WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom

The bolt sliced through the air, whistling as it rocketed toward the Venom Ravager. Just before impact—

THWANG!

A spine shot from the side, colliding mid-air.

BOOM!

The explosion detonated prematurely, sending a shockwave rippling outward. A cloud of smoke and debris engulfed the battlefield, obscuring the enemy's position. But Ben wasn't fooled. He clicked his tongue. 'That damn Spine Ravager…' The long-range unit had reacted instantly, intercepting the shot before it could reach its target. Ben's irritation lasted only a moment. He didn't stop. "FIRE!"

A second later, the Krell scouts unleashed a storm of arrows. Dozens rained down like a deadly monsoon, their sharp tips glinting as they fell upon the Ravager forces. The sudden assault forced the Venom Ravager to act. Its glowing spines pulsed in rapid succession—a command.

The army moved. The Ravagers surged forward as one, claws digging into the ground as they charged. Their formation shifted immediately, squads spreading out to minimize casualties. The Brute Ravagers led the charge, massive bodies crashing forward, their thick armor absorbing stray arrows. Spine Ravagers weaved between them, firing intercepting shots at the incoming projectiles, clearing a path. The Phantoms moved within the ranks, their forms flickering in and out of existence, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

CRASH!!!

The first wave slammed straight into Ben's defenses. A Brute Ravager stormed forward, its claws ready to tear through the wall—only for the ground beneath it to vanish. A pitfall.

THUD!

The massive beast plummeted, slamming hard against the sharpened stakes below. A painful shriek tore from its throat as the spears pierced deep into its flesh. It thrashed wildly, trying to climb out, but its own weight pinned it down, impaled from multiple angles.

Behind it, another Ravager tried to leap over—only to land on one of the angled spike barricades. Its front limbs caught on the sharpened points, and the sudden momentum impaled it right through the chest. It screeched in agony, trying to free itself, but every movement only drove the spikes deeper into its body.

More Ravagers followed, crashing against the defenses. The angled spikes forced them to slow down, their natural climbing instincts working against them as they struggled to find footing. Some managed to leap over—only to be met with another layer of traps. Hidden snares wrapped around their legs, yanking them to the ground where waiting Krell Soldiers lunged forward, spears stabbing mercilessly into their exposed flesh.

BOOM!

A section of the battlefield erupted as one of the explosive traps triggered. Several Ravagers were sent flying, their bodies torn apart mid-air. Smoke billowed in thick clouds, momentarily obscuring the battlefield.

Ben's smirk lingered, but his eyes sharpened. His traps were working— but not nearly as effectively as he wanted. Despite the initial carnage, only a dozen or so Ravagers had fallen. The rest were adapting, maneuvering around the pitfalls, avoiding the spikes.

They were learning. The Spine Ravagers unleashed another volley. Blackened spines shot through the air, slamming into the ground with pinpoint accuracy—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—their impact triggering Ben's pitfall traps prematurely. The pits caved in before the advancing Ravagers even reached them, rendering them useless.

Ben clicked his tongue. 'Smart bastards.'

The Ravagers advanced, their formation shifting again. The Brutes bulldozed forward, taking the brunt of the attaack, while the smaller ones moved behind them, using their massive bodies as cover. And then— Ben's eyes narrowed.

Some of the Ravagers weren't dodging his traps. They were throwing themselves into them.

A Brute charged straight into an angled spike, impaling itself through the chest—but instead of trying to escape, it thrashed violently, breaking the structure with its sheer weight before going limp. Its comrades didn't hesitate. They climbed over its body, using it as a bridge to scale the wall. More followed, piling on top of one another, creating a growing ramp of flesh and chitin.

Ben's jaw tightened. 'They're suiciding just to breach the walls.'

"SCOUTS, FIRE!" His order rang through the hive mind. The Krell Scouts stationed at the towers released a fresh volley of explosive arrows.

BOOM!

Fire erupted along the wall, sending bodies flying, breaking apart their climbing formation. But it wasn't enough. More took their place, advancing faster than he could eliminate them. His eyes flickered toward the Venom Ravager. It was still standing at the back, giving orders with subtle pulses of its spines. He sneered. "BALISTA, LOCK ON! FIRE IN SUCCESSION!"

Three ballistae swiveled, locking onto their mark. With a deafening TWANG, the first bolt was loosed, slicing through the battlefield like a spear of death. A heartbeat later, the second followed, then the third, each one aimed with deadly precision.

Ben watched, waiting for the impact. 'Let's see how you handle this, bastard.'

The moment the first ballista bolt cut through the air, the Venom Ravager moved—but not on its own.

A Brute Ravager jumped in front of it, intercepting the projectile with its armored body—BOOM! The explosion tore through its torso, sending thick chunks of chitin flying, but the Venom remained untouched, using its fallen soldier as a shield.

The second bolt shoot toward it— But just as it was about to strike, the Venom Ravager ducked. It wasn't a panicked dodge. It was a calculated move. The bolt whizzed past, slamming into the ground behind it, triggering an eruption of smoke and debris. The battlefield filled with dust, obscuring vision, turning the battlefield into a storm of chaos.

Ben scowled.' Damn it. The bastard is really smart, dodging in the split-second window between shots.'

And the third bolt..

Swoooosh!!!

Ben's eyes flickered through the dust, searching—there! The Spine Ravagers had shot down the final ballista bolt midair, detonating it before it even reached its target.

Ben's smirk disappeared. His eyes locked onto the Venom Ravager, whose glowing spines pulsed in rapid succession—sending out new orders.

The dust cloud hadn't just obscured vision for Ben's forces. It was cover. From the smoke, the Ravagers surged forward in new formation.

The Brutes took the lead again, pushing forward as living battering rams, while the Spine Ravagers positioned themselves on the sides, taking aim at the towers. The phantom Ravagers darted between them, using their larger kin as mobile cover.