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Just as I was sure that this Black Blood Ant Nest would stubbornly resist to the bitter end, the rushing ant wave suddenly stopped. Their insect legs slowly backed away till there was a safe distance between them and the raging wall of flames.

“So it’s finally here.”

Based on their performance, I could roughly tell that the queen ant controlling them had finally arrived, and that conjecture was confirmed right away.

“Masterrr…the queen ant…arrivesss…”

“Why is it that you guys always wait til the situation is so dire before appearing?”

“…” Clearly my sublime questioning had just whooshed over her head and flew past the boundaries of her intellectual capacity. her only response was a confused stare, one that wasn’t entirely sure as to how to react.

In the midst of the Mother Black Ant’s dazed staring, another almost identical queen ant popped out from the other side of the flame wall and began wiggling its fat body towards us. As it pressed through the ant swarm, the surrounding ants all made way for it as if it was an actual emperor making an appearance.

“Baby, put out that wall of yours for now.”

“Alright, Mama.”

Mo Na obediently dispersed her magic, and I too retracted my Shadow Demon Guardian while lowering Mo Na who was still in my arms down onto the floor.

Right here. Right now. Our Mother Black Ant knew exactly what to do even without my guidance. She steadily made her way to face the opposing queen ant. In such a hostile environment, with both parties in a staring death match, neither wanted to be the first to break the ice. Yet just as I thought that this stalemate would continue, the entire ant swarm behind the queen ant suddenly moved. However, they had no intention of advancing, instead they retreated a small distance.

‘What are they planning?’

‘Either way, it looks like the two of them are starting to talk now.’

Because I couldn’t understand what either of them were saying, I could only guess the contents by looking at their body language. How should I put it… it didn’t seem good.

The opposing queen had already witnessed my Fallen Angel form, but it didn’t prostrate itself before me like Mother Black Ant did. In fact, it seemed almost distrustful, wary. It would often sneak a glance at me, and not a very friendly one at that.

After a long conversation, no consensus was reached. Finally, a garbled mess of chittering exploded in the air and the two queen ants broke off unhappily. Mother Black Ant made no further moves, merely returning to my side while the other queen ant seemed adamant on leading her pack away.

“A failure?”

“Failuree…Masterr…”

She was absolutely dejected right now. She seemed to have taken my words as a commandment of sorts that had to be fulfilled no matter what, yet reality showed how cruelly far it was from her intentions once more -the other queen ant had no intentions of serving me.

‘A failure then…no matter, not like I had ever expected things to be smooth sailing.’

While I might have wanted their loyalty, that didn’t mean I was about to let a bunch of blasted ants ignore me either. I certainly wasn’t planning on letting that queen ant wiggle her way out of this so nonchalantly either. Thus I released my Shadow Demon Guardian once more. It instantly appeared behind that queen ant, its arm forming into a rope that restricted a greater part of its body.

“Chit chit chit!!!”

The Black Blood Queen Ant wildly chittered. Not expecting such a move from me and not at all a match for the Shadow Demon Guardian, that was the only resistance it could offer. Unfortunately, it was a pointless one as well.

The ant swarm immediately rushed to the aid of their queen, but fortune wasn’t in their favor either. My precious Mo Na promptly erected a wall of flames in their path.

Once more, the ants began their suicidal charge, not at all afraid to risk the chance of being incinerated… all for the sake of rescuing their queen.

Even so, the Shadow Demon Guardian had no trouble at all as it forcefully dragged the queen ant before me, unceremoniously dumping her on the ground like a trash bag before retracting its shadowy rope arm.

Freshly freed from its bindings, it immediately turned around and fled without a second thought. However, before it could even take its second wiggle, it was once more bound up by the Shadow Demon Guardian… the same one that was clearly standing right behind her… did she not see it or was she just…dumb?

“I know you can understand me. Now, how about we have a chat?”

Regardless of how dumb I thought it was, I knew for certain that she understood the language of the Devils. I had the Shadow Demon Guardian release her once more as a way of asserting dominance. It was my way of saying, you can’t escape.

The Black Blood Queen Ant raised her head and stared right into me with her insect eyes, stubborning defying me with her silence. As our silent confrontation wore on, the other Black Blood Ants continued their frenzied charge, every one of them dead set on rescuing their queen. Yet just because their resolve was there, it didn’t mean their combat strength had increased. The same ants, who were afraid of fire and yet didn’t know how to circle around it, still continued rushing into the wall made of said fire… and then turned to ashes…

“In…vaderrr…”

When the casualties finally reached an intolerable level, the queen ant finally had no choice but to break her silence. Her voice was just as awful sounding as Mother Black Ant, and her Devil speak was just as bad. I could barely make out what she was saying.

‘Invader? Now that’s an interesting title…’ Regardless of what happened before, I was now the lawful inheritor of Sable Radiance, I was anointed by Lucifer’s clone after all. Since I’m now the master of this area, anyone who won’t serve me -those remaining factions out there- they were all targets of my rightful purging.

At least that was how it should be…

“Serve me, or die.”

I didn’t wish to waste any more words on her so I cut straight to the point.

“…no…Devil…Black Blood Antss…will not…enslaveee…”

The Black Blood Queen Ant’s resistance was strong, just like Mother Black Ant in the past. I wasn’t all that surprised by her display. I merely turned around to face the prostrated Mother Black Ant.

“If I kill her, can you control the rest of the ants?”

“Mother Black Ant…doesn’t…knowww…”

Having given me that uncertain answer, Mother Black Ant began explaining exactly what would happen should a Black Blood Queen Ant die.

According to her, the Black Blood Ants would normally scavenge for food outside the nest, offering everything that they could find to the queen ant. That food would then be partially redistributed back to them. This system was built on their servitude cemented along the lines of blood. Based on that, one could see the integral part a queen ant played in Black Blood Ant society.

Should the controlling queen ant suddenly perish, the remaining ants would fall into chaos, and this chaos would continue till a new queen ant appeared. Before that however, the chaotic ant nest would go through a tumultuous period of upheaval. Societal collapse… A sudden desire to meet their ant maker… In-fighting…