Zao (POV)

It is the seventh day after the Pink Pillars fell on Earth. The sun is setting over Seward, which seems empty of inhabitants. Since it is still winter, all the buildings and roads are covered in a thick layer of Ice and snow. There are a few abandoned fishing boats docked in the frozen harbor. Two transport drones belonging to the Federation are parked on top of Seward’s military command center.

Sergei and Zao are seated on the top floor of that building since it has a clear view of the harbor and the town. Around them are seventy Federation soldiers seated at desks with Holoscreens playing the video reports shared by the Tamers from the front lines. They noted the intel and shared it with the Command Center’s AI, which compiled them into a common feed for Zao and Sergei to read from their terminal.

The Command Center had desks and screens for three hundred military personnel. But most of it was damaged or missing after many years of neglect. All the dirt and dust in the room had been cleaned up by the Rockville residents when they had temporarily converted it into a living space.

When Zao arrived and informed them that the Union and Federation were on their way to take it over, the refugees feared getting drafted into emergency service for the Union, which incentivized them to leave. They told Zao they would return to Rockville if it was free of Ice-Bugs and bury the elders they abandoned.

Zao redirected them to the entrance of Dale’s Bunker, where their elders were now living in comfort and safety. The refugees found Rebecca's Terra Ant Golem army was building a town of clay inside a large Earthen Dome reinforced with wood and large boulders. It was built to protect against Ice-Bugs. Warrior ants lined the entrances and openings where sunlight could penetrate the Dome.

The Worker caste ants numbered several thousand now, and the Warrior Caste were around two thousand. Since construction was given priority, Rebecca focused on workers more than warriors.

Rebecca had decided to stay in her Skill Transfer combat style to pump out workers and warriors to do all the heavy lifting instead of the Neo Atlas Drones, who relegated themselves to plumbing, electrical setup, and technical work.

These Golems didn’t need food, water, or rest. One Ant could carry twenty times their own body weight, which made them the perfect labor force for all sorts of tasks.

Rebecca did not have to manually order each to carry out a task. The Ants created their own hierarchy based on the time they were born. The oldest worker and warrior stuck close to Rebecca and relayed her orders down the pheromone line.

The older they grew, the more intelligent they became through experience and age. Thus the youngest Golem Ants listened to the commands of their elders and carried out their tasks without any disorder.

Mash led a team to help the new refugees find shelter inside the Dome. They also assisted and solved issues for the refugees whenever they could.

Mash’s team consisted of several Tamers who arrived after Zao released a video recommending civilian survivors to head to Dale’s bunker and military personnel to Seward. This led to refugees arriving in waves via sea, land, and air. Though, the number of Tamers among them was few and far between.

Those that could fight accompanied Dale in his rescue missions. Those whose abilities were not meant for combat stayed with Mash to assist the refugees. They took inspiration from Selvaria’s video message to Zao and tried to recreate the same to make a self-sufficient colony.

Zao. “Shame Rebecca’s Ant Golems couldn’t come to Seward. We could have used them to clean up this place before the meeting.”

Seward had been abandoned after the last war. So there wasn’t any native population to maintain the place.

Sergei. “I am sure the Union’s Pacific Fleet will have some Tamers in their number. Maybe one of them will have a similar ability to summon workers.”

Zao. “If Necromancers and Golem Summoners are common, then why haven’t any shown up in the Federation so far?”

On the main Holo screen at the center of the room played a video report from Federation scientists studying the corpses of Saurians, Bird-men, and Beast men for weaknesses. They are harvesting the organs that manipulate Metal, Wood, and Lightning.

The armor that covered the monsters was studied to see if their resistances could be incorporated into Federation Armor. A few prototypes were tested in controlled environments against weak monsters captured alive and intact. A few simple ones were successful, but these were soldiers equipping monster bone, hide leather and feathers. It also made them look like warriors from prehistoric times than future soldiers they were meant to be.

