As a force that had existed in Angaria for many centuries, the Withering Leaf Sect knew about the suspected modification of mosquitoes by the Eldinorians in a bid to increase their economy.
Although no one had proof about the matter, it was a fact that the emergence of these mosquitoes had coincided with the shipment of barrier trinkets to prevent their ravenous hunger from destroying the energy reserves of all the forces in the continent.
Also, at the time, it was said that there had been such a huge shift in the ecosystem of the continent that it had resulted in many animals becoming extinct.
Alas, even though all the forces had had their eyes on Eldinor, they gave up because there was nothing else tying the Elves to the emergence of this species.
Now, it seemed as if the nightmare had begun anew.
The Withering Leaf Sect had also had spies inside the Palace, meaning that they knew about the force setting off from Lanthanor.
Although they had deployed their forces to the Valley immediately, they hadn't been fast enough to stop the first volley from landing.
Even after these first boxes landed, there were multiple attempts to find and kill all mosquitoes possible.
Yet, this was simply a hopeless cause because they were ion the home ground of the mosquitoes, instead of the other way around.
Giving up, the Withering Leaf Sect members returned to their headquarters while an ominous atmosphere overtook the entire area.
The next morning, in the quarters of the Sect Master.
Looking out of the floor to ceiling window in his room, the Sect Master tried to spot traces of this new species which had entered the forest.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that retaliation could come like this.
Yet, even now, he couldn't help but hope that it was only some sort of experiment by the King of Lanthanor which might not bear much result.
After all, just the thought of one being able to change the characteristics of a race meant that they had to have at least the power of a Champion, or very close to it.
If the mysterious master behind the King of Lanthanor was indeed someone who was this powerful, then it didn't make sense as to why they wouldn't directly attack.
After all, no matter how many countermeasures or schemes he had, they could all be blown away by absolute power.
There was only one possibility: that personage could be afraid of the Big 4 intervening in the matter if he directly made a move.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, the Sect Master wished that a frontal attack had indeed taken place. In that case, he could at least have defended the Sect in some way for enough time so that someone from the Big 4 could intervene.
Instead, they had chosen to attack in this way.
Wanting to dally no further, the Sect Master directly took a leap forward and flew gracefully in the air before landing on the foliage of the forest that looked as if nothing had changed inside it.
Taking out an Ether block from his pocket which was enshrouded by an invisible barrier, he waited with bated breath to see just what effect these mosquitoes could have.
10 seconds passed. 20. 30.
After a minute, still seeing nothing assault the barrier, the Sect Master sighed with relief.
Energy resources were the most important asset of any force. If their energy resources were eaten away, they would have no choice but to watch as their power levels stagnated and dwindled due to not being able to absorb the magical energy which made training possible in Angaria.
Puzzled as to what other purpose the mosquitoes could have, the Sect Master was about to put away the Ether Block before a thought stopped him in his tracks.
What if…. There were none nearby?
For any invading species like this new strain of mosquitoes, it was common sense that they would take time to spread throughout the entire area. Although the locations of the drops had been random, the nearest box that had dropped near the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect was in fact over 10 kilometers away.
When Energy resources were hidden in barriers, their 'aroma' which attracted mosquitoes was muffled to some degree.
Thus, taking a deep breath, the Sect Master deactivated the trinket and held it in his hands.
BUZZZZZ
As if a giant had put its arm above his head, a shadow was cast on the Sect Master.
Looking up, he was horrified to see a solid swarm that headed towards the Ether Block in his hand.
Last night, he had given strict orders that all energy materials had to be safely secured inside barrier trinkets.
Now, his only aim had been to check what power these mosquitoes had that had led the King of Lanthanor to retaliate by dropping them into his home.
With shock, he realized that he himself had invited this storm by foolishly deciding to undertake this experiment so close to the Sect.
Still, all was not lost. Activating the barrier trinket with one hand, the Sect Master raised his other in the air to cast a large barrier wall in front of him.
It was 200 meters long and 100 meters tall, making it so that all the mosquitoes would be stopped at least momentarily if they tried to make it inside the sect.
With eyes in which desperate hope could be seen, the Sect Master watched as the swarm which was the size of a man congregated onto the small transparent barrier in his hand.
For a few seconds, they only tried to get in but failed, just like normal mosquitoes.
Just as he was about to sigh again with relief, a sound came from his hand that made his eyes open wide with pure terror.
CRACK
Due to the mosquitoes covering the barrier, he had no way to see just what they had done to break the barrier.
His easy smile and calm expression which had been his trademark for decades was wiped away, replaced by one of absolute horror as he felt the block in his hand disappear in a matter of seconds.
What… was going on?
Assuming that these were regular mosquitoes, even if they did manage to swarm together(which was unlike their usual habit) and consume a single block of Ether, it would have taken at least 10 minutes because of the relatively slow consumption speed.
Now, that had decreased to a fraction of the time.
Although it looked as if the mosquitoes became heavier and slower after the consumption, this feat meant that the danger from this species had just gone up by at least 100 times.
Barriers couldn't stop them. And Ether Blocks could be devoured in seconds instead of tens of minutes.
"EVACUATE! EXECUTE ORDER 44!"
Realizing the full gravity of the matter, the Sect Master frantically screamed at the members of the Sect who had been watching from behind him with shock on their faces.
The terrified expression of the Sect Master who always retained his cool no matter what happened startled those behind him.
Knowing that they had very little time, they jumped to action and ran to the places where Energy Resources were stored in the Sect.
"HALF OF YOU, GET TO THE STORES! THE OTHER HALF, HELP ME MAINTAIN THE BARRIER!"
The only consolation was that the barrier conjured by the Sect Master was managing to keep the mosquitoes at bay for the moment. Yet, he could feel it drawing more and more elementary particles as if something was eating it away at a rapid pace.
He had underestimated Lanthanor. He had underestimated its King.
Now, it was too late. Even if they burned the whole forest, these things would keep coming.
Anger, frustration and unbridled rage clouding his face, the Sect Master put his all into maintaining the barrier while sending a message using the trinket on his neck to the Knight he had spoken to the night before.
So the King of Lanthanor liked to 'drop' horrors like these? He couldn't wait to see how the people of his Kingdom would feel when they realized that other things could also be 'dropped' from the skies.
....
Standing in the surveillance room under his chambers, Daneel watched with cold eyes at all the screens showing the situation around the Valley of Mist.
Beside him, there was only Robert who looked as if he were constipated.
He had seen with his own eyes as a sample stream of mosquitoes had devoured an Ether block whole in seconds, making them the most devastating plague to have ever been seen in Angaria. Yet, his son had chosen to release them without a care into a forest.
As he struggled to decide whether to ask again about the matter, he realized that his son's eyes had gone out of focus as if he were recalling something important.
Indeed, Daneel was thinking about the event in the history of Earth which had given him this idea.
There, the powerful force outside had resorted to using chemical weapons in order to flush out the dangerous adversary hiding in difficult terrain.
Where they had failed, he hoped to succeed.
After all, why worry about traps on the enemy's home ground when you could just make them run out with their hands over their heads?