Xing Yue's keychain, with one of its crystals, was quivering like a glow stick, trying to find direction.
It was much like the needle of a compass.
To others, this scene was magical.
Special types, especially support abilities that required the use of tools, were even rarer. It was the Captain's first time witnessing such a thing.
His confidence in finding the Ant Queen finally rose from 0% to 1%.
That glow stick-like crystal finally began stabilizing but then pointed towards one of the forks in the path ahead, seemingly defying gravity as it hung in the air.
Tang Yu didn't hesitate and stepped into that tunnel.
They kept up the pace of a brisk walk, which wasn't fast; however, every one or two minutes, they would encounter a fork in the path—some split into two, others into five, six, seven, eight... N.
This maze was even more vast than any they had encountered in the Secret Realm, completely irregular, as it had been excavated by Demonized Black Ants. Tang Yu's thought processes were not on the same wavelength as the ants.
Thankfully, they had Xing Yue's "Path-finding Technique."
Every time they reached a fork, the glowing crystal would reliably change direction, clearly pointing towards one of the tunnels.
Everyone could feel the altitude gradually decreasing as they moved forward.
The Captain and the others who followed them showed signs of excitement.
A rustling sound reached their ears.
The Captain, with his rich experience, immediately gave a low shout, "Be careful, there's a swarm of Black Ants coming. Judging by the sound, they will meet us in about fifteen seconds."
Spotlights shone ahead, and soon they saw a dense swarm of Black Ants rushing towards them.
The Captain and his men had grim expressions, "These Black Ants are weak but their mouths contain a deadly poison, be careful not to let them come close. Also, during the fight, make sure not to damage the surrounding environment, or this underground cave could collapse. In fact, if there was a way to find the Ant Queen, I suggest we go back and call for reinforcements—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
A dazzling orange-red firelight lit up the entire dark cave; it came from a Longsword wrapped in flames.
In the next moment, the sword swung violently, scattering a shower of fiery rain.
The whole cave instantly turned red, as a ring of fire spread from near to far.
Tang Yu dispelled the flames from his Longsword, twirled it elegantly, sheathed it, and then, as if nothing had happened, patted off nonexistent dust from his clothes.
"Yu, you... Aren't you an Architecture Ability User? What's with the fire?" his cousin stammered, struggling to speak.
"There's no rule that says an Architecture Series can't set fires," Tang Yu shrugged and said, "If you want to learn, I could teach you—"
His cousin showed a gleam of excitement.
"However, you won't be able to learn it."
Against Demonized Black Ants—creatures weak individually but overwhelming in numbers—ordinary Awakeners weren't of much use. Swords and knives could only kill a few at a time, and the soldiers, like the Captain, even with their specially made flamethrowers, clearly couldn't compare to Tang Yu in terms of killing efficiency.
The black ants they encountered along the way turned into Tang Yu's solo performance.
He hadn't enjoyed himself so much since he received his inheritance.
Going crazy on the ants was so invigorating!
After numerous twists and turns,
The fluorescent stick trembled once again.
Xing Yue looked down and with a mix of seriousness and excitement, she said, "We're getting close to the Ant Queen now."
Up ahead, a breeze blew.
The group quickened their pace and after a while, they suddenly stopped, staring ahead in shock.
Before them was a massive underground space, not completely dark. On the rock walls, there were strange green crystals emitting a soft glow. On closer inspection, one could see larger Black Ants flailing their limbs, excavating these green crystals embedded in the walls and carrying them downward.
Around the rock walls, there were holes of various sizes dug out by the Black Ants—their current location was one of these.
From their perspective, the green dots were converging from all directions toward the same spot.
These Demonized Black Ants were organized!
Tang Yu was also somewhat surprised.
Aside from the Transcendent Demonized Beast he saw in Maple Leaf Town, he had never seen any Demonized Beast with the ability to command and control other Demonized Beasts, not even those affected by that giant tree in the Source Crystal Mine, which had gained wisdom but lacked the ability to command others.
Tang Yu did not believe that the yet-unseen Ant Queen possessed Transcendent strength; this might be a unique characteristic of insects that, even after Demonization, they still retained their original hierarchy and that terrifying reproductive capability.
More troublesome than ordinary Demonized Beasts.
He followed the direction of the converging green dots, and finally, at the end of the underground space, he spotted a Monster whose size exceeded that of a large truck. The monster had a massive abdomen, with a black body marked with brown patterns, short antennae, small thoracic feet, and no wings.
"That's the Ant Queen!" Xing Yue spoke, confirming Tang Yu's guess.
The Captain and other soldiers were excited but also somewhat worried, "With such a huge size, the Ant Queen's strength must be formidable. And with those Black Ants around, I'm afraid that with our current numbers, we won't be able to handle them—"
He looked towards Tang Yu.
Obviously, he understood that among their group, Tang Yu was the decision-maker. Along the way, he had become wholeheartedly convinced of Tang Yu's strength.
A sharp cry rang out, seemingly able to penetrate one's eardrums.
Awakeners like Cousin and others with weaker strength couldn't help but cover their ears tightly, only feeling their heads swell.
This piercing noise appeared to be a signal; the Demonized Black Ants, whether patrolling or transporting, upon hearing the sound, swiftly moved towards the position of Tang Yu and his companions.
From the cavities in the surrounding rock walls, countless Black Ants poured out, densely packed.
Ants the size of chopsticks, of backpacks, of suitcases, and even of motorcycles...
Was like a vast curtain of darkness descending from all directions, engulfing them completely.
Even the well-trained Captain and other soldiers turned pale, their hands trembling uncontrollably as they held their flamethrowers.
With such a number of Black Ants, one could not see the end at a glance. How were they to be vanquished? Even if that young man who could emit flames killed a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand Black Ants, what about the hundreds of thousands, the millions?
He turned his gaze towards the tunnel they had come through.
Currently, this was their only chance at life.
However, the next moment, the Captain's face became even more pale, his wealth of experience telling him that countless Black Ants were also swarming towards them from the tunnel behind.
Were completely surrounded.
Tang Yu had not released his signature Flame Sword, seemingly giving up resistance.
He scanned the surroundings, appearing to sigh helplessly.
"It looks as though we can't deal with the boss before we clear out these minions... Eileen, it's up to you now. Freeze them all."