"Watch out!"

Ella shouted as the compressed air cannons lunged toward them.

Luckily, Anita was able to swerve around the attacks and successfully escape the range of the explosions.

The four flying ants shot after the group, as their limbs shook the air in preparation for another attack.

'Ar-Arlo, I am exhausted...' Anita sent telepathically.

Arlo turned to see the waves of ants chasing after them. All he could see was red, and the sight alone would render anyone else powerless. However, Arlo couldn't die here.

Not only was it because he had to meet his parents one day, but he also had the expectations of his only teacher who had cared for him as if he was her junior one.

Not to mention...

Arlo looked at those beside him, 'I am not alone.'

Calming his anxious heart, Arlo tried to communicate as softly as he could as he patted Anita's now-red head:

'Just hang on a little bit longer...'

Feeling the emotions in Arlo's words, and the care in his caresses, strength from an unknown source surged through Anita as she released an unrelenting cry...

"SCREEEE!*

The attacks of the flying guardian ants that were about to be released came to a stop as Anita flapped her wings fiercely and widened the distance between them, out of the range of their attacks.

However, even after three hours of chasing, the ant's anger didn't seem to be diminished as they chased after Arlo's group unyieldingly.

"We are almost there..." Arianne spoke in joy as a look of relief flashed on her face.

The others were about to ask what she meant when Anita crossed a hundred meters with a single flap of her wings, causing the massive mouth of the tunnel from which light was seeping through to appear.

*Swoosh!*

A look of exhaustion appeared on the faces of Arlo's group as Anita flew out of the tunnel and out into the sky. During the chase, they had to launch several attacks to keep the ants at bay and also dodge the terrifying attacks of the flying guardian ants. If it wasn't because the ants couldn't compare to Anita's speed in the air, there was no doubt that Arlo's group would have left the world a few minutes after the chase began.

The beautiful light of the colorful sky fell on their weary figure, as the eerie yet picturesque desolate gorge stood around them like a background.

'I can't hold on any longer...'

Arlo ignored Anita's cry and quickly surveyed his surroundings. He ignored how magical the secret realm was as he was pressed for time due to the flying ants that were just a hair breath behind them.

The corpses of the lizard-like beasts littered around entered his vision. A moment later, he caught sight of Kai and Rose's figure.

Without a second thought, he commanded Anita, 'Fly toward them! They should distract them even if it is for a moment.'

Anita immediately followed his command without any hesitation.

Kai scurried after Rose as the wave of ants lunged in their direction.

Anita flew over Kai and Rose, as she ignored Rose's angry cry:

"B*STARDS!*

Two seconds later, the four male ants flew above Rose and Kai as they ignored them and chased after Arlo.

"Dammit..." Arlo grumbled upon seeing his plan fail.

Barely three seconds after the male ants flew past, the red ants caught up with Rose and Kai.

No matter how talented Kai and Rose were, they couldn't compete with a ki cultivator in physical strength.

Rose's spinning eyes widened in horror only for her face to be colored surprise.

Kai's usual cold voice was visibly tinged with anger as it resounded:

"Sword draw!*

*Click!* The katana was sheathed after a fast but fluid horizontal swing.

"Wide Slash!"

*SHRIEK!*

The painful cries of the ants echoed across the mountain walls as the waves of ants finally came to a stop.

Around Kai were bodies of red ants cut and split into pieces, dying the ground in their blood and causing the smell of iron to permeate the area.

The painful cries came from the ants almost out of the range of Kai's attack. Yet, they still suffered varying wounds from the remnants of his invisible sword energy.

Before Kai's invisible sword energy, the ant's impenetrable defenses were no different from tofu.

The chasing guardian ants slowly came to a stop after hearing their fellow's cries, allowing Arlo's group to increase the distance between them to a safe degree.

After studying what happened, the male ants flew at Kai, after deeming him dangerous.

"Kai, squat down!" Rose shouted as her runic eyes spun fiercely.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Kai did as she instructed, allowing the attacks of two of the ants to pass over him.

A fearsome fight erupted.

Kai and Rose were quickly thrown on the defensive but it still seemed they could hold out for a few more seconds. It was mainly due to Kai's dangerous sword energy, constraining the movement of the ants, and partly due to Rose's eyes that could even see the attacks before they were launched, allowing the both of them to escape death several times.

Anita slowly flew out of the desolate gorge.

Joe collapsed on Anita's back, his clothes soaked in sweat, "Whew! finally, we escaped those scary ants.

Anita and Ella nodded in agreement, with their faces pale from mana deficiency.

"That was a close call," Ella muttered as she glared at Arlo who had placed them in such a life-threatening situation. However before she could berate him of his carelessness, her mind suddenly blanked out.

Anita who had been flying slowly after leaving the desolate gorge to catch her breath, suddenly turned around and flew at breakneck speed toward their previous location.

