Zao rose out of the steam with the thrusters on his back and flew towards Markus and the others. After covering fifty meters, the ground below cracked open, and another ancient Centipede Ice-Bug rose to attack him. It circled Zao like a chain and pulled him down. His Plasma lances tried to cut into the Ice-Armor carapace, but they fell from his hands when the whip-like antenna struck them.

Before the Ice-Bug could drag him beneath the earth, Markus activated Hades Judgment. All the spirit swords floating around him combined and turned into a giant pillar of hellish flames. With his mental willpower alone, he hurled it toward the monster like a javelin.

Thirty meters lay between the flaming pillar and the target, covered in a blink of an eye. The flames slammed into the Ancient Centipede from above, immediately letting go of Zao and rolling on the snow to put out the fire engulfing its massive body. The flames refused to die and inflicted enough pain on the Ice-Bug to make it scream in agony. After several seconds it curled into a ball. Hoping the Ice-Armor carapace to protect it. But the damage was done, and its body was reduced to ash by the effect of Hade's Greed. Zao retrieved his Plasma lances and landed next to Markus. He performed a deep bow in gratitude.

Zao. “I was careless after my victory and left myself open. Thank you for saving me from my blunder.”

Markus. “It gave me an excuse to go all out with my best skill.”

Zao. “Your flames looked different and more powerful than before.”

Markus. “Part of the evolution package. Have a look!”

Markus ordered his AI butler to share his skill sheet with Zao:

[Tamer: Markus Bright

Monster Namer: Wisp

Monster species: Hellfire Butterfly

Combat Style: Equipment transformation

Monster Type: Mind, Sun, Mana, Insect, Metal

Sun Core: Hell Fire (It will intensify the pain victims suffer from the flames. The flames are difficult to extinguish)

Mind Core: Telekinetic Agility (Spirit swords will have their speed doubled)

Mana Core: Halve Mana costs for skills

Skills: Hades Greed (Master), Hades Spirit Sword (Master), Hades Judgment (Master), Flames of the Styx (Evolved I - Beginner)

Hades Greed: All lifeforms killed by the monster and its skills will have their corpses incinerated, converted into mana, and then absorbed.

Hades Spirit Sword: A swarm of Flaming Butterflies can be summoned, identical to the monster. Each of these can transform into a sword which will lock away 5% of the Monster’s mana. The swarm's range of movement is within fifty meters of the monster. The new Mana Core allows two flaming butterflies for the same price.

Hades Judgment: When this skill is activated, the Hades Spirit Swords will combine and create a pillar of flame that can be dropped onto one target within hundred meters in any direction. The Mana pool has to be above 25% to activate this skill.

Flames of the Styx: All skills with ‘Hades’ are immune to kinetic attacks. In addition, the monster can wrap its entire body with these flames for five minutes before a twenty-minute cooldown]

Zao. “Mana cost reduction, Telekinetic Agility, and Hellfire are a deadly combo. Do you have enough Mana to take on the rest of the swarm?”

Markus. “I am filled to the brim after killing that Bug. But the rest of the swarm is out of range and spread out. If you can make them all, come down closer and tighter, I might be able to take them out.”

Zao. “The swarm is smart enough to avoid chasing me down here… what if I take you to them instead.”

Markus. "If you carry me, you will be defenseless.”

Zao. “You can use your flaming swords to protect us while I fly, right?”

Markus. “True, but my flames can't distinguish friend from foe, so you might get hurt. Not to mention the others if a flaming Ice-bug drops on top of them.”

Zao. “Have your spirit swords maintain an orbit of fifteen meters around us. Jia! Lead the rest to the Dome and guard the entrance with the golems.”

Jia. “Understood!”

Zao’s Plasma lances reverted to normal and were magnetically placed to the waist of his armor. He grabs Markus under his arms and activates his thrusters to lift them into the air. Markus’s flaming Butterfly swords followed them and maintained a safe orbit. Zao carried Markus towards the Ice-Bug swarm. Volleys of Ice shards fell upon them, but Markus intercepted the projectiles with his flaming swords that behaved like a forcefield. Markus managed to kill a few dozen before they learned the maximum range of the spirit swords. Zao tried to accelerate toward the bugs, but they kept their distance and fired their long-range Ice skills. Markus noticed the Ice-Butterflies were still supplying mana to the swarm.

