The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 87: Violet Troopers!

The scene before us was like a nightmare, a hellscape straight out of someone’s worst fears.

Cockroaches were everywhere!

「Ahhhh! Gross!」

「Why are there so many?!」

The sight of the glistening, chitinous wave nearly made us Violets lose our minds. Just as our heads began to spin, Irene snapped us back to reality.

“We’re trapped!”

“We’ll get out soon. Once a dungeon connects to the outside world, it can never fully shut down. Structurally, it’s bound to reopen eventually.”

“I know that, but look at this! There are so many of them!”

“Gate stabilization work will begin soon, and the clan’s strike force will arrive. Let’s head to the shelter.”

Following the direction Irene pointed, I spotted a sign that read “<Shelter>” with pictograms indicating the way.

Workers in uniforms rushed in the direction the arrow pointed.

“In dungeons where workers labor long hours, it’s standard procedure to set up at least one shelter.”

We followed the arrows to the safety zone, only to recoil in shock at the sight of the so-called shelter.

“Is that really a shelter?”

The Violets doubted their eyes.

Expecting a reinforced concrete bunker or a sturdy steel structure, what we saw instead was a crude hideout beneath a shabby camouflage net.

Diagonally buried containers poked their doors out of the ground.

“Are dungeon shelters usually built like this?”

“Of course not! No way. This can’t be standard. What is this?”

Irene reacted like someone discovering that their apartment building had no rebar. Her reaction clued us in that something was seriously wrong.

“This is insane! This is supposed to be a shelter? Are you kidding me?”

“Hey, hunter! Do you think we’re some kind of fools? You want us to hide in this lousy burrow and die?”

“Why are you yelling at me?! I’m just a temporary hire! I wasn’t briefed about this either! I didn’t know!”

The exchange between the hunters and civilian workers confirmed that this situation was indeed abnormal.

This pitiful burrow wouldn’t stand a chance against the beasts.

It wasn’t deep enough to avoid detection, and the flimsy metal doors would be torn apart in an instant.

As the wave of insects drew closer, the workers stopped arguing and sprinted back toward the shelter, a look of resignation on their faces.

Irene pressed a button on a square device attached to her clothes before approaching the hunters.

“What’s that?”

“A black box.”

She stepped closer to the hunters.

The men turned to us with suspicious expressions when the young girl spoke to them.

“Excuse me! I’d like to speak with the security officer in charge here.”

“And who are you, miss…? Oh, are you one of the student visitors? You’re an intern from Helios, aren’t you?”

“…Let’s go with that.”

When Irene quickly pulled out her student ID and Helios badge, the five dispatched hunters nodded in understanding.

“Wait, who’s the officer in charge again?”

“The department head? He left early. All the HQ staff are on vacation.”

“Left early, huh? More like he’s slacking off!”

One of the hunters hesitantly answered Irene’s question.

“Well, I guess I’m technically in charge now… What do you want to know, miss?”

“I’d like to know the status of the defensive facilities here.”

“I have no idea. Don’t ask me! I was assigned here two days ago.”

“That’s ridiculous…”

From their conversation, it was clear that they were all subcontractors with little knowledge of the situation.

The faint sound of flapping wings grew louder.

The sound of chittering teeth and hairy, brown legs scraping against the ground and wood filled the air, resembling a mosquito’s buzz and grating on my nerves. ṝ𝐚ɴƟ𐌱Èś

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“Irene! Judging by their speed, I’d say they’ll be here in a minute or two!”

I tugged on her sleeve.

The urgency in my voice made one of the hunters gesture toward the shelter.

“Miss, get inside the shelter. You’re an intern, right? If you want to become a full-fledged employee, you have to survive. We’ll try to handle them.”

“In that shelter?”

“It’s the best we’ve got. Stay put. I’ll try to lure those bugs away.”

With that, the hunter and one of his companions headed for the helicopter.

