Whatever the case may have been, that totally nonsensical pillar of flames roasted not only the swarm of ants but next second the whole ceiling was gone as the very stone and sand above vaporised from the temperatures of that huge pillar of flames.
Moreover the blue flames were so hot, that even if they were separated by hundreds of meters l, it still made five of them feel the terrifying sezzling heat, as if they were in a furnace.
Such a change immediately caused the Ants to be incomparably grave.
Such a change immediately caused the Ants to be incomparably grave.
Less than one minute later, hundreds of the ant king's soldiers were evaporated into ash and dust. It wasn't some metaphor, either. The ant monsters coming into contact with that strange pillar of flames really did evaporate where they stood.
And not only that they ant king's soldiers were dying by the second due to constant assault from shadow soldiers whose number were no less than them as around a thousand shadow soldiers including High Orcs, Elite Lionman, Shadow Knights, Dragon Kin Warriors, Magma Ogres, Two Headed Ogres, Ironclad Ogres, Ice Elfs, Shadow Mages, Corrosion Knights, Serpent Handlers, Plague Bearers, Windstalkers, Mist Walkers, and Cyclone Sentinels.
These shadow soldiers, only vaguely humanoid in form, numbered around 800.
Moreover, accompanying the shadow soldiers were Shadow Beasts, each category unique and only appearing in small elite squads of five and few were only a single. These beasts surpassed the typical creatures of lore, such as Ice Bears, Ice Giants, Ice Mammoths, and Four-Armed Apes. This menagerie also included formidable entities like Giant Rats, Bloodthirsty Bats, Primate Long Arm Apes, Lynx Lions, Huge Apes, Dire Wolves, Saber-Tooth Tigers, and an array of goblinoid forms from Goblin Champions to Hobgoblins and Goblin Shamans. Beyond these, there were Chenoos, Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipedes, Huge Wolves, Tempest Serpents, Gust Gargoyles, Sky Manta, Noxious Bulls, Gloom Striders, Sludge Lurkers, Venom Maws, Acidic Crows, Desert Flying Ants, Leygazers, Death Tagools, Marg Falcons, Jackaleos, Land Tigers, Springers, Pterodactyls, Nubis, King Gappis, Torikupusus, and Wyverns. Each creature was stronger than those previously encountered, hinting at a deep well of dark and potent forces at Jin's command.
Now, Jin's shadow army dominates every front, comprising an extensive array of weapon specialists—from Knights to Spearmen, Tanks, Warriors, Rogues, Assassins, Berserkers, and Rangers. These frontline units carved through the legions of Ant monsters with astonishing ease, their coordinated strikes and diverse combat styles making the enemy seem almost trivial.
Behind the indomitable frontline warriors, an impressive cadre of support units—Archers, Gunners, and Mages—held firm. Each contingent skillfully decimated the encroaching legions of Ant Monsters, unleashing a relentless onslaught of arrows, bullets, and a deadly concoction of plague, venom, and elemental wrath. Their ranks had swelled with formidable new additions, including Elite Lionman Archers and Dragon Kin Archers, whose arrows rained down with lethal precision, alongside Dragon Kin Arcanists, who summoned the raw energies of the elements.
Adding to this lethal mix were Plague Bearers and Venomancers, specialists in spreading contagion and venom across the battlefield, creating zones of decay and poison that sapped the strength of legions of Ant monsters.
The shadow army also boasted experts such as debuffers and Poisonists who meticulously weakened enemy defenses, alongside Plague Masters whose mastery over disease turned the tide of most battles. Assassins, silent and deadly, moved unseen, eliminating targets with chilling efficiency.
This diverse and potent assembly of specialists not only bolstered the shadow army's tactical capabilities but also instilled fear and chaos among their adversaries, each unit synergizing with the others to form a devastating force.
Moreover even though the Aerial force was the smallest in the whole army it doesn't mean they were any weaker than the other armies due to their ability to fight in the sky. Additionally numbers have also increased with Acidic Crows, Desert Flying Ants, Gust Gargoyles, Leygazers, Gloom Falcons.
Even though there weren't many, it still was more than enough to beat most Hunters in this world due to their ability of speed flight.
Now Jin's Sky fleet could barely be counted as an Air Force
Far from the top-notch air force he wants.
Jin's Sky Fleet, while formidable, scarcely qualified as an air force by his standards—it was far from the top-tier aerial power he envisioned.
Currently Shadow Army's strategic firepower not only decimated enemy ranks.
Their sheer quantity alone was a daunting sight, hinting at the vast and untapped reserves of power at Jin's command.
Meanwhile, On the opposite side, the Ant King lay in a crater, bloody, beaten, with a arm so broken that he couldn't repair even with his healing magic same could be said for his carapace even though it was backing during the fight with Esdeath but with that man's single punch not only his exoskeleton was broken beyond remind the most bones in his body were bent in unnatural way.
