Conner was surprised.
Not because someone arrived.
But because someone was willing to stake their lives beside him.
He turned properly this time and looked at the owner of the voice.
She looked young. Barely eighteen.
Her armor stood out immediately. It wasn't random equipment thrown together. The breastplate and arm guards were clean, structured, and clearly bulletproof. The material looked light but sturdy. Her boots were different too. The laces faintly vibrated, giving off a low hum.
Speed enhancement.
Mobility focused.
"A fanatic of Wonder Woman," Conner thought briefly before shifting his attention to the army behind her.
Over a thousand men.
Well equipped.
Disciplined.
Most likely players who had been trapped in the game earlier.
On the surface, she looked ready to take on the queen herself.
Or so it seemed.
Conner narrowed his eyes slightly.
Something wasn't right.
Why appear now?
Why offer alliance immediately?
Did she see his reduced numbers and think he was weakened?
Did she plan to strike after the queen fell?
He closed his eyes for a few seconds.
Then he made a decision.
"Limitless Assault."
"Deploy."
The words left his mouth calmly.
Infinite white swords materialized around him instantly.
Without hesitation, he directed them toward the girl and her army.
The swords disappeared and reappeared inside their bodies.
But no blood spilled.
No bodies dropped.
The figures flickered slightly.
"I knew it."
"This is an illusion the queen has placed on me."
His guards rose immediately.
Moments later, the surroundings shifted.
The girl and her army vanished.
The queen's forces were already closing in around his men.
"So it starts."
"Guess it's my time to shine."
"Men, attack."
He summoned his pair of silver blades and charged toward the mutated players.
Behind him, his men opened fire.
Bullets tore through the lower-class spider ants, dropping dozens instantly.
The soldier ants fell easily.
But the rooks, bishops, and especially the seven kings were different.
Their shells absorbed most of the damage.
They kept advancing.
Conner was prepared.
Out of the remaining 140 players — eight had already died during the previous clash — seven stepped forward holding large red bows.
No arrows were visible.
"Fire."
They drew the bows.
Red fiery arrows formed automatically.
In an instant, they released.
The arrows shot forward and pierced through rooks and bishops.
Each draw dropped several of them.
The bishops and rooks numbered in the thousands, but the fiery arrows were effective.
The seven kings endured longer. Their shells cracked but didn't shatter immediately.
They screeched in irritation.
"Screech."
The queen roared.
Her army stiffened.
The next moment, their eyes glowed red.
"Limitless Assault."
Conner whispered again.
The white swords reappeared.
They tore through the queen's army.
When the assault ended, almost eighty-five percent of the swarm was gone.
The battlefield suddenly felt manageable.
Too manageable.
Conner paused mid-step.
Something was off.
The fight was going too smoothly.
He quickly ran numbers in his head.
He had lost maybe twenty men.
Against a Master-ranked queen.
Against millions of ants.
That didn't add up.
"This isn't right."
Without hesitation, he activated a hidden device embedded within his armor.
A faint pulse passed through him.
Reality snapped into place.
The battlefield dissolved.
The fallen ants disappeared.
The damaged kings vanished.
What he saw next made his expression harden.
He was already trapped.
Webbing had wrapped around his body.
Thick strands covered his arms and torso.
It was slowly tightening.
Most of his men were also bound.
Not a hundred and twenty left.
Not even close.
More than half were already gone.
Dead.
Only a few thousand ants had actually died.
Everything else had been an illusion.
He exhaled slowly.
"Can't believe I got duped twice. This queen is good at illusion manipulation… and I fell for it."
He analyzed calmly.
The queen wasn't trying to eat them immediately.
She was trapping them.
Preparing them.
Most likely mutating them.
Just like the other players.
He had observed earlier that mutated players were stronger physically. But they lacked will. They couldn't use weapons properly. They relied only on their altered abilities.
Strength without control.
Useful, but limited.
"Screech."
The queen ordered her remaining forces to begin dragging the captured players deeper into the tunnel.
Conner didn't resist.
Of course he could break free if he truly wanted to.
But not yet.
He needed information.
He needed to know where Reever was being held.
After that…
He would decide when to act.
With his strength and the weapons he possessed, finishing this mission wasn't impossible.
Even the bows he had given those players earlier were his personal weapons.
Epic rank.
He hadn't even begun using everything.
Minutes passed as he was dragged along the rough tunnel floor.
Eventually, they entered a massive cavern.
Cocoons hung from the ceiling, attached by sharp hooks embedded into the rock.
And there—
Trapped in webbing—
Reever.
"Hey Conner. I see that they got you too."
Reever's voice echoed lightly across the cavern.
Now both of them were in the same place.
The help he was expecting, and his savior, was now together with him, trapped and dupped by the same queen.