Vincent quickly stored the bag and noticed that Koss gave him all his money and identification. Both Vincent and Kazumi felt as he was setting an undesirable death flag for himself similar to his twin brother. "It's too soon to kill yourself. Here, apply some of this. It will numb the pain. I can still move after I got hit by a few drops of acid." Vincent gave Koss the numb paste to apply to his leg wound. Koss nodded and started tending his injury. Ester rubbed Tula's back and whispered, "Your father is strong; go and help him so he will beat the big bad ant for you." While Tula helped Koss with the injury, Ester and Lupa asked Vincent about his last comment, about having his flesh melted. As he was about to answer, a loud thud sounded. The Royal Guard Ant started moving, stepping away from the nest. [It's better to prepare for battle. Stop licking each other's wounds and think of tomorrow. We will survive, and the ant will die.] Kazumi tried to encourage Vincent and set his mind to win. She steeled herself to help direct Vincent with Tactical Guidance and use Soul Visit when necessary. "Thank you, my little Tula. Now be a good girl and stay with big sister Ester no matter what. Okay?" Koss said while standing up. Koss stepped on his injured leg to check if it was painful to move. His face soon raised a smirk. It seemed he was happy with the pain numbness effect. Culo had a similar surprise reaction after Koss shared some of the numb paste with him. He returned it to Koss after applying some on his injury. Hara then took out a handkerchief and helped Culo by wrapping it around the wound. Tula quickly went behind Ester with the numb bag in her hands and said, "Good luck, daddy." [When you grabbed Elsir with the icy runes active, it got me thinking. Why not shove the blade inside the ant? Maybe we can freeze it from inside out.] -It might work. But it's a risky move. I also don't know if the acid is strong enough to melt metal.- Vincent turned his head back at Ester. He could see she was nearing her limit. With a worried frown, he asked, "Ester, can you hold for seven minutes?" Ester secretly clenching her fists and answered with an easy to notice forced smile, "I can hold for a little longer, don't worry about me, and stay safe." "Ester, Tula, hide behind a large stump. We will take care of this." Vincent courageously said. Vincent, Lupa, Koss, Culo, and Hara stood beside each other in a line, ready to fight for their lives. Lupa looked to her left with a smirk while Vincent looked to his right at the excited wolf girl looking at him. [Is Lupa a battle junkie? or is she happy to be at your right side? Either way, her tail is wagging. Doesn't she worry or feel afraid of the massive ant slowly walking towards us?] -Speaking about the ant, the fog is almost completely gone in the ant's nest. Doesn't it feel like this fog is created or controlled by this huge ant? - [Now that you mention it, I can see the wings twitching as if they are slightly fluttering too quickly to see. It's probably dispersing the fog to fight with no hindrance.] [However, the ant's advantage is our advantage.] Culo and Hara felt as if the grim reaper walked towards them with a scythe in each hand, ready to reap the souls. Their feet trembled, and a golden rain incoming. They were about to wet themselves. "Haa!" Koss shouted. He used his intent to intercept the killing intent the Royal Guard Ant emitted. Culo and Hara stopped trembling their legs, and the golden rain didn't arrive. Vincent and Lupa felt their body getting lighter. The heavy suppression of the tremendous murderous intent was almost completely gone. The Royal Guard Ant became enraged by the challenging act Koss made. The monstrous ant increased its pace; second after second, the speed increased until... *Thud* The Royal Guard Ant slammed its hind legs and lunged forward with four large sharp scythes swinging at Koss, Culo, and Hara. It seemed the armored individuals were the first targets in its list. "Raise your shields!" Koss ordered. [Watch out! It's not after you, but I can feel its gaze stuck on you.] Vincent reached his hand and pulled Lupa by her waist. He jumped to the side with Lupa stuck with him like gum. *Shiiiig!* A loud grinding sound rang as the shields got cut like a tree getting chopped down by an axe. The loud grinding sound made Lupa feel disoriented, but Vincent held Lupa from losing her balance and fall. Vincent raised his gaze and noticed two scythes were embedding a few inches inside Koss's metal shield. The remaining two were in Culo's and Hara's shield. "Stay here until you recover. It's dangerous if both your smelling and hearing senses are making you feel bad. " Vincent had to help, or the two new recruits weren't going to live for long. He could see them struggle to hold the scythe at bay. *Skroar* The Royal Guard Ant shrieked in pain. Cold and pain rushed from its side. As the ant turned its head, it saw the strange human it wanted to keep for last stabbing its side. [Just how hard is this ant's lower thorax? The blade only entered a few inches inside!] Vincent