Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 294: Midnight Crystal (Part 19)

Ants, both regular and monsters, were known for their teamwork and role assignment.

Some had to gather resources, some had to build an anthill, some had to take care of the larvae and their offspring, some had to give birth to new generations, and some...

Some would have to protect them all, and to do so would require great strength such as the Igno Guards.

They were much larger than ordinary Igno Ants, had long extended bodies like wasps, and had three pairs of flat mirrored wings that reflected the flames from the fiery earth.

The first Gian Rogo was defeated, but there was more work to be done, for Giant Rogoes were not the only ant opponents.

Whooooooooooooosh.

The Igno Guards roared upward, pressing their wings tightly against their bodies. Before their target could realize anything, the Igno Guards had torn apart a lone Dark Looho, only the black feathers remaining, flying apart.

”Oh, theyʼre pretty strong, but will it be enough?” Adam muttered glaring at the Igno Guards.

Oskar smiled with an affirming nod.

”Sure, because this is just the beginning. I shouldnʼt be happy though, because soon those bastards will be our problem as well.”

At the same moment, a multitude of Igno Guards flew out from all the passageways in the anthill.

Compared to ordinary Igno Ants, they were quite few in quantity, but considering how many ants there were in total, the Igno Guards possessed considerable numbers.

In a matter of seconds, all the Giant Rogoes that came within twenty meters of the Nest were annihilated.

Some of the Giant Rogoes tried to resist, they opened their jaws wide, raining flames down on the Igno Guards, but the Igno Guards didnʼt even dodge.

Their mirrored wings reflected all the flames without conducting heat or even getting hot. It was the perfect defense against fire monsters and... considering they were in the Black Cinder Forest, it was a real trump card in defending their home.

”Unbelievable, now I realize that Igno Ants can easily defend themselves.” Lero muttered looking at a single Igno Guard hovering above the ground in the distance.

Adam narrowed his eyes, his gaze calm.

”Well, apparently the ants didnʼt want to use their guards since thatʼs their trump card. They even wanted to use us, but that turned out to be a mistake.”

Lero looked at Adam in a baffled manner.

”Agh? A trump card? Even so, the Igno Guards are damn strong! Theyʼre invincible to those monsters!”

Adam didnʼt answer anything. He just looked at the many long horns showing from the ground.

Then, several Red Lizards jumped out, grabbing Igno Guard by his paws and mirrored wings. Igno Guard didnʼt expect such an attack, the monster panicked and tried to take off, but the Red Lizards were too many.

Each Red Lizard weighed several hundred kilograms, so... pouncing together on one Igno Guard, they simply prevented the monster from flying up, dropping the ant to the ground.

”Theyʼre pretty smart.” Erla let out a calm comment as she watched the Red Lizards tear the Igno Guard apart.

Adam nodded.

”Yeah, and it looks like theyʼre not the only ones.” Adam glanced up, staring at the Dark Loohoes that for some reason had started to gather into a single point.

They were flying high in the sky above the Igno Ants Nest, gradually accelerating, becoming a massive dark ring with red dots - their long beaks.

Then, reaching top speed, the Dark Loohoes, one by one, began to dive downward. Their claws flashed with scarlet flames, leaving behind each bird, six red lines like laser beams following them.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Crashing to the ground, the Dark Loohoes unleashed fiery explosions destroying everything around them. The birds themselves remained unharmed as the blast came from the tips of their massive beaks.

Pulling their beaks out of the ground, shaking off the black ash, the Dark Loohoes headed forward, sweeping past the Igno Ants and tearing them apart with their sharp claws.

No ant was strong enough to defend itself against these deadly blades.

But... Igno Ants were not the only target of the Dark Loohoes, for there were also Phantoms, their natural enemies.

”RARK!!!!”

Dark Looho growled, heading straight for Adam, who was quite far away, but every second the distance between them was shrinking.

ʼStep aside.ʼ Silvana said calmly, for the Operators and Phantoms had already agreed on a plan of action.

Adam nodded slightly and took a few steps to the right.

Before Dark Looho could change trajectory to clash with Adam, there was a powerful rush of wind as if from an explosion.

At the same moment, a snow-white projectile filled with enough power to kill Giant Rogo with a single attack flew before Adamʼs eyes.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

The projectile ripped through Dark Looho, shattering its massive beak into tiny shards and tearing the monsterʼs body apart.

One shot was enough to end the life of this huge bird forever.

”Nice shot.” Adam nodded slightly, glancing at Erla standing in the distance.

Erla replied the same with a serious face.

”Erla, you did good!” Lero exclaimed with an excited expression.

”Thank you, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.” Erla said coldly. In battle, she was always calm and focused. The most important thing was to accomplish the mission and they had a really important task ahead.

Crackle.

Katrin pierced the head of another ant with the sharp tip of her staff and cast an annoyed look at Oskar.

”Hey, leader, maybe itʼs time to go inside? Destroy the kingʼs larva, egg, or whatever itʼs supposed to be born from and be done with it? You can protect the resources without our help.” Katrin waved her hand.

Oskar stepped forward, swinging his sword and chopping some Igno Ants to pieces. One swing of his huge weapon was more than enough.

Then, he turned around, assessing the situation.

He understood the nature of their mission better than Adam and Katrin who had just joined them under rather harsh conditions.

If they wanted to infiltrate the Igno Ant Nest, they had to first destroy most of the monsters around them or wait for the Igno Guards to do so. Otherwise, they would have to do double the work of killing both monsters and Igno Ants. Continue your adventure with m|v-lʼe -

”No, itʼs still early. Letʼs clear all the passageways first. Kill not only the ants but all the monsters as well. If we turn this place into a battlefield with a hundred corpses, the other monsters will be afraid to come here. They will wait for either us or the ants to lose, but by then we will have already completed our mission.” Oskar said seriously as he turned to Katrin and Adam.

”Me, Lero, Erla, and Osana will take over the eastern and northern passages. Adam and Katrin, can you clear the south and west aisles? Iʼm sure if the two of you act together it wonʼt be a problem.” Oskar suggested.

Adam nodded.

”Sure. It shouldnʼt take too long. We just have to keep the king from getting born.” Adam headed forward.

Katrin sighed heavily and followed him.

She would have been glad not to face Golden Light Squad, but it had already happened and they had to take the threat of the birth of the Igno Ant King into consideration.

Katrin had waited too long for this day and she couldnʼt let the failure of another squad, prevent her from gaining new abilities.

Lero sighed heavily looking at Adam and Katrin leaving.

”Oskar, do you think they can handle it? Maybe I should help them? So that there can be three on each team.” Lero suggested.

Oskar shook his head.

”I have no doubts about my decision.”