The elation Ezekiel had felt after placing the numerous beacons and hiding them within the central chamber of the nest was doused not long before he got within range of Shine’s hidden position. He was running low on mana, and it was a difficult journey back, since his ability to [Jump] became warped once more upon returning to the currents of mana outside the nest’s territory.

Of course, once he got past the increased number of guards and patrols, he found himself having little issue traveling the distance between himself and the little island.

While the patrols had increased, they had also gotten tighter, closer to the nest as well. So, once he got out of their less than stellar net, he was able to take a straight shot out of there.

Only to hit a wall of golden light the moment he was far enough away.

“How reckless can you be!?” his father screamed once he had been dragged back to the island at the speed of light. He had almost wanted to fight back, purely out of reflex, but that simply wasn’t possible. The divide in power between the two was too great. As were their sizes, since his father had grown to be nearly fifteen feet tall, entering what Ezekiel had dubbed as his [War Form].

Though, he took this as further proof that the Spirit within the nest wasn’t a true Ancient. There was still a divide between their soul and their mana. One that would make all the difference in the upcoming battle.

“I needed to finish the mission. Yes, the ambush drones were a surprise, but things worked out in the end, didn’t they?” he couldn’t do anything other than hang in the air while his father held him up by the scruff of his neck. His shirt was beginning to tear from how he was being shaken up. “I wouldn’t have gone through with it if I didn’t think it was possible, and if I had used up more than two thirds of my mana.”

Warren stopped shaking him, shrinking down to a more average human size. “It was still a risk that you didn’t need to take. We could’ve regrouped, moved around, and tried to figure out a different way in. You didn’t have to risk yourself like this. Not when I’m here.”

Ezekiel felt a wave of guilt fill him, before it was replaced with anger. He knew, logically, that his father was just worried about him, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was being belittled.

It felt like the past decade, and more, was for nothing. Like his achievements didn’t exist, when in front of his father, who had only broken through thanks to his and Shine’s contributions to the world.

“Fine. I’ll let you take the lead when the battle begins,” he muttered before shaking off his father’s hand. He knew he was only able to thanks to Warren not fighting back, but his good mood was gone now, and he didn’t want to deal with the older man any more today.

Instead, he sent his memories and ideas to Shine before sitting down to meditate. “Make your plans, I’ll follow along like the drone you want me to be. Just be sure to tell me everything this time.”

With that, he closed his eyes, focusing inwards, to more easily recuperate his mana.

At the same time, it would be a good chance for him to direct his consciousness through his Spirit Paths. The sooner he could locate his sixth Chakra, the better. It would, potentially, be faster than his attempts at body refinement, after all.

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Holding out his hand, Warren reached out to try and grab his son, but a shining sword blocked him. “What are you doing? You’re just as upset at him as I am.”

Shine was silent for a moment, their avatar stood tall on the face of their blade, but their arms were crossed, and a sphere of [Closed Space] appeared around Ezekiel.

“I am upset with him, but the fact of the matter is, your words were the worst thing you could’ve said to him.” Shine’s tone nearly made Warren step back, even while his son disappeared beneath the Spirit’s spell. “While I know that he is overjoyed to have you back, and I know that you are happy to be back, and thankful, and proud, of all that he’s become, you need to understand that he’s fully grown now. You can’t just tell him that he can’t take risks just because you’re here. It’s the same as telling him that he’s practically useless, or that his actions were worthless. You can’t just carry him anymore. Not when he’s climbed the mountain on his own. When he carved out the path that you and Theo decided to take!”

Shine’s voice grew louder and louder, and while their mana became a maelstrom of pressure that battered at him in their anger, Warren stood still, but looked more stricken than any other time since waking up in Eldramir’s Spirit Paths.

“That’s not... I wasn’t belittling his accomplishments. I was just worried about him! Can I not wish for my son to be as safe as possible!?” Warren’s voice also grew louder, but he didn’t allow his mana to be released, since he knew that it would wipe away the [Shroud] that was keeping their group concealed.

