The next day, the cockroaches march out, a wave of chitinous forms advancing across the rocky plain. Azure leans forward, intrigued. Their strategy is aggressive, aimed at exploiting the ants' temporary retreat. However, as the cockroach forces reach the ant colony's entrance, the queen's suspicions are confirmed: the ants are ready.
Hidden sentries ambush the cockroaches, dropping pods of corrosive chemicals from concealed ledges. Soldier ants swarm from hidden tunnels, slicing into the cockroach ranks with their razor-sharp mandibles. The cockroaches retaliate, their acid hissing as it meets exoskeletons, but they fail to penetrate the deeper tunnels.
Azure shakes his head with a bemused smile. "They're too evenly matched. The ants' defenses are impenetrable, and the cockroaches can't sustain an offensive."
