Noble summoned the [Rolling Thunder] while she stalled, allowing the cavalry to draw near. When they got close, mundane bullets began to dig into the insects with lightning speed.
The cover allowed Bee to find the perfect moment to wield her Memory. Tucking her estoc into her belt, she swung the mighty hammer into one of the harvester's sides. The resulting boom sent a shockwave down the line of the enemy.
The closest Nightmare Creatures were pulverized into a fine mist while those farther away were merely injured or stunned. As Noble was able to direct the blast, none of her allies were harmed.
The action gave her a momentary breather when the army reached her. She turned around for a second to get a proper look at the incoming force.
The Awakened riding in the front vehicle was wearing dark glasses along with his army uniform. His black hair was cropped close to his head and he wore a grim expression.
"Captain Styss," the head of the strike force announced as he leapt from the armored PTV.
"Where are the rest of you?" Queen Bee asked.
She had seen news stories of gates opening and the strike forces that closed them down. There should have been at least double or triple what was present just now.
"We are it," Styss answered, his mouth pulled tight.
A cold realization came over Noble with those words. So many had gone to Antarctica that the forces left behind were spread thin.
This was what the NQSC had to offer.
As far as Noble knew, none of the Clans had homes near this location. Even if they came, it was unlikely that they would be there in too much of a hurry.
She and the two dozen Awakened and the hundred mundane soldiers there....were all that stood between the gate and humanity.
'Looks like I'm not going anywhere.'
The professor had hoped that when the strike force arrived, she might be able to fade into the background and assist the trained fighters. But it wasn't meant to be.
"Then we will do our best," Noble smiled at the Captain even though she knew he could not see it behind her mask.
Seeming to get the message, Styss gave a short nod. "All help is welcome."
"Next wave incoming!" Willy yelled. His ax was covered in blood, but he raised it determinedly, unwilling to show any weakness.
Noble could feel the strange shift as well. It wasn't just another wave of creatures. It was the second stage.
She traded out her hammer for the estoc at her side.
'Bring it.'
Captain Styss turned to his men. "Hold the line and spread out, now! Dingo?"
"I've got it, sir." One of the soldiers drove an armored vehicle off toward the other end.
Before the strike team could get in place, hundreds of Decrepit Harvesters burst forth from the gate and over the barrier of corpses.
And they were not alone. An unfamiliar noise joined the clacking of the hungry mandibles.
'Buzzing?'
Above them, Awakened abominations burst forth from the rift.
Two small, translucent wings fluttered above hulking frames. The flying creatures looked almost humanoid with their long limbs ending in massive, sharp claws. Their muscular black bodies were punctuated by large tufts of yellow fur protruding from their necks.
Golden liquid dripped from each gaping maw as sharp fangs threatened to rip apart anything unfortunate enough to cross their path.
A feeling of shock came across those watching. Flying monsters were among some of the worst-case scenarios. Any who escaped could travel far and cause untold damage to the mundane world.
And Noble was the only one among them who could take to the sky.
'Just perfect...'
"Bring them down and we'll finish them off," Styss called as she rose to meet the threat.
The professor nodded. Even with all the firepower from the ground, there was no way that Noble could take down the incoming swarm.
It was much smarter to kill the ones she could and snip the wings of countless more. Once they were on the ground, the playing field would even out considerably...at least that was the hope.
Deciding against using the hammer again so soon, Noble pointed her [Unlikely End] at the first hideous creature.
Two red eyes filled with rage glared at her as the claws prepared to rip apart their prey.
But the professor had seen that look in too many duelist's eyes. At the last possible moment, she shifted her trajectory, flew under the creature's clawed feet, and came up behind the abomination.
She plunged the estoc right between the delicate wings, severing the creature's curved spine.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Aerial Apis.]
The Monster fell limply through the sky, taking two others with it as it crashed to the ground.
But the Queen was already on to the next abomination.
Her mouth was twisted at the Spell's sense of humor.
'Really? These things look nothing like bees! Bees are noble creatures and these things are disgusting.'
The last word was thought just as a vile monster's fangs managed to clamp around her forearm. The sickeningly sweet liquid pouring from its mouth tried to eat away at her armor.
With her non-dominant hand, she plunged the estoc deep into one of the unblinking crimson eyes. The black body convulsed and went plummeting to the ground.
'Yeah, nothing like a bee,' she scoffed as she shook the sticky poison from her gauntlet.
In the same fluid motion, the duelist spun and snipped the wings off of the next adversary.
Noble was quite thankful for the cover from the ground. Without the interference, all of the nightmare creatures would flock around her and overwhelm her thin frame.
As it was, there were so many coming through the gate that they were beginning to block out what was left of the sun for those below.
Bee's swift, decisive movements were barely enough to stem the tide and keep it from crashing down on the strike force's head.
Using her extra sense, the Queen checked on the others in her group. The Awakened were holding their own, and Captain Styss and Willy even seemed to be making some headway on the ground.
The former seemed to have memorized the ants' haphazard movement while the latter sliced through them like a wedge.
As for the mundane fighters, they had not received the full brunt of the assault and were still able to keep their artillery firing into the hoard of abominations.
Pummeling the Apis and Harvesters with oversized bullets was not elegant, but it was effective.
As everything stood, things were looking bleak but not impossible.
With Awakened and Dormant creatures, the humans had a fighting chance to slay them without expending too much essence.
As long as things remained as they were, there might be no human bloodshed today. Noble allowed herself a flicker of hope.
But then a large black spike whizzed past her head.
It was so quick that Noble missed it until the wind blew her hair behind her shoulders.
It landed behind her in the ground, pinning one of the armored tanks in place.
Noble searched for the source of the sudden projectile. Her eyes grew wide.
A new enemy had entered the killing field.