"Oh right, I forgot about these insects. They can be quite troublesome as well," one of the demon generals spoke, his tone void of any emotion. It was as if he didn't consider the Crimson Scourge Ant Queen a threat in his eyes. "Yeah, let's squash her like the bug she is!" the other laughed. The Ant Queen's yellow gaze remained calm despite the mockery of the two. A calm and rational mind was one of her best traits as the Scourge Colony Queen, who had contributed greatly to this fight. If it were her husband, the Ant King, the black-carapaced ant would've gone haywire and attacked these mysterious people—who the Queen believed to be a much greater threat than the other demons. It was the reason she had yet to make a move. Although the individuals didn't possess any terrifying features like the rest of the mindless savages below, there was something unsettling about them. Taking a slow breath, the Ant Queen summoned a stinger-linked spear with the tip pulsing with a radiant glow. If one looked closely, they'd notice that this was the same spear the Ant Queen had summoned during her first encounter with Nox in the demon dungeon. Back then, Nox had been her enemy. Fast forward to some years later, and she was grateful every day, vowing to serve him until her dying breath—because if it wasn't for him, her colony wouldn't have flourished this much. They would've gone extinct by now, hunted by demons. The spear in her arm was enhanced by a powerful ant blacksmith, one of her numerous offspring. It was of Legend Grade Tier. Confidently, she began to spin the spear and charged in, kicking up a cloud of dust. The two demon generals also moved from their spot at the same time, their speed unprecedented. They moved so fast that the Ant Queen's yellow eyes flickered in surprise. But she didn't falter or waver. She was ready to lay down her life for this Barony. Her gaze hardened. Even if she were to die here, she wouldn't go down without a fight. Just before the three could clash, the Ant Queen activated her skill Improved Camouflage and seemingly disappeared from her spot, stunning the twin demon generals who had not anticipated the move. The demon generals only lost their composure for a second before regaining it. Like all experienced Awakened, they knew that when an opponent disappeared from your line of sight, there was only one likely place they'd appear—and that was the back. Both generals swiftly turned around at once. Their guess could've been correct if the Ant Queen was still the naive fighter she had been years ago. But she had been through her share of battles. She anticipated this and had never moved to their back. She continued to charge at the two, her yellow eyes burning with concentration as she thrust forward with precision. The spear created a whooshing sound, and the yellow glow at the tip pulsed hungrily. Just when the Ant Queen thought she had landed a hit, a sword appeared from thin air and blocked her crystalline spear, which was crafted from the stinger of an ant. CLANG! A sound similar to that of clashing metal rang out as the two weapons met, sending a powerful tremor through the Ant Queen. She stumbled backward, her face pale and her yellow eyes trembling with disbelief. She should've struck right then—so… what happened? The Ant Queen was shocked, her eyes never leaving the sword hovering around the two demon generals, as if it had a consciousness of its own. "Good boy," one of the demon generals chuckled and stretched out his hand. As if pleased, the sword flew into his grasp. "This here is Annihilator, and he's very loyal to me. He gets angry when someone tries to sneak an attack on me," the sword-wielding demon general said, bringing the sword to his ear as if listening to its whispers. The Ant Queen's eyes flickered. Then the demon general's eyes glinted, and he said with a cruel grin splitting across his face: "It seems Swordy wants you severely punished. And that's exactly what I shall do!" the demon general declared and moved from his spot, along with his brother. BOOM! The Ant Scourge Queen could barely parry the savage sword strike, which sent her stumbling backward and even bouncing on the ground. But before she could regain her balance, the other demon general—moving like a phantom—appeared beside her and bashed his fist into her ear. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞 The Ant Queen felt a ringing sensation. Disoriented, her vision blurred. She couldn't believe it. She was a peak Emperor Tier, mind you—and though not an elemental beast, she was fairly powerful. So just why? Why couldn't she fight against the two? Was the strength of these demon generals truly equal to the expert-ranked Awakened as rumored? If she used her skill [Pherm], the Ant Queen could call her army to assist her. But that was just suicidal… these two would pulverize their ranks like they were cardboard houses. "Why don't the both of you pick on someone your own size and leave my grandson's pet alone?" Suddenly, just when the Ant Queen felt all hope was lost, Nathan's booming voice echoed behind her. Before the demon generals could respond, the old man snapped his fingers, and two magic circles lit up beneath their feet. The demon generals hastily jumped back just in time to avoid fiery blasts that would have left them seriously injured. "We were just about to come meet you. Thank you for bringing yourself to us!" "Hmph! Flirty demons—come and die!" Nathan declared and charged forward. Meanwhile, Seran stealthily snuck up to the Ant Queen, helping her back to her feet. She was also the one who had brought Nathan here, having observed the two strange individuals from the beginning. "Come, let's leave here. Grandpa Nathan will handle them," she said, her eyes flickering between the intense fight between her grandfather and the two demon generals—who were now struggling to keep up. While all this was going on, at the back of the Cromwell Barony— A humanoid black-carapaced ant stood before an individual with a single horn on their head.