Chapter 59

The Gigarillon’s punch was so powerful that it sent the ant flying back. In fact, it was so strong that the ant flipped and bounced multiple times on the ground before it managed to stop its momentum. And more than that, the ape’s attack was also proven to be quite effective. Because upon a closer look, I saw some cracks on the right side of the ant’s face.

Oh no, we’re not done yet!!

Together with the Gigarillon, I followed the trajectory of the ant and managed to get close to it at the same exact time that it stopped its momentum. And upon getting in range, the two of us showered the monster with a barrage of punch and slash.

“RAAAAAAHHHH!!”

“KRAAAAAHHHH!!”

For some reason, my movements seemed to be in complete sync with the Gigarillon. Because of that, we were able to pull off some fast-paced hit and run tactics while switching places around the ant. You’re not going anywhere!! And with the two of us running around and attacking from all possible angles, the Anties King was unable to escape and its movements were pinned down. As a result, the ant has become too focused on defending itself to even fight back.

But even with all of that, the fight had still come into a stalemate. This guy is unbelievably tough!! Despite all our efforts, we were still unable to land another blow to the ant. Because no matter how much we tried, the ant has always managed to somehow find a way to block our attack. That was why for at least a couple of seconds, the three of us were locked in that state of perpetual impasse.

Not good!! This is wasting a lot of my precious time. Just with the feeling on my legs alone, I could tell with ease that my Shadow Augment was about to run-out. And to make things worse, this guy is getting used to our movements!

Realizing that it wouldn’t be long before the ant broke past this deadlock, the Gigarillon and I made a silent agreement to further increase our speed in a desperate attempt to overwhelm the ant. And so, with gritted teeth, the two of us pushed our body to the limit and launched ourselves into the monster.

The instant that we both kicked the ground, the two of us moved so fast that we even left some cloud of dust in our wake. But as if he was waiting for that moment to arrive, the Anties King made a swift and rapid turn. And for the first time in this deadlocked battle, the Anties King chose to dodge our attack instead of outright blocking it.

Wha—

Since we missed our target, the two of us were carried away by the momentum that we created ourselves. Because of that, there had been a split-second gap before we managed to collect ourselves, turn around, and initiate a follow-up rush. But before we even managed to strike back, the Anties King conjured a small sand-twister at the same exact time that we got in range.

With a sudden wham, I was hit by a mighty pushing force. Not long after that, I felt a piercing pain on my back and my whole world spun around.

“Grah!”

While I was there, lying helpless on the ground, I sensed a hostile presence approaching me at a terrifying speed. Following my instinct, I activated the effect of Accelerate to push my body away. And as the skill took effect, I felt the tremor from the explosion upfront to where I was lying down before.

“KREEEEE!!”

Along with that screech, the hostile presence once again tried to chase after me. Fortunately, a neutral presence intervened and stopped the movements of the hostile one.

“KRAAAAAHHH!!”

“KREEEEEHHH!!”

As the two-presence clashed, I forced my aching body to stand up without even knowing why. Huh? What’s happening? Why am I here? I wondered but failed to find the answer.

“Yeah, I wonder why?” A sarcastic voice asked.

“… Nooo…” A wimpy voice wailed.

Upon hearing those voices, everything that happened up until this moment flashed into my mind. Because of that, I snapped back to my senses and the first thing I saw was the desperate Gigarillon trying his best to fight back against the Anties King.

Seeing that, I reaffirmed my resolve. That’s right. I came here to see this through. And since I am still alive, I have to push forward. Once that resolution crossed my mind, I could swear that I felt the amused gaze of someone coming from the inside. It was as if it came from my very soul itself.

This isn’t the time to be bothered about that! I chastised myself and shook those thoughts away.

At that moment, the Gigarillon was pushed away by a wave of sand and the Anties King turned its attention to me. Whilst activating Accelerate, I recalled the details of the fight before. From what I could remember, this guy for some reason didn’t use that sand ability when we were attacking him non-stop.

That time, I really found it odd that the monster wasn’t using his sand ability in order to push us back. And even while he was forced on the defensive, he still didn’t use it until that last minute when we were about to speed it up.

That means that he probably needs to concentrate in order to use that technique. The proof of that was that he only managed to activate it, when he was given that split-second gap. I concluded in a flash.

After that, the ant charged on my direction and I prepared myself for the inevitable confrontation. Well, that’s what I tried to think at least. Because in truth, I was so near my limit that even just standing straight has become quite a difficult task. And to make matters worse, I also felt as if my legs were stuck in a pool full of mud so I was having a hard time moving them around.

This is my last chance. I have to make it count!!

Left with no other choice, I decided to use Shadow Augment on my legs, one last time. After this, only six stacks will be left so I cannot use it like this again. With that in mind, I was about to activate my skill when something unexpected happened.

Huh?! I asked with my eyes practically turning into dots.

As unbelievable as it was, the Anties King made a forceful stop, turned to the side, and ran away without even looking back. What the heck? While I was there trying my best to process what had happened, I then noticed that the place I was standing in was now covered in darkness.

?!!

Realizing that something was amiss, I moved my head and looked back. But before I even managed to see anything, the Gigarillon swooped in and hauled me away from that spot. A heartbeat after that, I saw a gigantic silhouette crashing into the wall followed by a deafening sound of explosion. And because the two of us were still near the epicenter of that blast, both me and the Gigarillon were swept away by the powerful gust of wind created by that eruption.

In that moment, my body was thrown into the air like some ragdoll and I flipped around countless times. When it finally stopped, I felt a jolt of pain all over my body and I blacked out for an instant. But probably because my brain recognized that my life was still in danger, my survival instinct cranked up forcing all the nerves on my body into hyperdrive.

With my nerves more sensitive than ever before, I was assaulted by such excruciating pain that I was forced to wake up from my slumber. “GRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” I screamed to the top of my lungs. And because of all the pain that my body was experiencing, I trashed around on that spot just like a fish out of water.

Losing all my sense of time, I continued to howl and flail around for who knows how long. And when that pain began to subside, my muddled thoughts also started to clear up along with my vision that has been covered in blood.

“… Huff… Huff… Huff…”

When I finally calmed down, I tried to control my erratic breath in order to pump my exhausted body with as much oxygen as I could. Thank goodness I survived that… I couldn’t help but think. But even though I survived that explosion, there was still no denying the fact that this place wasn’t safe by any means. After all, I could hear the distinct sound of battle all around accompanied by some slight tremors on the ground.

Time to move!! Gritting my fangs in pain, I forced my aching body up. “Grah!” Then while standing on my wobbly legs, I began to scan my surroundings.

The first thing I noticed was the Gigarillon. And just like me, it seemed like the ape had also received some serious injuries yet somewhat still alive. But what had caught my attention the most was the ape’s line of sight. Because for some unknown reason, the ape was gazing forward with a savage smirk plastered on its face.

Curious as to what the ape was looking at, I traced his line of sight. And in there, occupying a large spot from the ground up to the wall was the Anties Queen. But unlike its mighty form when I last saw it, that same Anties Queen was now littered with wounds and was leaning its body to the wall.

[Name: (Unnamed)

Race: Anties Queen

Level: 51

Status: Dying]

That’s what the status said.