A low hum of tension settled in the air.
The humanoid, black-carapaced ant—standing over two meters tall—clenched its fists tightly, its mandibles twitching in a slow rhythm. Its six crimson eyes flickered warily at the figure ahead.
The individual with a single horn on their head wore a dark robe, and a faint purple glow pulsed from the base of the horn, spreading across the veins on their face.
From a single glance, it was easy to tell that this was a lower demon—but even as a lower demon, it was a relatively high-ranking one.
The black-carapaced Ant King had spotted this demon sneaking away from the others to the back of the towering town walls. Unfortunately for it, the Ant King had noticed and quickly intercepted him.
"Demon, you're quite far from the Non-human Continent. What is a disgusting creature such as yourself doing in the human domain?" the black-carapaced ant asked, its voice raspy but deep, almost royal. There was no fear in his tone.
The horned figure didn't respond immediately. Slightly surprised that he understood the monster perfectly well, he then remembered that there were rare monsters who could speak—but those were extremely rare, and he had never expected to encounter one in his life.
He tilted his head to the side, as if amused by the question.
"So, the ants have begun thinking now? Interesting," he finally spoke in a lazy voice.
"I speak only when necessary," the Ant King replied coldly, crossing his arms. His massive form cast a long shadow behind him.
"And yet here you are, standing before me. A mere colony leader." The demon's grin widened. "Tell me, do you wish to die alone?"
"No," the Ant King said. Then, after several seconds of silence, he spoke again. "I came to warn you."
That caught the horned stranger off guard for a moment. A flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes.
It also caught the Ant King off guard.
The first time he had arrived in the human domains, the Ant King's impression of Nox hadn't been too great. He had even gotten into a few confrontations with him, believing that the latter was trying to use his wife for his own personal gain.
But down the line, in the past years and months, he had come to realize that this was not the case.
Instead, the colony flourished, and the Queen birthed more offspring, growing their colony.
Unlike the harsh demonic dimension where they constantly lived in fear of being hunted, here they were treated well since the Beast Tide years back.
'As much as I don't want to admit it, this place... this place has become our home. Our lives have become more peaceful, and it's all because of him.' The Ant King raised his gaze, staring at the demon, his green eyes burning with resolve.
"The Barony belongs to Lord Nox. If you don't step back, this ground shall be your resting place."
The horned demon let out a low chuckle—a sound that caused the surrounding flora to wither. The grass beneath its feet turned black, and spores began to rise into the air.
"Step back? Do you not understand, insect? Either you submit or perish. That's the code we demons live by."
The Ant King narrowed his eyes. He could already feel the spores trying to seep into his armor.
Then, without another word, the Ant King stomped forward, his body enveloped in a thick, carapace-enhancing aura. Cracks formed beneath his feet with every step as he closed the distance.
The horned figure didn't move. He simply raised one hand—and the earth beneath the Ant King exploded with black tendrils.
But the Ant King was already in motion.
With a thunderous bellow, he leapt high into the air, his fists glowing a deep orange. [Seismic Crush]—one of his personal skills.
As he came down, the horned demon finally moved. With a flick of his wrist, a blade formed from corrupted bone slid into his hand, and he raised it to meet the Ant King's strike.
The shockwave shattered trees in a hundred-meter radius. The skies above the Cromwell Barony rippled like water as raw energy clashed between the two forces.
'Tsk. Annoying insect. I'll get rid of you. Then entering these walls should be as easy as snatching a toy from a kid.'
Back on the hill, Nathan's battle with the twin demon generals intensified.
"I must say, for an old fart, you've got quite the bite," one of the demons growled, blood trickling from his mouth as he clutched his cracked ribs.
"You'll find I bite harder than your mama's tongue," Nathan spat back, twirling his cane-turned-flamestaff and releasing a barrage of flame spears.
The ground turned molten as explosions rocked the field. Serena, now at a safe distance with the Ant Queen, watched anxiously.
The Queen still looked shaken.
"You should rest," Serena whispered, pouring a healing potion into her mandible to help with recovery. "You've done enough."
But the Queen's gaze didn't waver. Her six legs twitched, itching to return to battle. Although Serena couldn't understand her, it felt as if she was saying—
'I am the Queen. Until I fall, I fight.'
Serena smiled bitterly as she saw the determined expression on her face.
"You ants really are stubborn."
[Comes with laying a thousand eggs a week,] the Queen murmured. Unfortunately, the beautiful light-skinned girl didn't understand.
Suddenly, a new shockwave blasted across the battlefield. Everyone—from demons to beasts—turned their eyes toward the back of the Barony.
A crimson pillar of energy shot into the sky.
Serena's face paled. "What is that?"
The Ant Queen's eyes widened in alarm. She was very familiar with this energy, as it belonged to the Ant King.
[He's awakened his Core Form already? That means—]
[Someone too dangerous has appeared.]
Back at the cratered battlefield where the Ant King and the horned demon stood, the ground had already turned black. Fumes of decay twisted in the air, yet the King stood strong—one of his arms steaming from a corrosive burn.
"You ants really are persistent," the horned demon said, licking a smear of blood off his cheek.
"I am more than that," the Ant King responded, his aura doubling in thickness. "I am the Colony's Shield."
With a deep breath, he activated one of his newly acquired skills—[Titan Carapace].
His body grew larger, towering now at nearly four meters. Crystalline spikes emerged along his arms and back, and a second pair of limbs burst out from his sides.
The horned demon narrowed his eyes. You're not the only one hiding aces.
With a vile grin, he drove his hand into his chest—and ripped out a decaying heart that pulsed with ancient energy. The surrounding land immediately began to collapse, as if rejecting his presence.
In the capital city, which was also the Vermilion Kingdom's symbol of strength, things were even more chaotic…