Chapter 264
Chapter 264
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 264
Chapter Title: Red Axe Drokshi (3)
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Rustle, rustle.
Ants poured in from every passage in the ant colony.
Their eyes gleamed with a mesmerized look, as if exposed to the queen ant's pheromones, but the vibe was completely different from gazing upon the queen herself.
"Huh! Here they come!"
It was pure murderous intent, like staring down their sworn enemy.
The slaughter ants charged at Drokshi and Rokan the moment they spotted them. Their tank-like charge made even Drokshi—who had already butchered dozens—gulp in shock.
"Perfect! Storm Incarnation, Peerless Body!"
And who better to meet them than Rokan.
Over a hundred ants were swarming already. Drokshi hurriedly prepared Weapon Explosion, but Rokan held him back and stepped forward.
Rokan's body swelled up, and unyielding power surged into his battle axe.
'No way I'm handing over these prime experience bundles!'
"Rampaging Tank!"
Boom!
The line of oncoming slaughter ants collided with the real deal.
They were massive, at least a meter tall when planted on the ground, but compared to Rokan in giant form, they were true ants.
He trampled, crushed, and smashed through them without stopping.
Swoosh.
He glanced back, gauged the distance to Drokshi, gripped the chain at his battle axe's end, and swung it with all his might.
"Steps of Valor, Wheel Wind!"
The mass-murder skill Wheel Wind!
Paired with Steps of Valor—which amplified power with every step—it became devastatingly enhanced.
He pulverized every slaughter ant in range in an instant.
"Eek! You mad bastard!"
Drokshi was stunned too.
He felt it every battle, but Rokan's reserves seemed bottomless.
Fighting him had ended quickly, which now felt like a blessing—Rokan's combat style was utterly monstrous.
Rustle!
But that didn't mean they could just spectate. Rokan was handling the bulk ahead, but he'd been the one who drank the Darkness Aura.
Slaughter ants dodging him or coming from other paths still targeted him relentlessly.
"Damn it, you underestimated me, huh? I am the great Red Axe Drokshi!"
Of course, Drokshi wasn't ordinary either.
With enough spare weapons, he could've massacred them like Rokan. Even without an AoE master skill, slaughter ants posed no real challenge.
But Rokan wouldn't allow it.
"Digdog, Rider of Legends!"
While shredding new arrivals with Wheel Wind, he summoned Digdog to Drokshi's side.
Then enhanced it with Rider of Legends.
Level-wise, Kai would've been ideal, but in the ant colony's confines, flight-limited Kai was out—Digdog was better.
Digdog grew to three heads like Cerberus and ballooned in size, smashing slaughter ants with rock-crushing claws.
'That should buy some time.'
But it wasn't enough. Unlike Kai, which grew with levels, Thousand Bone Horse and Digdog stayed at their initial levels.
Their burrowing was useless up here.
He'd need new mounts for the heavens, but low fame meant the mount purchase content was locked.
Evolved Digdog held its own decently, but Rokan knew the swarms would overwhelm it soon. He poured more power into his Wheel Wind.
He had a potion to dispel the Darkness Aura, but not yet. His goal was to draw out combat slaughter ants, soldier ants, and the queen ant—all of them.
The battle raged on without pause.
[You have leveled up.]
True to the ant colony name, the slaughter ants poured out endlessly.
Combat slaughter ants appeared around the thousand mark. But their assault showed no sign of stopping.
"Huff, huff... shouldn't we retreat? You might not get it, but I can't respawn..."
No wonder Drokshi was tiring.
Even with high master abilities, these were combat monsters ignoring death, trampling their own dead.
Plus, Storm Incarnation's duration was ending.
He couldn't use Time Regression without wasting hard-earned exp.
But Rokan grinned.
"Cancel!"
He even canceled Storm Incarnation, seconds from expiry, accepting the backlash.
Not giving up, though. With a mischievous smirk, he prepped the next phase.
"Soul Legion."
