The sight was a horror to those looking from the top of King's Pass down to the bottom of the Howling Cliffs. Thousands of bugs of all shapes and sizes were piling on each other, making a living mountain that was growing every second. Those left below were crushed under the feet of their own "companions," but they couldn't care less. Insect exoskeletons creaked as they were crushed, hundreds of faceless, maskless faces pounced on Hallownest's fragility.

At the top of the cliffs lay the kingdom's only hope. Hundreds of well-armed bugs, but lacking in courage to see the carnage that was approaching their positions with voracious hunger. Their spears shook, their shields trembled. Many were going to experience the pain of war for the first time, the fear of dying at the hands of an enemy who would not hesitate to rip their heads off. That would be enough to make many run. But run where?

The kingdom was doomed. Hallownest was doomed. It was a thought that was repeated in the minds of many, perfectly visible in their incipient faces. When a mighty voice shook even death itself.

Ogrim: - Do not let fear take over you! Don't let doubt take up their weapons! Behind us lies Hallownest! Ourhouses! Our wives! Our parents and children! And only we can prevent death from reaching them! We are the shield of our homes and the spear of our queen! WE ARE THE BLOOD THAT WILL SAVE HALLOWNEST! HIS STRENGTH! YOUR DEAREST CHILDREN! -

Like a shot of adrenaline, Ogrim's words ran through every section of the body of the hundreds of soldiers who heard his powerful voice, unleashing a war cry so loud that legends say it could be heard from the darkest corners of deep nest. Fear had been expelled. The doubts appeased with a will of steel as firm as the stone itself. No one would dare even take a step back. They were going to protect Hallownest even if it cost them every drop of blood in their bodies.

Ogrim: - FIRE! -

Huge flaming balls rolled from the top of the ridge and fell upon the sea of ​​mindless insects desperately climbing the rugged slopes. Of a composition that it was better not to know its origin, the enormous balls devastated dozens of insects at once, and their remains spread like a flaming inferno over the enemy ranks. Hundreds died instantly, but this barely slowed the relentless tide of maw upon their ranks for a few seconds. And when they were close enough:

Ogrim: - FOR THE QUEEN! -

His shout was a clear warning to everyone not on the front line of defense. The sea of ​​insects had reached the top of the cliffs and the hand-to-hand combat had begun. The first line of sentinels slowed the momentum of the enemy charge with their massive shields, only to hurl them back into the void with powerful thrusts. These soldiers were huge and wore strong red armor, and only a fool would dare to face them.

Behind him were the rest of the soldiers, smaller in size, but with equal determination. Unlike the first, these were the largest bulk of the army. A powerful force that fought side by side to finish off any enemy that slipped into the front rank.

But that was not all, because they had to take care of the remains of flying insects that fell dead on the battlefield. Endowed with wings to soar the skies, hundreds of winged sentinels faced the swarm that sought the least opening to break through their defenses. Some wielded stingers to split their victims in half or clip their wings. Others carried huge spears that pierced four or five enemies at once with a single charge. Causing a veritable rain of blood and broken shells on the battlefield.

And far in the rear were the soul twisters. Powerful wizards who hurled crystallized soul fragments into a projectile at the horde of enemies that pounced on allied formations or those that managed to outwit the air defenses. With so much destruction and so many souls being ripped away on the battlefield, his soul manipulation powers were out of control, he managed to cast two or three spells at once, but it was slowly consuming his own life force.

And in the midst of all that chaos, there were three beings that stood out from the rest. For one thing, Mato and Oro timed their attacks perfectly, mopping up countless enemies in a single lunge. His goading technique was so fine, it was even finding beauty in his movements, despite the carnage they left behind. In another corner of the fight was Ogrim, whose brute force was capable of shaking the earth and the mountains. With his powerful pincers he cracked the skulls of his enemies with a single blow, or threw their lifeless bodies into the tide of bugs that scaled the cliffs.

