Chapter 462: Chapter 459 – The Endless Wave of Soldier Ants
The battle in the dark and stifling ant nest was still far from over. In fact, it felt as though the fight had only just entered its true phase. Soldier ants continued pouring in without end from the depths of the gaping dark holes like the mouths of hell, while the three sisters fought tirelessly in the middle of an seemingly endless sea of glossy black monsters. Thick green fluid from the crushed enemies had formed large pools on the floor, making every foothold slippery and dangerous. The sharp acidic stench mixed with the metallic smell of monster blood and the foul damp earth odor filled the entire chamber, making breathing feel heavy and causing slight dizziness.
Sylvia stood firm at the front line, her cold pale undead body completely drenched in thick green fluid that dripped from her fingertips and black dress. Thick green blood dripped from her undead fingers that had regenerated countless times. Her dark red eyes glowed even brighter in the chamber’s darkness, which was only illuminated by Alicia’s soft white staff light and the mysterious dark runes gleaming on Stacia’s wings and dress. KRRRRKKK... KRRRRKKK... The scraping sounds of the soldier ants’ legs grew louder and more threatening, like thousands of knives being sharpened simultaneously on rough stone. Their numbers had now reached dozens, and from the larger holes in the depths, even more emerged with perfect coordination.
"Stacia, protect Alicia more carefully!" Sylvia shouted in a cold voice that echoed like wind from a grave. She shot forward with surprising speed, her undead body moving like a shadow of death. Her Abyss Chains spun wildly, forming a temporary shield around her. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Impact after impact rang out loudly as the chains blocked the sharp mandible attacks of two soldier ants at once. The tremendous force of the collisions cracked the stone floor beneath her feet in a spiderweb pattern. Without hesitation, Sylvia spun her body with deadly grace, combining ten chains into one extraordinarily heavy attack. The extra-thick jet-black chains pulsing with dark aura launched like a giant living dark spear. SCHLAAAAAKKKK!!! Three soldier ants lined up closely in front of her were pierced simultaneously. Their bodies jerked hard, their thick exoskeletons cracked and shattered, before they finally collapsed with long, agonized roars echoing throughout the chamber.
However, the cost of such a powerful attack was high. Other soldier ants immediately exploited the opening. One of their scythe-like legs shot toward Sylvia’s waist like a deadly whip. RIPPP! Her black dress tore deeply, and her undead skin was slashed open enough to briefly reveal pale ribs. Sharp, burning pain stabbed through her nervous system, but Sylvia only frowned coldly. Her undead flesh regenerated rapidly, the wound closing in seconds while releasing thin black smoke that smelled of death. She had no time to rest; another soldier ant was already approaching from the right side.
At the back of the formation, Alicia continued floating nimbly despite the increasing pressure. Her pure white translucent spirit body glowed softly, her wooden staff spinning quickly as she chanted debuffs without pause. Her voice remained calm and clear even amid the chaos: "Joint Lock! Nerve Paralysis! Vision Blur! Strength Drain! Heavy Weight!" Every spell that left her lips made the already-affected soldier ants even weaker. Some began to stagger badly, their thick legs trembling under the weight of their own bodies, which now felt many times heavier. One soldier ant that had already fallen tried to rise with great difficulty, but Alicia immediately added "Decay Flesh!" Its exoskeleton skin melted like wax exposed to fire, releasing thick green smoke that stung and worsened the stench in the chamber.
Stacia flew nimbly above with her eight jet-black wings, providing aerial support while occasionally descending for direct attacks. "Spatial Rend!" The space around a group of soldier ants suddenly tore into tiny invisible pieces. SHRRRIIIPPP! Their bodies were mercilessly sliced apart; the thick armor they were so proud of meant nothing against space magic. Green fluid spurted like heavy rain, soaking the walls and floor. Her grimoire continued spinning in her hand like a wheel of death, unleashing space spell after space spell even as her beautiful face began to pale from the extremely high mana consumption. "This is exhausting... but I won’t retreat even an inch!" she muttered while slashing at an approaching ant with her wings. SLASH! The enemy’s scythe leg was cleanly severed, falling into a pool of fluid with a disgusting plop sound.
Sol, the loyal golden kitten, did not stay idle. It leaped nimbly between the gaps in the fighting, its small body flashing with bright golden light as it unleashed bursts of lasers from mouth. PEW PEW PEW PEW! A series of golden beams shot out at high speed. Each shot pierced gaps in armor already cracked by Stacia’s Spatial Slash, striking vital joints and making the soldier ants convulse before collapsing heavily. Its tail moved agilely like a small whip, dodging mandible attacks from all directions with extraordinary precision.
However, the pressure from the waves of soldier ants grew heavier and more relentless. The black monsters began adapting to the three sisters’ attack patterns. Some formed solid triangular formations, using their mandibles and scythe legs to protect one another. One group managed to break through and rapidly approach Alicia’s position. Stacia immediately descended like an enraged dark angel, her wings forming a solid dark shield. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Heavy impacts echoed. One mandible managed to briefly pierce the defense, wounding Stacia’s arm and causing thick black blood to flow. "Ahh!" Stacia grimaced in pain, but she immediately retaliated with "Void Spike!" from her grimoire. A void spike emerged from inside the soldier ant’s body, exploding its exoskeleton from within with a deafening BOOM!
