While Korudol sought help from Ronnel and the others, elsewhere, in the ant queen's palace...
After the Ant King and his Royal Guards left, making it clear they had no need for the rest of the colony, the remaining Squadron Leaders looked at Peggy, who had been devoured, then at the dying queen and the soldier ants desperately tending to her.
The old squid-like ant treated her wounds, stopping the bleeding and stitching her up. A tense silence settled over the room.
"So... what do we do now?"
Leopard Guidu, ever indifferent, broke the silence, voicing his boredom more than genuine concern.
"What do you mean, 'what do we do'?" The loyal Yak Ant scowled.
"If the queen dies, there's no point in us staying here, right?"
"Heh, I'd say there's already no point."
Lion Leol crossed his arms, letting out a cryptic chuckle.
"The queen has given birth to a king. She's lost her fertility. Even if she recovers, she's useless now."
A sultry voice chimed in as a sleek, serpentine ant stepped forward. It was the snake-type Chimera Ant, the one who would later attempt to invade the streets of Meteor City, only to be killed by Feitan.
"Yes. In that case, I think it's time we declare ourselves kings. From now on, we act according to our own will—no longer as vassals to anyone!"
Leol and Scyan, the shark-like ant, spoke in unison, almost as if they had rehearsed it.
Their words struck a chord, and hesitation spread among the Squadron Leaders. Many wavered, clearly tempted by the idea.
"You... Do you even realize what you're saying?!"
The Yak Ant trembled with fury. "Do you think you can just do as you please?!"
"Oh? And why not?" Leol smirked, utterly unfazed by the Yak Ant's glare.
"You really think we're the only ones who feel this way?"
With a snap of his fingers, footsteps echoed down the passage behind him.
Out of the shadows emerged more Chimera Ants—some Squadron Leaders, but many soldiers as well. A sizable force had already thrown their lot in with Leol.
Seeing so many stand behind him, the wavering ants made their decision.
The green-shelled shrimp-type ant, Brovuda, the leopard-type Guidu, and the wolf-type Wilfen stepped forward, siding with Leol. Even Meleoron, the chameleon, hesitated before ultimately merging into the growing faction.
Even the crocodile ants, once unwaveringly loyal to the queen, crossed over.
"You...!"
The Yak Ant clenched his fists, rage boiling inside him as he turned to the old squid-like ant, still tending to the queen, and the groundhog-like ant, the only one standing firm at his side.
He trembled, overwhelmed by fury and helplessness.
"Hahaha! Boom! Do you get it now?" Leol's grin stretched wide, brimming with triumph.
"Who's the minority now?!"
A clear division had formed within the Chimera Ants—those who remained loyal to the queen and those who sought their own rule.
"Huff... Huff..."
The Yak Ant breathed heavily through flared nostrils, twin streams of white mist escaping with each exhale.
But he was powerless to change anything.
"Hmph. Let's go!"
Seeing the Yak Ant speechless, Leol's grin deepened. He turned on his heel, ready to leave, but—
A chuckle suddenly cut through the tension.
"Go? And where exactly do you think you're going?"
"Hm?"
Leol and the others turned toward the voice, just as the sound of footsteps echoed from the passage behind them.
This wasn't the synchronized march of ants. The difference was subtle, yet immediately unnerving.
"Are those... human footsteps?"
Leol's eyes narrowed as he released a faint aura of intimidation, directing it toward the approaching presence.
Yet, the footsteps never faltered. Unaffected by the pressure, they continued, steady and unbroken.
Leol stiffened but did not act rashly. Instead, he waited, eyes locked on the entrance.
The sound grew closer. A vague shadow took shape.
"So you've split into two factions? One loyal to the queen, the other seeking to build a nation? Convenient. That saves me the trouble of sorting you out myself."
The figure stepped into the dim light, his face coming into focus.
A young man in a black trench coat, clearly human. His features were sharp, nothing like an ant's.
"He really is human?"
Leol muttered, a strange sense of unease creeping over him. He couldn't explain it, but something about the man's easygoing smile filled him with dread.
"How the hell did a mere human get this far inside the nest?! What happened to the soldier ants?!"
Scyan, who had always seen humans as nothing more than prey, shouted in alarm.
The harshness of his voice made Ronnel dig a finger into his ear with an expression of mild annoyance.
"Quit yelling. I cleared out all the ants I needed to on my way in."
Flicking whatever he had picked from his ear, Ronnel spoke in a casual tone.
"Though I only took one route, I made sure nothing slipped through the net... Ah, my mistake. I meant no ants slipped through the net."
His nonchalant words made Scyan bristle with irritation. Just as she opened her mouth to snap back, she suddenly paused. Her expression twisted as realization dawned.
She glanced toward the passage Ronnel had come from and asked, her voice strangely stiff:
"You're saying that while you walked through that passage, you didn't let a single ant get away? You mean... you killed them all?"
"Yup. Not a single one ran off. Though, to be honest, some of them were downright revolting. Like that one spider-looking freak with a pervy grin who kept shooting webbing from his backside. Your queen sure doesn't have high standards when it comes to meals~"
"Shooting spider silk... a spider-type ant... Piqua..."
Scyan mumbled to herself before her face contorted in rage. Her aura flared as she let out an enraged shriek:
"You bastard! How dare you kill my cute subordinates!!"
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)