Chapter Eleven: The Golden Ant

Just moments ago, both Yiran and Atreus caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure darting out from the cavern at the center of the sandy expanse. The figure moved so swiftly that Yiran thought it must be an illusion, and Atreus believed the same. But now, both of them knew without a doubt—something had indeed leapt out from the fourth level.

“Why didn’t I see anything? Xu Nan, did you see it?” Mars, already tense, felt his heart pounding even faster.

Xu Nan shook her head, her brows knitted in concern.

Yiran glanced at the three of them, seeking their thoughts. Their advance was perilous enough, but now a new variable had emerged. Yet neither Atreus nor Xu Nan seemed willing to change their minds.

Atreus lifted his spear, his shield held before him. “It doesn’t matter. As long as we’re fast enough and rush into the cavern to reach the fourth level, we’ll be safe.”

Xu Nan steeled herself. “We’ve come this far. I can’t just turn back now.” There was a fierce resolve in her bearing.

Mars waved his hand, indicating they should stick to the plan.

Once Yiran had taken up the rear, Atreus glanced back and nodded to him. “Get ready—on the count of three, we go.”

A few fire-red, metal-eating ants poked their heads out from the mud, their antennae swaying gently, razor-sharp teeth visible in their gaping mandibles.

“One, two…”

A faint sound came from the sandy wall as several more metal-eating ants peered out from the bleached skeletons, their bodies no larger than a palm.

“Three.”

With the final count, Atreus stamped both feet to the ground, a soft crack splitting the silence. Then he shot forward like an arrow loosed from the bowstring, Xu Nan leaping after him, Mars close behind.

Yiran, bringing up the rear, exerted little force; he kept a steady pace behind Mars, though it was far from effortless.

Atreus was running too fast, putting almost five meters between himself and Xu Nan in an instant, while the gap among Xu Nan, Mars, and Yiran was less than three meters—an obvious vulnerability.

The rustling of their footsteps immediately caught the attention of the metal-eating ants in the sand. One by one, grotesque heads emerged, skeletal remains pushed upward by the ants below.

Two ants lunged straight for Atreus. He raised his shield to block one with a dull clang of metal, while his spear thrust at the other—again, a metallic clash. His spear failed to pierce the ant’s body. His heart sank, but he dared not linger. With a flick of his wrist, he shook the ant off the spearhead.

Without slowing, he sprinted straight toward the central cavern.

But all around the cave, the ants were gathering. As the red mass clustered together, it became more dazzling than fresh blood.

Mars’s heart skipped as he saw the swarm of ants bared their fangs with a hiss, his legs turning to water. He stumbled and fell forward.

Yiran, quick as lightning, accelerated and steadied Mars with a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t panic. We can reach the fourth level.”

The calm words carried an inexplicable sense of security for Mars.

Before Mars could reply, Yiran pulled him along to catch up with Xu Nan. Four fire-red ants sprang from the sand, launching themselves at them. With a cold snort, Yiran reached out, caught the antennae of the first ant, and with a twist, the creature screeched. Then, with two crisp sounds, Yiran swung the ant like a top, smashing it into the other three and sending them flying.

This clean, efficient display instantly freed Xu Nan and Mars from their predicament. Yiran tossed the ant to the ground and, with a crack, stomped its back, splitting it in two with a single step—the very same ants Atreus’s spear could not pierce, now crushed beneath Yiran’s foot.

With two swift kicks, he sent the halves rolling into the emerging ants, knocking them aside like spinning gourds.

From a distance, the red tide undulated like stormy waves.

Mars gaped in astonishment. He knew Yiran was skilled, but not to such a terrifying degree.

There was no time for questions. Yiran nearly dragged Mars as they caught up to Xu Nan. The dreadful ants surged from all sides, one climbing atop another, each trampling the bodies of the ones ahead, a relentless tide advancing. The sand ahead was nearly submerged in that maddening, fiery red.

Atreus pressed forward, shield before him, spear at the ready. Though the sounds to either side were unnerving, he remained unmoved, quickly reaching the central cavern. Despite the dozen or so ants clustered at the entrance, he paid them no heed.

As long as the ants hadn’t encircled him, they posed no threat. With a twist of his shield, he sent an ant flying, then dropped his stance and planted his feet in the sand.

This was the prelude to his final charge. Yet—

A sudden burst of dust erupted before him.

A plume, barely as tall as a man, but enough to startle all four of them.

From the churning earth before Atreus emerged another grotesque head, identical to the metal-eating ants, but its entire body was a dark, metallic gold, seeming harder even than Atreus’s shield.

It was several times the size of the others, fully half a man in bulk.

Seeing the giant golden ant, Atreus gasped, but did not hesitate. With a cold snort, he kicked up a spray of sand and lunged forward, spear thrusting at the creature’s head with the force of a tiger descending from the mountain.

What should have been an assured strike was met with a surprise—the golden giant reared up on six long legs, leaping high from the sand, and then crashed down upon Atreus.

They were too close. Atreus had no time to dodge. In the nick of time, he raised his shield above his head.

A tremendous impact sounded as the golden ant slammed into his shield. Despite being only half a man tall, it struck with terrifying force, more than Atreus could withstand. With a muffled groan, he staggered back two steps, his spear striking the ground with a metallic ring as he barely regained his balance.

But that single retreat had put him farther from the cavern.

All around, the sand rustled as the red ants surged in, encircling the four of them in a tide of crimson.

Ahead was the golden giant, and from every side, the swarming masses of metal-eating ants. For a moment, Atreus was frozen.

“Damn,” thought Yiran at the rear, dragging Mars along. He quickened his pace, passed Mars to Xu Nan, then with a sudden burst of strength, his foot struck the sand with a resounding thud, sending dust rolling outward as he shot forward like a bolt.