124-118 Ecology of ants

I've been able to defeat the individuals I've fought so far with one blow. However, I didn't know how much endurance value the higher-ranked individuals had. That's why I was going to judge Lionel's one shot, but that wasn't the basis for my decision.

''........One shot.''

The ants seemed to have hostile feelings towards the foreign object that had suddenly entered them. However, when Lionel held up his great shield and rushed in with his great sword of fire to make a line, the higher-ranked individuals were cut off and did not move next.

No, to be precise, Keti had annihilated the ants that had begun to move so that they wouldn't get in Lionel's way.

'Not good, I can't judge the strength of that individual.

Let's do what we can.

Yeah.

I run to the high pile of ant carcasses and collect more and more of them as I talk with Kefin.

The ant demons that come at me can be defeated with a single blow, even by me. Collecting the demons wasn't such an impossible task.

However, it's not so easy to defeat the upper unit, although it's not so easy to defeat it, and although it's pushing, it doesn't seem to be able to kill it instantly.

"Kefin, are you alright?

''Your durability value is high.

As you can imagine, I was a little confused, but I quickly agreed.

"...just tell me when it's time.

'I understand. Then I'll need to know when you hit me.

Yes, sir.　

I decided to match Kefin's timing.

When I cut through the opening where Kefin was hit by a higher level individual, I was able to cut him off easily with just a little touch.

''Luciel-sama's equipment is still a little blown up, isn't it?

That's what I think. Now, let's go collect the bodies of the demons until the higher ups attack us.

Ha!

Me and Kefin would go around one mountain at a time in turn.

''Well we didn't make much sense, did we?

''Well thanks to the fact that the other side was moving so hard, the demons didn't come at us.

It's too strong for that.

Wielding a great sword of fire, Lionel was cutting away both normal and higher-level individuals collectively.

It didn't take much time because Keti was hit-and-away, keeping a constant distance as she danced, guiding the demons into Lionel's pause in turn.

I continued to collect the ant carcasses in my magic bag after that, and began to think about what this place was all about.

The next path didn't open up, and there was no way out other than where I had come in.

''........Could it be that I was in the wrong passage?''

I think it's more appropriate to think of this place as a food bank.

It's a little too easy.

As I was thinking, Lionel and Ketty approached me for an escort.

'I figured if we were going to try our luck at knocking over a wand, they'd point us in the right direction.

I put up my illusion wand again on the spot and let go of my hand.

Asking for this to guide me.

''.......What do you mean?''

The illusionary wand stood without falling over.

'Great nya. Maybe there's a source down here, Nya.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to bet on the fate of Lady Luciel.

Ketty and Lionel's eyes lit up as they said this.

'King Rockwell you need to drill a hole down here.

...All right. Just stay away for a moment.

Looking at me with quizzical eyes, King Rockwell, who has sworn allegiance to me, places his hand on the ground and a circular hole is created in the center of the room.

Then Esther approaches and shines her light on it, and I see the figure of an ant wriggling not three meters below.

'This time it will be the eagle.'

With that, it was King Rockwell who jumped into the hole.

I thought I'd have to make a plan before I could do it, and none of us, Lionel and the others, could stop him.

'Selfishly,'

As we followed King Rockwell's path with our eyes, we didn't get to the point where the ants were wriggling, but were bounced off the membrane a step in front of them.

The next moment, he looked at us and announced.

'This is the place where the ant demons are being created.

I want to go home like this.

Is it a luxury to think so?

I ask myself that, and give him instructions.

'Think of it as the main room of the labyrinth and proceed. Before we do that, we'll assume that's the belly of the queen ant and put an aura coat and area barrier on it just in case.

"Ha.

When I finish casting the spell, Kefin raises his voice.

'I'll go first. After we confirm the situation, depending on the situation, we will move with a view to retreating with that dwarf.

Please.

I'm gonna check the square footage and see how many enemies there are.

Yes, sir.

So Kefin went down and immediately flew back up.

What's the matter? What's going on?

Stuttering at that which returned in an instant, Kefin immediately answers the situation below.

''There was no mistaking the source of the ants. Not only is there no doubt, but it's the queen ant's back that the dwarf king is currently riding on. The hole is too small to move, but there's no doubt that it's giving birth to a lot of demons.

How can one queen ant give birth to so many demons? It's nothing more than a threat.

If you think about it that way, since Lord Leinster made it impossible to create the labyrinth, it's like being swept away by that person. However, as expected, he wouldn't think that something he did for the best of intentions would turn into a danger in the future more than three hundred years from now.

''........Let's assume that's the queen. I don't know if it will evolve through cannibalism, but if we don't defeat that thing now, the world will be flooded with ant demons.

'Would you like to break your stomach in one fell swoop? Or do you want to aim for the head or the core magic stone?

You'll share. We'll probably run up to the head and the demon will appear. King Rockwell will take care of the current location, me and Keffin will have the magic stone, and you two will take care of the head. Esther will be the light man, and you'll work with King Rockwell.

"Ha.

It's too dangerous to trust King Rockwell, and we don't know what Esther is capable of at all.

I guess I'll have to get Kefin and the others to investigate later.

That's what was going through my head. But I didn't have time, so I started the mission as soon as possible.

After taking a deep breath, the ants' backs were much softer than I had expected.

........When I immediately checked the size of the ants, I found that their total length had exceeded 25 meters by my reckoning.

This was because when I went down on my back, it felt wider than the twenty-five meter pool.

''Can you take these down?''

'There's nothing we can't do, but a lot of things will spring up, so we'll just have to take them out all at once and keep beating them here.

I have to do it.

Let's go.

Huh. Okay, please.

"Ha.

This is how we started running.

By the way, I left the explanation to King Rockwell to Estia.

I poured my magic power into the illusionary sword, had Kefin guide me, and when I moved to the point where the ant's magic stone was located, I stabbed deeply into the holy dragon's spear.

If this was a labyrinth, the decapitation given by this queen ant would turn into a magic stone at the end.

However, there was still no such sweet reality.

The ants inside the body began to eat the queen's body from the inside, and through the hole that leads to this room, the ants began to swarm the queen's corpse.

The queen died, but because the ants were inside, they couldn't put her in the magic bag.

''I've recovered the core magic stone, but I don't know how many individuals would become higher-ranking individuals if they ate the queen ant (this). King Rockwell, fill in the hole or shut it off, and Lionel, bust out the queen ants. The rest are support.

I didn't hear a reply and started running towards Lionel.

The next moment, Lionel dropped the queen's head.

I cut the approaching ant demon as I retrieved it.

Even if it's surrounded, if I cast a high heel, it won't die unless it dies instantly.

Every time Lionel cuts it into a circle, I collect it and continue to take it down with me, Keti and Kefin where the demon becomes active.

Wouldn't it have been easier if we had the right equipment?

Those thoughts went through my head, but I did the best I could right now, and I finished putting the queen ant's body into the magic bag. It took about thirty minutes.

From there, we continued to cut the ant demons endlessly, and other than Kefin's weapon breaking several times and nearly dying, no one was injured.

And I decided to increase my vigilance against that fighting power of Estia, which surpassed even Kefin.