On the side, Headren remained quiet and just watched. Something that Warren was grateful for, but he couldn’t help but feel that Headren was looking at him with disdain in his eye sockets.

“If you had been there for him for the past ten years, then maybe, but while it wasn’t your fault, Ezekiel was forced to step up and grow stronger. He had to take risks, and he had to do everything he could to get back home alive.” Shine flew right up to Warren’s face, glaring with their featureless figure. “He needed to do far worse than what he had to do just now, in the nest, and you telling him that he didn’t is throwing mud on his ability to make judgements. Yes, he follows his heart, more than his head, but he always goes for the most likely method of achieving success, while also taking the fewest losses possible. The only reason that I’m angry is the fact that I had to be here, keeping you and Headren a secret, instead of right there with him. Charging the nest directly.”

Looking at the angry Void Spirit, Warren remained silent. He still thought that he wasn’t wrong. Ezekiel didn’t need to take such risks while he was here. It was already bad enough that he had had to go into the nest alone.

“I will not apologize for wanting my son to be safe!” his words came out as more of a growl.

“What makes you think you have a choice? You’re not coming home with us, after all.” This time, Shine’s words cut through to the heart of Warren’s being.

It had been something that he’d been avoiding addressing, but it would be impossible to do so forever. Sooner than later, Ezekiel would return to Eldramir’s physical body, and would be forced to fight against the Cruor and their Broodmasters.

Even thought they were still sealed, Warren felt more fear than ever before, at the thought of the things that Ezekiel would have to face.

It nearly made him want to keep Ezekiel here, in Eldramir’s Spirit Paths, until he reached Tier six. However, he knew that such actions would engrave nothing but resentment in Ezekiel’s heart.

“If I may,” Headren called out from the side, “perhaps we should take this as the chance to step back, and let things cool down. As it is, I need to reform parts of the island, and Shine needs to meditate, in order to recover the mana that they need for maintaining the [Shroud].”

Warren couldn’t help but give Headren a wary look. This was the calmest and most logical he had ever seen the Death being act.

Then he realized that the skeleton’s bones were trembling, and he had refused to look Warren in the eyes. A sense of shame at nearly losing his control passed through him, and he turned away.

“Agreed. We will talk more about this later. For now, it would be best to meditate, and center ourselves for what is to come. We can discuss battle plans when the two of you are ready to continue.” Sitting down, he heard Shine dig into the false earth beneath them all.

Then, he allowed himself to fall into a meditative trance. Finding himself once more within the channels of his soul, he reflexively sought out the comfort of his oldest companion, only for nothing to reach back for him.

Instead, he remained silent within the radiant mana that flowed within and around him.

Lost within his thoughts, emotionally drained, mentally tired, and feeling alone.

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A table construct was formed on the island once Ezekiel had awakened from his meditation. He had been surprised to see his father meditating but didn’t think too much of it. Instead, he focused on the fact that they hadn’t discussed the information that he’d given Shine.

“There was a disagreement, and we decided to put it off until everyone was ready to continue. Please don’t ask. I don’t want to address it right now.” Shine had shut down any attempts to get more information out of them, so Ezekiel let it be. They’d be able to talk about it later.

“So, who has a plan for how we can assault the nest?” Headren asked, though his hands were shaking while he spoke. “Given that the entirety of Eldramir is at risk of dying from this infection, we don’t simply have the choice of leaving it be.”

The reminder was a needless jab at Ezekiel and the others, since they were under oath to remain until the nest was cleared. Though, whatever happened to the other nests that might exist was still up in the air. It wasn’t something that he could afford to think about at this time.

“Given that the ruler of the nest is not a complete Tier six being, I think that we might want to divide our forces for the moment. At least enough to split their numbers to make it easier to whittle them down.” Ezekiel suggested, much to his father’s disapproval, if the glare he had on his face was any indication. “The sheer number of drones means that they aren’t that intelligent. They are fairly simple minded, and the tactics they use are mostly just swarming their targets. So long as I and Shine are in the nest, we’ll be able to [Jump] and evade whatever comes after us.”