The small chopper they arrived in rose into the dungeon’s sky and moved toward the forest.

The helicopter skimmed the tops of the densely packed trees, flying precariously close.

-Pop! Pop! Pop!

Flares burst from the helicopter, and loud music blared from its speakers.

The horde of Kroltides shifted their attention to the chopper, climbing up the trees.

-Ratatatat!

“Ha! We’re alive!”

“That was easier than expected!”

The cockroach swarm redirected toward the helicopter, prompting cheers from the hunters.

The insect-like beasts swarmed up the treetops toward the chopper, only to be met with a hail of bullets from the helicopter’s machine gun.

“The diversion worked. They’re not coming this way.”

Just as I muttered those words, large, white spines resembling arrows shot up from the trees.

“Huh?”

The helicopter’s tail rotor was shredded by the barrage of spikes.

The chopper spun wildly, like a drunkard dancing midair.

The swarm of insects seized the moment, leaping like a fountain to latch onto the helicopter.

-Boom!

The insect-covered helicopter vanished into the forest, with only the sound of an explosion signaling its grim fate.

“It crashed? It’s over. Run!”

“Aaaah!”

The remaining three hunters standing guard at the entrance screamed as the helicopter went down.

Without waiting for anyone to stop them, they fled.

“It’s over.”

“Looks like we have no choice but to fight.”

The swarm that had chased the helicopter seemed to lose interest and started heading back toward the safe zone.

Irene retrieved the spear strapped to her back, and I summoned my clones.

「This is a notice from the Violet Temporary Command. Prepare for battle, prepare for battle…」

It seemed like a bloody fight was inevitable.

The greedy, brown waves that surged like a tide through the central entrance were repelled by a counterattack and pushed back.

Waves of flickering golden light, followed by a crimson tide, sealed the entrance once again.

The Violets, armed with spears and riot shields, trusted in the golden magic that surrounded their bodies as they charged into the enemies.

The beasts were knocked backward.

The spears in the Violets’ right hands transformed into rifles.

Point-blank shots punctured the bodies of the Crawltides struggling to stand. Yet the beasts, relentless as ever, kept charging forward. Another round of close combat ensued.

When a threatening front-leg strike came flying toward her, Violet No. 121 raised her round shield at an angle and slammed it back.

The attack was deflected.

In the brief moment when the beast flinched, a crimson slash vertically split its head in two.

From the left, a Crawltide tried to bite Violet No. 65’s leg.

Trusting in her enhanced defense and strength, boosted by her comrade’s support, No. 65 kicked the beast’s jaws.

The monster, its face crushed, flailed before collapsing to the ground.

Suddenly, the sound of dozens of wings flapping filled the air. No. 65’s face twisted with tension.

“Watch out!”

Irene rushed between the Violets, drawing a golden arc above her head.

For a brief moment, golden lines flashed repeatedly in the air.

“Whoa!”

The shattered remains of the beasts rained down around us in pieces.

At that critical moment, Irene had saved us.

“Thank you!”

“Get up! There’s more coming!”

Irene grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet.

While the Violets held the frontline, Irene played the role of a firefighter.

Earlier, she had served as a shield to block the entrance, but whenever she saw the Violets facing their greatest danger, she would dash in like a cavalry charge and shield the most vulnerable positions with her own body.

Thanks to her, we’d managed to counterattack several times.

Behind us, I could see the relentless tide of insects surging forward.

“I’m going to use a bomb!”

“Got it. Fall back first!”

After adjusting the detonator on our improvised bombs, we hurled them in front of the creatures charging toward the central entrance.

The moment the beasts swarmed in, the bombs exploded.

-BOOM!

Debris shot into the sky.

The Violet squad remained unfazed and continued their bloody battle with the creatures.

Despite Irene’s buffs, the stench of burning protein and the sticky yellow fluids continued to torment us.

For thirty minutes, this continued.

“This… I think we might actually win this!”

