The source of the regional crisis was near the entrance to the underground world.
After a collapse occurred in the underground world, the entire area became forbidden terrain.
The nearer Rod approached the entrance, the more palpably he could sense the Insect Queen’s formidable Spiritual Energy.
It was a tangible feeling that made the air thick and sticky, as if filled with malice.
This was the first time Rod had encountered such potent Spiritual Energy, even surpassing that of the Abyss Giant Snake from before.
Spiritual Vision became distorted and could not see far.
The worst part was that the ants also became stronger in tandem with the Insect Queen’s Spiritual Energy.
Sometimes, a rapid Star Shuttle couldn’t even kill an ordinary Demonized Ant.
Rod had to increase the strength of the Star Shuttle, which greatly slowed down their efficiency.
But everyone’s fighting spirit soared even higher.
Because this meant they were getting closer to the source of the disaster.
About 10,000 yards from the entrance, the Hall Warriors started to gather, and Rod could already see the fluctuations of battle in the distance, but the number of Demonized Ants began to surge, with a large number of King Ants appearing.
Under the enhancement of the Insect Queen’s powerful Spiritual Energy, the King Ants became incredibly fierce, their whole bodies glowing with a white light, wielding Insect Scythes as they rampaged, and their thick Spiritual Defenses rendered many attacks ineffective.
Rod had to use the Star Shuttle in its Complete Form, or else he could not shake its Spiritual Defense.
The rapid Star Shuttle felt like it was merely scraping an itch on its body.
At this time, the disparity in the strength of individuals became particularly apparent, with Herman emerging as the team’s undisputed frontline core. Only he could withstand the King Ants’ frontal assaults.
Lannis had already retreated to the mid lines, abandoning close combat, only able to continually emit Wind Blades to scratch the enemy.
Cilly became the only one who could stand beside Herman, her unique Silver Liquidation characteristic making her immune to fatal strikes.
All the others stationed themselves in the rear.
Each of the King Ants’ attacks carried a powerful Spiritual Shock Wave, a type of area-effect vibration that caused Soul dissonance, making it extremely uncomfortable for people.
Rod was the team’s strongest offensive force, with ten Complete Star Shuttles simultaneously striking, causing the King Ants to retreat and fall to the ground.
The Scarlet Lightning of Green Grass Town’s Ryan also made a deep impression; the huge red lightning tore through the King Ants’ Spiritual Defense like a demon claw, amplifying the damage it took for the following dozens of seconds.
The only weakness was the long interval between uses.
Mushroom City’s Frank could cause the earth and stones to entangle the King Ant like plant vines, disturbing its attacks and movements.
Poor Tyrion was ordered to cease attacking because he might blow up Herman in the front—his Stone Cannons were too slow, useless against such agile creatures, and posed a greater threat to his own team.
Meanwhile, Anna and Mephit were the ones who surprised Herman the most.
Anna kept throwing javelins, causing half-second enforced paralysis that made the King Ants’ actions seem like they were struck by a brain infarction.
The cold of Mephit stacked up quickly over time, and if the battle lasted over a quarter-hour, the King Ants would be essentially immobilized.
"Is she the most troublesome forbidden one from the Silver Oath?"
After another sweep of Demonized Ants, Herman glanced at her with a trace of surprise.
Since she was from Rod’s Black Battle Group, he didn’t ask further questions.
The team continued to advance, and at this distance, the greatest trouble was no longer the ant swarm, but rather the Big King Ants.
The Big King Ants’ Spiritual Power Shocks, intensifying with the Insect Queen’s Spiritual Energy, saw a significant increase in magnitude, rendering Lannis’s specialized methods increasingly ineffective, as the powerful Spiritual Shocks smashed all obstacles and inflicted massive damage to souls.
Whenever they appeared, the team had to swiftly disperse.
Herman had to pay close attention to the intervals between each Spiritual Power Shock, and everyone not only had to quickly get away when it launched its Spiritual Power Shock but also had to reposition quickly after it stopped, concentrating all firepower to eliminate it in the shortest time possible.
Otherwise, the Big King Ants’ Spiritual Power Shocks would quickly become stronger until even Herman could not withstand them.
As they penetrated further, battles grew more fierce.
Rod also used every tool at his disposal.
He downed a "Pioneer of Destruction," used "Flesh Armor," and even threw out his last "Kales’ Same Temperature Cannon" during an ambush.
Rod’s formidable firepower made everyone take note; whenever ten glaring Star Shuttles were fired, everyone felt a tinge of joy, knowing the monsters had received another heavy blow.
The perfect team configuration also made their battle highly efficient, without significant damage.
Approaching the 8,000-yard mark, Rod’s team stood alone, their progress outpacing all other teams.
As they delved deeper, the Demonized Ants they encountered grew stronger.
And with every Big King Ant they killed, the Insect Queen’s Spiritual Energy became clearer.
On this point, Rod played a crucial role; using the Light Platform’s ability, he located the tracks of most Big King Ants.
They were scattered around the central area, unable to be cleared by a single team.
Herman, despite the intense interference from the powerful Spiritual Energy, communicated with Guardian Qiuqie’er to convey the information.
Qiuqie’er then maneuvered between the teams, leading them to find and kill the Big King Ants.
This tactic was executed perfectly; the numbers of Big King Ants dropped rapidly.
When they fell below a critical number, everyone felt the Insect Queen’s immense and vast Spiritual Energy all the clearer.