"Wh-what is going on?" Joe trembled as he looked at Arlo.

"Ar-lo?" Arianne also looked at him with a questioning gaze.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Arlo's eyes hardened as he looked at those who he just faced death with and was starting to feel closer to.

"I want to kill the ant queen!"

He had caught sight of the ant queen swaggering out of the tunnel when they were about to leave the gorge. It seemed it wasn't that wary of Kai.

Arianne and Joe shared similar reactions as their eyes widened however Ella's reaction was far more intense.

"Are you crazy?" Gone was her usual sleepy look, as her face distorted and her eyes shone with a fiery light as she gazed at Arlo.

Seeing Arlo's resolved eyes, she clenched her teeth in anger, "Not only did you place us in this situation by following after the ants, but you also put us in danger by carelessly jumping into the nest. Yet, without even apologizing for your mistakes, and without a thought for us to even rest, you are suggesting we return to that hellish place we barely escaped from?"

Before Arlo could reply, Arianne beat him to it as she looked at him seriously and only spoke one word.

"Why?"

Ella's eyes widened, "Arianne, y-you aren't considering it, are you?"

Arianne ignored her and only looked at Arlo without blinking her eyes. Due to the height difference, Arlo had to strain his neck a bit to keep looking into her ruby eyes.

"I believe we can kill the Queen."

Arianne's eyebrows furrowed, and Arlo could tell what she was thinking so he continued:

"That black-haired boy with the sword...if we can just get him close to the queen, I feel we could deal a deadly strike. Besides, I don't want them to die because of us."

Arianne kept gazing at him before shifting her eyes to Anita's back. Two seconds later, she finally nodded, "I understand."

Joe seemed to deflate upon hearing her answer but a moment later, he seemed to have resigned himself to his fate.

After receiving Arianne's response, Arlo looked at Ella with an indifferent gaze.

"What are you looking at?" Ella bared her teeth at him, but a moment later, her eyes widened slightly as she watched Arlo bow his head.

"I am sorry for endangering you and thank you for helping me. But if you are wondering why I didn't apologize to the others, it is simply because I wouldn't hesitate to do the same if they needed me." Raising his head, Arlo continued, "Now, should I drop you before going?"

Ella regained herself after a short while before she harrumphed and crossed her arms. Slowly, her facial muscles reverted to normal, before her characteristic droopy eyes returned.

A smile slowly lit Arlo's face as he opened his mouth, "Now, this is the plan."

*****

During the time Arlo's group had a brief discussion, Rose and Kai had already brushed with death a few times. Several wounds covered their bodies as they gasped for breath.

The corpses of the almost thirty corpses spoke volumes of the short yet grave ordeal they had faced. Yet the number couldn't hold a candle to the hundreds of ants and the four flying ants surrounding them. The ant queen resting at the back of the ant's wave and looking at them with amused eyes added more to the despair welling within them.

"I am sorry!" Kai cried, "This is all my fault."

If he hadn't forced them to pass through this gorge, they would have never found themselves in such a predicament.

"What are you talking about? It is not over yet!" Kai's teary eyes shook as he saw Rose's golden-runic eyes spinning at a speed he could barely make out.

"Those bastards will soon return..." Before Kai could understand what she meant, a fierce bird cry shook the entire desolate gorge.

*SCREEEEEEEEEE!*

The amused queen lost her composure as she gazed warily at the firebird high in the sky.

"We only have one shot at this!" Arlo reminded. Only he had a bit more strength as Arianne, Ella, and Joe had almost consumed the entirety of their mana to launch long-scale attacks.

Anita stopped above Kai and Rose, and before long, purple balls fell from the sky. The ants threw their limbs to destroy them, but before they could come in contact, the purple balls exploded into purple mist.

Due to the wide range of dispersion, the poison lost its toxicity, but it still achieved its purpose as a screen.

"Don't resist..." Rose suddenly said to Kai beside her who had his vision obscured by the mist.

At the same time, Arianne who had transformed into a swarm of bats swooped down and enveloped both Kai and Rose. The swarm flew back to the sky as the mist dissipated

"Please, we require your help..."

"You traitorous bastard. I knew you looked too good to be true."

Arlo who was pressed to talk to Kai and Rose was cut off by Rose's hateful cry.

"You golden-haired chicken tried to leave us to die, didn't you?"

Anita flew away from the chase of the male ants. On her back, a strange silence ensued as Arlo didn't know how to respond. But that didn't mean the others couldn't.

Arianne who already disliked Rose since their first encounter erupted in anger, "Shut up! Can't you see we are in a dangerous situation?"

"Who the hell is this Iroko? What is an old lady like you doing with kids?"

Arianne's face turned purple before her face distorted completely.

Pressed for time, Ella tried to soothe the situation. She could feel Kai's glare on them and knew that even though he didn't say a thing, he was also quite angry. And she couldn't blame him for it. She quickly held Arianne back and spoke hurriedly:

"Let's try to kill the ants."

