hopefully she uses those moves again," Ultima commented while Winter glanced at Macey, "Huh? Why's that?" Winter asks in thought, "Cause those moves before our match with Simón looked familiar to me-" it began- "It nearly looked like something someone I knew used," Ultima explained. "Hey, Winter?" Macey asks, "Hm?" He blinks, "Do you have anything planned for this raid? You look like you're thinking really hard," she asks, "Oh. Not really, other than probably following whatever you do," Winter shrugs. "Why's that?" Macey asks, tilting her head, "From our last raid with each other, you like to go head first into danger," he began, "I'd think you'd want help this time around," Winter explained. "Oh! Well-" she turned away- "Thanks," she mumbled. "Hey! Looks like about time to get down to business!" Tommy exclaimed. A beat of sweat ran down Michel's face, he held his hands tightly together as they trembled.

 Simón stepped through the jungle, searching the area, with Alan and Paz on each side of him. "This jungle is dense, but there are these paths all over it," he thought, "these corpses-" he looked down at one he stepped on, "were they cannibalized by other ants?" Simón asked himself. "Looks as if there's a predator around," he added in thought. "This is A-Alpha speaking," He began, "Requesting roll call, over," he explained over coms through an earpiece, "B-brover, over," Araceli replied, "C-charlie, over," Joshua continued, "D-delta, over," Daniel finished, "Everyone-" Simón smirked, "Open the floodgates," he commanded. Together, they released their unbridled auras into the island. Waves of mana rushed over the island, "Woah!look at the intensity of the mana waves!" Erik looked out of the helicopter windows, "The Draw Sword Guild must have launched the operation," Aaron commented, and swarms of ants rushed out from tunnels into the Waialeale mountains toward the source of the mana waves. Some ants flew after the helicopter, and the back opened as Aaron stepped toward the edge, "I'll take care of this," he smirked. Lifting one hand and formed fire spears beside him and sent them out at the ants following them. Exploding them with powerful flames, "Impressive," Michel commented, "No, not really," Aaron replied. "I knew this would happen-" he pointed to two ants that survived the blast, "This much firepower isn't enough to take them down," Aaron explained. "Hold on! There might be some turbulence!" He gathered a large ball of fire over his hand and blasted it in a beam at the rest of the ants. "They evolved a lot, they're definitely not what they used to be," Aaron explained as embers filled the cabin with the helicopter. "My first attack would have sufficed in an A-rank dungeon, but they seem to have a higher resistance to magical attacks now-" he turned to the others, "I'm going to have to use more force," Aaron replied, stepping off the edge, "For starters, I need to find out how strong they are," he decided as fire erupted from under his feet to flow his descent, "Hey! Wait, Coach Aaron!" Tommy leaned over the edge, "Do you think he'll be okay?" he asks, turning to Macey, "He should be just fine," she replied.

 "Especially since he specializes in fighting multiple opponents with his fire magic," Macey added as Winter ran out of the helicopter. Aaron landed with his fire blazing over the ants crawling on the ground after him, he smirked and released a powerful wave of fire that eviscerated the ants crawling on the ground. "The last time I played with ants was when I was a boy," Aaron commented, "I remember hearing faint snapping noises every time I torched an ant with a lighter," he remembered as he sent out another wave of powerful fire for another wave of ants. "Now I hear fireworks," he pushed up his glasses as the ants torched by the flames exploded from the heat. "I think you need to get that checked out," Winter commented, landing beside him. "It's just fine-" Aaron laughed, "You guys can come down, now!" He yelled to the others, "Unlike our previous attempts, we won't have an escape route," Tommy began, "We could very well get trapped in ant tunnels," he explained. "The Draw Sword Guild can only stall for about an hour," Michel explained, "We must defeat the queen in that time frame," he added. "If you want to say something, keep it short!" Tommy suggested, "We've got this in the bag," Erik commented before leaping out of the helicopter with the others.