Soul Legion. Over 5,000 souls from slain high-rankers rose as one.
Only about a thousand manifested physically, but that was plenty. Enough to fill the space and flood every passage.
"...Holy shit."
Most were from Sky Island, beyond this colony's ants. A few ground master souls mixed in, but minimally.
A thousand high master spirits.
Ghostly forms with physical resistance, boosted by Rokan's legion buff. Victory flipped in seconds.
"Go. Bring me the queen ant!"
Drokshi dropped his axe, jaw agape, but Rokan ignored him and directed the souls to scour the colony.
"Let's move."
Endless Darkness Aura prodded Drokshi from his daze, but the ants were clearing faster than they came.
Slaughter ants, combat variants, even soldiers couldn't stop the empowered legion.
But waiting idly was foolish.
They weren't far from the entrance, but the queen's chamber was a hike.
"Summon Assistant, Pathfinder."
Rokan brushed his hands casually and led Drokshi deeper.
[You have leveled up.]
Savoring the souls' exp haul, they walked until battling souls and soldier ants came into view.
'Past this...'
The desperate clash confirmed it for Rokan.
The queen ant lay beyond.
The defense density screamed it. Maybe more inside.
Wait or push?
Storm Incarnation's cooldown lingered. But remaining soldiers were pushover numbers.
Soul losses from their frenzy were heavy, but over 500 remained.
"Push!"
Soul Legion's timer was short too.
Rokan charged without hesitation. Queen ant had a bounty, sure, but he had an ace or two.
The entrance shattered under intensified assault.
"Attack!"
Five hundred souls surged like a tidal wave.
Plenty of soldiers inside, but Rokan and Drokshi watched.
[Exposed to Slaughter Queen Ant's pheromones.]
[Title: Unyielding Will negates all effects.]
"Huh?"
An invisible queen attack hit then.
Her pheromones ensnared monsters under her—even non-ants.
"Lucky."
Souls were unaffected, naturally. Bodiless ghosts don't succumb to scents.
But trouble brewed elsewhere.
"Weapon Explosion!"
"...!"
KABOOM!
Drokshi hurled his main weapon with blank eyes.
"You idiot!"
Thud!
He lunged at Rokan too, but Storm Incarnation's debuff had ended.
Rokan punched the bare-handed fool down, then yeeted him outside the chamber.
"Kai!"
He sicced Kai on the recovering fool.
"Damn..."
Turning back, many souls were damaged.
The indiscriminate skill hit soldiers too, but ally focus meant heavier friendly losses.
Whiiiine. Pffft!
Worse, the queen's guards emerged.
Wing-backed ants standing bipedally, thrusting spears.
Bad situation confirmed, Rokan hurled himself into the fray, powering up.
No Storm Incarnation cooldown recovery, but another similar power remained.
"Berserk!"
Madness flooded his body.
Not quite Storm Incarnation, but the invincible feeling matched.
One more: a held-back skill.
"Martial Soul Awakening!"
The Lion King's power awakened in him.
It had felled a grand master through forced high master surge.
No Storm Incarnation or Peerless Body, but enough for a high master boss.
Guards spread wings and thrust at his change, but he had wings too.
"Wing Mode!"
Storm Wings unfurled.
He dodged the rapid spear thrusts and swung his battle axe furiously.
"Lion Heat Wave Slash!"
Golden lion aura from his axe cleaved guards in one hit.
Survivors tumbled wounded. Souls piled on.
"Steps of Valor, Overdrive, Time of Madness!"
Minions gone—only the queen left.
Rokan smashed in full throttle.
She commanded armies but sucked in direct combat—known fact.
"Mad Slaughter!"
The queen—once Storm Incarnation-sized—crumpled.
Drenched in fluids, Rokan's battle axe ravaged her innards, ending her.
"M-My god! How are you using that power?!"
"What?"
Covered in green goo, demon-like Rokan emerged. Barely recovered Drokshi stammered.
The Lion King's power. His knowing look made Rokan's eyes flash.