didn't mind the toughness. He learned in these past few weeks how to overcome fighting against hard to break objects. Vincent released his grip and clenched his fist. Then he threw the most potent punch he could throw in this situation. The blade pierced deeper inside, causing the Royal Guard Ant to act. In anger and pain, the Royal Guard Ant crossed its four limbs with unimaginable strength. The sharp scythes chopped the three metal shields like paper. Koss was lucky not to lose his arm in the process. Culo and Hara were left with three-quarters of a shield in their trembling hands. The Royal Guard Ant raised its appendages to attack Vincent, but it suddenly felt pain from its back. It heard something fall on the moist ground. The monstrous ant turned its attention at the stealthy attacker. It saw a woman standing on all fours and heard her say, "Ouch, my fingers hurt. Why is everything in this forest hard?" Lupa jumped and swung her claws at the Royal Guard Ant after her ears stopped ringing. The distraction she caused allowed Vincent, Koss, Culo, and Hara to make some distance between them. The swings were wide, and the power was nothing to scoff at. The Royal Guard Ant turned its body to face and attack Lupa. It seemed angered after getting struck by someone that can conceal their bloodlust until the last second. While the ant turned around, the huge acid sack swung in Koss, Culo, and Hara's direction. Vincent was already running the opposite way to protect Lupa from scythe attacks. 'Maybe my blood gauntlets could withstand the attack,' he wishfully thought. The two new recruits raised what remained of their shield and blocked the attack, but as they were in the middle of the first body adaption, they couldn't increase their weight. The two were sent flying for a few meters, tumbling and sliding on the ground. Both weren't strong, but by being beside Koss, they saved his life. At least their presence helped, unlike their weak combat power. On the other hand, Koss had no shield left. Only the handle and an arm's length shield remained. However, he was a proficient intent aura user. Koss raised his arms and blocked the attack. His feet dragged on the ground until stopping a meter later. The ability to immediately increase the pressure similar to gravity to make the body heavier or stuck to the ground was an advantageous move. [Damn, we are too late!] The Royal Guard Ant swung two of its four scythes at Lupa. At such a crucial time, the defenseless wolf girl's survival instincts activated. Lupa's golden eyes momentarily glowed as her focus and reaction speed increased enough to become a bit faster than the scythes approaching her. It only lasted for a second, but it was enough to jump back and evaded a scythe by a hair. A few strands of hair fell on the ground. That's how close to death Lupa was. The mysterious ability saved her once again. Vincent became enraged. He clenched his fist and struck one of the Royal Guard Ant's legs, leaving a small crack in its though leg carapace. The Royal Guard Ant changed targets once again with an irritated gaze. Now Vincent was the one in its sights. The ant didn't seem to use guerilla tactics like the Soldier or Acid Ants. It simply swung its appendages until the target was dead. The ant's strength and position made it arrogant, a thing that the seven survivors can take advantage of. The Royal Guard Ant acted more like a Demonic Beast than an intelligent ant. But such violence and unpredictability were what made the monstrous ant dangerous. Vincent and Kazumi didn't notice how the Royal Guard Ant was secretly assessing the remaining seven's nutritional value for the ant eggs to grow stronger. After that, it would get serious. The Royal Guard Ant's concentration seemed all over the place, but this situation wasn't going to last long. The assessment was almost finished. [Scythe coming from your left!] Vincent immediately raised his arms to guard and... *Clang!* Vincent got thrown in the air from the deadly swing's force. The reaction speed of the Royal Guard Ant seemed to have increased. If it weren't for Kazumi, Vincent would be in trouble. Vincent flew in mid-air until landing a few meters away, tumbling and sliding on the ground. He pulled himself up. As his hand held his disoriented head, he noticed a problem. On the blood gauntlet were two visible chips and a deep crack connecting them. Vincent looked at the other arm. It was a bit worse with three chips and multiple deep cracks. Similar to the might of the Demonic Beast, the hard blood gauntlets weren't going to hold very long. Vincent canceled Overheat and quickly reactivated, forming a new set of blood gauntlets. [Are you going to set your gauntlets on fire?] -No. I'm worried about the acid. Is it combustible?- [I understand, so let's continue with the fight. Ester and Tula are looking at you. They are probably worried about you.] Vincent turned his head towards Ester and Tula, hiding behind a tree stump. He raised a smile and then a thumbs up, showing he was fine. Vincent then returned his gaze at the others and ran to help.