 Leñero stepped over to an operator at a console in a manned satellite, "Now that we commenced the operation, activate the jamming signals," he commanded, "Activating jamming signals," he repeated. The satellite opened a latch that covered the sensor and signal amplifier before sending out various frequencies down at Kauai Island, and the ants flinched, and their antenna began twitching. "Now, the ants won't hear the queen's call for help," Leñero thought, "Eek!" Jonathan jumped as an ant fell apart beside him. "Get it together, Jonathan!" Araceli told him off with a katana in each hand. "If you don't get used to them, you're going to end up dead!" She yelled, "It might be faster to kill all of these ants instead of waiting for the Klato team to kill the queen," Julian commented, "Maybe, but where did Samuel go?" Joshua asks, "He's playing tag right now," she replied, "I think he's ripping off their wings one by one," Julian added, "What is he, a kid? At least he looks like he's having fun," Joshua sighed. "Fireworks are going off at the ant tunnels," Max turned to face the mountain. "Aaron Whitfield, was it? Must be him," Daniel reasoned, "My ice and his fire-" Max turned to face the wall of iced ants, "I wonder what'll happen if we faced off with our magic," he wondered, "It'd be icy hot, duh!" Daniel replied. The largest of the tunnels had a fire cage form at its entrance, "This used to be Waialeale mountain, once known for its beauty," Macey commented, "Now it's just a wasteland," she added, "Yup! Now it's nothing but an ant colony," Erik replied, "I usually use this flame prison to tie up monsters, but I'm now using it as a shield," Aaron began, "This will keep ants that are B-rank and lower from entering," he explained, kneeling down and placing a hand on the ground, "I'm going to look for a way in now," Aaron added.

 Nearly a hundred fireballs formed around him, and shot into the many directions of each exposed tunnel that the largest entrance leads to. "What the hell! This is fucking dangerous!" Erik yelled, watching fireballs wiz past him. "This place is like a labyrinth!" Aaron began, "If we choose a tunnel at random, we'll end up back where we started, like the fireballs!" He explained, "The way in will probably be a deep tunnel that doesn't show any explosion," he pointed to one in front of him. "Seems like our ticket to ending this raid," Aaron smirked as he turned to the others, "Good one," Winter commented, already stepping into the dark tunnel. While exploring the tunnel, they kill many of the ants left behind in the tunnels. Each attacking with their own unique skill set, "The Klato and Wido teams are all very strong. There is no doubt about that in my mind," Winter thought, "Even without me, I know they're more than capable of successfully clearing this dungeon-" he looked around, "As long as everything goes to plan," Ultima replied. "That's why we're here. We're their insurance," he agrees, "Yeah, especially now that we know we can solo the Draw Sword Guild-" it comments, "Didn't Mr. Sears say something about the Wido team possibly planning something against the Klato team?" Ultima asks, "He only has a suspicion, and it may only be just that. Let alone being the decision of higher ups," Winter reasoned, "It was a good idea leaving soldiers with them, and even better leaving Baruka outside," Ultima complimented, "Is that a compliment?" He teases, "No! I'm just admiring your strategy," It denied such a thing.

 "Except for a few that stayed behind, it looks like the rest left the tunnels. Their prediction was spot on!" Aaron commented, "This is my first time seeing these kinds of monsters-" Dwight began, looking down at his kill- "Were these the queen's royal guards? They were pretty weak," he comments, "Look, their eyes have deteriorated-" Winter pointed at one of the dead ants, "these particular ants must've evolved to better guard these dark tunnels," he explained. "That makes things easier for us!" Dwight replied, "if these aren't as strong as the royal guards, then we can just run through them with our firepower alone," he added. "Do you think the queen is here, though? What if she betrayed her own subjects and ran away by herself?" Michel asks, "That's impossible. They're ants, the queen doesn't do that," Erik began, "besides, we're on an island, there's nowhere to run," he explained. "It's so dark in here. I wonder if the camera is picking anything up in here," the cameraman thought, tapping his camera, "I'm sure the editing staff will do a good job," he added. The strike squad continues through the tunnels, Aaron leads with a fireball in his hand. "Look!" He paused, pointing to their left, "It's the spawn grounds!" Aaron explained, the room was an expansive opening with ant eggs covering the ground. The edge of the darkness hid probably hundreds more eggs, "The fact that we're here now must mean that the queen is nearby!" Winter commented, "Those ants earlier must have been stationed to protect these eggs. I'll set them all on fire," Aaron reasoned, lifting his right hand. "Wait!" Macey began, stepping forward, "Out of all the hatched eggs, why is that one the biggest?" She asks, pointing at an incredibly large, hatched egg. "That can't be an ant egg, can't it?" Michel asked, "What the fuck would hatch out of that thing?" He cursed, "Our goal is to defeat the queen. Forget about everything else," Erik placed his hand on Michel's shoulder. "I don't blame him for being so surprised-" Erik thought, glaring at the hatched egg- "Hm?" Winter turned his head back from where they came, "Something off?" Tommy asks, "I'm not sure," he replied. "You guys go ahead, I'm going to track back a bit. I have a bad feeling about missing something," Winter explained, walking off down the tunnel.

