Chapter 278

Chapter 278: Shattered

The man’s lips trembled, yet no words emerged for what felt like an eternity.

CRACK!!!

A crisp, shattering noise followed, plunging his mind into momentary blankness.

The protective barrier cast by the Defense Magic Crystal had been destroyed!

The sole means of defending against the monster siege was now gone.

As the luminous shield vanished, the ground’s tremors ceased—only to be replaced by countless explosive cracks reminiscent of shattering earth and stone erupting across the town.

From his vantage point on the battlements, Philid witnessed Earth Digging Ants erupting through cobblestones in geysers of debris. From the yawning tunnels they carved, Worker Ants, Weak Ants, Military Ants, and Acid Ants began swarming upward like a living tide.

"Gods above—monsters! MONSTERS!"

"Run! Get out of here!"

"I don’t want to die—spare me, please!"

"Help! My home’s overrun—they’re everywhere!!"

Pandemonium gripped the streets. Town squares fractured like eggshells while residential floors burst open, birthing thousands of gaping holes that disgorged endless streams of chitinous forms. Citizens scrambled through the chaos, only to find six-legged horrors blocking every escape route.

What manner of hellscape was this?

Philid’s hands fell limp at his sides, all thoughts of resistance or flight extinguished. Resist? Flee? What mortal could escape this crawling apocalypse?

His hollow gaze lifted to distant specks materializing in the sky. Squinting, he recognized the streamlined silhouettes—Reifons. The Flying Beast Army. The lord was attempting an aerial retreat.

True, Reifons were merely Class D monsters, but their winged velocity surpassed most skyborne creatures. Perhaps…

The thought died as violet shadows streaked across his vision. A swarm of iridescent flying ants descended upon the retreating forces with predatory grace. Within heartbeats, the purple horde enveloped the Reifon riders. Philid watched in morbid fascination as shimmering clouds engulfed the mounts, dragging their struggling forms earthward.

Master Simon would be among the captured, then.

Not that teleportation crystals could save them now—activating such magic mid-flight would only deposit one over empty air.

The end, then.

Despair coiled around Philid’s heart like a serpent.

"We of the Ant Tribes do not come for slaughter."

Magic Rainbow’s Psychic Call resonated once more through the air.

"Fear not, members of the human race within this town. My previous decree stands: swear allegiance, harbor no malice toward us, refrain from harming my daughters, and keep our Ant Tribe’s secrets. As your Queen Ant, I vow no harm shall befall compliant souls."

Her proclamation yielded partial success.

Screams subsided as some humans observed the emerging ant creatures making no aggressive moves. The ant creatures continued pouring forth from subterranean tunnels, dispersing outward upon surfacing.

The situation proved more complex for those discovering nest openings within their dwellings. Pale-faced residents clutched wooden poles and kitchen blades, frozen in terrified standoffs with suddenly appearing Ant Tribe members.

True composure remained elusive.

Magic Rainbow’s telepathic message failed to sway all.

…

…

Could this truly be considered a human settlement invasion?

The concept felt strangely surreal.

Lin Yu shifted her consciousness to several daughters infiltrating the town. Observing human panic through first-person perspectives amused her – reminiscent of some macabre game, though perhaps capture-the-flag better described the spectacle.

While her daughters’ adorable forms warmed her heart, she recognized their terrifying impact on human perceptions. Merely directing the ants’ approach sent townsfolk scrambling with frightened shrieks.

Exceptions inevitably arose.

"Perish, monster!"

Alongside fleeing masses, courageous souls brandished makeshift weapons – chair legs, cleavers, stools – launching assaults against the ant-girls.

These Class D or lower combatants stood no chance against daughters surpassing them in both tier and battle prowess.

Come to think of it… How dare they touch my precious ones?

Hmph! Even I wouldn’t dream of striking them.

Thus, retaliatory blows fell upon bold attackers – proportional justice, given their initiated aggression. When humans struck with singular force, antkind returned twofold.

Fatalities were avoided, though injuries ranging from minor to severe became inevitable. Verbal offenders received due punishment.

Particularly egregious cases emerged – soldiers and adventurers of higher capability managing to wound some Worker Ants and Weak Ants. These received special attention from Acid Ants, whose secretions delivered excruciating lessons in corrosive chemistry. A single droplet’s agonizing burn sufficed to educate the offenders.

…

Time flowed onward.

Upon witnessing that the Ant Tribe emerging abruptly from the soil showed no immediate aggression, the majority of the human race finally regained composure and ceased their attempts to flee. After all, where could they possibly flee to? Yet this applied only to ordinary citizens.

Some nobles and affluent merchants possessing teleportation crystals nervously steered clear of the Ant Tribe and rode their horses to the town’s periphery before activating their crystals. While the teleportation crystals’ effect randomly displaced users within five hundred meters, resulting in many merely reappearing at different town locations, a fortunate minority managed to transport beyond the walls.

Unbeknownst to them, not only did the Ant Tribe’s forces encircle the town, but surveillance outposts were strategically positioned at intervals across the surrounding kilometers. Even those who escaped the town’s confines risked detection by sentinel ants if they ventured further. Wealthier merchants employing multiple teleportation crystals did manage to traverse several kilometers outward.

However.

Though evading the Ant Tribe, these escapees encountered an enormous golden-furred wolf…

The captured nobles and merchants were dragged back, Red Pupil personally hurling them before Philid upon the ramparts. "Several insects attempted flight," Magic Rainbow communicated through Psychic Call. "Their teleportation reserves surpass even your lord’s stockpile. You understand what’s required now?"

Their forces paled against the Ant Clan’s numbers. Their warriors proved inferior in strength. The Defense Magic Crystal failed against the Ant Clan’s assault. Every escape route had collapsed. More chilling still – the Ant Tribe had secretly established subterranean tunnel networks beneath the town, with infiltrators gathering intelligence undetected.

Every development fell under the Ant Clan’s control – no, more precisely, the Queen Ant’s dominion. Remarkably, though monsters, they’d honored their word without mass slaughter. Excepting the five publicly executed adventurers, no humans had been killed during the invasion.

Now only one path remained. Even Master Simon’s presence would change nothing.

Philid drew a shuddering breath. "We surrender."

The Psychic Call’s declaration reverberated through every street.