Just one simple exchange was enough to make him realise it—
This one wasn’t going to be easy.
He couldn’t fight this thing alone, he needed to use the ants. He needed to command, and fight.
So that’s what he did.
For a short moment, Kael closed his eyes. The entirety of the Hive appeared in his mind. He saw what the ants saw, he felt what the ants felt, and he heard what the ants heard.
The Devourer moved again, it lowered its body and prepared to dig again. This time, Kael didn’t let it happen.
His ants moved before the monster could. Burrowers collapsed the earth beneath its lower body, Shield ants locked onto its legs, Sticky ants released resin over the ground, Soldier ants stabbed into its joints, and Needle ants rushed toward its eyes.
"KRREEIIIIIIRRKKKKK!!!"
The Devourer thrashed again, smashing its body into the walls to kill the numerous ants attached to it. Kael’s ants died in waves, he felt the pain that came with their deaths, and that steeled his heart even further.
He wouldn’t lose.
Not when his ants were giving their all to win, to protect their mother.
As more and more ants continued to die, Kael saw the change. The attack was working, the Devourer was slowing down.
That was when Kael moved.
He ran along the side wall, using protruding roots and stones as footholds. The Devourer turned its head toward him and opened its mouth, releasing a stream of broken stones and acidic saliva toward him.
Kael ordered the ants above to move. They cut off the ceiling roots, the roots fell between Kael and the attack. The acid melted through them, but Kael had already disappeared.
[Genesis Step]
Then, he appeared above the Devourer’s head.
The Devourer, however, for some reason, managed to trace him even when he teleported, but that did not matter. Kael used the Swarmmind to connect with the Needle ants, the little ants moved and together, they attacked the monster’s left eyes.
"KRREEEEIIIIKKKKKK!!!"
The monster jerked, its head tilted. A tiny opening appeared just beneath the armor covering its skull.
Kael stared at it with piercing eyes and moved.
His sword shone again, however—
"KRREEIIIIIKKK!!!"
As if it could sense the incoming attack, the Devourer twisted at the last moment.
CLANG
The sword clashed against hardened armour, Kael’s arms trembling from how hard the shell was.
However, before he could be attacked again, he disappeared and appeared somewhere else.
Again, the Devourer saw exactly where he appeared. It was almost as if it could somehow trace Kael’s location every time.
It made Kael narrow his eyes. For now, however, he didn’t think too much about it. He ordered the ants again.
Soldier ants threw themselves onto the Devourer’s legs, Shield ants forced their bodies under its head, Sticky ants covered the ground, Burrowers pulled its lower body down.
Their combined efforts made the Devourer stop for a second and Kael teleported for the one last time before his ability ran out.
He tried to attack the armour gap on the Devourer’s skull again, but once again, the Devourer, as if it knew exactly where Kael was, shrieked and tilted its body.
Kael’s attack failed again.
His hands shook again. He jumped back in the air before creating some distance. This time, the Devourer couldn’t catch up because of the difficult position it was in.
But as Kael stared at it, he could see that his little trick wouldn’t hold it for long.
The armour gap on the Devourer’s skull was still there. It was a little too small and difficult to target, but Kael didn’t have a lot to work with here.
This was the only way.
Otherwise, its shell was too strong for him to actually crack. Even if he used Draconic Strike, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Once again, Kael moved the ants. Burrowers attacked from below again, forcing the Devourer to lift its head. Acid ants climbed its neck and burned the armor near the crown, Needle ants attacked the remaining eyes, Shield ants blocked its mouth and were crushed, Soldier ants stabbed into the joints near its head, and Workers threw hardened stones into its mouth to slow it down.
"KRRIIEEEEIIKKKKKKK!!!"
The Devourer shook violently, the tunnel around it breaking apart. The Brood Chamber pulsed behind Kael.
Ba-dump Ba-dump Ba-dump
Kael could feel his Imperia cheering for him. At the same time, he could feel her growing. The golden light grew stronger as well.
Kael looked at the Devourer, the only monster that stood between his daughter’s evolution and—
His eyes turned cold.
For a short moment, Kael was actually considering using [Descendant of the Ancient] to crush the beast down.
But Kael could feel it.
It would be pointless.
The beast had only one weakness.
That little gap.
Everywhere else was covered by its armour and the armour was too strong. No matter how strong he became, he wouldn’t be able to break through it, even after using Descendant of the Ancient.
"KKRREEEIIIIIIKKKKKKKK!!!!"
Just then, the Devourer screeched again, with a sudden twist, it tore free from the ants holding it and charged straight towards the Brood Chamber.
Kael’s eyes changed.
The ants moved, the inner defense line threw itself forward, the Devourer smashed through them, the Shield ants broke, the Soldier ants were crushed, the Workers were scattered.
It was only a few steps away from the chamber.
And Kael’s ants froze.
Kael felt their emotion.
Fear.
Sheer terror.
This wasn’t about their own lives, no, these ants were warriors, they did not fight for themselves, they fought for Imperia and right now—
They could feel that their mother was about to perish.
This was what scared them.
This was what made them freeze.
Until—
"I SAID MOVE!!"
Kael screamed as he jumped forward, ready to throw himself into the Devourer’s mouth if he had to.
And for some reason, that action made the ants move.
Since Kael hadn’t given up, they wouldn’t give up either.
"KKRREEIIIIIIIEEKKKKKK!!!"
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