 "Samuel! You're a hot mess!" Julian commented, "The ants turned out to be smarter than I thought," he replied, dragging a dead ant along with him, "They attacked using military tactics, and even flew in a battle formation," Samuel explained with ant blood and some of his own covering him, "I think I killed around thirty, but they managed to get me in the shoulder and waist," he added. "Want me to heal you? There's going to be a price, though," Julian asked. "Enough of that again, Just heal me already," Samuel sighed. Joshua stood behind her awkwardly, "But I have something I want from you, and it's not money!" She explained, "What is it now? You know you make more money than I do, right?" He asks, "You're still young, and yet you're already so obsessed with money," Samuel complained, turning his head back to see more ants flying over. "Hurry up, more ants are coming for us," he added. "C'mon, I think you know it already!" Julian teased, "I don't, just tell me what you want-" Samuel was interrupted by streaks of light and sparks suddenly filling the opening in the heavy tropical jungle. "What the hell?!" He yells as only faint, blurry figures fly between the three of them. Streaks of red cuts surround each with streaks of blue blocking each attempt to attack them, "What's going on Ez?" Winter asked, "There's an ant, my Liege. This one is faster than the rest, and is more humanoid!" She explained. Winter rushed through the tunnels, "Damn it! Is that what I felt?" He thought, "I'm losing so much mana!" Winter added.

 A Royal Guard rose up above Tommy with its massive size, and he held up his shield. "Looks like each one is basically an S-rank!" He thought, it lunged in, and its Piccard surrounded the top of the shield, "Monsters are only beasts!" Tommy reasoned, pushed back by the attack. "Unlike Mythics, their movements are limited!" He dug his feet into the ground, holding his position. "Ms. Mears!" Tommy yelled, she leaped up over him and cut through some head while it rose up attempting to attack her. With the sword in its head, Macey slams on the spine of the blade and rides it down the back of the royal guard. With its lifeless body falling behind her, she lands on her feet with her sword in a reverse grip. Another royal guard prepared to attack her, but before it could act, she already attacked with a swift cut through a portion of its head. "Their bodies are pretty tough," she commented, "Way more than I thought they would be," she added. "These royal guards are different from the others," Tommy explained, "I'm just glad there aren't that many of them," he sighed with relief. "Not to worry! I'm here to back you all up!" Michel exclaimed, "I guess you aren't always a scaredy-cat," Erik replied, "speak for yourself, you're acting like an amateur," he replied while swinging his mace down on an ant corpse, "Did you forget that even if you crush their skulls, they can remain alive for quite some time?" Michel asks, "You have to either cut off their limbs, or make sure you finish them off for good!" He explains, "Right-" Erik awkwardly responded, stepping away slowly- "Even though the queen isn't here, her guards were. These look like they're from an older generation, though," he thought. Erik turned to Tommy, "This is just the beginning, I think more will be waiting for us!" He warned, "Then we need to be sure we're prepared!" Michel took out a book, it began floating in front of him, and he turned to a page before it began glowing when he hovered his hand over it. Suddenly, each member was given a buff that increased their abilities, "Woah!" Tommy looked at the glow over himself. "I just don't feel refreshed, but energized!" He commented, "I feel like I could take a group of these beasts on and win!" Erik added. They turned to face the way deeper into the tunnel, seeing many beady eyes just beyond the darkness, "How about we take on 10 each?" Macey asks, "I've got the combat skills of an A-rank, so I can take care of one or two stragglers if needed," Michel explained. With a smirk, "Do you think I'm crazy enough to rely on a healer?" Erik asks, "these buffs you've given us should be more than enough, so stand back and watch how it's done!" He explained.

