The Ant Queen towered above them, her segmented body a nightmarish blend of obsidian-black chitin and jagged crimson markings. Her head was crowned with a serrated crest, and her mandibles were long enough to crush a man whole. A swollen abdomen pulsed behind her, each throb sending another wave of pheromones into the air.
Her multifaceted eyes locked on the intruders, reflecting their images in a hundred tiny fragments. A low, resonant screech rolled through the chamber, shaking loose dust from the ceiling.
The walls around them came alive. From hidden tunnels, drones poured in, their bodies clicking and snapping as they formed a living wall to protect their Queen.
Ryuzen drew his sword in a single fluid motion. "Guys, Formation is same as before, but tighter. This one won't go down easy."
The Queen rose higher on her legs, mandibles opening wide as a stream of acid hissed to the ground, eating through stone.
The Queen's screech split the chamber. It was not just sound, it was command. The swarm surged forward from every tunnel, black bodies glistening in the dim fungal light.
Ryuzen stepped forward. Frost mist swirled up his legs as his armor shimmered into existence. Plates of translucent ice formed across his chest and arms, laced with glowing blue veins.
[Skill Activated: Ice Guardian Armour (D)]
Venus was the first to break into motion. She slammed her fists into the ground, launching herself forward like a cannonball. Her gloves cracked against the first drone's head, splattering green ichor across the resin floor. Felix's arrow of condensed blood tore through another's thorax, pinning it to the wall.
"Keep them off the Queen!" Ryuzen barked.
The Queen's abdomen pulsed again. This time, streams of acidic spit rained down in wide arcs. Rudos threw up a barrier in time to shield the center of the group, but droplets hissed on contact with his magic, sending trails of steam curling upward.
Irina spun her staff, releasing streaks of fire that burst in the air and coated several drones in a blaze. The firelight painted the Queen's shadow large against the walls.
Ryuzen shifted. His body flickered once, twice, then vanished into a thin mist.
[Skill Activated: Mist Phantom Steps (D)]
He reappeared above a cluster of ants, slashing through them with surgical precision before fading away again. Each step left a cold afterimage hanging in the air before dissolving into vapor.
The Queen lunged suddenly, her front legs stabbing down like spears. The ground shuddered under the impact, knocking Felix off balance. She aimed for the gap, her mandibles snapping toward him.
Ryuzen's eyes narrowed.
[Skill Activated: Solar Cryo Lance (D)]
A lance of pure energy materialized in his hand, its shaft radiating cold and heat at once. He hurled it straight into the Queen's open jaws. The weapon detonated with a burst of frostfire, forcing her back as shards of ice tore across her face. Her screech shifted from command to pure rage.
Venus used the opening, driving a brutal uppercut into one of her legs. Chitin cracked and the Queen staggered slightly, but her sheer size made the blow feel like a scratch.
From the tunnels, more drones poured in. Their combined mass began pushing the group back toward the chamber wall.
"This is getting worse!" Felix shouted, firing arrow after arrow.
Ryuzen's armor pulsed once, absorbing a glancing strike from a drone's claws. He could feel the swarm's rhythm, the pattern of their movement. If they kept fighting defensively, the Queen would outlast them.
"Everyone, clear me a path!" Ryuzen roared.
They moved in unison. Irina's fire swept a tunnel entrance clear. Venus smashed aside a pair of drones, sending their bodies tumbling. Rudos's barrier shifted to cover their flanks.
Ryuzen's aura ignited. Crimson light flared from his skin, the heat distorting the air around him.
[Skill Activated: Crimson Apex Frenzy (D)]
He became a blur of savage strikes. Each slash was heavier than the last, his momentum building until the very air pressure around him felt like a hammer. Drones exploded into chunks under the relentless assault. He leapt onto the Queen's back, his blade carving deep gouges into her armored carapace.
The Queen bucked and slammed herself into the wall, trying to dislodge him, but his frenzy only intensified. Ice spread from the wounds he carved, locking her movements for precious seconds.
"Now! Hit her!" Ryuzen roared.
All four allies struck at once. Felix's arrow pierced one eye. Irina's firestorm engulfed her torso. Venus's gloves shattered another leg. Rudos unleashed a concentrated beam of magic into her open wound.
Ryuzen drove his sword deep into her neck and released the last of his Crimson Apex Frenzy. The explosion of frost and fire ripped through her body from within.
The Queen let out one final, ear-splitting screech before collapsing. The chamber shook as her body hit the resin mound, the glow in her eyes fading to black.
Silence fell, broken only by the group's heavy breathing.
They had won, but the smell of acid and burnt resin hung thick in the air, a reminder of how close they had been to being overrun.
The Ant Queen's hulking body crashed to the ground, her chitin cracking under the force of her final collapse. The forest's constant hum fell into silence, replaced only by the faint hiss of her lifeblood seeping into the soil.
A soft glow emanated from her thorax, drawing everyone's attention. Ryuzen approached, the heat of battle still clinging to him. With one clean strike, he split the armored shell, revealing two distinct treasures.
First was a crystalline skill book pulsed with shifting violet light.
[Skill Book: Ant Breeding (D-Rank)]
Type: Summoning/Creation Skill
Description: Grants the user the ability to hatch, breed, and command a colony of battle ants. Higher proficiency increases breeding speed, ant strength, and the ability to produce specialized soldier or worker variants.
Requirements: Minimum D-Rank Soul Power and sufficient Beast Handling proficiency.
Passive Effect: Slightly boosts pheromone-based communication with insect-type beasts.
Felix crossed his arms and smiled. "Two drops? This is our lucky day."
Rudos' smiled as hebread through the skill's description,
"Maybe we should give the Skill to Irina, she could breed ants for us. Then we can us them as baits or decoys. What do think, Irina?"
Irina growled like a angry lion. "Do you want to die?"
Meanwhile, Venus glanced at Ryu. "So, which one's mine?"
Ryuzen met her gaze calmly. "Neither. The Queen's Core goes to the party's collection. The breeding skill will be stored until we decide how to use it."
Irina crossed her arms, masking her frustration as Venus smirked beside Ryuzen.
With the loot secured, the forest shimmered faintly, and a golden portal began to open in the distance, signaling the dungeon's completion. They had conquered Hard Mode, and their next challenge was already looming in their minds.