Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 136: Divided We Fall

The Spiked Dune Lord lunged, its maw gaping wide less than ten meters from Jax. A wave of putrid, ammonia-laced breath washed over him.

“Now!”

Jax triggered his skill. [Holo-Decoy] materialized instantly, a shimmering duplicate of himself standing defiantly in the monster’s path.

SPLAT!

A volley of neon-green acid erupted from the worm’s throat, raining down like a toxic storm. Jax dove out of the blast radius, rolling behind a boulder. His decoy, however, stood firm, absorbing the hit. The acid sizzled harmlessly through the projection.

The worm, enraged by the unyielding prey, snapped its jaws shut on the hologram. It bit down on empty air.

Confusion rippled through the beast. It reared back, preparing to strike again, only to find the “prey” still standing there, mocking it.

“Hehe! Sucker!” Jax grinned, wiping sweat from his brow.

He turned to the women. “Go! Run!”

Elena, Raven, and Annie didn’t hesitate. They sprinted past the confused monster, their boots pounding the dirt.

Jax waited a beat longer, ensuring the swarm of [Rodent-Maw Creepers] trailing the mother had also locked onto the decoy. Once the aggro was secured, he turned and ran, his legs pumping like pistons.

He caught up to the women quickly. The path behind the worm was a devastation zone; the ground was a slurry of mud and sizzling acid.

“Watch your step!” Jax warned. “Don’t touch the sludge!”

“Got it!” Elena shouted back.

They ran in a tight formation, the sounds of the enraged swarm fading slightly behind them. Jax checked his internal clock.

The decoy lasts three minutes. After that, they’ll lose the target.

A cold realization hit him.

If they lose the target, they might wander. If they wander toward the valley entrance… they’ll hit the Bastion.

Barnaby and the others couldn’t handle a Tier 5 monster. The base would be wiped out.

Jax skidded to a halt.

“Stop!”

The women stopped, turning back with fearful eyes.

“Jax? What are you doing?” Elena screamed. “Run!”

“I can’t,” Jax said, his voice steady. “If I leave now, the swarm might scatter toward the base. I have to hold aggro. I have to guide them to the fork.”

“No!” Elena rushed back to him, grabbing his arm. “You’re not staying here alone!”

“She’s right,” Raven added, stepping up beside him, her blade drawn. “I’m the bodyguard. I stay where you stay.”

Annie, trembling but determined, joined the line. “Me too.”

Jax looked at the three stubborn women and groaned. “Are you insane? I’m kiting a Tier 5 catastrophe, not hosting a picnic! Leave! Now!”

“No,” Elena said, her eyes burning with defiance. “We leave together, or we die together.”

Jax glared at her. “You are impossibly stubborn.”

“And you’re stuck with me.”

Rage and desperation boiled over in Jax. He needed them safe, and they were refusing to save themselves. He looked at Elena, who was standing chest-to-chest with him, challenging his authority.

Snap.

Jax didn’t think. He reacted.

He spun her around and delivered a sharp, stinging slap to her backside.

SMACK!

The sound echoed in the canyon.

Elena froze. Her eyes went wide, her mouth falling open in shock. She touched her butt, staring at Jax in disbelief. “You… you just spanked me?”

Jax kept his face stern, though his hand tingled. “I said leave! Take them and go!”

“I… you…” Elena stammered, her face turning crimson. “I’m not leaving!”

Jax raised his hand again. “Want another one?”

Elena flinched, but Raven stepped in, grabbing Jax’s wrist.

“Hey!” Raven said, a smirk playing on her lips. “Don’t let her have all the fun. If you’re handing out discipline, I’m next.”

Jax stared at her, exasperated. “I swear, you women will be the death of me.”

“Go!” Jax roared, his patience gone. “Wait for me at the fork! That is an order!”

Elena grit her teeth, tears of frustration in her eyes. “Fine! The fork. If you aren’t there in ten minutes, I’m coming back for your corpse!”

She grabbed Annie and Raven, and they sprinted away.

Jax watched them go, flexing his hand. “Surprisingly firm,” he muttered to himself. “Might have to try that again later.”

He turned back to the swarm. The three minutes were up. The [Holo-Decoy] flickered and vanished.

The Spiked Dune Lord roared, thrashing its head as its prey disappeared. The swarm behind it chittered in confusion.

Jax picked up a heavy rock and stepped out from cover.

“Hey! Ugly!”

He hurled the rock. It sailed through the air and cracked against the worm’s armored skull.

Thunk.

The monster froze. Slowly, its massive, eyeless head swiveled toward Jax.

“ROAAAAR!”

The sound was a physical blow. The ground shook as the worm charged, its hundreds of legs churning the earth.

“That’s it,” Jax grinned, his heart hammering against his ribs. “Come and get me!”

He turned and ran.

The chase was on. Jax sprinted toward the fork in the road, the ground trembling behind him. The worm was fast, terrifyingly fast, but Jax had a head start.

Suddenly, a System notification flashed in his vision.

[Quest Triggered: Giant Slayer] [Objective: Kill the Tier 5 Spiked Dune Lord.] [Reward: Tier 2 Energy Shards Extraction Well x3, Tier 2 Stardust Stone Mine x3, Tier 2 Refined Iron Mine x3.]

Jax nearly tripped.

“System, are you high?” he panted. “Kill it? I’m running for my life! How am I supposed to kill a Tier 5 monster with a hammer?”

The System remained silent.

“Nine mines…” Jax drooled at the thought of the reward. “That would max out my production instantly.”

His mind raced. He couldn’t kill it alone. But he wasn’t alone.

“The fork leads to the Iron Spear Syndicate outpost,” Jax thought, a wicked plan forming. “They have walls. They have turrets. And they have people.”

“If I combine [Aero-Step] to keep aggro, Elena’s sniping, and the Syndicate’s firepower… maybe it’s possible.”

He pushed harder, his lungs burning.

He reached the fork in the road. The three women were waiting, weapons ready.

“You made it!” Elena cried, rushing to check him for injuries.

“Stop touching me, I’m fine,” Jax panted, pushing her away gently. “Listen to me. We’re changing the plan.”

He pointed down the path leading to the Iron Spear outpost. “We’re going there. If you see their guards, tell them I want to cooperate.”

Raven blinked. “Cooperate? You told them to rot in hell yesterday.”

Jax smirked, the roar of the approaching worm echoing behind him.

“There are no permanent enemies, Raven. Only permanent interests. Children pick sides; adults pick profits.”

He looked back at the cloud of dust rising from the canyon.

“And I need their guns to kill this thing.”