Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 203 You Want 1000 Crystals? Kneel

"Emily, Sophia, get me a thousand of our women. Ready for battle."

Magnus’s tone was cold and to the point. He didn’t lower his voice, not a bit - even with the five women from across him there.

The five of them froze. A thousand female fighters? Ready for battle?

Before they could react, Magnus turned to Liana. "Liana, hand out one Metal Crystal to each."

Their faces shifted again. One Metal Crystal per soldier? That’s a thousand Crystals. Impossible. Did these people even have that many?

Georgia’s smirk vanished. Her expression turned fierce. "Cut the crap! Don’t play us like fools - what, a thousand people and a thousand Metal Crystals? That’s bullshit! If you’ve got that many people and that many Crystals, I’ll strip and crawl over for you right here!"

A chuckle rang from someone behind Magnus.

Sophia and Emily shot Georgia a look of pity before walking calmly back inside the grain depot. Their footsteps firm, like it was all real.

Georgia burst into laughter. "Yeah, go! I’ll be here waiting!"

Only, no one joined her. The whole field was silent now, except for her voice echoing around.

Then, the sound of footsteps. Chants.

From deep inside the underground depot, loud and clear: "Yes!"

All five from Lana’s crew heard it. Their expressions stiffened.

The depot gates creaked wide open.

Out marched one thousand women - every one in sync, crystal in hand, ready for a fight. At any moment, all Magnus had to say was a word, and those Metal Crystals could be crushed to spark the battle.

Lana and her four women went pale.

Sure, they had 177 second-stage Awakened. But not 177 Metal Crystals. If it came to a real fight, they weren’t necessarily going to lose... but they’d be bleeding bad by the end.

"What’s wrong? Where’s that strip show?" Sophia stepped up with a sneer, eyeing Georgia. "Didn’t you just say you’d drop to your knees...?" She held back from saying the rest.

Georgia’s face flushed red, her voice sharp. "You cocky little bitch! Don’t get ahead of yourself! We’ve got 177 second-stage Awakened here!"

Right as she spat that, their convoy rolled up, unloading nearly two hundred women - every single one a second-stage Awakened.

Magnus let out a slow breath, gaze fixed.

He couldn’t believe it himself. So many second-stage Awakened, here in one place.

He knew the hellscape of the Anomaly Zone better than anyone, knew how nearly impossible it was to make it out alive.

But now? This many people all at once?

Had they not gone through the Anomaly Zone at all? Or was there some other way to hit the second awakening? Sophia was naturally four times faster. When she saw how those women stepped out of the vehicle, she instantly sensed they were at least on par with her. That gave her a jolt - but backing down simply wasn’t her style. She strode forward determinedly, pointed at Lana’s group, and scoffed, "Who told you we only had a thousand? Hah..."

Georgia chuckled. "What, don’t tell me you’ve got ten thousand?"

"Nope. Not ten thousand." Sophia’s voice turned cold. "But five thousand? That’s more than enough to bury you!"

Georgia was ready to fire back when Lana raised her arm and stepped in front, cutting her off. "Enough, Hawthorne. Step back."

Lana stared at Magnus, face unreadable. After a pause, she spoke. "We’ll release your people. Let’s pretend today’s mess never happened. Agreed?"

Magnus replied flatly, "Bring our people back first."

Lana’s gaze lingered on him for a few more seconds before she gave a slight nod and turned to Dakota, murmuring, "Go let them go." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Dakota hadn’t spoken at all until now. She’d been watching Magnus’s forces, eyes narrowed. With a nod, she turned, walked back, and had Emma and Abigail unshackled.

The two sisters returned and stood behind Magnus. Lana gave one last look at him, then turned to leave. But Dakota grabbed her arm and urgently whispered something in her ear. Lana shook her head the whole time, let out a cold snort, and kept walking.

"Magnus..." Charlotte leaned in and whispered, "Shouldn’t we try to recruit them? They’re all second-tier Awakened, and women too."

Magnus didn’t answer. He just watched their convoy reverse and roll out of sight. Only then did he sigh slightly.

"Why not take them in?" Liana asked, clearly puzzled.

Magnus glanced at them but chose not to explain. He simply ordered the troops to pull back to the underground granary.

Back at the granary, all the women got on Magnus’s vehicle. Still curious, Liana pressed him again for a reason.

Emily, face grave, cut in for him. "Even if they joined us, they wouldn’t take orders. All of them are twice Awakened. Too wild to control."

Magnus nodded faintly, agreeing with Emily’s point. But deep down he was still troubled - where the hell did they get so many second awakenings?

It gnawed at him. Wasted talent, really.

*****

At noon, Liana brought Magnus a meal - stewed cabbage and potatoes. His was loaded with meat, over half the bowl glistening with slices.

Hunger hit him hard. He grabbed a piece and bit in, praising, "Liana, our rations aren’t half bad."

"Heh, there’s canned fish too," she smiled, popping the lid and handing it to him.

Just then, Sarah and Taylor climbed aboard, carrying their own trays. Taylor sat by the small table, just about to dig in, when she spotted Magnus’s portion. Her eyes widened in outrage.

"Hey! How come you’ve got so much meat?! That’s not fair at all! Liana, this is blatant favoritism!"

Magnus blinked, surprised. "Wait, your meals are different from mine?" He leaned over to check their trays.

"Of course they are!" Taylor pouted. "Two pieces each, strict rule. But yours? Half the box is meat! And you’ve got canned food too!"

It was her first time eating on Magnus’s personal vehicle. Sarah just smiled knowingly and used her fork to give Taylor a generous helping from his bowl. "There, now it’s fair. Eat up. Magnus didn’t know."

They were still eating when Chloe jogged over and hopped on. Her expression tightened slightly when she saw Magnus but she still spoke up.

"Captain... that convoy from this morning - they’ve returned. Said they want to speak to you again..."