The Ant King rested in a crater, perceiving the gradual loss of his forces. his army getting wiped out. Slowly with every second the number of Ant Soldiers were decreasing,
The Ant King lay there in the huge crater, perceiving the steady decline of his forces. His army was being decimated, with the number of Ant Soldiers dwindling every second. The Ant king was lost in thought, fully cognizant of the unfolding events.
The ant king began shuddering once more.
'Those … Those are that human's soldiers….??'
For the first time ever….
The ant king felt true terror towards another being for the first time in its life even if he was born not too long ago.
It also sensed an unscalable wall. The ant king finally learned that there was an enemy that couldn't be overcome, regardless of what power it tried to use.
This was a complete defeat, in every sense of the word.
But, how could such a thing be…?
'I was born to fight against strong humans, so why….'
That was its sole calling. It hurried with its growth for that purpose. It even absorbed human's powers in order to facilitate that goal.
Despite its impressive power. But to think, it still couldn't win against those two…. That man's effortless punch caused more damage than the whole exchange between him and that woman.
He was aware that if the other man had exerted even a slightly greater effort, he would have ceased to breathe. The way the guy looked at him, it was like he wanted to make sure he got the message.
He could feel Pain, gruesome pain from every inch of his body, he was struggling to breath, he'd be gasping for air. The ant king began shivering and realised one thing.
RUN.
He just had to run away far, far away from this human. At least in this very moment, the thoughts of its glorious kingdom and its soldiers had completely disappeared from the ant king's head.
As he knew as long as he was alive, he had the skill 'Gluttony', From the knowledge he got from the people he consumed he knew human are stuck in their current power level and couldn't grow no matter how hard try and this was same for every human and monster but he was different with 'Gluttony' he could grow as long as he consumes strong creatures in human terms he could level up and it's only time before he would be able to surpass that man.
He had the potential to grow stronger by consuming more powerful life forms, but for now, he needed to flee. Escape was his only option, and he pushed his body to its limits.
It was humiliating to run, but what was the point of having a face when one's life was about to be lost.
And he was only running for temporary, when the day comes, it sure to make a comeback.
It struck when the iron was hot.
With remarkable resourcefulness, the ant king harnessed a healing skill it had acquired from a deceased human. It promptly regenerated its lost wing and addressed the damage as best it could. In spite of the extensive damage to his body, he was able to heal from some minor injuries. He was focusing on internal injuries.
'Even if it's only a little bit further away…..'
After a bit of a struggle, the Ant King got up and was ready to take off.
He had consumed a lot of mana just to heal which just shows how badly he was hurt huffing and puffing. He was only able to heal internal injuries and it alone consumed all of his mana.
But, it happened then.
Khu-woong!
Out of the blue, a powerful force pushed it down and planted the ant king flat in the pit again creating more cracks in the hole.
"Kiiieeehk!!"
Ant King spat out a mouthful of bodily fluid. The sky was spinning as he shook his head and glanced at the newcomer.
As he looked in front his eyes widened as there stood five pitch black creatures three of them were humanoid while the other two were monsters one was multi leg while other had three heads.
Upon gazing ahead, his eyes widened at the sight of five pitch-black creatures— three of them were somewhat humanoid and two monstrous. One was with six legs, while the other boasted three heads.
Drake didn't want to let down his lord, especially since this was his Monarch's frost order. He was being extra careful not to mess up. He aimed to avoid any mistakes.
So he quickly walked over to where the downed ant king was.
'He can't let this guy escape, obviously.'
Bending down, Drake seized the left leg of the Ant King and began dragging its body toward his lord with astonishing ease, as if the Ant King were merely a sack of potatoes.
The other four circled the Ant king, making sure it didn't pull any surprise moves. If it did, they were all set to feed him some punches before the main feast.
Meanwhile, with a single glance, the Ant King immediately recognized the formidable nature of this scaly humanoid, a monster of great strength, perhaps rivaling him before he had consumed the essence of powerful humans. Surveying the other four creatures closing in around him, the Ant King discerned that he could overpower and assimilate them in his current state. If only he hadn't been so grievously wounded, he might have demonstrated his true might and dominance over them now.
But sadly, overwhelmed by numerous wounds and a broken head, he found himself unable to act. With no mana left to expend, he resolved to conserve his energy for the moment. Sensing a chance when the grip loosened, he planned to make his escape.
A quick assessment revealed that none of his captors possessed wings, indicating that flight was out of the question. The focus now was on running and preserving his life. Agitating the situation further might only lead to more injuries, so he chose to remain docile for the time being, knowing that acquiring additional wounds could prove perilous.