Sylvia saw this and moved without hesitation. She unleashed a large number of Abyss Chains, forming a giant black net that trapped an entire group of soldier ants at once. SCHLAAAKKK! SCHLAAAKKK! SCHLAAAKKK! The chains pierced and coiled ferociously, tearing through their armor even though it required combining power many times over. She ordered the remaining zombie ants to charge as bait, even though they were quickly destroyed. Her zombie poison began working on the open wounds, making some wounded soldier ants move stiffly, slowly, and uncoordinated.
"Level up again," Sylvia muttered as the system notifications rang loudly in her mind.
[EXP +2450]
[Level 78 → Level 79]
A refreshing warm flow of energy surged through her entire undead body, strengthening her muscles, bones, and making her Abyss Chains even more responsive and powerful. Stacia and Alicia also felt this increase through their strong soul bond. Stacia’s wings felt lighter and sharper, while Alicia’s debuffs became stronger in effect, spreading wider and lasting longer.
The battle continued to grow even more brutal and without pause. The chamber, already filled with pools of green fluid, now resembled a swamp of monster blood that was sticky and hazardous. Sylvia fought at the front line like a true Queen of Death, her body moving fast and lethally even after being wounded countless times. Every deep wound regenerated quickly, but the frequency of attacks forced her to keep moving without rest. She tried summoning more chains, forming a long dark whip that swept across the ant lines. WHIIIPPP! CRACK! Several soldier ants were sent flying far, their armor badly cracked and their bodies slamming into the walls.
Stacia began running low on mana for heavy space magic. She switched to a combination of physical attacks and more mana-efficient wind spells. Her wings slashed relentlessly SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! while her grimoire unleashed "Dark Gale Storm!" A black wind vortex swept over a group of ants, deeply gouging their armor and leaving them staggering for Alicia to finish off.
Alicia herself was beginning to feel the heavy burden. Her usually boundless spirit body started to tremble faintly from the intense and continuous mana usage. But she remained steadfast, her staff shining brightly like a beacon of hope. "Mass Debuff: Total Weakness!" A wide area in front of them was covered in thick debuff mist, making the soldier ants’ movements slow dramatically. Some even collapsed completely, their heavy bodies crushed under their own weight plus the continuous corrosive effect.
Sol leaped agilely between the fighting gaps, its golden lasers firing nonstop. PEW! One shot precisely hit the eye of a soldier ant that nearly reached Sylvia, causing the monster to roar in pain and blindly attack its own comrades, creating chaos in the enemy ranks.
But this nest seemed endless. From the largest hole in the center of the chamber, new soldier ants emerged with even larger size elite variants with brighter, more gleaming rune patterns on their exoskeletons. Their mandibles dripped green acidic fluid that hissed upon touching the floor. SSSSSS... The sharp acidic smell grew even stronger.
Sylvia frowned deeply. "It’s getting worse. They’re calling in elite troops now. This nest truly treats us as a major threat."
One elite ant immediately charged toward her with much faster and more agile movements. Sylvia dodged with a precise backward leap, but its scythe leg still managed to graze her shoulder. RIPPP! A deep wound formed, briefly exposing her pale shoulder bone before the undead flesh regenerated. She countered with a full-power combined chain attack. SCHLAAAAAKKKK!!! The chains pierced the elite’s armor, but the monster was still alive and roared in fury, trying to clamp the chains with its powerful mandibles.
Stacia quickly descended to help. "Spatial Crush!" The space around the elite ant’s head was heavily compressed, denting its head before it finally shattered. But the attack left Stacia panting, her breathing ragged.
Alicia added another mass debuff, but she was starting to look exhausted. Her spirit body was slightly more transparent, and its light had dimmed.
The battle continued without the slightest pause. The bodies of the three sisters were drenched in green fluid from the tips of their hair to their feet. Their dresses were torn in many places, with small and large wounds appearing and healing one after another. But their spirit did not waver in the slightest. EXP continued pouring heavily into Sylvia, her level rising one by one and providing much-needed additional strength in this critical moment.
[EXP +3200]
[Level 79 → Level 80]
However, the deeper they fought, the more holes opened and the more troops emerged. From the darker and deeper depths, heavier and more resounding vibrations could be heard as if something far larger, stronger, and more terrifying was rising to the surface.
Sylvia smiled coldly even though her body was extremely exhausted. "Good... the more that come, the more EXP we get. But we must find the core or the queen of this nest before they overwhelm the entire chamber and bury us alive."
Stacia laughed lightly while wiping green fluid from her face with the back of her hand. "My sisters really don’t know fatigue, huh. The three of us really are an amazing team."
Alicia smiled faintly, even though her face was pale and her spirit body was beginning to waver. "We must hold on... for Nocture as well. For everything we’ve been through together."
Sol meowed loudly in agreement, its golden eyes shining brightly with determination, ready to continue this seemingly endless battle.
The ant nest chamber still echoed with the sounds of brutal combat, and wave after wave of enemies kept coming, as if there was no end.
