The cave was pitch-black.
There were no light sources here. The Worker Mantises had cleared away everything that glowed.
For Veylin's squad, however, darkness was not an obstacle, but an ally.
Ola and his knights had taken Veylin's specially formulated [Glimmer Potion], granting them hazy night vision even in absolute darkness.
They formed the first line of defense and stood motionless.
Beneath their helmets, another "sense" enhanced their vision-through the [Hive Terminal], everyone received Sarah's insect perception, a form of "Vibration Sight" based on vibrations and airflow.
In the shared image, countless lines and ripples traced the cave's contours.
Their teammates were steady, glowing beacons, the rock walls silent boundaries, while Barrett's six scouts were fluctuations that blended into the background, lurking behind rocks high on the flanks.
Their crossbows were already cocked, with gel-tipped bolts loaded in the grooves.
Veylin and Sarah stood behind the formation, serving as the network's hub.
He closed his eyes, sensing the breathing and heartbeats of every member in the network.
Time ticked by.
Humm-
Resonant sound waves came from the rock wall ahead. Within their Vibration Sight, a chaotic mass of sound waves began to approach.
The ground began to tremble.
Cracks spread across the rock wall like a spiderweb.
Ola issued a command through the mental network.
[Stabilize].
The knights planted the lower edges of their tower shields in the ground. An earthen-yellow [Guardian Light] flickered once before their armor concealed it completely.
Boom!
The rock wall exploded inward.
Seawater swept in with shattered rock and silt, becoming a raging torrent that slammed into the shield wall.
The torrent struck the tower shields with a deep, thunderous crash.
Water rushed down the drainage channels they had dug beforehand, but the low ground at the front of the cave still filled with nearly