Having suffered such heavy losses, the Big-headed Ants had become increasingly defensive, rarely venturing out. Recent harassment tactics yielded diminishing results. Moreover, it had been nearly 20 days since the conflict began—just enough time for a Soldier Ant to mature from an egg to adulthood.
This meant that the Big-headed Ants could soon convert the insect carcasses they had harvested into fresh troops. In the coming days, their army would likely receive significant reinforcements.
Additionally, the swarm’s harassment operations had focused solely on killing the enemy, yielding no tangible spoils.
The Big-headed Ants were sitting on large stockpiles of resources, requiring only time to convert them into soldiers. And that time wasn’t far off.
“It’s time for the decisive battle,” Luo Wen sighed, twitching his antennae as he issued the command.
A 3-million-strong army assembled—a sight that would test the nerves of anyone with trypophobia.
The swarm marched straight toward the Big-headed Ant Nest.
Thanks to prior harassment, the Big-headed Ants had ceased their foraging activities. Outside their nest, even patrolling units were scarce, as all available forces were withdrawn and kept inside. The insect carcasses they had accumulated ensured they could remain in hiding for a long time.
Thus, the swarm brazenly advanced to within 20 meters of the Big-headed Ant Nest without detection.
Scout Bugs on the ground marked the landing points, guiding Worker Ants to gather the leaves and bring them to the front lines.
Meanwhile, Luo Wen and two Scorpions personally joined the effort, using their powerful claws as digging tools. Their enormous bodies quickly excavated a trench 20 centimeters wide, half a meter deep, and about 10 meters long.
Though narrow, the trench was sufficient to counter ants, which lacked significant jumping ability.
The Worker Ants lined the trench with the gathered leaves, then added branches and twigs as makeshift bridges. Mucus Bugs applied a basic sealant to the trench walls to slow seepage.
With everything ready, the army formed ranks. It was time to provoke the enemy.
The Big-headed Ant Nest had too many scattered exits for a simple blockade to work. The ants needed to be drawn out. Having harassed them relentlessly, the swarm needed to push harder to anger them into action.
Provocation required skill, and Luo Wen was an expert.
He didn’t even need to jump. With a casual step, he crossed the 20-centimeter trench and strode straight to the Big-headed Ant Nest. Raising his claws, he began puncturing holes into the nest.
At first, the Big-headed Ants endured, adhering to their defensive policy. But as Luo Wen’s relentless digging created more and more holes, their patience wore thin.
It wasn’t hard to understand why. No one would remain calm with a dozen gaping holes suddenly appearing in their home.
Soon, the Big-headed Ants, now fully mobilized, poured out from dozens of exits, a massive army surging forth.
Seeing his provocation succeed, Luo Wen immediately turned tail and ran. He had no fear of a duel but knew the Big-headed Ants wouldn’t fight him one-on-one.
Exploiting his superior mobility, he stopped and started along the way, leaving pheromone markers to ensure the pursuing ants didn’t lose track of him.
Luo Wen led the massive enemy force to the trench, where the swarm army stood ready on the other side, one meter away.
Easily crossing the trench, Luo Wen retreated to the rear of the swarm formation. The Big-headed Ants, however, couldn’t follow so easily. They were forced to climb down into the trench and back up the other side or use the twig bridges to cross.
These obstacles only slowed them slightly, with negligible impact on their stamina.
The Ultra-Giant Soldier Ants at the forefront of the Big-headed Ant army charged first, accompanied by smaller Soldier Ants.
On the swarm’s side, their own Ultra-Giants moved to intercept.
Luo Wen and the two Scorpions roamed the rear lines, seizing opportunities to ambush enemy Ultra-Giants. Whenever an enemy Ultra-Giant became immobilized in a fight, a claw would emerge from behind the swarm’s formation, clamping down on its narrow waist and snapping it in two.
This was Luo Wen’s newly developed Luo-style Combat Technique, Form Two: One Slash, Two Halves.
The exact number of giant combat units hidden in the Big-headed Ant Nest remained unknown. Meanwhile, the swarm’s Ultra-Giants, originally numbering 200, had already lost several, with no replacements. Luo Wen deemed this unit too resource-intensive and unsuitable for the swarm’s development, leaving no time to produce new ones.
The Big-headed Ants, apparently eager for a decisive battle, threw themselves at the opportunity. Having been harried by the swarm, they were determined to turn the tables in this engagement.
More troops poured out of the Big-headed Ant Nest, forming a massive black wave. Within moments, over 2 million soldiers had surged forth, with more on the way.
While the swarm still held a numerical advantage, with both sides fielding millions of soldiers, the battlefield descended into chaos.
The time was right. Luo Wen signaled the Worker Ants—500,000 of them lined up and unleashed a volley of formic acid.
This wave of long-range attacks directly eliminated nearly 100,000 Big-headed Ants, leaving the rest injured.
Seizing the opportunity, the swarm advanced, slowly pushing the battle line toward the trench.
Another 500,000 Worker Ants were deployed, spraying acid into the trench. Any Big-headed Ants attempting to cross were drenched, dissolving into the trench.
The leaves lining the trench bottom slowed the seepage of acid into the soil, allowing the trench to fill with the corrosive liquid and form a “small moat.”
Though the acid moat gradually drained, it effectively disrupted the Big-headed Ants’ attack rhythm. Unable to cross the moat, they were forced to use the twig bridges, which significantly reduced their crossing efficiency.
As a result, a bottleneck formed, isolating over 500,000 Big-headed Ants already engaged with the swarm from their reinforcements. Weakened by acid, these isolated forces were vulnerable.
This carefully orchestrated moment was Luo Wen’s golden opportunity. The swarm unleashed their full might, aiming to annihilate the isolated enemy forces as quickly as possible.