“Before we go any further, how are you so certain of the queen's level? It should be impossible for those drones to have reached the Mythic Tier if that was the case.” Warren sounded doubtful of Ezekiel’s observations, knowing a fair bit about Forest Spirits after Ezekiel’s discovery years ago.

Simply put, they are not the same drones as a Forest Spirit’s. It’s possible that they’ve been devouring each other to grow more powerful after being born. It would make more sense if that was the case. Especially since it seems like there are Spirits that have grown out of the queen’s control. I saw far too many drones that were struggling in the main chamber. If they were under her control, then they would’ve accepted being eaten without issue.” Ezekiel’s voice was flat and to the point, with no small amount of annoyance at being questioned so thoroughly.

His father huffed in response but didn’t say anything else to question or otherwise oppose his proposal. Something he was thankful for. Though, what Warren said next still grated on him more than he would’ve liked.

“I suppose that I will be the one who causes the distraction while you three go and attempt to kill the queen? Are you that certain that you can kill it?” the Tier six being asked. “You might’ve taken a few steps past the peak of the Mythical level, but you’re not halfway to Ancient just yet.”

Ezekiel could sense the apprehension and frustration in Warren’s voice. He frowned, since he could tell that his father didn’t approve. The reminder of his slow progress in merging his body and soul was also frustrating. Especially since he hadn’t made any progress with merging his soul and mana at all.

“If you have a better idea, then let's hear it.” He held out a hand and grabbed Shine, just in case Warren decided on something drastic. “No matter what, there is going to be some risk involved. So, unless you’re certain that you can kill the ruler before we get swarmed, dividing our efforts will be for the best. Going in all at once will simply see us having to run away. We don’t have time to whittle away their numbers. Worse yet, there’s the chance that the queen will be able to learn from us and become more dangerous.”

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A sense of calm filled him. Something sent through his bond with Shine. He calmly patted the Spirit’s blade, thankful for their support, and sent his own feelings of apology back through to them.

“Are you saying that I can't kill her in one go? You claim that the queen of the nest isn’t a true Ancient, or were you mistaken?” Warren crossed his arms and looked down at Ezekiel.

“It has to do with the fact that I’m not certain that I can move while keeping us all covered in a [Shroud], since your presence is simply that large. Do you feel confident that the swarm will be something you can fight off when trapped within the nest? It’s large enough that I don’t think you’ll be able to simply break out without exhausting yourself.” Ezekiel stared down his father’s gaze. “My abilities are unique, as you know, so I didn’t need to actually confront anything. I could just run, something that I’ve proven that I can, and will, do. You don’t have that option.”

Warren grits his teeth but didn’t deny Ezekiel’s claims. For a moment, Ezekiel felt a sense of guilty joy at getting one over his father, but he squashed it down. Those kinds of emotions weren’t conducive to a productive planning session.

“Perhaps, we can mix the plans together?” Headren spoke up, grabbing Ezekiel and Warren’s attention. Even Shine shifted to physically look at the skeleton. “Instead of trying to drag the forces away and leaving us defenseless while the Ancient fights the swarm, we will try to get as close to the nest as possible, and the Ancient will be able to attack from within. Pulling the forces away as much as possible, while also being able to support us if needed.”

“... That could work. If the beacons remain intact, then it will be possible for us to get in and out as needed. So long as the mana currents aren’t too great, but the nest blocks off most of it anyway.” Ezekiel held his chin in thought. “Getting inside near the nest will also mean that we can kill off the majority of them. I’m going to assume that your power means that anything less than Legendary is something you can kill just by glaring at it?”

Warren nodded, also lost in thought of the empty gaze he had while staring into the distance.