The Crawltide horde, which had seemed endless, gradually began to thin out.

“No, not yet. The intermediate unit hasn’t arrived. That’s the core of this assault.”

Irene warned us.

“Look over there!”

A massive creature, larger than a bus, emerged from a path between the giant trees.

“It’s the Crawltide Nest! That thing is the leader of the swarm. We have to take it down to end this assault.”

I was watching it, and then let out a brief scream as I ducked.

-Whizz!

A barrage of white spikes came flying, hammering into the walls.

The Crawltide Nest was the swarm’s leader and served as a queen ant-like creature. True to its name, the beast’s size was immense.

It was as large as two double-decker buses placed side by side.

Its massive head was peculiar in that it lacked eyes. Instead, large and small antennae, growing like hair, constantly twitched and swayed.

Its abdomen was grotesquely swollen, and its back was bristling with appendages of various lengths, resembling branches.

Each appendage ended either in a long tube-like structure that fired white spikes or a claw shaped like a scythe. All of this was covered in thick, chitinous armor.

Thick, trunk-like legs supported the creature’s massive body.

On the Nest’s back, other insects were perched like a mobile fortress, keeping watch on their surroundings.

The Violets opened fire.

Their bullets ricocheted harmlessly.

Even enchanted crossbows and combat rifles seemed ineffective against its enormous body.

“Those weak attacks won’t work. That monster’s defense isn’t low. More importantly, its brain isn’t in its head. It’s in the middle of its body.”

“Then what do we do?”

“If you can pierce deep into the Nest’s sides or the lower center of its body, you can disable it. That’s where its brain is. Otherwise… do we have a weapon capable of blowing its entire body apart?”

I shook my head.

While we had explosives, there wasn’t enough to take down something of that size.

“The belly looks soft. Can’t we just stab it? It’s huge, after all.”

“It’s tougher than it looks. Besides, the abdomen doesn’t house any critical organs—just its egg sacs.”

Focusing my gaze, I saw the Nest’s swollen abdomen jiggle.

Blowing it up seemed like it would only lead to worse consequences.

“We must bring it down, especially because of those egg sacs. Our only current option is to get close and strike its weak point.”

“Disgusting as it is… there’s no choice. Let’s do this!”

As the tide of cockroach-like creatures continued to surge, we prepared for a desperate charge. Irene stood at the forefront, with the 1st and 2nd squads following close behind.

「Deploy additional personnel!」

Fearing our charge might fail, more reinforcements were generated.

The remaining squads quickly moved to block the central entrance and provided supporting fire.

「Permission granted to use the Blade of Blazing Flame!」

「Equipped!」

Among the formation, one Violet drew a crimson rapier.

This wasn’t an opponent to be taken lightly—it called for a proper weapon.

-Whoosh!

Golden magic enveloped the Violets.

“This should do it, right?”

“Violet, don’t let your guard down. Just follow my back. Got it?”

Preparing for the charge were over a hundred girls. We just had to follow the girl with shimmering purple hair and cut down anything that stood in our way.

We became a single, massive spearhead, breaking through the oncoming wave of insects as we charged forward.

“Advance! Advance! Advance!”

Like a cavalry unit, we smashed through the swarm of beasts. With unified movements, we swung swords, hammers, and axes, severing the limbs of the insects. Just like synchronized rowing athletes propelling a boat through waves, we crushed the Crawltides as if cleaving the ocean.

-Sshhhk!

Sensing the danger, the creatures retreated and regrouped near the Nest, intending to protect their leader.

The Nest turned its body to face us directly.

-Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

The tube-like appendages on its back aimed at us. White spikes rained down—an attack similar to the one that had taken down the helicopter earlier.

“Ahhh!”

Several Violets were struck by the incoming spikes and collapsed.

Irene, conscious of our losses, swung her spear, deflecting the oncoming projectiles one after another.

-Bzzz!

