The Last Monarch : Unlimited Regeneration-Chapter 47: The Assault (Part 6)

Niva took a direct hit to her chest. She was pushed backward. Several parts of her hard armor had cracked, and she was injured. Her opponent was extremely strong, but this wasn’t over yet—she could still fight. Besides, the situation wasn’t as bad as she thought.

Around her, there were still quite a number of Ant Bees. The enemy forces, which originally numbered twelve hundred, had been reduced to about four hundred.

"You will lose," said Niva.

They had defeated around eight hundred enemies, though on the other hand, thousands of Ant Bees had also perished—from level one all the way to even level fifteen. Numerically, their side suffered more losses, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

As long as the Queen Ant Bee remained alive, the colony would survive. And deep inside the nest, there were still around a thousand Ant Bees. They had been deliberately kept from joining the fight. Their duty was to guard the Queen Ant Bee and Alvaric.

"You’ve drawn your conclusion too soon," said Gramn, pointing behind her. "We’ve received reinforcements."

Niva looked back and saw hundreds of additional soldiers arriving. She swallowed hard. Surveying the battlefield, only around six hundred Ant Bees remained capable of fighting. They were now outnumbered, and at the same time, the enemy commander, Clard, was walking toward her.

He stood beside Gramn. "I know you don’t like it when someone interferes in your fight, but we have to defeat their commander. We don’t have much time—the troops are getting exhausted," said Clard.

Gramn turned to him. "We have reinforcements. That should be more than enough."

"Don’t underestimate them!" Clard snapped.

Gramn wanted to argue, but Clard’s eyes were filled with fury. That gaze silenced him. Deep down, he didn’t like this at all. For a split second, he even felt the urge to kill Clard.

"If you want to fight me, fine. But let’s finish this battle first!" Clard declared.

Gramn was shocked—could Clard read his thoughts? That surprised him.

Clard readied his spear, eyes locked onto Niva, who had already lost 65% of her strength. She had trouble even in a one-on-one battle. Now she was facing two powerful opponents. This was worse.

"If only the one standing in my place was the Prince of Ant Bee, maybe things would’ve turned out differently," Niva muttered with a bitter smile.

She felt disappointed and angry at her own weakness. To her, being the Princess of Ant Bee was just a failed result of a missing Prince of Ant Bee.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Master... please live on."

***

[Twin Venom Slash]

Niva launched another attack. This time, it hit. Gramn was struck directly in the chest. The wound was deep, blood flowing from it.

But at the same time, Niva had exhausted all her mana. Her breathing slowed.

"Damn it. Is this where I end?" Niva looked around. There were no more Ant Bees left above. All had been defeated. The enemy still had around two hundred soldiers left, along with their two generals.

"Ahh... I guess this really is the end for me."

This was as far as she could go, but Niva felt satisfied. With this many enemies left, the Ant Bee forces inside the nest should be able to win.

At least her sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain. That was enough.

"At the very least... I’ll take the two of you down with me," Niva whispered.

She took a deep breath and braced herself for one final strike.

Without hesitation, Niva charged forward. She used every last bit of her strength in this battle.

Her two opponents were also nearing their limits, especially Gramn, who had been affected by the Twin Venom Slash. The poison had entered his body and was accumulating—enough to kill him within minutes.

Triiiing!

Their weapons clashed, sparks flying with a small explosion overhead.

When Clard thrust his spear, Niva crossed her arms in defense. She was pushed back, and a blast followed.

BOOM!

The explosion shattered Niva’s arm armor. Blood dripped from her hands.

"This is the end for you, monster," Clard said.

Niva remained in her stance. Her vision was blurry—she could barely see—but she didn’t care.

"Do it."

Clard raised his hand. A second later, dozens of spears materialized in the air. With one movement, he launched them all.

Niva was assaulted from every direction. She could no longer sense the direction of the attacks. She focused only on Clard, whose large figure was a shadow in her dimming sight.

Srak! Srek! Dush!

The magic spears pierced her from multiple angles.

"Khuggh!"

Blood gushed from her mouth. Several spears struck her shoulders, waist—even one pierced her thigh. Yet even as her body was torn apart, she kept moving.

With nearly shut eyes, Niva gathered her final strength.

Srek!

She leaped forward—regardless of how many spears impaled her. She dragged her body in a short burst, like a wounded beast unwilling to die before striking back.

"Graaaah!!" her scream roared in despair.

[Twin Venom Slash]

Niva used the same skill once more, but this was truly her final move. Her movement was swift and precise.

Dukkk!

Clard staggered. A gaping wound tore open at his ribs. The poison seeped in. Clard tried to endure, but his body stiffened, his vision wavering. He was wounded. Niva had hurt him.

But...

"Thud..."

Niva’s body collapsed to the ground. Her breathing was ragged. Her eyes stared up at the sky, now fading from her vision.

"At... at least..." she whispered, voice faint, "...I didn’t die for nothing."

Blood pooled beneath her. Spears still stuck from her body, some broken.

In her final moment, Niva smiled. "Forgive me, Master... for not being able to stay by your side until the end."

Tap...

Niva passed away.

***

Clard and Gramn fell to the ground, sitting in exhaustion. They were relieved—they had finally defeated the last Ant Bee. Their mission was a success.

Or so they thought.

"Are you okay?" Clard asked.

"Are you blind? Can’t you see I’ve been poisoned?" Gramn snapped.

Clard glanced at his own wound. He, too, was poisoned. He gave a bitter smile. His dream of becoming the supreme general was now fading.

"We’re going to die here," Clard said quietly.

Gramn lay down, staring at the sky.

"It’s fine. We defeated a monster that could’ve taken countless demi-human lives. Doesn’t that make us heroes?"

Clard burst into laughter. Then coughed, blood spewing from his mouth. He lay down beside Gramn.

"You’re right. We’re heroes."

Both of them smiled in relief. Monsters were a threat to demi-humans. Countless had already perished. Even in this battle, their side had suffered great losses.

"Are you two alright?" someone asked.

Gramn and Clard turned toward the voice and smiled in relief. They sat up again, but when they looked more closely...

Their eyes widened. "Why are you all...?"