The Ant King got a one-way ticket back to the Ant Tunnel. he was met with a grim sight: the lifeless bodies of his ant army strewn across every corner.
After giving orders to his soldiers and witnessing how easily they tore through the Ant monster army. Jin calmly approached the astonished gobsmacked Hunters with the wide-eyed, jaw-dropped observing the scene.
The cameraman, the youthful man with a somewhat familiar face approached them.
Jin surveyed the condition of the hunters with a steady gaze, his eyes pausing on Cha Hae-In. Seeing her lying on the ground, battered and bruised, a twinge of discomfort stirred in his chest—an inevitable reaction to the sight of her plight.
Jin was aware that her life wasn't at risk, indicating that his first wife had come forward at precisely the right moment. However, he was hoping she could have assisted them earlier.
But he was well aware that Cha Hae-In was a warrior who preferred handling matters on her own terms and never shied away from risking her life. While these injuries might not seem like a big deal to her, he couldn't help but wish she hadn't ended up in such a rough condition.
He sighed and looked over at Esdeath, who observed the ruthless efficiency with which his army decimated the Ant Army. Her smug grin suggested she considered them her own army.
Upon catching his gaze. She playfully winked at him, leaving him both intrigued and bewildered, and then turned her attention back to the fight.
'.....'
Shaking his head.
Last time he left for the Labyrinths, he had inserted three of the Shadow Soldiers in Esdeath's shadow, just in case. What a relief it was that he did that.
"That bug sure didn't go easy on you guys, did it?" Jin's observation shifted their attention away from the battle and back to him, Jin quipped, lightening their moods.
'.....'
Observing their stunned faces, Jin found himself unable to take any action. He approached the cameraman and shouted at him.
"Open your mouth."
"Pardon me?"
This man didn't even give the confused cameraman a chance to start a conversation; he simply grabbed the injured man's chin and poured an unknown liquid down his throat.
"Keok?! Keok!!"
The cameraman nearly coughed his lungs out, but he still managed to swallow all of the liquid. He covered his mouth and asked.
"Who, who the hell are you?!"
The young man chose not to reply and instead pivoted to address the other hunters, who had recovered from their surprise and regained their composure.
'W-what the heck?!'
'….Wait a d*mn second here.'
His legs were moving again. But, was that all?
He belatedly realised it, but his arm was also fine after drinking that strange liquid.
'What happened here? What's going on??'
Did that man do something to him just now?
He couldn't come up with any other logical explanation besides that one.
It was then.
Quite out of the blue, the cameraman finally remembered where he saw that youthful man's face.
'Could he be that guy?!'
***
By the time his soldiers finished their task, the strongest among them were returning, each holding two of the mightiest Ant monsters in their hands. The creatures were battered but clung to life by a mere thread. Meanwhile, Jin had completed healing the other hunters, who were now in pristine condition. Even the most injured, Hunter Cha, stood unscarred, her body free of even the scars she thought would stick with her whole life, most shocking part that even the old scars had vanished as well.
The remarkable restoration of Hunter Cha underscored the potency of Jin's healing skills. She felt rejuvenated, brimming with energy, and even noticed a softness in her skin—a subtle but unmistakable transformation.
As a seasoned Sword Dancer and a master of her craft and body control, she could discern even slight enhancements in her strength. Though the improvement was marginal, it was still significant; for the first time in two years since she awaken as the S-rank hunter, she sensed a breakthrough in her power level, which had been stagnant despite her efforts to advance.
This alone shocked her to her core.
As Cha Hae-In's hand moved forward and she pinched her cheek just to check she wasn't dreaming after all this was quite impossible.
and all her scars previously had disappeared, and maybe her face became more beautiful but not that much change since I didn't want her to have many changes, as she looked at her hands and feet she realised she was a little taller.
This revelation left Cha Hae-In utterly astounded. Instinctively, she reached up to pinch her cheek, half-expecting to wake from a dream—such a transformation seemed nearly impossible.
Yet, as her fingers brushed against her skin, the reality of its newfound smoothness and softness and all her scars previously had disappeared confirmed the truth of her senses. Perhaps her appearance has subtly improved, but the change isn't significant enough for anyone to take notice. She observed the other hunters, who were preoccupied with the approaching dark entities.
If she hadn't noticed a small power boost, she'd be doing the same thing.
Upon turning her attention back to herself, she observed her hands and feet and realized she had grown slightly taller.. After experiencing the remarkable effects of Jin's divine healing skill, she felt a strong desire to understand it better. Would it be possible to ask him to cast more frequently? She was genuinely interested in becoming even stronger. Doing it twice a day doesn't sound too difficult, does it?
Cha Hae-In pondered the question Observing the man's back, who seemingly performed a miraculous feat with a slight flush on her face.