Chapter 60 - 56

In just one attack, the Anties King and his minions managed to kill a bunch of ape-type monsters. Seeing those dead soldiers, the Tronobo and Pronobo flew in rage and charged straight into the Anties King. But as a result of their action, the apes' frontmost defensive formation was further weakened causing more havoc and loss of lives. More than that, it also seemed like the two ape monsters were no match against the Anties King. As proof of that, the Tronobo and Pronobo were getting trashed by their enemy without being able to do a thing. And the worst thing was, the three Anties General were also left unchecked so they rampaged without holding back.

'Tsk!! This isn’t looking good!!' Because of all that chaos up front, the number of ants coming into my way was also increasing as time went by. 'Goddamn pesky ants!!' In that instant, I activated all my speed and body-enhancing skills to make sure that I wouldn't be pushed back. “GRAAAAAAHHHH!!” Starting with a roar, I began to slaughter all the ants in my immediate vicinity. After that was done, I took advantage of that open space and ran forward.

“So, what would it be? Will you follow our code and pay your debt, or will you listen to that?” Asked the voice.

“We have to run and survive! That is their wish! Remember?!” Another one pleaded.

'Shut up!!' I raged. 'This isn’t a matter of survival or code! Because for one, this decision is mine! And this is just me, being me, living by my pride! The pride of standing by what I started! It’s actually quite simple, I’m the one who asked for their cooperation so I am going to see through that!!' I pledge to myself.

Following that burning resolve, I charged straight to the center of the chaos. Once I was in, I began to kill the ants who were swarming the group of apes. This, of course, surprised not only the ape soldiers but also the Gigarillon who was still defending their frontmost formation. But since we were all in a desperate position, even just a glance was enough for us to understand what needed to be done.

'Fine, I’m in!!' With that thought in mind, I sprinted to where the Gigarillon was. At that same time, the Gigarillon also left his position and ran towards me. Then as we passed by each other, I signaled with my eyes. 'Don’t die until we settle our score!!'

In truth, our plan was actually quite simple. The Gigarillon and his two confidants would keep the powerful ants in check, while I would replace their position upfront and carve our way forward. In short, we swapped our roles. But more than that, I also did not doubt that this was our best option for now. And upon using Assess on the Gigarillon and seeing his level, that hypothesis has further solidified in my mind.

[Name: (Unnamed)

Race: Gigarillon

Level: 45

Status: Wounded]

'With that level, there is no doubt that he will be able to keep that Anties King in check while also running away,' was my conclusion on the matter.

Though it was true that the Gigarillon was wounded, he was still the only one among us that has a level close enough to contend against the Anties King. Furthermore, our goal was just to get out of here. This, of course, meant that the Gigarillon doesn’t need to fight the Anties King in a death match. At most, all he needed to do was to slow down the monster while also running away. 'Now, let’s just hope that the Tronobo and Pronobo would be able to handle those three Anties General.'

[Name: (Unnamed)

Level: 35

Status: Exhausted]

[Name: (Unnamed)

Race: Pronobo

Level: 34

Status: Exhausted]

'Those statuses are a little bit concerning but they should be able to do it given their level.' I concluded after getting a glimpse of their level. 'Well, it’s not as if those ants are in peak condition either.'

After making sure that everyone was in the best possible position, I imbued all my limbs and claws with Shadow Augment. Then with the assistance of Accelerate, I began to rampage on the battlefield.

“RAAAAAAWWWRRR!!” I roared while crushing and cutting up the ants.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…” As time went on, my injuries and continued use of skill have begun to take their toll. But when I caught a glimpse of the land free of any ants near the exit, I felt as if I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. 'Just a little bit more!!' I signaled to the apes.

In all honesty, I only saw it for a moment, so I couldn’t be certain if that was just a product of my desperation and wishful thoughts. Adding to the fact that I was also on the brink of reaching my limit, then there was also a chance that I might just be hallucinating due to extreme exhaustion. But regardless of all that self-doubt, that didn’t really change my course of action. That was why instead of drowning myself with my own hesitations, I decided to shove it all aside and continue pushing forward.

“RAAAAHHHHH!!” Using that roar to wash all those negative thoughts away, I began to increase my pace and charge straight forward. “KRAAAAAHHHH!!” Probably inspired by my action, all the ape-type monsters I had been fighting with released their own mighty roar before following from behind.

“RAAAAAHHHHH!!”

“KRAAAAHHHHH!!”

As my war cry resonated with those of the apes, we carved our way through that sea of ants without ever slowing down. And while scattering their blood and guts, I destroyed every single ant that dared to block my path.

'Move aside!!' I screamed inside.

“RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!” After putting everything into that one attack, the last hindrance on my path was split apart. And at that moment, I finally managed to break free from that sea of ants.

'Yosh!!' I celebrated inside. But what I didn’t expect after that was the fact that my body had already reached its breaking point. As a result, I was late to notice that my legs have given out, all the while my skill Accelerate deactivated itself.

'F.u.c.k…' I cursed while falling.

Because of all the momentum that I have built during my rampage, I crashed and tumbled hard on the ground. “Guh…” Whilst letting out that painful sound, I felt as if my world was spinning around. At that time, I couldn’t even differentiate between above and below. And even when that resulting force was gone, my vision was still blurry and all I could hear was a high-pitched sound.

While I was still in that condition, I saw the murky silhouettes of apes running around. A moment after that, a huge figure emerged from that sea of moving shadows, followed by another two from behind. But after those three got out, they all made a sudden stop and instead looked back.

Seeing that, I somehow already knew by instinct what would happen next. And so, even though I felt a little bit lightheaded, I still forced my tired and battered body to stand up. “Gaaaahhhh…” Accompanied by that pathetic whimper, I tried to stabilize my erratic breath. And in exchange for creating such pitiful sound, my dim vision began to clear up and my headache had somewhat subsided.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…”

After I had managed to somehow recover my bearing, I pushed my shaking legs to move towards the three fighting apes. 'This is not the time to be lying around!! The fight isn’t over yet!!' I chastise myself.

“Ha! What foolish pride and d.e.s.i.r.e! But at least you have the resolve to see this through!” Said a very amused voice.

“…Aaaahhh… We are sure gonna die…” The other one despaired.

Without paying any attention to that, I looked around. 'So, they are keeping those monsters in check while their soldiers are running away, huh?' I observed. Then upon gazing forward, I saw the Gigarillon and his two confidants fighting the Anties King and its two Anties General. 'Hmmm? They actually managed to kill one of them?' I tilted my head in confusion.

From what I could tell, it seemed like the Tronobo and Pronobo were hurt pretty bad. This of course resulted in their movements being dull and slower compared to the two ants. 'Looks like fighting those three Anties General at the same time is too much for them. Well, at least they managed to kill one, despite the odds.' To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t see those two apes winning against their enemy in that condition. And because we would probably be chased by those ants no matter where we go, the only choice we have was to kill those ants.

Peeling my eyes away from that fight, I stared at the deathmatch happening far into the distance. 'So, he lured that Anties King away…' In there, I saw the bloody Gigarillon battling the Anties King one on one. But probably because of his physical condition, it was clear that Gigarillon was losing ground.

'Tsk!! Both are a losing battle, huh?' I couldn’t help but curse. 'Since you acted so c.o.c.ky in our battle before, you should be able to at least survive for a while. So, for now, try your best to survive and hold that thing back!! Meanwhile, I will kill those two ants first since your subordinate seems to be having a hard time.' I pledged before sprinting forward.