Archer learned that the Darkthorne Fortress was preparing for the upcoming battle, which excited him. He thought, gazing at the distant silhouette, 'Hopefully tonight we will be resting inside.'
As he stood there, Elara appeared at his side, offering him a steaming cup of tea that slled delicious. ''The enemy's ready for a fight,'' she said. ''What did their Guardian say when you faced her?''
''Nemuia just wanted to et and fight ,'' he answered, laughing. ''She was strong and I had fun, but she doesn't want to get involved.''
Following that, the redhead rushed off as Nyx appeared, yawning. ''I'm going to help Brooke and Ari with the island's shield, I'm infusing it using Chaos Magic.''
When Archer heard this, he agreed, nodding before the Dragoness kissed him and vanished through a portal. The Monarchs sent him a ssage that they were laying more eggs. 'Even more soldiers,' he mused. 'I need as many as I can get.'
After thinking, he scanned the Domain to check on the food source, only to be shocked when the Umbraworm colony was shrinking thanks to being preyed upon. When realizing this, he decided to sort it out.
Monts later, he sent a ssage to Elara and told her to wait as he returned to Earth and appeared in New York City thanks to Gate. Once he breathed in their horrible air, he shook his head, summoning a Shadow Creature Army.
''Capture all the Wild Hogs in Arica and drag them into the Shadow Realm to keep them prisoner,'' he ordered.
Upon hearing this, the horde of monsters vanished instantly, scattering across the country to kidnap every animal they could find. Once that was done, he headed to the ground below. He started buying food while checking on the others and realized they were safe.
The governnt was actively protecting them as he noticed Cece and Sasha being pulled over by the traffic police, but he was stopped. A black SUV rolled up, and after flashing so docunts at the officers, the scene cleared out, leaving the twins bewildered.
Archer texted them an explanation, bringing smiles to their faces. Later, as he finished buying all kinds of food that filled the Item Box to the rim. While walking across a random bridge, he sensed the Shadow Realm swelling thanks to the influx of animals, prompting him to return to the Domain.
Once Arcger appeared in a random clearing, he opened the Shadow Realm, prompting all the Wild Hogs to run out before turning his attention to the Umbraworms. He teleported to their colonies, where the queen was creating more.
Without waiting, he blocked off the area so no more monsters could hunt them, and within minutes of feeling safe, the eggs started hatching. He watched as hundreds hatched and ate at the massive pile of monster corpses.
Archer quickly dumped a massive pile of bodies he took from the Alliance to feed his monsters. When the Umbraworms sensed their new food, they went mad and started gorging on it.
'That should help them grow,' he thought, but wanted to do more.
Following that, he sent out his Shadow Creatures and ordered them to clear the Placidia fortress of monsters to help Maeve, Ashoka, and Inara. Monts later, the beasts' bodies poured into the Shadow Realm.
Once that was done, he cast Ti Warp around the Umbreworm colony and sped up ti only to see the small ones grow as more hatched until they were back up to their old number, but he decided to expand it.
Archer channeled mana into the Domain, his energy surging as he focused on reshaping the underground cavern. He expanded the vast chamber, stretching its boundaries until it sprawled twenty tis its original size.
Exhausted from the effort, his strength faltered and nearly plumted from the sky. At the last mont, he teleported to a nearby rocky ledge, collapsing with a heavy thud. As he caught his breath, a faint rustling drew his attention.
A swarm of Umbraworm babies slithered over the ledge, their tiny, needle-like teeth glinting as they playfully nipped at his ankles as they started getting happy at the new ho they found themselves in.
Groaning, he swatted them away gently, his voice exasperated. ''Scram, you little pests! I saved your colony and filled your bellies with more food than you could ever eat!''
The baby worms, undeterred, chirped softly before retreating, their shiny bodies vanishing into the shadows of the cavern. Monts later, the queen slithered through the mud below and spoke to him.
'Master, thank you for your help,' she said. 'I've never seen a place as big as this, its amazing.'
Archer smiled at her words. 'You're welco, but I'm not done yet, I'm going to make it even larger,' he revealed.
Just then, out of nowhere, a blurry projectile zood toward him like a heat-seeking missile, smacking him square in the face with a WHAP that reverberated through the cavern like a thunderclap in a tin can.
The impact left him gobsmacked, flabbergasted, utterly bamboozled, and feeling like he'd just been slapped by the universe itself. Rubbing his stinging cheek, he pried the offending creature off his face.
Soon, he discovered it was a Honey Bee Worker, flailing in a full-blown panic attack, its tiny wings buzzing like a kazoo on steroids. The poor thing was clinging to him for dear life, wide-eyed and trembling, as a posse of Umbraworm babies slithered after it.
Their beady little eyes glinting mischievously. ''Oh, co on!'' he moaned, holding the bee aloft like it was a ticking ti bomb. ''What is this, a daycare for deranged worms and kamikaze bees?!''
When the Umbraworms got close, he put the bee on his head and warned the creatures. ''Stop trying to attack her! Or I will turn you into my next al.''
As his words rang to the queen chuckled. 'They are excited master, been waiting months to hatch and are hyper now.'
Archer couldn't help but laugh before continuing the colony expansion, which only stopped when he ran out of mana. He slumped down and leaned against the stone wall while catching his breath.
Following that, he teleported to the Honey Bee Colony where he et Bella who was basking in the spring sun while sunbathing. This confused him even further as it wasn't even hot but he shrugged.
'Won are strange creatures,' he thought, smiling.
Monts later, the blonde looked up before beaming in happiness as she launched herself at him. Bella wrapped her arms around his shoulders, exclaiming. ''Master! It's good to see you again!''
As her gaze lifted, her striking blue eyes sparkled at the sight of a fluffy Worker Bee, its tiny form comfortably entangled in his hair. A warm laugh escaped her lips as she took a step back, her expression a blend of delight and curiosity.
''Where on earth did you find this adorable little one?'' she asked, grinning. ''She seems utterly smitten with you.''
Archer's lips curved into a faint grin as he reached up, his fingers carefully working to free the small, buzzing creature from his hair. He cradled it gently in his hands, stroking its soft, downy fur with a tenderness that contrasted with his rugged deanor.
''Found her in the heart of the Umbraworm colony,'' he said, his tone casual but laced with a hint of pride. ''She was running from a whole pack of their wriggling young hot on her heels, snapping and hissing. Poor thing was terrified, until she spotted .''
As those words left his lips, the worker got excited as he continued. ''Must've figured I was her best bet, 'cause she zipped right over, causing the worms to scatter like I was their worst nightmare.''
Bella started laughing just as the little Honey Bee flew back into the crowd of workers after rubbing its face against his. When the blonde saw this, a giggle escaped her lips before she inford him of what had just happened.
''She just marked you as her's,'' she said, smiling. ''Does that an I haven't got a chance?''
His eyes lingered on her, a flicker of intensity breaking through his usual guarded deanor. Without a word, he stepped closer, closing the distance between them with deliberate purpose.
His hand gently cupped her face, and before she could react, he leaned in, capturing the Honey Bee Queen's soft lips in a kiss that burned with quiet passion. The world around them seed to fade, the hum of the Worker Bee in his hand a distant echo.
Bella froze, her breath catching as surprise rippled through her. Her heart raced, but the warmth of his touch and the passion in his kiss lted her hesitation. She softened, leaning into him, her lips responding, a spark of longing igniting between them.
When they finally parted, the air felt charged, heavy with unspoken emotions. Bella's cheeks flushed a deep crimson, her usually composed deanor unraveling as she stood speechless, her wide eyes searching his face for answers.
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