Other Holo Screens showed Federation soldiers training to become Tamers. Several dozen troops have managed to evolve their monster to the second form. The abilities they acquired are tested through all manner of experiments both inside a controlled environment and outdoors. Initially, it was meant to find a pattern in how the Monster App handed out abilities. After three days, the scientists gave up on that since it was all down to a Tamer’s luck and inner desires.

However, studying abilities led to breakthroughs in the fields of Medicine, Explosives, Robotics, Engineering, Martial Arts, Genetics, Power Generation, and Body Performance stimulants. Plans were being drawn up to create a new wave of Federation Tech based on these discoveries.

The Synergy Factor was the most important one so far. It increases a Tamer’s explosive power when different elemental skills are combined. Since every Tamer could master one element, they had to work with others. It was like playing around in a chemistry lab to see what combinations worked and what didn’t. Sometimes the results are beyond expectations. It made the scientists eager to test all kinds of combinations and scenarios.

Zao stared at a screen of a Monster Fusion Tamer that took the form of a Humanoid Lion. He created an ancient Longbow out of solid flames along with arrows. The mane around his face glows bright red and generates heat which powers his abilities. Since it was getting dark, his flames illuminated the dark forest and the research base nearby.

A hundred meters on the opposite side stood another Monster Fusion Tamer. This one looked like he had fused with an Orca and a cannon made from Ice. A dozen scientists stayed inside a small bunker between the two Tamers to observe their fight in safety. The bunker's walls were reinforced with the sturdiest metals to protect the occupants.

The Orca Tamer fired a round made of Ice into the air above the bunker, and the Lion Tamer fired a flaming arrow at the same spot. The collision of the two opposing elements caused a ball of steam to blast in all directions.

The Lion Archer fired again with three arrows, and the Orca-Cannon replied with the same number. When the projectiles collided, the explosion was more powerful than the first, and everyone could feel a small shock wave.

The Scientists then ordered the two Tamers to use their best attacks. The Lion Tamer released several flaming arrows that transformed into a pride of lions before merging to form a massive flaming Lion pouncing on its prey.

The Orca Tamer responded by firing a helix-shaped Ice beam which caused the surrounding temperature to drop drastically. When the flaming Lion and the Ice Beam Helix collided, the explosion uprooted and shattered the trees in the forest. Both the tamers had to dig into the ground to prevent themselves from being blown away by the shockwave.

When the dust settled, the landscape had been changed. The scientists emerged out of their bunker. They clapped their hands and cheered to celebrate the success. Their leader declared those two Tamers must partner up to achieve the best results on the battlefield. Since this attack was great at dealing with large hordes and flocks.

Sergei noticed that Zao was mesmerized by the destructive power and chuckled.

Sergei. “Feeling cheated again?”

Zao. “You don’t feel the same? We have close combat skills that can only take on a few opponents.”

Sergei. “Speak for yourself. My Ursa’s roar can freeze multiple opponents.”

Zao. “They must be within five meters, and it is not strong enough to slow them down.”

Sergei. “True… but who knows what that ability will turn into when I evolve Ursa to his third form.”

Zao. “You haven’t even fought any Ice-Bugs yet, and you are already dreaming of evolving?”

Sergei. “Once the military alliance is officially signed tonight, we will join Dale in his rescue missions. There will be plenty of Ice-Bugs for me to crush, level up my skills, and evolve them all.”

Zao. “Didn’t the App say that only one skill will be evolved or replaced during the third evolution?”

Sergei. “Maybe the App will allow us to evolve and replace the rest of the skills later. Since no one else has evolved their monsters to the third form, we have no way of knowing for certain.”

Zao. “Your excitement is very contagious. I plan to evolve my Twin Drill Lances and see what they will turn into. Hopefully, something cool like those lightsabers from Star Wars.”

Sergei. “Ha! Keep dreaming with that luck of yours. Anyways, you killed quite a few Ice-Bugs over the last week. What level are they now?”

Zao. “All my skills are at the Expert Rank.”

Sergei. “Does that not mean your monster is ready to evolve?”

Zao. “I could, but I would lose out on Evolution Manipulation.”

Sergei was confused by that.

Zao ordered his Monster App to explain. His female Butler’s AI spoke softly while reading out the details.

