Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 288: Midnight Crystal (Part 13)

"Hey, don't you think something's wrong here?" Adam frowned, looking around. His instincts told him that someone was nearby, but he couldn't make up his mind.

Katrin turned around, casting a puzzled look at him.

"What are you talking about? We came here on purpose during such a quiet period. According to our data, the volcano isn't expected to erupt today, and there were no anomalies in the area either. Most of the monsters either want to lead us into a trap or are waiting for the situation to start changing."

Adam furrowed his eyebrows, he didn't like that answer, because it didn't reassure him, or give him any answers.

Then, he dropped to one knee, placing his palm on the ground. His fingers immediately sank into the black ash, enveloping his hand as if wanting to swallow it.

A few seconds were enough for Adam to feel slight vibrations, some weaker and some stronger.

"Katrin, something is happening underground." Adam said seriously.

"Come on. There are many tunnels under Black Cinder Forest, it's no secret. You can probably feel the monsters running through them, we've seen them in the pit before." Katrin waved her hand, showing that Adam was worried for no reason.

Adam bit his lip.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Suddenly, the ground shook as in the distance, numerous figures began to emerge from the ground.

"Hm? What are they doing here?" Katrin nonchalantly tilted her head staring at the huge human-sized ants.

The ants had red skin, powerful forepaws, and small eyes. On the back of their body was a flame mark, the tips of their paws were sharp and sturdy. They were Igno Ants, fairly common monsters in this territory.

"Are they Purple Threat Level?" Adam asked puzzled. There wasn't some powerful aura emanating from the Igno Ants in front of them, though they weren't afraid to stand in front of Adam and Katrin either, which meant something.

Katrin nodded.

"Yeah. Their main strength is their numbers, like any ants. I don't know why they decided to show up here and now, but if they want to attack us we'll deal with them quickly!" Katrin exclaimed, pointing her staff at the ants.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

At the same moment, about twenty more Ingo Ants appeared next to the three Ingo Ants. All of them crawled out from under the ashes, looking around baffled.

Some of them were exchanging smells, and some tilted their heads to look at Adam and Katrin as if their meeting had been unexpected for each of them.

Adam stepped forward about to take the fight. There were plenty of Igno Ants, but they weren't really strong.

After fighting against some of the Top-10 and defeating Thunder Demon, such monsters were not serious opponents for Adam.

He only needed to focus on one thing - not getting injured. He was significantly stronger than each of the ants, but if they attacked together, some jaw could leave a serious wound on Adam.

However... The Igno Ants were in no hurry. Their goals were hard to understand, they only nodded to each other and glanced at Adam and Katrin, but... something was wrong.

'Wait... They're looking in our direction, but not at us. Then... What are they going to do next? Why are they stopping here?' Adam pondered, completely confused.

For a moment, Adam thought he saw anxiety and even haste in the ants' eyes. Even if they had come here for Adam and Katrin, the purpose of their battle was not trivial.

Then, before Adam and Katrin could figure out the ants' plans, the monsters sprang into action.

They burrowed underground, but not completely. The tops of their bodies were visible, as if they were not digging, but floating on the ashes as if in the ocean.

Adam's eyes shone brightly as he prepared to use his Order, as did Katrin. They waited for the ants to get close enough to attack.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Suddenly, there were even more ants, the red backs of the Igno Ants appearing here and there, creating such a force because of their numbers that ash began to rise above the ground.

"Fuck..." Adam muttered as his eyes went wide from the realization of what the Igno Ants were about to do.

Adam turned around sharply. He saw Katrin's wary look, she still thought it was an ant attack, so... Adam couldn't use his powers and escape, because splitting up was not acceptable.

Tap.

Adam stood behind Katrin, wrapping his arms tightly around her like a caring lover unwilling to let go of his mate. However, there was no tenderness in his gaze, only determination.

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"What? What the fuck are you doing?!" Katrin exclaimed in confusion, trying to get out of Adam's tight grip. His arms locked around her like a lock, preventing her from moving.

Whoooooooooooosh.

Before Katrin could say anything else, a huge wave of ash engulfed them. It seemed to be a success for the Igno Ants because now that Adam and Katrin were submerged in the ash, they were vulnerable to attack!

Well... That would be true if the ants' original goal was to attack and kill them, but that wasn't the case at all. Despite their opportunity, the ants did not touch Adam and Katrin who were inside the ash wave, trying to endure this ordeal.

They closed their eyes and mouths, waiting to see where the ants would lead them. Simple ash though quite hot couldn't hurt strong K1-Phantoms like them, only make them dirty.

Dozens of ants moving in one direction, turning the ash into a veritable wave, were quickly approaching their target.

Some monsters that saw this scene from their holes from afar narrowed their eyes. They knew that the Igno Ants had gone for an unconventional and even desperate act.

The Igno Ants used their powerful paws and bodies, bursting through the ashes for one purpose only - to collectively lead the wave and thus Adam and Katrin to the right place, which was quite far away.

Soon, the ants finally stopped, they quickly sank into the ground disappearing in an unknown direction. However, this was only for Adam and Katrin whose eyes were still closed and they could not see anything.

Adam released his hands, took a step back, and opened his eyes as well as Katrin.

"Oh, I totally get it now. Silvana, what the fuck is going on here?" Adam asked staring at a huge hill with many passageways with Igno Ants constantly coming out of it.

It was their anthill a few kilometers away from the volcano Adam and Katrin were walking towards.

The Igno Ants anthill was made of ash, black tree branches, sharp dark rocks, and a strong white viscous substance holding it all together.

Why did Adam ask such a question? No, more importantly, why had the Igno Ants brought Adam and Katrin here? Had these ants gone crazy and brought two powerful Phantoms right into their Nest to destroy it?

Maybe the Igno Ants realized they were too weak and decided to attack Adam and Katrin with the entire anthill?

Well, it was much simpler than that.

"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!"

There was a fierce roar from one of several massive monsters that were tearing the Igno Ants apart, gradually approaching their Nest.

Along with the roar, scarlet flames emerged from the monster's jaw, burning the weak outer layer of the anthill and dozens of ants in its path before stepping forward with the ground shaking.

'Hah, you bastards. So they want us to help?'