“That should be fine. But you will not be going into that nest again without me being close enough to support you as needed. We can split our group up if truly needed, but not so much that we are in entirely different sections of the Spirit Paths.” Warren was practically growling by the time he finished speaking, and Ezekiel felt chills run down his spine.

The threat of death, simply due to the sheer threat of his father’s power, was enough to make him feel that he no longer had a choice. It seemed like the plan had been decided, though the kinks still needed to be worked out. Now they just had to do it.

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The group drifted forward slowly. Ezekiel was unable to move at the pace he had previously moved at due to having to keep his father hidden beneath his [Shroud].

Yet they made decent time all the same. Shine was also meditating while opening their bond with him, so Ezekiel was barely losing any mana while Shine kept him topped up.

It wouldn’t work once they actually started fighting, but it was good enough to deal with the cost for now.

“It seems like you were right... Getting through that will be difficult...” Headren muttered once they got within sight of the nest.

Or, rather, when they got within range of the massive ball of drone-Spirits that had formed a tightly knit barrier around the nest.

“I hadn’t thought that things would get this bad... It seems like we’ll need you to attack first, dad.” Ezekiel redirected them toward one of the closer beacons. Its proximity meant that it was closer to one of the entrances. “So long as the current of mana isn’t too great, I’ll be able to [Jump] behind their lines. Then, you just need to take out as many as possible in one go. Afterwards, when the stream of Spirit exiting the nest slows down, we’ll enter. Do you have the Com-Slate Beacon that I made?”

Warren, who was condensed to the same size as Ezekiel, nodded and pulled out a golden crystal with Runes on it. “I won’t be letting it go anytime soon. Not when I can do this.”

Holding the Com-Slate crystal up to his head, it merged with his ear, forming a golden ornament that seemed to be merged with his face.

“That is stupidly convenient,” Ezekiel said, “I guess that merging with mana crystal constructs isn’t hard when you’re mostly composed of mana yourself.”

Warren shrugged, and they continued in silence while Ezekiel got them closer. His expanded his senses as far as he could, but the depth of the swarm seemed to go on forever behind their lines.

“I think we have a problem... It looks like, rather than create a bubble around the nest, they simply piled up around it, creating interlocking layers of drones that expanded out from the nest itself..." They were well within the range of the drones by now, and Ezekiel’ still couldn’t sense the pseudo-rock that made up the nest. “We might have to alter the plan. I should be able to over-charge one of the remaining beacons. It will give you time to get away from us... about three seconds, before it fails, and your presence is revealed. Do you think you can wipe out a large number of them on a different side from us? That way, they’ll head to your position, rather than ours.”

Warren narrowed his eyes, and Ezekiel knew that he didn’t like the sudden change in plans, but it seemed like he was willing to go along with it this time.

“You will not enter until I have as many as possible chasing me. Understood?” His father’s tone left no room for argument, so Ezekiel simply nodded along. “Then so long as we change our plans a little bit, I will go through with it.”

Ezekiel looked to his father, stopping them from moving any further. Headren turned to face Warren as well. Though, he looked more annoyed at the delay than Ezekiel felt.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just changing how you enter. I will blast a hole through to the nest, elsewhere, then draw a line through the swarm past your current position. That will give you an opening to enter more quickly. Otherwise, it will take too long for the swarm to shift so you can get access.” Though he still sounded upset with the plan, Ezekiel had to admit that the small change was a smart one.

It still had risks, like what would happen if the swarm chased Warren through their position, but that was one that they would have to take.

“That’s fine. Now, let’s get started.” Ezekiel held out his hand, passing the beacon to his father. “He immediately charged it so brightly that it started shining. “Remember, three seconds once you exit my [Shroud]. Get to your starting spot as soon as possible.”

Without a word, Warren took the beacon and Ezekiel drifted away from him, leaving him outside of the [Shroud] that still covered himself, Shine, and Headren. His father disappeared from his senses, and he counted down from three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

A massive beam of like that sent a shockwave of golden mana through the swarm suddenly appeared. It immediately destroyed several tens of thousands of drones. Legendary and Mythic ones included. While the shockwave was enough to wipe out anything below that in an instant.