Markus. “They won’t come in for close combat unless we take down the ones supplying them with Mana.”

Zao. “They teleport every time I get near them. Without Dale’s fireballs, it was impossible before, but maybe your Hades Judgment could work.”

Markus. “The skill is more like an ultimate finishing blow against one target. We will be defenseless if the spirit swords combine for the attack.”

Zao. “Then I will have to fly faster until your spirit swords return. Are you willing to try it?”

Markus. “Doesn’t look like we have other options… Hades Judgement!”

Markus roared and created a flaming pillar with his spirit swords. He aimed it at the nearest Ice-Butterfly and fired. The skill was meant to destroy one target, but there were hundreds of Ice-Bugs in the way. All those who flew in between were incinerated along with the Ice-Butterly, who couldn’t teleport against mana-based attacks. Zao didn’t wait to watch and fired his thrusters to their maximum output. Markus felt he was going on the ultimate rollercoaster ride as they broke the sound barrier. Ice shards failed to touch them, and those that got in the way were dodged by a hair’s breadth. As they flew, Markus could feel mana pouring into him from the victims of his last attack. His mana pool was refilled, and he summoned his spirit swords again. Zao de-accelerated for Markus to aim and fire another pillar of flames at the next Ice-Butterfly. They repeated this strategy until all the Ice-Butterflies were killed.

Less than three hundred Ice-Bugs remained. They had only two choices left. Close combat or flee, they chose the former. Like Moths to a flame, they perished in waves. Zao descended back to the dome and dropped Markus by the entrance where the other tamers were finishing off the last Ice-Bugs that remained on the ground.

Markus. “Are there more-”

Before Markus could finish his question, the Terra Ant Golems parted to reveal Rebecca, Mash, and Dale.

Rebecca. “My Golems will hunt down the leftovers. You two took down thousands of Ice-Bugs on your own, and you still have the energy to fight more?”

Zao. “I admit, I am worn out. What about you, Markus?”

Markus. “Physically, I am fine! Mentally, I am worn out.”

Dale. “You both wouldn’t have to push this hard if there was daylight.”

Mash. “Quit complaining about the sun. Just be glad we have people who can rival you in firepower now.”

Markus. “Without Zao’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to get close to them or dodge their attacks.”

Zao. “Nor would I without Markus’s unique skills. Not to mention that both of us had to evolve to gain this strength while Dale still hasn’t.”

Dale. “It’s hard to level up Flashbang. I never let the Ice-Bugs get too close to use it on them.”

Rebecca. “There is no use discussing this right now. We need to find out what happened to the Pacific Fleet and Seward. ”

Jia. “I can fly to the bay and find out.”

Zao. “You will be surrounded if the swarm finds you alone. I will come with you!”

Markus. “If you are going, then I am coming. We can repeat the same strategy against the other swarms.”

Dale. “You two need to rest!”

Jia. “I can rejuvenate their body with my blood arrows. If you have some mana to spare, you can heal the exhaustion in their minds.”

Dale. “If it's just that, it won't deplete my Mana reserves.”

Dale transformed into his combat style and showered the two with Holy flames. The looks on Zao and Markus’s faces resembled those who had slept for twelve hours. Jia created two blood arrows and stabbed them. Within a few seconds, all traces of exhaustion were wiped away.

Rebecca. “Are there no side effects of using skills to rest?”

Markus. “I feel like I can fight till morning.”

Zao. “I don’t sense anything amiss in my mind or body.”

Rebecca. “Jia, do you need more blood?”

Jia. “I am a bit low, but I have already taken too much from the other tamers.”

Rebecca. “Take it from Mash and Dale. Those two were complaining about not contributing to the battle.”

Jia walked over to Dale and Mash with her fangs bared. Markus noticed the two were weak in the knees though their faces looked indifferent. He looked back to Rebecca’s Ant Golems and spotted wings on the backs of a few Warrior Ant Golems.

Markus. “They can fly now?”

Rebecca. “Some of them have gained it through mutation. I will use them to patrol the skies above the dome.”

Markus. “Any other useful mutations?”

Rebecca. “There are quite a few… I had some of them consume the intact corpses of the Ice-Bugs, and they managed to gain the ability to manipulate Ice.”

Markus. “I don’t know if I should be amazed or frightened by that.”

Zao. “I am more surprised by the fact that they can eat. I thought they were golems made of earth and wood.”

