"Okay..." Tiona stretched her arms above her head, cracking her neck with a satisfied pop. "Now that we've killed that... thing! Does this mean we're done?"
Damien shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the massive corpse of Vorant. "Nope. That was just the Field Boss. Think of it as an appetizer." He turned toward the colony entrance, scanning the horizon beyond. "We now go to hunt the real Boss. I believe he might be down—"
He stopped.
The sky darkened.
Not with clouds, not with the approach of night, but with them. Thousands upon thousands of winged ants descended from above, their chitinous bodies blotting out the alien light. They filled the air from horizon to horizon, a living storm of mandibles and claws.
And in the center of that storm, riding upon the back of a massive crimson ant, was something that made Damien's blood run cold.
A humanoid figure.
No—not humanoid. Ant-like in its proportions, but standing on two legs, with arms and a torso that mirrored a warrior's build. Its eyes gleamed with intelligence far beyond any monster they had faced.
'He looks like Beru' Damien thought, his mind racing. 'But different. Very different. Something doesn't seem to add up.'
The figure leaped.
It descended from the sky like a meteor, crashing into the earth with enough force to create a crater that sent shockwaves rippling through the clearing. Dust and debris billowed outward. When it cleared, the Ant King stood before them, unharmed, unbothered, utterly in control.
Its gaze swept over them, dismissive and cold, before landing on the massive corpse of Vorant.
"I was about to come here," it spoke, its voice a rasping echo of something almost human, "to hunt this infamous Ant Devourer. But it seems you have already done it for me."
It turned to face Damien directly. "I am who you seek. The Monarch to be. I am known as the Ant King. King of this region."
Then, without warning, it raised one hand toward Vorant's corpse. Magic gathered...not the refined spellcasting of Riveria, but something raw, primal, destructive. A wave of fire erupted from its palm, so wide and intense that the very air seemed to ignite. When the flames subsided, nothing remained of the Ant Devourer but ash.
"I know of your power, Shadow," the Ant King continued, its eyes locking onto Damien with predatory focus. "I know how you use it to summon strong shadows from the bodies of monsters you kill." A chilling smile crossed its alien features. "But that will not work here. Ants... we are in the hundreds of thousands. And today, I bring you the wrath of the entire Ant Kingdom."
It paused, letting the weight of its words settle.
"In the name of my Lord....the King of the Fallen...I shall defeat you!"
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Oh. Now I'm interested." He stepped forward, ignoring the swarm filling the sky above. "Who is this King of the Fallen?"
The Ant King's smile widened. "You will not live long enough to ever see him. So why should I tell you?" It raised one hand and pointed directly at Damien. "Kill them."
The sky screamed.
Thousands of flying ants each one larger and more evolved than the ones they had spent hours hunting descended like living bullets. Their wings created a deafening hum that vibrated through the very ground. Mandibles snapped. Claws extended. Death rained from above.
Damien grinned.
"Baal."
The ground erupted.
From the shadows beneath Damien's feet, a massive form arose—a goat-headed colossus of darkness and malice. Baal, the shadow of the monster that had once terrorized the forty ninth floor, towered over the battlefield. Its single eye opened, glowing with crimson malevolence.
"Lord..." The word rumbled like an earthquake.
Beside Damien, Riveria's eyes went wide. Her composed mask cracked, genuine shock breaking through. "Balor... Damien... You..." She couldn't find the words. "Wow."
Baal's eye fixed on the descending swarm. The crimson glow intensified.
Then it fired.
A massive beam of red energy erupted from Baal's eye, a wide-area annihilation that carved through the flying ants like a scythe through wheat. The beam swept across the sky, and where it passed, ants simply ceased to exist. Erased. Obliterated. Gone.
The surviving ants faltered, their formation broken. but even still....Thousands remained...
Damien's grin didn't waver. "I may not be able to get the shadow of the Ant Devourer," he said, his voice carrying over the chaos. "But I already have a better shadow." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Actually... better shadows."
Behind him, the ground moved.
From the darkness that stretched across the clearing, an army emerged. Hundreds of shadow soldiers rose in perfect unison...the force that had been invading the ant colony while they fought Vorant. At their center stood Igris, his Dark cape billowing despite the lack of wind. Flanking him were two figures Damien had not yet returned to Hestia...Adonis and Diana
The Shadow Army had arrived.
Damien turned to his party, his expression shifting from battle lust to tactical command. The girls were watching him, waiting for orders, trusting him completely.
"Riveria." He nodded to the elf mage. "Do the honors."
Riveria stepped forward, her ice spear wand raised. Ancient words left her lips, and green light bloomed from the crystal..a healing spell that washed over them all, mending small wounds and refreshing tired muscles. Then another spell, golden this time, restoring stamina that had been drained by the fight. And finally, a pulse of blue energy that replenished spent mana.
When she finished, she was breathing hard. "I won't be able to cast any AOE spells for the time being," she admitted. "That took everything I had left."
Damien nodded, unsurprised. "Don't worry about it. We'll buy you time." His gaze swept over the others. "Girls, join the shadows and handle the army. Buy as much time as you can for Baal and Riveria to recover their powers so they can unleash their AOE spells."
He turned back to Riveria. "You stick with Baal. He'll protect you while you recover."
Then his eyes found the Ant King, still watching from its crater, still smiling that cold, alien smile.
"I'll hold him back as long as I can." His daggers materialized in his hands. "When Riveria and Baal are back in the game, Ais, Tiona, and Tione will leave the shadows and join me." His gaze shifted to Ryuu. "Ryuu, I trust your support from the back. But don't get too close. Even you aren't as fast as him." Finally, he looked at Samira. "Samira, your life is not worth the risk. Keep fighting the normal ants and stay away from the King. Got it?"
The girls nodded in unison.
Ryuu's expression flickered disappointment, quickly masked. Samira's jaw tightened, her pride stinging at being held back. But they both understood. He wasn't doubting their strength. He was valuing their lives.
That meant more than any battle could.
The Ant King watched the exchange with amusement. "Planning. Strategy. It will not save you." It raised one hand, and the surviving ants regrouped above, readying for another assault. "The one who walks the path shadows dies TODAY!"
Damien stepped forward to meet it, shadows coiling at his feet.
"We'll see about that."
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