[To advance skills from Beginner => Intermediate => Expert => Master

Tamer must execute a skill fifty times in combat to achieve Intermediate Rank. Another hundred times to achieve the Expert Rank.

Once all skills have reached the Expert Rank, the Monster will evolve to the Third Form.

But if the User chooses to attain mastery in all four skills by executing each of them two hundred times more in combat, then they will have access to Evolution Manipulation]

Sergei. “I know what you were referring to, but what is so special about controlling the evolution process? It is a lot of work for a small benefit.”

Zao. “Nothing good comes without blood, sweat, and tears. I assume there must be some powerful evolution options that can only be gained by this method.”

Sergei. “They would have to be worth taking on two hundred more opponents. Thankfully only activating the skill counts towards the mastery instead of kills.”

Zao. “I could have evolved by now if I focused on raising my skill mastery instead of killing those bugs.”

Sergei. “We were not in a mindset for training at the time… By the way, Dale sent me a message just now. Seems like he found fifteen Tamers… they all want to come to Seward and serve the Union.”

Zao. “That Babysitter is on a roll. How many has he rounded up so far?”

Sergei. “493 Non-Tamers and 32 Tamers. 9 out of those 32 joined Dale in his missions. Even the Non-Tamers want to join up for the Pacific Fleet when it gets here tonight.”

Zao. “Guess they all want revenge for what happened over the past week,”

Sergei. “Maybe you should try using the Duel mode feature on the new arrivals and see if there are any tamers with potential for us to recruit into our battalion.”

Zao. “I skipped the file which mentioned Duel Mode. Thought it was a mistake when you left it on my desk.”

Sergei. “You really think I would make a mistake like that?”

Sergei and Zao chuckled a bit. Sergei was well known as a perfectionist when it came to filing management. Since he was still 19 years old. It became his main task in the Federation Armed Forces.

Zao. “Do you mind giving me a short summary about it?’

Sergei. “When our scientists ran out of monsters to use as opponents, one suggested Tamers fight each other instead. Before the Tamers fought each other, the Monster App revealed this feature.”

Sergei ordered his butler to list out those rules and conditions.

[To initiate Duel Mode, Tamers must consent to the rules, win conditions, and time limit set by the Monster App.

Once accepted, Duelists will receive an invisible cloak that protects the wearer from a fatal blow.

The Monster App will act as a referee who can disqualify Duelists that break the rules and declare the winner when it is clear.

If a Duelist’s health falls below 15%, automatic surrender will be declared. If a duelist keeps attacking after being declared the victor. Their Monster App access will be blocked for 2 days.

If a Duelist kills the opponent after being declared the victor. Their Monster App access will be blocked for 30 days.

The Duelist’s skills will level up under the following conditions:

Beginner -> Intermediate = 50 Duel Victories

Intermediate -> Expert = 250 Duel Victories

Expert -> Master = 1000 Duel Victories

Please note all skills will level up automatically at each milestone. It will be reset after every evolution]

Zao. “A thousand Duels victories to get to Master Rank?”

Sergei. “No one is aiming for it because of that. Our Generals want Tamers to become powerful as fast as possible. I only shared this to show you that there are other ways to evolve without fighting another swarm on your own.”

Zao. “I fight best when my life is hanging on the line.”

Sergei. “Well, there is no point in dwelling on the Duel mode feature right now. But we could still use it to measure a Tamer’s fighting potential and help them get to the Intermediate Rank.”

Zao. “Makes sense. I will inspect them when they arrive. Oh, remind me again… why are these men not on the frontlines?”

Zao was purposely asking this question even though he knew the answer. Sergei caught on quick when he noticed all the soldiers seated near them were eavesdropping.

Sergei. “You! Answer Commander Zao.”

Sergei had called out a Female soldier from China sitting right behind Zao.

“We were sent here to train under Commander Zao and establish the First Tamer Battalion for the Federation.”

Zao. “A battalion with less than a hundred?”

“A hundred more tamers will arrive in Seward for training in a few days. The Federation will keep sending more until the Battalion is ready to return home and fight on the frontlines.”