Rebecca. “They have mandibles and mouths. But... they don’t need to feed to nourish their bodies.”

Zao. “Then why did you make them eat the corpses?”

Rebecca. “There was a game where monsters gained the abilities of what they ate, and it inspired me to experiment. Now that I know it works, I will have all my Golems eat every monster corpse they find to force a mutation.”

Zao. “On top of Earth and Wood, will they now control Ice?”

Rebecca. “It’s still a random chance for a mutation to occur. Less than fifteen gained the ability to control Ice after I had a hundred eat those Ice-Bugs. But those that did were all workers.”

Markus. “None of the warriors, at all?”

Rebecca. “I didn’t say they didn’t get a mutation. One ate the remains of a Hercules Beetle and partially turned into one. Similarly, the other warriors became what they ate depending on the type of Ice-Bug species.”

Markus. “So the worker caste gets elemental control, and the warrior caste gets body modifications.”

Rebecca. “That seems to be the case so far. I will have them eat more corpses to see if that is not the case.”

Jia. “I am ready to fly now.”

Markus looked back to Mash and Dale. They are clutching their necks and shivering from the blood loss.

Markus. “Will they be fine?”

Jia. “It's just like a visit to the blood bank. They just need to lay down, eat and drink.”

Rebecca. “We will look after them. You three go to the fleet and see what has happened to them.”

Zao grabbed Markus and then flew back into the air, Jia following close behind him. They flew towards Alaska Bay, where the Pacific Fleet should be. It took them several minutes before they saw the night sky in the distance lit up by explosions of light followed by thunderous booms. Missiles streaked into the air, lasers and tracer rounds accompanying them.

Pillars of black smoke rose out of burning hulks that were once proud ships of the pacific fleet. A quarter of the fleet was sinking, and another quarter was burning where they floated. Those still intact fired every heavy gun on deck at the Ice-bugs attacking them from the air and sea. AA guns released streams of bullets into the sky like a water jet spray. Survival of the remnants of the fleet was the highest priority. Markus saw several types of Ice-Crustaceans crawling over several ships, using their massive claws to rip out metal and armor.

Giant Dragonflies, Hornets, Moths, and Butterflies fill the skies. Several dozen Drone-Fighter jets battled them in dog fights. Without the support of the carriers and the rest of the fleet, these drones were just delaying the inevitable. Massive icebergs surrounded the fleet, preventing them from escaping the death trap.

Aircraft Carriers, Heavy Cruisers, Light Cruisers, and Destroyers filled the bay. USS, Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, South Dakota, Indiana, Massachusetts, Alabama, Congress, Colorado, Maryland, Washington, and West Virginia. They are surrounded by several Cargo ships, Subs, and Gunboats.

More Icebergs were being created by several Ancient Centipedes that had attacked the Dome. They gathered on top of the iceberg guarded by Rhino beetles and Dungeon Crabs. These monsters created a wall of Ice to deflect artillery shells and missiles from the ships. They used Ice-Beams to intercept those that got through the great wall of Ice and their bodies as meat shields for the centipedes.

Jia. “The swarm is several times bigger than the one that attacked the dome.”

Markus. “How can you tell? It’s too dark to count them.”

Jia. “I don’t need to rely on sight. I can count them all with my other senses.”

Zao. “Regardless of their numbers, we will join the battle and save as many as possible.”

Markus. “We can take on the swarm in the air, but who will handle the ones in the sea?”

The heavens answered Markus’s question as lightning appeared through the clouds above before descending upon the Ice-Centipedes. The largest managed to survive the attack and began gathering mana to heal itself. A lightning bolt struck the surface behind it, and a figure of a man emerged from that spot. The Ice-Centipede towered over him by eight feet. It used its body weight and thick carapace to crush the intruder, but the figure disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared on its head.

Zao. “Soma?”

Soma summoned lighting in the shape of a beach ball and slammed it into the Ice-Centipede’s eyes. The monster roared in pain and bashed its head into the Iceberg with the hope of killing Soma, but he disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared once more on its head when it pulled back.

Soma. “Stop hitting yourself and eat Indra’s Vajra!”

In Soma’s hands, lightning solidified to create a double-ended club. He bashed it into the monster’s head and disappeared in a flash. Lightning bolts descended one after the other into the Vajra and electrocuted the Ice-Centipede until it disintegrated along with the Vajra.