 Max And Daniel continued their battle against the ants, but were searching some bodies for something, "I can't believe I lost my com!" Daniel sighed, "It's alright man, we'll find it," Max replied. They continued searching in between killing off ants, "Wait-" Daniel thought- "What is that aura?" He looked up with a bead of sweat running down his face. Max gagged, and took off his mask. He fell to the ground as he threw up his breakfast, "What the hell?" Daniel asked, "What's wrong?" He stepped toward Max, "There's an awful smell!" He explained, "A rotten stench-" he coughed- "I've never smelled anything like it before!" Max added. Streaks of dark red and blue filled the forest in front of them, quickly approaching. Daniel leaped away as Max stood up with a roar, launching a blast of ice that ripped through much of the forest. Easily reaching the sea before stopping. The streaks of attacks continued, even creating an absence of ice in his attack with the sheer speed and force of their attacks. Easily ripping through the ice as they passed by them as well. With ant blood pooling under the corpses of the new royal guards, the strike squad took a moment to catch their breath, "Damn, we took too long on these guys!" Tommy cursed, "No, we were actually pretty fast, we killed them all in only five minutes," Aaron corrected. "Michel practically gave her wings," Erik thought, turning to see Macey catching her breath, "Within five minutes, she killed lover twice as much as I did," he added in thought, "It only took us 15 minutes to get this far, and it'll take much less to get out," Tommy thought, "Now we need to figure out a way to complete this raid," he reasoned. "This smell," Macey began as she smelled the air, "Probably belongs to the queen. I think she's with her guards as well," she explained.

 "I'll check," Erik commented, using his magic to enhance his senses. He sent out a wave of mana, and like a radiator it returned with the information they needed, "The queen is in the very back, and there are eight guards left," he explained. "The royal guards are pretty much S-ranks, but the team will be able to finish them off while I create a diversion and buy them time," Tommy thought, "Ms. Mears, I'll take the queen. Can you take care of the guards with the others?" He asks, "Yes!" Macey replied. Ants rushed toward them, and Aaron roasted them with a wave of fire. "I usually have to restrain myself, but today I think it'd be a shame to have anything left after this!" He explained, forming an Asian dragon from his flames. With the flow of his hand, the dragon flew through several ants, incinerating them with ease. From behind, a guard ant attempts to pounce on Aaron, but is shot in the head with six magical arrows. "I got your backs!" Dwight yelled, holding his bow. "That's right, there's no need to restrain myself anymore-" Erik thought, as mana surrounded his body as it began shifting- "I don't care if I turn into this hideous form!" He roared as his gauntlets broke off his arms, transforming into a lion-like monster with white fur, pure white hair, sharp claws, and prominent fangs. "As long as I can exterminate every single one of these damn insects!" Erik leaped forward with an explosion of increased speed, and crushed two ants with surprising veracity. "That's Erik's beast form?" Macey thought, "Impressive, maybe we should transform too-" a soft feminine voice offered- "No, it's best we use our mana," She cut it off. Erik roared again, ant blood running from his mouth and hands.

