Hundreds, no, thousands, of parasites poured forward like a tide of flesh and madness, their grotesque bodies writhing and shifting as they crawled, galloped, and slithered toward the Animal Tribes' lines. The air was thick with the stench of rot and acidic bile. Every step forward was met with a scream.
It began with a scream.
Spear, Ax, sword and pole tore through parasite.
"RAAAGH!" Ape Monger swung her iron staff, crushing one parasite's skull, but three more leapt from the shadows. Their mouths split into spiraling maws of teeth, and before anyone could reach her, they swarmed.
"No!" she roared, but the tide closed around her. One monstrous parasite devoured her whole, its body distending as it swallowed the chieftain of the Monkey Tribe alive. Her soldiers rushed in desperation, only to be torn apart beside her.
Blood rained across the soil.
The Rally for Ape Monger
Kellix roared in fury, his clay cleaver slicing clean through the first wave of parasites that charged him. Heads split. Limbs fell. Ichor painted the earth.
But even as he fought, his eyes caught something strange in the distance, a massive parasite itself being devoured by another creature.
"Rufo..." he muttered, watching the water-coated beast feast with feral hunger.
A group of monkey soldiers stumbled toward him, eyes wide with horror.
"Kellix!" one shouted. "Ape Monger, she was killed!"
"What?" His chest tightened. "How?"
"She was ambushed. They came out of nowhere and dragged her under."
"Damn it!" Kellix growled, tightening his grip on the cleaver. Then louder, for all to hear:
"Everyone! Do not falter, fight for Ape Monger!"
The apes roared in unison, their grief fueling their rage.
The Giant Approaches
A shadow loomed on the horizon, colossal, lumbering, terrible.
A parasite so massive that each step made the ground quake. Its body pulsed with veins the size of tree roots, eyes blooming across its head like tumors. It was still far... but closing in.
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"That thing's enormous," Kellix hissed. "But it's moving slow. I might be the only one who can make something big enough to"
"No!" The Monkey King blurred past him, his aura crackling with fury. "Preserve your Abi! We the leaders will deal with that monster. Your task is to cut their numbers. If we don't thin the horde, overthrowing the Royals will be meaningless!"
Kellix grit his teeth. "Understood."
He slammed his hand to the earth. Clay erupted from the ground, shaping into three humanoid clones.
"Let's go."
They charged into the fray beside him, carving parasites apart in synchronized violence.
Across the Battlefield
Hielo walked calmly through the chaos, each swing of her blade painting arcs of parasite blood in the air. Yet her gaze drifted, lingering on Kellix even amid the slaughter.
On the Lizard Tribe's flank, Gibbons , Lionice's massive mecha, roared to life, unleashing a storm of Abi-infused bullets that tore through the enemy ranks like meteors.
On the Deer front, Two deer soldiers ramed a parasite from both sides smashing it into green goo. One of the para creatures lunged and bit deep into his a soldiers arm, he screamed, blood gushing.
Then, a streak of blue light lanced across the field. The parasite's head exploded.
Tendo turned to see Releyanda, cyber arm smoking, lowering her arm. She didn't say a word, just turned back and kept fighting.
Hidikai danced through the chaos, sliding beneath claws and jaws, her electro-charged fists shattering chitin and bone with each precise strike.
Hidikai "Someone is definitely controlling these sigusting monstes."
Then came Grinex.
The battlefield stilled around the bear chieftain. His mere presence sent a wave of fear through the parasites, they hesitated, uncertain.
"Well come on," Grinex snarled, axe resting on his shoulder. "Don't be scared now. The fight's just getting started."
They screamed and charged.
And each one was met with a single, merciless swing.
Each strike thundered like a storm breaking across the valley.
Grixie was a blur beside him, dodging thrashing tendrils and severing limbs with surgical precision. Together, the Bear Tribe carved a crimson path through the enemy horde.
A False Dawn
Bit by bit, the Animal Tribes gained ground. The parasites' numbers dwindled. Casualties among the tribes were minimal, for now.
But then, the earth groaned. Shadows swallowed the light.
From the distance, it arrived, a towering parasite nearly thirty feet tall, its body a shifting cathedral of teeth and flesh, its roar shaking the sky.
The leaders stepped forward as one, Father Hart, Lord Sunscales, Grax, and the Monkey King, their eyes fixed on the creature.
The ground quaked as it took another step.
The war for the Animal Kingdom's soul had only just begun.
To Be Continued...