Chapter Twelve: Transformation

With an explosive bang, Ye Ran's body snapped taut and shot forward like an arrow, covering five meters in a single leap. As he landed, his foot struck the ground with a muffled thud, and the sand beneath him scattered outward in a perfect circle, as if swept by an invisible force.

The dark-gold giant ant, sensing the threat from this newcomer, arched its front two slender legs defensively—a stance entirely different from how it had faced Artres before.

A metallic clang rang out as figures flashed past one another. Ye Ran darted past Artres; his left hand, four fingers aligned like a knife, struck precisely at the giant ant’s head. Its skull was both hard and smooth—his blade-like hand failed to pierce it, instead scraping out a shower of sparks across the armored surface. It felt as if he’d stabbed pure metal, his fingers stinging from the impact.

The giant ant hissed, its massive body skidding half a meter backward, leaving a ragged trail in the sand. From beneath its belly, several fire-red, metal-eating ants erupted from the ground.

With a grunt, Ye Ran clenched his fist, channeling his strength through his body. Both feet slammed down, and he unleashed a heavy punch at the exact spot his fingers had struck before. The blow landed with such force that the giant ant’s head caved in.

Pain surged through the beast, its mandibles shrieking as it charged at Ye Ran, churning up clouds of sand.

“Aren’t you coming?” Ye Ran shouted over his shoulder, eyes steely. He did not retreat but advanced instead, dodging the two blade-like antennae stabbing down at him. With a whip-like kick, he struck the ant’s armored shell, then continued his assault with a flurry of punches and kicks, each landing with resounding blows.

But the creature’s body was impossibly tough and weighed like a mountain. Under Ye Ran’s rapid strikes, it simply pressed itself deeper into the sand, half-buried and immovable.

He realized that if this continued, he would soon be trapped by the encroaching swarm. Ye Ran thrust his hand back. “Artres, throw me your shield! You all just keep moving forward!”

Artres, already preparing to charge in again, didn’t hesitate. With a flick of his arm, he hurled his shield to Ye Ran.

Catching the shield, Ye Ran rolled to the giant ant’s side. The beast sensed the danger and tried to evade, but it was too late. With a metallic clang, Ye Ran flipped the shield and wedged it into the sand beneath the ant. Using his hands for support, he vaulted high, and as he descended, he crashed down with both feet onto one side of the shield.

The shield now acted like a circular seesaw; with Ye Ran’s weight on one end, the other shot up, catapulting the massive ant into the air.

With a rush of wind, the dark-gold giant ant was flung skyward. Ye Ran spun, leaped lightly, and with all his strength, met the ant at its peak—his fist hammered into its abdomen with a thunderous blow.

The ant shrieked, tracing a golden arc through the air, and crashed behind Mars, right into the relentless swarm of metal-eating ants. The sea of fiery red split open with the impact, bodies tumbling and scattering.

“Dance of the Clear River!” Xu Nan’s longsword flashed. Her form split into two shimmering after-images that flickered past, and with a surge, twin streams of water parted the encroaching ants. She grabbed Mars and dashed to where Ye Ran stood.

“Thank you, Ye Ran.” For the first time, she looked directly at the cold, unyielding youth.

Gratitude shone in Mars’ eyes as well.

Ye Ran shook his head. “Hurry, into the cave.” Relief flickered through his heart; thankfully, no blood had been spilled—if these giant creatures had tasted blood, they would have become even more frenzied.

Xu Nan nodded, but before she could lift her foot, a blinding golden light flashed from behind.

It vanished in an instant, yet all four of them turned their heads involuntarily.

The source was the ant mound where the dark-gold giant ant had crashed. Amid the now-thin sea of red, the four of them all saw a long spear, gleaming with radiant gold.

As the light faded, they realized the spear matched the color of the giant ant’s shell exactly.

And the dark-gold giant ant itself… was gone.

All four were stunned. Artres, who had already retrieved his shield and approached the cave, was the most affected—he seemed frozen in place.

Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! It’s true, it’s actually true! There really is a weapon, a real weapon! Hahaha…”

Without warning, he lifted the golden spear and dashed back toward the ant mound.

“Artres!” Ye Ran shouted in alarm, trying to stop him, but it was too late. Artres broke through the few remaining ants, swept his shield to clear a path, squatted down, and seized the golden spear.

The moment his hand closed around it, a cold shock raced from his palm into his blood, filling him with exhilarating energy. He flicked his wrist, sending the spear in a wide arc, and the weapon sliced through the ants like paper, splitting their bodies with a crisp, ringing sound.

But the blood that spattered through the air only further enraged the ants.

“Artres, get back here!” Mars yelled desperately.

Only then did Artres turn, but now the cave entrance was completely blocked by a writhing mass of fire-red ants, each the size of a palm. They swarmed over one another, occupying every inch of the half-meter wide opening.

In the few moments he’d been gone, their last hope of escape had been cut off.

The ants pressed in, heads jostling, climbing atop one another, their encroachment shrinking the group’s space. Mars and Xu Nan turned pale, hearts pounding as the grotesque ant heads drew closer, as though death itself was closing in.

Ye Ran now held two jet-black daggers. Even in this dire moment, he remained calm. “Our chances are slim. Stay behind me and brace yourselves for death.” The cave was less than ten meters away, but between them and safety was a crawling carpet of flesh-eating ants. Charging into that swarm would likely leave nothing behind, not even bones. But it was their only chance.

He tensed his body once more.

“No, we can still survive.” Behind him, Artres suddenly laughed, hefting the silver spear high.

Ye Ran looked back, catching the mad gleam in his eyes.

“But it might cost us one life. Forgive me, Ye Ran. This is the only way the rest of us can live.”

With a sharp whistle, Artres hurled the spear. It flashed past Mars and Xu Nan, growing larger in Ye Ran’s eyes with every heartbeat.

With a sickening thud, the spear pierced Ye Ran’s chest, skewering him to the ground as blood burst forth.

“You…” The sudden betrayal, the searing pain—Ye Ran’s scream was a mixture of shock, rage, and agony.

Mars and Xu Nan stood frozen, unable to believe that Artres would turn on Ye Ran at such a moment.

The blood in the air sent the ants into a frenzy. Even those inside the cave now swarmed toward Ye Ran.

Artres wielded the golden spear, cutting a path through the ants. He sprinted to Mars and Xu Nan, seized them, and hurled them high. Leaping after them, the three arced through the air and crashed into the now-thinned cave entrance.

In their final glimpse, they saw Ye Ran gritting his teeth, yanking the spear from his chest and swinging it desperately. His furious, unyielding roars made Mars’ heart tremble. With every sweep, blood spattered the sand, but nothing could stem the tide of metal-eating ants. The world turned crimson, and soon Ye Ran’s figure was swallowed completely by the seething red…