Then a loud crash caught the attention of many. Those who looked up could see the sliced ​​corpses of dozens of wild bugs flying through the air. A great force had appeared on the battlefield, and the mere sight of it caused many to regain their self-confidence. Dressed as a fine lady of high society, without even wearing a simple piece of armor on her body. Her long white hair brushed the ground, and in her hands rested a huge stinger that was almost as big as herself. It was none other than Ze'mer herself, the mightiest warrior the kingdom has ever seen.

Ze'mer: - Hey, Ogrim. You need a hand? -

Ogrim: - You don't know how happy it makes me to see you on the battlefield again, old friend. - They talked without stopping destroying enemies.

Ze'mer: - My grief still lingers. But this kingdom is all that keeps me alive. And I will give my life once more for its long existence if necessary. -

Ogrim: - So be it. -

After the little talk, Ogrim couldn't believe his eyes. With a nod from the lady in white, hundreds of mantises emerged from the rear ranks of the army, carefully cutting through the allied formations and positioning themselves in the front ranks.

Mantises were formidable foes, and honor was everything to them. They had sworn to the new monarch to defend the realm, and now that the deep-nest creatures responded to Hornet's will, the mantises could move from their village and join the battle as soon as they heard the news. The sudden reinforcements gave Ze'mer and Ogrim a short pause to catch their breath, as three presences approached behind them.

Lady mantis: - We must continue to resist. More help is on the way. -

Now with a combined army the balance tipped a bit in favor of the defenders of Hallownest, but it was not enough. It didn't matter how many enemies he defeated, for every head he ripped from his body, five more simply emerged. The sea of ​​bugs without minds seemed to have no end, and the resistance of the troops was beginning to be affected after such a long fight. So much so that the great Mato and Oro began to experience fatigue, and even the remaining five knights and the mantis ladies could not follow the rite of battle.

There was no end to the enemy forces, though they seemed more interested in reaching Hallownest than in taking down the enemies in front of them. It was an uncontrolled frenzy, an irrational desire to reach the interior of the city, as if they were looking for something specific, but that didn't make sense. These bugs were not conscious, they had no mind. How was such a thing possible? Were they looking for something... or was something or someone calling them?

Whatever the answer, no one had time to think about it at that time, as the enemies seemed to have no end, and already some were even beginning to break through the defensive lines, reaching positions dangerously close to the entrance of the city. Those they left behind could only watch in fear as the rampaging insects got out of hand, sprinting into Hallownest, when something inconceivable happened.

Hundreds of eyes watched in surprise as a force joined the fray. A force that no one expected to see in those parts. They were the fools, who had come straight from the coliseum itself to face this threat. Gladiators ran rampant across the battlefield, lopping off the heads of countless enemies in seconds. Those who bore wings took flight, joining the combat in the air with ravenous ferocity as bodies rained down even on their own allies. They were wild, almost as savage as those trying to engulf the realm, but a welcome reinforcement.

Oro and Matto were taking a short break, when a voice was heard behind them.

Fly: - I see that age also takes its toll on you. -

The two warriors turned around and couldn't believe their eyes. His former master had returned to the battlefield, and at his side, walked his brother Sheo. Once again with a stinger resting on his shoulders, although it was curious how this one had huge threads under the pommel. As if it were half stinger, half brush.

Gold: - Brother. It's good to have you back. -

Sheo: - Same thing. Who knew that I would feel so alive again on the battlefield. -

Matto: - The old customs are never forgotten. By the way, what a curious sting. Where did you get it from? -

Sheo: - This? He pointed to his needle. - My boyfriend made it. -

Oro and Matto: - What...!? -

Sheo: - Long story. I'll tell you later. But teacher... How was it that you were able to convince the foolish to join in the fight?-

Sly: - I told them on many occasions that the geo is an even more powerful weapon than the sting, but they never listened to me. But hey, let's stop talking. Shall we join the battle? -

Oro, Matto and Sheo: - Yes, sir. -