We broke through the Crawltide horde’s defenses and reached the Nest’s front. Its whip-like appendages lashed out, striking at us.

“Watch out for the scythe-like ones!”

The Nest thrashed about, firing spikes and wildly swinging its body in resistance. The sharp appendages on its back swept away those of us who got too close. Seeing this, golden magic surged from Irene’s body once more. She severed the appendages with precise strikes.

“Ugh!”

The massive leg of the Nest kicked Irene.

She blocked the attack with her spear shaft, but the impact sent her flying.

Just before colliding with a tree in the distance, she spun mid-air.

Her toes touched the tree, and she sprang off like a spring, charging back at the Nest.

-Crack!

Irene pierced the center of the Nest’s side.

The spear penetrated its armor and lodged deep within.

However, despite trembling violently in pain, it continued to move.

“Huh? Irene, why isn’t it dying?”

“I think its central nervous system isn’t located here! In that case, we need to aim for its abdomen…”

“Then let’s cut off its legs! Flip it over!”

We surrounded the Nest and began slashing wildly.

Insects charged at us to protect their hive, but we fiercely attacked without hesitation.

“It’s cut!”

“Great! I’ll hold the others off, so take care of the rest!”

While Irene darted around, drawing the attention of the other creatures, blazing swords and axes struck the joints of the Nest’s legs, severing them.

Starting from there, like ants dismantling an insect larger than themselves, the Violets disassembled the monster’s limbs and appendages one by one.

“Flip it over!”

“One, two, heave-ho!”

The Violets rushed in, using their enhanced bodies to effortlessly flip over the now-legless insect.

As its vulnerable abdomen was exposed, a blade of blazing flame was immediately driven into its center.

It was stabbed with force until it sank in up to the wrist.

“Burn in hell!”

The moment magic was cast to finish it off, intense flames erupted from within.

The body of the Kroltide Nest exploded.

-Boom!

“Aaaargh!”

The arm of Violet No. 176, who had been holding the flaming blade, was blown off by the impact.

“It’s over. The monsters are scattering!”

Irene pointed ahead.

With its nest destroyed, the Kroltide swarm, which had been moving in perfect coordination just moments ago, suddenly froze.

Soon, they scattered in all directions.

“Did we win?”

“Not yet, the egg sac is still there. We have to deal with that too!”

Movement was visible near the creature’s abdomen.

Irene hurriedly stabbed the egg sacs one by one with her spear.

The startled Violets poured oil onto the carcass.

-Whoosh!

A foul stench filled the air as the unborn insects were reduced to ashes.

Although some insects still attacked the Violets without fear, their numbers had significantly dwindled compared to before.

Eventually, the squad finished off the remaining enemies and tended to the wounded.

The danger had been eliminated.

「The gate has stabilized!」

A Violet who had stayed in the rear witnessed the gate glowing blue as it stabilized.

The surrounding beasts were quickly retreating as well.

After confirming their safety, the Violet looked at Irene.

She nodded in response.

「Alright, we’re leaving now!」

Most of the company’s members vanished as they were reverse-summoned.

-Rumble!

Armored vehicles, marked with an unfamiliar clan logo, slowly entered through the gate.

The hunters disembarked swiftly.

Some of the vehicles didn’t stop, driving down the central path piled with insect carcasses and heading into the forest.

Their machine guns roared, hunters used fire magic, and swords slashed to finish off the remaining beasts.

「You sure took your time getting here!」

「Still, it’s finally over.」

Irene exhaled heavily and wiped her forehead.

She slumped down under a nearby tree.

I sat down next to her and pulled out two bottles of water, gulping them down.

“Good job, Violet… I don’t know how things ended up like this, but at least it turned out well.”

“I’m hungry! You’re treating me to food, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll buy you anything!”

Irene, who had taken the water bottle I handed her, quickly emptied it as though her thirst had just caught up to her.

It’s been such an exhausting and grueling day.

I’ll have to make her buy dozens of pizzas later.