Rose who had already forseen what Ella would say calmed down.

"And how would you do that?"

"By killing the queen..." Ella pointed at the Queen as Anita flew around the launched attacks before she continued, "But we need both of your help, especially him." She gestured at Kai.

Even though Kai was the oldest in the group, he wasn't the strongest. It was just that his sword energy was a counter against the ant's formidable defenses. It was just a matter of compatibility.

"Let's hear it!" Kai was the one who responded, as his eyes shone with interest and a little bit of...excitement.

Arlo took over and quickly explained his plan.

Within this period, the ants were not idle either as the queen commanded them to gather around her.

Except for the four male ants chasing after Anita in the sky, all the other ants surrounded the Queen ants to form a layer of bastion. It was such an incredible sight.

Suddenly, a great change occurred in the sky.

The sky rumbled as lightning flashed incessantly. Before the male ants could react, they were struck by bolts of lightning, stiffening them and causing their bodies to drop from the sky.

That wasn't the end as countless bolts of lightning fell from the sky towards the waves of ants surrounding the queen.

Before the ants could even cry, their bodies were struck repeatedly, electrocuting them and freezing them.

A firebird charged through the large-scale lightning attack.

The ant queen anxiously released a command as she saw the red line streaking toward her at breakneck speed.

The ants tried to break free from the stiffening effect of the lightning bolts falling on them. A few of them were able to accomplish it, as they moved without a care for their well-being. And that included the male ants.

They all moved to block the lunging bird and were determined to bring it down once and for all. The ant queen was not only their mother but also the link keeping them together. Nothing could happen to her.

As the two parties were about to collide, another change suddenly happened.

The firebird disappeared all of a sudden, and what took its place was a large swarm of bats that enveloped the small figures within them.

Due to being caught off guard and the maneuverability of the bats, they were able to break through the openings in the ant's defense.

Several ants tried to attack, but the swarm of ants seemed to know how they would move as they wove around them, even going as far as to break into two before merging back up again. It was clear how they were able to achieve such a feat as Rose's voice kept ringing out within the swarm.

"Move left..."

"...right."

"Right, left, and left."

After dodging successive attacks, the swarm of bats quickly closed the distance to the ant queen.

Vexed, the ant queen stopped relying on her offspring and raised her limb to launch an attack. Its forelimb shone a deep red before it swung it down. A fiery shockwave in the form of a pillar left her limb, incinerating everything on its path.

In the face of such an attack, the swarm of bats continued unflinching. However, the voices sounding from within spoke otherwise.

"Hey, hey, we will die from this." Joe's trembling voice rang out.

"Continue!" said Kai, his voice also shaky, albeit from excitement.

"A-Are you sure?" Ella asked unsure.

"Continue!" Kai repeated.

"What do you see, Rose?" Arlo's voice resounded.

Two seconds before the wave of fire would arrive, Rose's reply came, "Believe in him."

The wave of fire almost comparable to a dragon's breath swallowed the swarm of bats.

Well, it tried to...

"Sword Draw."

The bats in front quickly parted aside to create an opening to the core.

*Click!*

The fire wave split into two before passing beside the swarm of bats. It was then that Kai's voice echoed out:

"Split!*

The group arrived before the stunned queen. A fraction of a second later, she moved to attack once again even as the other ants rushed to help her. However, her movement came to a stop when she saw the swarm of bats suddenly merge to form a tall snow-white-haired young girl. At the same time, five other figures appeared before her.

Even though she paused for only a moment, the Queen quickly came to and threw out her forelimbs in another attack.

Rose petals rose around Arlo's group to protect them from the male ants that attacked them from behind.

It was then that Arlo's voice rang out:

"Freeze!" It was a declaration.

No! It was more apt to call it a command.

It was a command using Ruler's Authority.

The ant Queen, the male ants, Rose, Ella, Joe, Arianne, and every other figure within the range of Arlo's authority came to a stop. The same went for the red petals around them.

The only thing that moved was Rose's spinning eyes and the golden-haired boy with a blue slime resting on his head.

Arlo forced the blood he was about to cough down his throat and quickly shifted Kai who was holding the handle of his sword in the direction of the queen ant.

A moment later, the effect of Ruler's authority disappeared but before anyone could react, the sound of Kai sheathing his katana resounded before his voice soon followed:

"Split!"

The ant queen was split into two!

At the same time, the attacks of the male ants landed on Arlo's group, but the rose petals were able to absorb a considerable part of the damage.

Still, a shockwave spread out from the joint attack of the four six-meter tall ants, sending all those present flying.

However, Anita who was on Arlo's head had already launched a branch at the queen's split body. Immediately when the corpse flew off, she followed after it.

Still in mid-air, her sweet voice drifted into the ears of the flying group, allowing them to know that their plan had succeeded.

"Universal devouring!"