"This tastes awful~"
The sound of chewing made Korudol instinctively look up.
What he saw next made his eyes widen in shock.
The Ant King was devouring the corpses of Peggy and the turtle-like Chimera Ant, chewing noisily. With a disgusted expression, he spat out an unidentifiable mass and carelessly tossed Peggy's mutilated remains aside.
"!!!"
The Squadron Leaders gasped, their mouths agape. Unconscious, distressed noises escaped them.
Even among them, cannibalism was unthinkable.
Korudol clenched his fist tightly, his handkerchief crumpling in his grasp.
Beside him, another figure also gritted his teeth.
Meleoron stared at Peggy's broken body, his blood boiling with rage. He wanted to charge forward, but his last shred of reason kept him rooted in place.
"Where's the food?"
The Ant King's cold voice rang out again.
Yet none of the Squadron Leaders dared to answer. They stood frozen, unwilling to move, afraid to provoke his wrath.
Growing impatient, the Ant King narrowed his eyes. Useless creatures. An eyesore.
Just as his killing intent flared, a smooth voice interrupted, bringing relief to the assembled Chimera Ants.
"Your Majesty, here."
The speaker was Shaiapouf, flanked by Menthuthuyoupi and Neferpitou.
"Your subordinates have prepared a meal for you."
The three Royal Guards knelt on one knee, their postures radiating unwavering loyalty.
Neferpitou's voice was filled with devotion. "From now on, we are Your Majesty's right hand. We will obtain anything you desire."
Menthuthuyoupi grinned. "I will grant Your Majesty's every wish."
Shaiapouf bowed deeply, not daring to meet the King's gaze. "If there is anything you require, please command us, Your Majesty."
From the moment the Ant King was born, their allegiance had shifted from the Queen to him. The Queen no longer mattered. She was irrelevant.
The Ant King silently regarded them for a few moments, then strode past without a word.
The three Royal Guards stepped aside and followed reverently as he passed.
The four figures disappeared from sight, leaving the Squadron Leaders standing in stunned silence, still overwhelmed by the King's oppressive aura.
"Hurry! Save Her Majesty the Queen!"
A frantic voice shattered the silence.
Korudol was the first to react. He turned and sprinted toward the Queen's chamber. The other Squadron Leaders, snapping out of their daze, rushed after him in panic.
"We have to stop the bleeding! Does anyone here know medicine?!"
"Peggy was the best at it, but he's dead! I know a little, but I don't know if it'll be enough!"
An elderly, squid-like Chimera Ant—one of Peggy's frequent assistants—was pushed to the front by the others. After a brief examination, his expression darkened.
"Well?! How is Her Majesty?!" Korudol demanded, his heart pounding.
"It's bad. Extremely bad."
Sweat dripped down the old squid's face.
"Her organs are severely damaged. Normal treatment methods won't be enough. If this keeps up..."
He trailed off, but everyone understood his unspoken words.
"Her Majesty!!"
The heads of three Assistant Squadron Leaders—a yak-like ant, a crocodile-like ant, and a groundhog-like ant—fell to their knees, wailing in despair.
Guidu, the leopard-like Chimera Ant, stood silent, his fur bristling with tension.
Meleoron, the chameleon-like ant, quietly picked up a blood-stained notebook and tucked it into his coat. Lowering his gaze, he slipped away into the shadows, his intentions unreadable.
On the periphery, the lion-like ant, Leol, and several others exchanged uneasy glances. Calculations ran through their minds. The Ant King was born, the Queen was dying—this was a turning point.
And every ant here was considering their next move.
"There's only one way to save Her Majesty."
Clenching his jaw, Korudol made up his mind. He turned and bolted out of the cave.
"If it's those guys, maybe they can save Her Majesty the Queen!!"
"Something's off. A powerful aura just left the ant nest… along with three others just as strong."
...
From a vantage point outside the nest, Netero emerged from his four-dimensional apartment, observing the disturbance.
"The three Royal Guards must have followed the Ant King. The others aren't moving at all~"
"The King must believe only the Royal Guards are worthy of being his subordinates," Ronnel said, stepping out from behind Netero. He looked up at the sky. "To him, the rest of the ants are probably just food."
"We'll find out soon enough," he added. "A Chimera Ant is flying toward us."
"Huh?"
Nobunaga and Morel immediately tensed, preparing for battle.
"Relax," Ronnel said with a smirk. "Its aura feels rushed. It's panicked. I doubt it's coming to fight. More likely, something unexpected happened inside the nest. Maybe the Ant King's birth threw them into disarray."
"Is that so…?" Morel and Knov slowly relaxed.
"But..."
The two of them exchanged glances before looking at Ronnel again.
"At this distance, you can sense the Chimera Ant's aura that clearly? Just like when the Ant King was born? Even though it's way beyond the range of En, you can still pick up on the energy..."
"As expected of the Battle Olympia champion," Knov muttered. "You really are something else~."
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)