Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 160: The Elders Step In

As Rinalef was being assisted by a maid through the dimly lit halls of the Dryad tree castle, she noticed multiple figures walking towards her in the distance. As they came closer, their features became visible. It was the Dryad elders. Seeing them gave Rinalef a sense of relief.

Rinalef then began, her words low due to her injuries, "My elders, I beg of you, our people are..." Before she could finish her statement, Elder Aelorin walked up to her and placed a hand on her right shoulder. She smiled softly and said with a soft, melodic tone, "Hush now, child. You need not ask for our help before we help our people. You need to conserve your strength and recover."

Elder Thalanor then spoke up as he walked up to them, "Yes, child, your injuries seem fatal. Follow Elder Sylara back so she can heal you."

Elder Sylara then walked up to Rinalef and said with a soft smile, "Just as Elder Thalanor said, Rinalef, you need to follow me so I can tend to your wounds."

Rinalef managed a weak smile, her voice filled with warmth as she said, "Thank you," before slipping into unconsciousness.

Elder Sylara turned to the maid with a gentle tone and said, "Bring her to my chambers so I can attend to her."

The maid nodded, and they set off towards Sylara’s chambers. As they departed, Sylara halted momentarily, and looked back at the other elders and seriously warned, "None of you dare die on me."

Elder Nyressa brushed off Sylara’s concerns with a dismissive wave of her hand. Leaning forward, she said, "Oh, come now, Sylara, you have nothing to worry about. If things get too difficult, we’ll return and evacuate, along with the princess, the king and queen."

Sylara managed a weak smile and replied, "You all had better keep that promise." With that, she turned around and followed the maid who was assisting the princess.

As Sylara walked a considerable distance away from the other elders, elder Nyressa stood back straight, facing the remaining elders. Their collective demeanor underwent a sudden change, as they all wore serious expressions.

Aelorin spoke up with a serious tone, "Alright, let’s be on our way." She continued to walk ahead of the other elders, adding, "No matter what, we must put an end to this... Akun, even if it will be the end of us. If we don’t, he’ll surely bring about the end of the Dryad tribe."

Meanwhile, outside the tree castle, the full moon casted a silvery glow over the unfolding chaos, Akun had turned most of the Dryad tribe into ruins. Rubble and lifeless bodies could be found at every turn.

Akun stood against a group of "special" Dryad warriors, a trio of identical triplets, all three employing the same battle style. The reason for their survival? Razor-sharp reflexes and unmatched battle coordination.

Observing the Dryad trio forming a triangle around him, Akun looked at the trio with a mix of curiosity and seriousness, Aeryn, the eldest of the triplets, suddenly shouted, "Okay, girls, let’s go for our Triple A combo!" She pointed her metallic wooden sword at Akun. Aria and Arya, her sisters, responded with enthusiasm, saying, "Right!" They all charged at Akun with swords in hand.

Immediately, dozens of dark silver swords formed all around Akun. Enhancing them with aspect power, he shot them forward at the trio.

As the swords approached Aeryn, she used her metallic wooden sword to deflect the closest approaching sword on her left with a swift swing. She also countered the one on her right. Upon noticing another sword approaching directly for her head, she backflipped. Landing on her feet, she saw another sword coming from her left side, near her flank. She swiftly twisted her body to counter it.

Each of the speeding swords she dodged and deflected hit the earth with massive force, creating huge craters where they landed. This caused dust clouds to billow into the air, and shockwaves along with cracks rippled across the ground.

Meanwhile, on Aria’s side, she continued to backflip, dodging swords that landed and impaled the earth, creating massive craters one after another. Suddenly, time seemed to slow down as she noticed a sword aiming for her abdomen. She locked her gaze onto it as she rose to her feet, Aria charged forward at the incoming sword.

She swung her sword at the oncoming blade, but instead of it instantly deflecting, it pressed on due to Akun’s aspect power. Aria struggled with the sword, doing her best to prevent it from pushing her back. She gritted her teeth and strained, noticing a crack forming on her sword.

Her thoughts raced, "It.. so.. strong, have to deflect this sword now, or it’ll break my sword before I can."

Summoning all her strength, she finally managed to deflect the sword, sending it spinning until it crashed into the ground, creating a massive crater as a dust cloud billowed into the air. Unfortunately, the strain proved too much for her own sword, which snapped in half as the other sword hit the ground.

Aria stood there, panting and disarmed, staring at the broken half of her sword. She knew that she had just lost her primary weapon and felt a sense of vulnerability.

Across the battlefield, Akun looked at the trio. While Aria’s struggle had resulted in her losing her weapon, it was only a matter of time before he would overwhelm them completely. His aspect power had proven too much for the once-unbeatable trio.

Observing the unfolding situation, Akun couldn’t hide his bewilderment. "I honestly don’t understand why you all think those stupid excuses for swords can stand a chance against my enhanced dark silver swords."

Suddenly, Arya sprang up from behind Akun, her battle cry piercing the air as she swung her sword downward toward him. But just before her blade could strike his armor, she found herself immobilized, her body locked in place, except for her mouth.

"What the? What’s happening? Why can’t I move?" She yelled in confusion as she struggled to break free.

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Slowly, Akun turned his gaze to face her, his purple eyes gleaming brightly. He spoke in a cold, low tone, "What kind of an idiot announces their attack? It’s like you are asking to be countered."

Akun then unleashed a huge burst of aspect power from his body. It shot out like a force of nature, shattering not only her armor but also her metalic wooden sword, which shatterd into a thousand pieces, and a few of her bones as well. The shockwave sent her hurtling through the air, her agonized cry echoing in the night, while she coughed up blood.

Arya crashed into a massive pile of rubble, the impact causing the rocks and debris to fall around her. The ground trembled as if it couldn’t contain the raw power she had just experienced.

Arya’s sisters, Aria and Aeryn, yelled in unison, "Arya!" Their voices trembled with a mix of fear and anger as they saw their sister unconscious amid the rubble. With gritted teeth, they charged at Akun, their determination etched on their faces. They shouted in unison, "You bastard, we’ll make you pay for that!"

Akun responded with a cold tone as his helmeted gaze fixated on them. "I would love to see you try." His purple eyes gleamed even brighter as he summoned dozens of additional dark silver swords, each enhanced with his formidable aspect power. The swords shot forward like a deadly swarm, aimed directly at the defiant dryad sisters.

As the sisters spotted the incoming swords, they reacted with agility, leaping, flipping, and countering their way through the deadly assault towards Akun.

However, in the midst of their acrobatics, one of the swords struck Aria in the thigh, causing her to instantly lose her balance and tumble to the ground. Aeryn, seeing her sister’s predicament, swiftly paused and called out in concern, "Aria, are you alright?" She decided to stand guard in front of her fallen sister, ready to protect her from the raining blades.

Aeryn’s sword moved tirelessly, tirelessly deflecting the incoming swords.

Aria winced in pain as she clutched her thigh, but she forced a brave smile and nodded at Aeryn. "I’m okay, sis. Keep going."

Aeryn returned a nod as she continued her never ending efforts, ensuring that no blade could get past her to harm her injured sister.

Akun, witnessing the resilience of the sisters, grew curious as to how much more they could handle. He realized that dealing with them wouldn’t be as easy as the previous encounters. He gathered even more dark silver swords around him, creating a storm of metallic death. The air was filled with the whistling of blades and the flashing of aspect-enhanced swords.

The sisters knew they couldn’t hold out forever, but they were buying precious time for their tribe to evacuate and seek safety. They maintained their defense against Akun’s endless assault, pushing their limits to protect their people and each other.