The heavy ion ray had proven extremely effective.
The entire Air Corps First Regiment was clearly fully equipped with this new weapon. Its deployment now had yielded immediate and impactful results.
The same scene was playing out in multiple directions—the six-clawed bats stood no chance against these elite air units. With their agile maneuvers and precise attacks, what could be seen were one six-clawed bat after another falling from the sky, exploding midair into plumes of gray-black mist that streamed in one direction.
That direction unmistakably led to the Abyssal Passage.
Within the operations command center, Yu Guanzhi's face revealed a rare smile upon seeing this. All the military resources he had poured into these units were finally showing their worth. The First Air Corps had brought honor once again, delivering a decisive first strike.
But his satisfaction only lasted a brief moment.
Suddenly, a vast mass like a black cloud surged in from the horizon. It couldn't be mist—real clouds never moved this fast.
This was more like a sandstorm, except it emanated malice.
One of the scout planes closest to the cloud immediately enhanced its reconnaissance visuals, broadcasting a clearer feed to the command center.
As the generals saw the true nature of this black mist, gasps spread through the room.
They weren't looking at smoke or fog. It was a swarm of fist-sized creatures resembling black metallic bees.
Each one gleamed with a faint metallic luster. Their bodies were jet black, and on their backs were six wings. Though small and thin as cicada membranes, the wings vibrated at impossible speeds, producing a constant and ominous buzzing.
"What the hell are those?" Yu Guanzhi muttered, stunned.
They looked like some grotesque, oversized species of abyssal bees—there was no better description.
Realizing the danger instantly, Yu Guanzhi gave the command with no hesitation. "First Air Corps, withdraw! First defensive line, prepare long-range soul cannons! Set angle to ten degrees, initiate wide-area soul ray barrage!"
The front line had long since been prepared. Massive soul cannon barrels extended from reinforced platforms, adjusting direction based on coordinates provided by the air units.
Then came a volley of thunderous blasts—over a thousand soul rays unleashed in synchronized fire, lancing toward the black cloud ahead.
The First Air Corps immediately initiated a swift retreat. Twenty-five aircraft units arced gracefully across the sky in well-practiced withdrawal maneuvers.
But just then, those gigantic bee-like abyssal creatures at the forefront of the cloud underwent a terrifying transformation.
The command center could clearly see it on the live feed: bright green light erupted from the creatures' backs.
Closer inspection revealed that this green glow emanated from their wings. As the six wings lit up and vanished from sight, the creatures' speed skyrocketed—instantly reaching supersonic velocity.
The air units, mid-turn and not yet fully accelerated, simply couldn't outrun them. In the blink of an eye, the swarm had caught up and overwhelmed them.
Buzz… buzz…
A wave of buzzing thundered through the soul communicator network.
Inside the operations command center, a heavy silence fell.
The First Air Corps had been annihilated.
Yes, in that brief moment, the elite, battle-hardened First Air Corps of the Central Legion—regarded as Yu Guanzhi's most prized force—had been completely wiped out.
Not a single aircraft escaped the swarm.
Yu Guanzhi's fists clenched tightly. Veins bulged across the back of his hands. He had never imagined things would unfold this way.
A heavy tightness pressed against his chest. His lips thinned to a grim line.
His First Air Corps—his pride and power—was gone.
At that moment, the barrage of over a thousand soul ray blasts finally reached the target area. They streaked across the sky and blanketed the swarm.
But the black cloud scattered like a thunderstruck fogbank, dispersing wide into the air.
Only a small portion of the swarm was caught by the bombardment. Pockets of the sky bloomed with gray-black explosions. But in comparison to the vast number of enemies, this was a drop in the ocean.
The real tragedy was that all fifty of those cutting-edge aircraft—armed with heavy ion ray weapons—had been obliterated before even managing to self-detonate. They had been erased completely from the battlefield.
The cost was staggering. Even Yu Guanzhi found it difficult to accept.
Far beneath the surface, in the heart of the Abyssal Passage…
The Ghost Emperor let out a booming laugh and raised his thumb. "Excellent! As expected of the Abyssal Bomb Bees! Queen Bee's methods are indeed the apex of swarm warfare!"
Inside the vast cavern, a dozen or so abyssal kings stood. Each one radiated an aura of great power. Though their temperaments and energies differed, not one of them was weak.
Upon hearing the Ghost Emperor's praise, one figure said blandly, "This is nothing but a minor display. You haven't yet witnessed our true might."
This speaker was none other than the ruler of the eighth level of the Abyss—Queen Bee!
Like many other high-level abyssal kings, Queen Bee also bore human-like features. In fact, all nine Abyssal Emperors took humanoid forms.
Her rank even surpassed Black Emperor, a testament to her overwhelming might.
But unlike a normal human, her eyes were incredibly large—twice the size of an average person's—and perfectly round. Emerald green light glowed within them, and upon closer inspection, the light was actually countless compound eyes, tightly clustered together.
Just looking at them gave a person goosebumps.
These were the Abyssal Bomb Bees. Originally called Abyssal Destruction Bees, the name "Bomb Bees" had been coined by none other than the Ghost Emperor.
What made them terrifying wasn't just their overwhelming numbers—but the fact that they were under one mind.
They had a single commander—Queen Bee.
To be precise, each Bomb Bee was essentially an extension of Queen Bee's consciousness. Through some mysterious means, she could link to and control every single one of them.
She was their queen in every sense. Every Bomb Bee was her eye, her limb, her weapon.
She was a sovereign of annihilation.
As the Abyssal Queen, she could will thousands of Bomb Bees to burn their own wings to propel themselves at supersonic speed, then detonate at the heart of enemy formations.
In one-on-one combat, Queen Bee might not be as strong as Black Emperor. But when it came to large-scale warfare, even two Black Emperors commanding all their Black Monarchs couldn't match her.
Even some of the higher-ranked abyssal kings preferred not to cross her—for one simple reason:
She was terrifying.
(End of Chapter)
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