Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 150: Herding the Swarm

Panic seized the Redrock forces trapped in the Core District.

“We’re surrounded!” a guard screamed, firing blindly into the chittering mass below. “There’s no way out!”

“Should we surrender?” another stammered. “Maybe if we beg Jax…”

“Idiot!” the captain roared. “Surrender means death! We represent Redrock Bastion! Hold the line!”

But their words were empty. They were trapped in a cage of their own making, besieged by the very monsters they had intended to use as a weapon.

Meanwhile, Jax landed smoothly in Liu Hu’s camp, retracting the energy field of his Aero-Step.

The refugees stared at him in awe. To them, flight was the realm of gods and high-tier monsters, not humans.

“You can fly?” Raven rushed over, her usual cool demeanor cracking. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Elena punched his arm, hard. “You jerk! We were worried sick, and you were just… floating around?”

“It’s a short-duration burst,” Jax explained, rubbing his arm. “I can’t fly forever. It consumes too much stamina.”

“Still,” Raven muttered, looking at him with newfound respect. “Flight is usually a Tier 4 ability. You’re… full of surprises.”

The refugees began to cheer. To them, Jax wasn’t just a leader anymore; he was a legend. A man who commanded the city, defied the elite, and walked on air.

Jax waved them down. “Save the applause. We aren’t done yet.”

He turned to Liu Hu. “The targets. Where are they?”

Liu Hu pointed to a bend in the main avenue, now a kill zone lined with Sentry Towers.

“There,” Liu Hu reported. “Three Spiked Dune Lords. They look bigger than the ones we saw before. Tier 4, maybe.”

“Perfect,” Jax grinned. “If they enter the tower range, I can complete the quest.”

He turned to the women. “Gear up. We’re going hunting.”

Liu Hu looked worried. “Sir, those things are tanky. Let the towers handle them.”

“The towers will soften them up,” Jax said. “But I need the kill shot. Trust me.”

They moved out, traversing the city via the new sky-bridges—chains and planks connecting the rooftops and walls, allowing movement above the swarm.

Below them, the streets were a meat grinder. The swarm was pushing toward the Core District, but the narrow streets and strategic walls forced them into bottlenecks where the towers cut them down by the hundreds.

However, the Spiked Dune Lords were a problem. Their armored bulk allowed them to soak up damage, and their acid breath melted the barricades.

Jax spotted the three targets. They were massive, lumbering beasts, their hides bristling with spikes. Arrows and kinetic bolts bounced off their carapace.

“Elena,” Jax whispered. “You’re up. Aim for the eyes or the joints.”

Elena nodded, sighting her Soul Collector Rifle.

Thrum-CRACK!

A beam of silver light punched a hole through one of the worm’s sensory organs. It screeched, thrashing wildly.

“Hold fire!” Jax ordered. “You got their attention. If they focus on us, they’ll bring the wall down.”

“I can fix that,” Raven said calmly.

“How?”

“Psionic projection,” Raven explained. “I can mimic the pheromone signature of a Tier 5 predator. It scares the lower-tier bugs. I used it on the spiders before.”

Jax raised an eyebrow. “You can scare a Tier 4 worm?”

“I can make them run,” Raven smirked. “But it has a long cooldown.”

“Do it,” Jax ordered. “Herd them toward the Core District. Let Slade deal with them.”

“On it.”

Raven vaulted over the wall, landing lightly on a rooftop below. She closed her eyes, focusing her mental energy.

Suddenly, an invisible wave of dread washed over the street. It was a primal, terrifying sensation, triggering the flight response in every living thing nearby.

The Spiked Dune Lords froze. Their primitive brains registered a predator far larger and deadlier than themselves.

They turned and fled, scrambling away from Raven and straight down the avenue toward the Core District.

“It works,” Jax marveled. “It’s the opposite of my Decoy. Push and Pull.”

He looked at Elena. “They’re running. Their backs are exposed. Take the shot!”