Then, the beam moved, and a line was carved into the nest, cutting past the drones, and causing anarchy as a line drew aberrant shapes in the swarm. Warren’s strafe ran right past their position several times but crisscrossed in several other positions far more.

His actions were obviously meant to draw as little attention to Ezekiel and the rest of his party as possible. Which seemed to work, since the drones, once they got over the initial shock, began to move.

They collectively lifted off from the nest, moving as one toward Warren, who was getting further and further away from his starting position, some grand number of kilometers away. Ezekiel couldn’t actually sense how far it was, he had just seen a bloom of light in the distance.

“Let’s go. They’re clearing out more quickly than I had thought they would.” The hole that he had sensed the beacon nearby was straight in front of them. Thought the beacons had been destroyed in the attack, he could still see the drones that were rushing out.

The number was starting to slow down, however, and it was only a few seconds after the attack that they were able to move forward once more. A few minutes after that showed that the drones were barely there anymore.

Shockwaves of mana, that would’ve sent him flying with countless broken bones, still rocked the nest, and Ezekiel was glad he wasn’t anywhere near them.

The might of an Ancient, fresh and new as it was, drew out a primal fear from within that he hadn’t known he still had.

Shaking his head, he and the rest descended into the entrance to the nest, moving swiftly, since the number of drones inside was relatively low. Fortunately, the beacons he had planted inside the nest were still there. Most having been hidden, and still [Shrouded] by the mana he had left in them.

“I’m going to [Jump] to the other beacons. Don’t freak out please.” Ezekiel felt Headren and his partner Spirit brace themselves, and immediately [Jumped] several times in quick succession.

Nothing seemed to be wrong when they got within range of the center of the nest. Though the number of drones left on guard duty were higher than before. A precaution that the queen must’ve taken after Ezekiel broke in the first time.

However, he did notice that there was a starling lack of beacons for him to lock onto.

“I think we might have a problem... I’m not sure how, since they were hidden several meters deep, and the walls are not particularly damaged, but the beacons I left in the center of the nest are gone.” Headren turned to him but paused before speaking.

“...It’s possible that, after seeing you toss the beacons that suddenly disappeared, the queen rapidly shifted the walls within her chamber. That would’ve caused enough damage to destroy the beacons, would it not?” Headren’s hypothesis made sense, and Ezekiel found himself nodding along.

“Usually, I’d say that the power needed to do that would be too great... But if she ate her captives, and feasted on their mana while they died, then she would have the power to do so.” He sighed but shook his head before focusing once more. “Then I guess we’ll just need to move on from here by foot.”

With that said, they started flying through the tunnels, only to find their next major hurdle. One that actually made things difficult.

“They closed the tunnel... We’ll need to either find a new one or take a risk...” Ezekiel clenched his jaw, his fingers dug into his palms. “You know the behavior of these things best. Which way do you want to go? That way will take us to the egg chamber, which they wouldn’t have been able to close down. However, I have no doubt that it will be trapped in some way.”

Headren tapped his chin in thought, and his Spirit poked its head out of the miasma that surrounded him. “Perhaps the egg room won’t be too bad... If we blitz through it, perhaps we can get past the ambush drones without too many difficulties?”

“That would be for the best... We need to do this as quickly as possible. Else your father be forced to retreat without us due to his [Will] being expended.” Headren looked reluctant to do so, but Ezekiel knew that this was the best choice as well.

They couldn’t leave enough time for the nest to recover and learn from their attacks.

It only took a few more minutes before they reached the egg room, and the miasma was so much greater than before that it was actually wafting out into the tunnel.

“Can you sense your way through this? I can, but just barely... the queen’s [Will] is so great that I don’t want to grab her attention by being too forceful with my senses.” Headren sounded apprehensive once he saw the miasma within the egg chamber.