 "Now!" Tommy commanded, and Macey raised her sword as she condensed her aura into it. She slammed it into the ground as it sent out a quacking wave of mana. Three of the Guard ants lunged in after her, "Their formation is falling apart!" Tommy yelled as he ran as fast as he could, "I have to keep the queen tied down-" he gritted his teeth- "Until all of her guards are killed!" Tommy gripped his spear and lifted his shield into the queen's face. "Hey, over here!" He yelled, "This is the real battle?" The cameraman thought. "We've just passed over the 80% mark in viewership ratings! Move in for a better angle!" Someone commanded through his coms, "80%? A little more and-" he thought as he stepped forward- "We're in the boss' lair of an S-rank dungeon," Michel began, grabbing the cameraman by the collar of his armor and pulling him back. "Nobody's going to take responsibility for your life here if you step out of formation," he explained, "You should stay behind me, because it's just starting," Michel added with a smile. "People always say that healers can't be skilled in fighting, but that's a lie!" The cameraman thought, "I feel like he's much more capable than myself, and I'm A-rank," he reasoned. The world watched anxiously, waiting for either victory or failure, "Our proud Klato Mythics have commenced the raid against the queen ant!" The news explained, "They're currently in the queen's chamber!" they recounted as viewers anxiously watched, "the largest ant ever witnessed by mankind is standing before our Mythics! Mr. McMahon is fending it off on his own, but he needs backup! The others must first quickly kill off the guards before helping!" The news explained as the anxiety faded. "Mr. Finely has defeated the first of the guards! Followed by the others, killing the remaining guards!" They exclaimed with cheers from everyone watching, "Now with the queen remaining, the Mythics will be able to end this raid!" The news informed the public as they cheered, "Klato is about to be added to the list of cities that have cleared an S-rank dungeon! Only Flore, Udury, Wido, and Phila have ever cleared an S-rank dungeon successfully!" They explained.

 Tommy pushed the queen back into a wall, "Close in on her!" He yelled as Erik rushed in. Dwight launches several arrows, sticking them all into her head. The queen screeched in pain, "Don't be afraid, a queen without her guards is nothing but a scarecrow!" Erik explained, lunging in as he tore into her hide. Her body trembled, and with herking, she vomited an acidic liquid over Erik and Tommy, they roared in pain as it burnt their skin. Without hesitation, Michel took out his book, turned to a page, and raised his hand up from the pages. Both Erik and Tommy were surrounded by a green aura, healing their injuries within moments. "You should've aimed for me with that!" Michel mocked her, She lunged in his direction. Stopped only by Tommy and his shield, "I won't let you past me that easily!" He smirked, pushing back on the queen. "Stand back!" Aaron gathered his aura in his hands and launched some fire at the queen, she turned to face him, confused with the weak fire. With a smile on his face, he lifted his hand and the blaze exploded into a burning inferno that consumed the ant queen. "The queen is done for!" Erik thought, "With my years of experience, I can tell that she is on the verge of death," he added. "Victory is in reach!" Tommy yelled. The queen gathered all of her mana and with an explosion of all of her spiritual might, she screeched as loud as she could call. "What was that?!" Dwight asks, "A roar? A Death cry?" Erik thought, "No, I feel like it's something else-" he looked around- "It's like she's calling for someone!" Erik added in thought. "Mr. Alcabú, the ants have changed direction! They're headed back for the tunnels!" Leñero explained, yelling through the comms. "The jamming signals aren't working anymore!" He added, "What?" Simón asks, "What on earth is happening?" he thought. Looking over at the mountain of Waialeale. Macey rushes in and with a powerful cut, she slices through the ant queen's neck in a front flip. She lands on her feet, "Is it over?" Macey asks, looking back at the ant queen, "Have we become the seventh team in the world to clear an S-rank dungeon?" Dwight asks, "Hold on, everyone!" Erik yelled, "Something feels off," he explained. "The ants are swarming in on us as we speak!" Tommy explained, "We need to leave now!" He yelled. "What?!" Macey asks, "But we still have time left!" Dwight replied, "Does that mean the Draw Sword Guild couldn't hold them off for an hour?" Michel asks, "I don't know! The MDA is looking into it, but we need to get going now!" Tommy responded. Aaron flinches, "The flame prison-" he turned toward the exit tunnel- "The prison I cast at the entrance was just destroyed," Aaron explained.

 Winter rushes through the tunnels, losing his way. "Dammit! I can't get out of here!" He cursed, "Baruka lost to the ant, and now I have no idea where he is!" Winter thought, "He hasn't killed anyone yet, but I fear the worst," he added. He was running through the tunnels until he suddenly felt an overwhelming aura that seemingly inverted everything around him. Through the darkness, he could hear steps on the dirt, "Hm?" Winter asks, "This beast-" his eyes examined the huge humanoid ant with a black armored exoskeleton, glowing red eyes, sharp claws, two small pincers extending from his abdomen, and two transparent ant wings. It roared at Winter with its erupting aura- "This single beast is capable of great things," Ultima commented.