Chapter 23- Dammit, stand still!

Chapter 23: Chapter 23- Dammit, stand still! Eva leaned against the wall, healing her wound, when she felt the surroundings suddenly become eerie silent. She quickly turned her head to Ethan and Julian’s way only to meet such a hair-raising scene. The ants parted, leaving the middle open. They bowed their heads in unison as if acknowledging a terrifying presence. Eva stood, her hands gripped her sword tightly, her eyes fixed on the enormous approaching shadow. "Eva, stay back! Take your potions," Ethan ordered. Their casual demeanour vanished, replaced by razor-sharp focus. Their auras made it hard for her to breathe, It was at this moment she knew why people held fear and respect for them. Eva quickly got used to their pressure, but her heart ran cold when she glimpsed the huge red armoured ant; its body gleamed under the crystal light. Black poison mist seeped from its mouth, blanketing the area, Eva felt like an ant in front of this ant. SSS- Ranked monster. This power level was clear to see. ’It seems if I want to live in this world without worry, I have to become powerful.’ this thought floated into her mind, sowing a seed. She knew she was useless if she helped; they would have to protect and fight the monster at the same time. So she honestly sat back, drank a bottle of antidote potion and watched the fight ahead. The ant moved faster for its size; it swung its spiked legs toward them, and they dodged nimbly. Julian paused it briefly, giving Ethan a chance to freeze its right leg. But the monster quickly broke free. The leg shattered into pieces but another one grew back in its place. It opened its mouth letting out piercing shockwaves. Eva covered her ears; the sound was high-pitched, making her ears bleed. Ethan dashed towards it. Flipping in the air, he used his ice to make a solid hill closer to the monster. He swung his sword straight into its mouth, drawing out black blood. The ant screeched in fury, its legs sparking as they slammed together. With lightning speed, it lashed out at Ethan. Ethan dodged, stepping on the monster’s body, his word covered in ice. He dashed across the ant’s body, his sword carving a long, jagged gash. Julian attacked the lower body, his sword cutting through the armour like butter; he slashed every split second and before the ant could regenerate its cut of parts, it was already slashing through it. The ant was filled with pain and frustration; it picked up its black ants and threw them at them like a weapon. Julian froze them, swinging his sword, slicing off their heads, the ones that escaped his grasp headed for Eva. Julian turned for a bit, seeing she could handle it, and he faced the Monster in front of him. "Ethan, let’s end this quickly!" He called out to Ethan before swapping his sword to his left hand. Ethan hummed under his breath before his muscles started rearranging themselves; he knelt on all fours, fur sprouting from his body, and he transformed into a black panther. His sleek fur shone under the crystal glow, his claws digging into the ant’s body, as he dashed with lightning speed towards its neck. "Growl!" He let out a roar, his teeth tearing out the ant’s neck before it could protect the area with its hardest armour. Julian appeared out of thin air; his sword pierced through the open wound; holding the hilt, Julian stabbed deeper. The ant let out a sharp scream, the area shaking; its sonic-like scream made cracks appear on the crystal. Thrashing, it slammed its body against the wall. "Boom!" Julian quickly reacted and held Ethan teleporting the both of them away from the thrashing monster. Eva held the wall, the ground shaking beneath her feet, as she stabbed the drained ant through its neck. Her body was covered in black blood as she faced five ants. She dodged to the right avoiding the attack. Her arms ached as she swung her sword to block another attack at her side. Hiding behind her dome, she dragged the dead ant, using it as a shield. ’I’m going to die! I haven’t enjoyed anything yet.’ she cried inwardly as she dodged through the ants, running around them. Her hands were stretched out, consuming their energy any chance she got, so she could be able to kill them. But the ants had grown a brain, moving away from her and attacking her at a distance. ’’Dammit, stand still!’’ Eva snarled, frustration boiling over as the ants moved out of her reach. Her body was already feeling sticky and uncomfortable from the disgusting black blood on her. She could barely suppress herself from tearing her clothes off. Ethan and Julian looked over when they heard her shouts. If not for the situation, Julian could have burst into laughter at her disgusted clean freak expression. They turned back to the red ant to see it eating one of its own to heal itself, they dashed towards it, both going straight for the neck. Ethan’s claws and teeth tore out its armoured neck as Julian paused the ant. Slamming on the hilt of his sword to stab deeper into its weak point. This monster was known for its fast regeneration and hard diamond-like armour around its neck. If not for the specially crafted sword and Ethan’s sharp teeth, they wouldn’t have left a scratch on it. Seeing the ant was already showing signs of moving, Julian turned his hands clockwise in a fast motion, accelerating the sword to stab faster and deeper. Julian sensed he was near the monster’s core. The ant thrashed violently, sensing its impending death. It slammed its body harder against the wall, its spiked legs flailing widely above its neck. Ethan had to dig his claws into the monster so as not to be thrown off, while Julian held on to the sword and jammed it ruthlessly, shattering the monster’s core to pieces. It twitched for some seconds before falling to the ground in a loud ’boom.’ The ground shook and Eva nearly pierced herself into an ant’s raised leg. She quickly reacted and stabbed her sword into the ground and moved backwards a bit, her forehead breadth away from the spike. She swallowed hard, sweat sliding down her face. The ants froze, their antennae twitching as if sensing their queen’s death. They went berserk charging at Ethan and the others without fear for their lives.