Soma. “Well, that takes care of the Iceberg bugs. Are you done with their protectors, Erika?” Soma said as he turned around to face the Ice-Bugs who were supposed to protect the Ice-Centipedes, but they couldn’t turn around to face him. Their bodies were being pressed by an invisible force. Some of the Ice-Crabs couldn’t withstand it and were squished. Those that did not have wings floated in the air in zero gravity, unable to orient themselves.

A young woman with hair dyed in emerald and a Mediterranean skin tone floated over the sea and landed next to Soma. She wore a Spartan pink helmet with a single spiral horn sticking out of it. A Horse mane flows out behind the horn. It extends to the lower half of her body like an extra-long ponytail. The rest of the Armor is pretty much what you expect from a heavy Infantryman from Sparta, except it's all pink and covered in pieces of broken Ice-crab shell and meat. With her right hand, Erika took a bite of the crabmeat and smacked her lips with a satisfied expression on her face. She snapped her finger, and the gravity pressing on the remaining Ice-Bugs increased until they all were flattened.

Erika. “Who knew their meat tasted this good? I am going to put them on our menu from now on. If you don’t mind.”

Soma. “Eeeeh! I don’t understand how you can eat them raw.”

Erika. “Sucks to be a vegetarian. Your stomachs are so delicate. Humans are omnivores, and denying the flesh goes against our nature.”

Soma. “Whatever! Hey, Zao is here!”

Zao flew down to their side and dropped Markus before he set his own feet on the iceberg. Jia landed next to him, but her appearance surprised Soma and Erika.

Soma. “Is that Jia? I heard the rumors, but I didn’t believe it was this… odd.”

Jia. “I am used to it now.”

Zao. “Who is this unique… Spartan?”

Erika. “Erika Adamos! I’m a chef by trade and a lover of Greek history. Gravity is my specialty, and my little pony is my guilty pleasure. I can’t give you a better introduction than that.”

Soma. “Let’s skip that! Erika is one of the Tamers who arrived in Seward after you left for Dale’s Dome.”

Zao. “Speaking of Seward, I am guessing you wiped out the swarm that attacked it?”

Soma. “It was a bit of a struggle until we evolved to our third forms. Only Sergei, Erika, and I managed to get Evolution Manipulation. Looks like you achieved it as well.”

Zao. “I did. Where is Sergei?”

Soma. “He is creating an ice bridge over the sea for our troops to run over here. Since I can teleport and Erika can levitate, we came in ahead of the rest. Are you three the only reinforcements from the Dome?”

Zao. “No one else can fly apart from Dale, and he can’t help till sunrise. But Markus is more than enough to help me deal with the swarm above. Are you ready, Markus?”

Markus. “This will be a tough one. I counted fifteen Ice-Butterflies within the swarm. But I am ready for it.”

Soma. “Are you two seriously going to take them all on?”

Zao. “As much as we can. Get to the Admiral and ask him to stop shooting into the sky. I don’t want to get hit by friendly fire.”

Soma. “Will do!”

Soma disappeared with a flash of light. He reappeared fifty meters away in the air and repeated the process until he arrived at the Pacific Fleet’s flagship, USS Bunker Hill, flanked by the Ticonderoga, Enterprise, and Reprisal. It took a few minutes for the fleet to communicate via light signals to halt their air defenses. Once the sky was free of bullets and missiles, Zao carried Markus to the swarm.

The sky lit up with spirit swords eviscerating the Ice-Bugs that tried to block them before turning into a giant flaming pillar and incinerating everything that got in its way to its target, the Ice-Butterflies. Soma and Erika stood stunned and awed by the massacre in the sky as the attack pattern was repeated several times with the help of Jia’s stamina and health boost. With each Ice-Butterfly destroyed, the swarm in the sky halted their attacks on the fleet. All their attention was focused on Zao and Markus. On top of the battle in the sky, the sailors of the Pacific fleet began celebrating when hundreds of Tamers arrived with Sergei on the Ice Bridge he created. His appearance is a nine-foot-tall Were-Polar Bear with heavy armor made of crystals glowing in the colors of an aurora.

Sergei let out a terrifying roar that signaled the final phase of the battle. With the reinforcements of Tamers from the Federation, it wasn't long before all the Ice-Bugs in the bay were destroyed to the last bug.