“I’ve got this,” Ezekiel said, mentally nudging Shine to have them get ready. Their meditation helped keep his mana topped up, but now it was time to take things seriously.

With a flash of light, Ezekiel was wearing his Spirit Armor once more. The opalescent substance emanated light while also showing off the runic engravings of his and Shine’s [Truth’s], intermingled and empowering one another.

As one, they accelerated their minds, grabbed hold of Headren and his Spirit, then dashed into the miasma. They were immediately beset upon by the ambushers. Mantis-like bladed limbs sprouted from the wall, utterly invisible to their senses, but their accelerated minds were barely enough to get them past the first wave.

The drones’ actions were utterly reflexive, attacking where they sensed the miasma moving, but Ezekiel was burning his mana to move faster than even the drones could react. It wasn’t as fast as his father, but he managed to cross halfway into the nest without any issues.

Then, something unexpected happened. The roof of the egg chamber, which he now noticed was empty of any eggs, broke apart, and began raining down on them.

We need to [Jump]! Can you sense the central chamber through any of these walls? Ezekiel mentally asked Shine. I couldn’t risk it before, since I needed to conserve mana, but if we can figure out where the central chamber is, then we can get out of this without any issues.

Shine expanded their senses well beyond their normal range while Ezekiel sped up their minds to the point that the falling rocks were practically motionless. Though the ambush drones were still moving in on them. They’d have a few seconds before the cost would be too great to remain there.

That way! Shine sent a mental image through their bond. That should take us to the main chamber. But it’ll be a bit of a distance. It seems like they partially collapsed the tunnel. Another trap to lure you partway down, then keep you in there once this room falls down.

Ezekiel could see it, and without thinking, he pulled Headren along, past the ambushers, and into the edge of the tunnel. There was only a hundred meters or so before it ended, but with Shine’s help, he could sense the hollow space well beyond the walls, though only barely.

Behind them, the miasma seemed to clear as the egg chamber finished collapsing.

With a [Jump] that took them to the hollow space of the queen’s chamber, they found themselves inside another miasma infested room. The purple aerosol was so thick that they couldn’t see the queen, but they could sense her, and it was apparent that she hadn’t expected their entry, because she was incredibly slow to react to their presence.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ezekiel let go of Headren, [Slinging] himself forward, leaving a trail of cones and a sonic boom, with a [Void Pane] covered fist that formed a foot-long blade extending from his arm.

It was so over charged with mana that it was nearly blinding and had every destructive [Understanding] Ezekiel had ingrained in himself, while also using his personal [Logic] to impose [Rules] that further enhanced the deadliness of this spell.

It was something that even his father, who had forcefully ascended, rather than studiously make progress, step-by-step, couldn’t do as well as Ezekiel could. Warren had sheer raw power, but Ezekiel had uniqueness that made his spells more than just powerful attacks.

He hoped that it would be enough, since this attack would determine how horribly the battle would go for them. Given the town-sized nature of the queen, the odds were already against them.

The queen barely managed to manipulate the miasma to block him, forming tendrils that tried to wrap around him in an attempt to slow him down. But it wasn’t enough. His [Nothingness] was infused into the aura that Shine was projecting, so the moment the miasma touched him, it faded away.

Barely hindered at all, Ezekiel made contact with the queen at a speed that was well over the limit needed to break the sound barrier. The impact cracked both the queen’s carapace, and Ezekiel’s arm, but it was the mana that was unleashed that caused the true damage.

An explosion of white light, tinged with every other color of mana, exploded forth, letting out a torrent of invisible blase, piercing needles, and warping twists that ripped the queen apart.

From the moment he had entered the nest until now, barely a few seconds had passed.

Yet even as he retreated from the queen’s back, and fell in line with Headren once more, he knew that the battle wasn’t over.

The queen was still screaming in pain, and the miasma was slowly filling the holes and cracks spread throughout her exoskeleton. They could now see her clearly, since most of the miasma had been used up.

Bracing himself, Ezekiel readied his spells to continue the battle.