My Fusion System: Fusing Weak Soldiers with Direwolves at the Start-Chapter 63: Hive Mountain

Kaelor stood on the training ground, gripping his longsword with one hand, a quiet testament to the terrifying strength he’d nurtured. The weapon, Ignis, once a symbol of balance and lethality, now felt laughably light in his grasp.

At five pounds, it had been perfect back when he first held it as a fresh Adept. But now, as a Swordmaster, the blade had become little more than an extension of his arm, weightless and almost beneath him. It was no longer a weapon, it was a reminder.

He needed something new. A new sword, perhaps something custom-forged and monstrous, two hundred pounds at least. Something that wouldn’t risk snapping or being knocked clean out of his hand in a clash with another Swordmaster wielding true mastery class sword.

Across from him stood Vi, her silver hair glinting in the late sun, eyes steady and sharp with anticipation. Around them, a ring had formed, Guardsmen and Bloodstone Archers, all pausing in their training to witness what promised to be a duel worth remembering.

"Shouldn’t you try the straw men first? It’s a bit of a jump if you’re challenging me," Kaelor said, his voice calm as he pointed the tip of Ignis toward her face, not in arrogance, but honest concern.

Vi scoffed, tossing her head back before darting in like a silver bolt, her sword slicing through the air in a diagonal arc. Kaelor didn’t flinch. He simply leaned his weight slightly forward and pushed his arm into her swing, parrying it with ease. The clang of steel rang out like a bell.

Vi adjusted swiftly, shifting her footing to absorb the force of the deflection, distributing the impact through her core and knees. It was clean, practiced. But Kaelor hadn’t even broken stance.

Without a word, he stepped in, a fluid, precise movement, and swung for her torso with a wide, horizontal slash. Vi reacted instantly, lifting her sword to block, but Kaelor suddenly shifted his momentum, brushing the tip of his foot beneath hers.

She fell backward with a startled gasp, her defense ruined.

And before she hit the ground, Ignis was already at her face, its edge gleaming just inches from her nose.

Vi stared up at him, silver lashes fluttering in frustration. "You didn’t try to teach me anything!"

"You didn’t acknowledge me as someone you could learn from," Kaelor said, his tone quiet but firm. "I merely wanted to let you understand that magic is your advantage. The sword is mine."

He extended a hand.

Without another word, he helped her up.

Just then, a Guardsman on the ramparts of the outer wall turned and bellowed, his voice sharp against the wind. "The commander is here, open the gate!"

Two Guardsmen moved instantly. Their powerful, inverted knees tensed like wound springs before they launched forward with a burst of raw strength, their wide, pawed feet thudding against the packed earth. In a blur of motion, they reached the gate, seized its massive handles, and heaved it inward with a synchronized pull.

A moment later, Hound rode through atop his steed, the horse’s iron-shod hooves striking the ground. Dust followed in his wake as he galloped straight toward the training field.

He swung off the saddle with urgency, wide pawed feet hitting the dirt before he strode straight up to Kaelor, who turned to meet him, one brow lifting at the expression on his commander’s face.

"My Lord," Hound said, breath short but voice firm, "we discovered something... huge."

Kaelor frowned. It was rare to see Hound shaken, his calm was usually like bedrock.

"What is it?" Kaelor asked.

"A bee’s hive," Hound said. "But not just any. I think you need to see it for yourself."

Though confused as to how any hive could warrant such a reaction, Kaelor didn’t hesitate. He mounted Titan, whose thick, black hide gleamed under the sun, and the two rode out at once. Hound had originally been sent to hunt direwolves and reinforce the Guardian troop.

An hour later, in the deeper reaches of the Oasis Basin, far beyond the once-known territory of the wolves, Kaelor dismounted, eyes wide with disbelief.

Before him stood not one, but five towering hives, each one rising like an amber spire over thirty feet high. They were massive constructs, honeycomb-shaped towers glistening with golden resin and dotted with waxen tunnels. The air around them shimmered from heat and motion.

The field was breathtaking, a sea of blooming wildflowers spread as far as the eye could see, their radiant colors painting the land in hues of violet, gold, and crimson. Petals danced in the breeze, and amidst this dreamlike scenery, the hives stood tall, pulsing with life.

And the bees.

Thousands of bees the size of a grown man’s fist soared through the air. Some dipped low to the flowers, others darted high and fast toward the hives. Their wings hummed with such intensity it was like the air itself was vibrating, a constant bass-like thrumming that buzzed deep into the bones.

"You didn’t mention this in the map you drew," Kaelor muttered, his voice low as he turned toward Hound, who exhaled heavily.

"Back then, I saw nothing," Hound said. "This... this was just a plain field. Empty."

"How long ago was that?" Kaelor asked.

Hound’s eyes shut briefly. "Ten years."

Kaelor turned his gaze to the ten Guardsmen standing scattered across the field. Each one watched the bees in silence, hands never far from their weapons. Their expressions betrayed no fear, only wariness. Without needing to ask, Kaelor understood, the danger was real.

These bees, once provoked, would fight to the death. And they would not die alone. A swarm this large could devastate a small city, possibly even a mid-sized one. Thousands would fall before the hives went silent.

But Kaelor wasn’t thinking of death. He was thinking of opportunity.

If he could do the same thing he had done to the Bighorn sheep, fusing a few of them to a subject, then this was no longer just a threat. It was a treasure trove.

The honey from one hive alone could fill an entire cellar. Five hives meant excess beyond imagination. In a world where even peasants rarely saw sweetener, where honey was reserved for nobles and royalty, this field was worth more than silver, more than silk. It was gold dripping from the sky.

And more than that, the Leather Armourers had been in need of beeswax for reinforcing and sealing armour. This place could supply them for years. No longer would they rely on scrap or imports. These hives could supply wax, honey, and power.

Kaelor stared at the flying beasts. Their yellow-and-black bodies were thick and chitinous, and they flew in orchestrated loops, never colliding, always returning. Nature’s soldiers.

He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowed with ambition.

’Just how can I get a hundred of these bees?’