Sergei. “What kind of training do you expect from Zao.”

The female soldier looked hesitant and then decided to answer honestly.

“I hope he takes us on the rescue missions led by the Black Phoenix. Experiencing real combat against the Ice-Bugs will benefit us all, instead of the Duel Mode training scheduled for us.”

Zao smiled and turned his head around to look at the soldier.

Zao. “What’s your name and Tamer abilities.”

“Jia Li Wang, Medic Class. My abilities are Vampiric Healing, Stamina Regeneration, and Blood Manipulation.”

Zao’s ears perked up.

Zao. “You have the power to regenerate stamina? Your own or on anyone?”

Jia. “My Blood arrows give the target a powerful adrenaline shot.”

Sergei. “Any side effects from overuse?”

Jia. “None! My blood arrows also heal the target’s internal organs.”

Zao. “What if your target is covered in armor?”

Jia. “Every armor has weak points. My Blood arrows will find a way through no matter what.”

Zao stared at Jia as if he had found his soul mate. Sergei noticed this and coughed.

Sergei. “You will be serving as Zao’s Lieutenant from now on.”

Jia. “But I am just a private.”

Most of the Tamers in the room were Privates who had activated the Monster App before they enlisted into the service. The other soldiers gave Jia the evil eye at her luck.

Jia. “I can’t be promoted without merit to that rank.”

Sergei. “Then consider it as a temporary promotion. You will have a few weeks to prove you earned it.”

Jia. “Few weeks?”

Sergei. “You got your wish. Once the military alliance treaty gets signed today, we will be working with the Union on dealing with the Ice-Bug menace until our Battalion is brought to full strength.”

Jia. “Will we be fighting alongside the Black Phoenix?”

Zao was visibly surprised by that. He wondered what her fascination with Dale was.

Sergei. “Ah… yes, that will be the case. He is a good friend of ours. Though your duty is to Zao and not Dale… I mean the Black Phoenix.”

Jia. “Of course! I will do my best to earn my spot by Commander Zao’s side.”

Sergei. “May I ask why you want to meet-”

Zao. “The sun is gone! Dale must be back at his bunker. If you want to meet him, you can come with me.”

Jia was surprised by the offer and bowed to accept it.

Sergei. “The Pacific Fleet Admiral will arrive in two hours.”

Zao. “We will come back in an hour.”

Sergei. “I understand. Jia, go with him!”

Jia nodded, bowed to Sergei, and followed Zao to the rooftop of the building.

Zao transformed into his Bee-Paladin form. He walked to the edge of the roof and turned to offer his right hand to Jia, but she declined.

Jia. “I can fly too. Bianfu! Come out!”

Jia’s Monster App materializes a three-foot-tall skinny dark Purple Vampire Bat with two massive wings on its shoulders and two smaller ones fused with its hands. The membrane attached to the wings is light purple in color. Its face resembled the blue alien from Lilo & Stitch.

Jia. “I have to warn you… my combat form is a bit… odd.”

Zao slowly nodded his head. He wondered why she needed to warn him about its appearance.

Bianfu disappears, and a sphere of white light envelops Jia before it shatters to reveal a nightmarish Humanoid Bat whose skeletal-like body is made of Dark-Purple skin. Jia's neck, shoulder, and chest are hidden by thick Light Purple fur that almost resembles a mane of a Lion.

Two massive bat wings sprout from behind her shoulder blades, the wing membranes are Light-purple, and the blood vessels appear white. A smaller set of bat wings fused with her long arms and hands. However, these wings are covered in holes and are too torn up to be used for flight.

Jia now towered seven feet tall. Her elongated bat ears poked out of her head like a two-pin plug, but they could rotate independently. Her eyes, nose, and mouth are hidden under a thick white veil decorated with embroidery found on Brides at a wedding. The fabric fell above her torso and ended with two Lunar Talismans beads.

Jia's legs were elongated and composed of four joints instead of three in a sharp 'S' shape. Her hands had increased in size and now looked like they belonged to a Ghoul more than a human.

Jia. “This is why I warned you.”