''So he''s the ant king?'' Nox recalled the ant queen mentioning the ant king of times past. ording to her, he had gone away to increase his strength to be more useful to the colony.


    Naturally, the head of the ant colony was the queen. The king was more of a consort and a partner rather than a ruler. The queenid eggs and ensured the survival of the colony, while the king''s role was to support and protect her.


    Thinking of this, Nox looked at the eggs and then back at the ant king. ''Shit, I hope he doesn''t get the wrong idea.''


    The ant king scanned the surroundings, then his gaze settled on Nox. [Human! What are you doing here?] he said in an arrogant authoritative voice. It was capable of making anyone cower in fear, but the human stood lost as if he was checking out the ant king.


    After reaching king tier, the ant king had returned to the nest but had found no one there. The ant king had first been devastated, thinking the colony had been annihted by the demons because the entire nest had been emptied.


    Just when he was about to be consumed by rage, he felt a connection with the ant queen... although it was weak, it was there, which meant she was alive.


    The ant king had tracked that connection for years and nearly got killed by high-leveled Awakened. However, after so much effort, he finally found the ce his queen and the colony had migrated to... only to find her with this hateful human who was hell-bent on killing their kind.


    The ant king''s anger surged as he red at Nox and repeated his question, his voice slightly louder and more intimidating.


    [He''s a friend!] The ant queen stood in front of Nox like a mother protecting her child.


    [A friend? Did you just call a human a friend?] The ant king felt he had heard wrong. Did his wife just call their natural enemy a friend? His eyesnded on the numerous eggs, and a funny thought entered his mind, but he quickly dismissed it because it wasn''t possible.


    ''But no one has tried it before, though.'' The ant king suddenly thought, his anger building up with each passing moment.


    [What''s your rtionship with my wife, human? Have you been consorting with my wife?] the king growled.


    The ant queen hurriedly chimed in, [It''s not what you''re thinking, my-]


    "How ungrateful!" Nox, who had been quiet all this while, finally spoke.


    "I have been the one helping your queen and colony thrive in your absence and no, apart from strict partnerships, I have nothing to do with your wife," Nox''s voice was firm, and his gaze met the ant king that stood over two meters.


    He was pissed off that this insect dared to think he would have an affair with its wife. The humanoid ant and Nox had a standoff for minutes, neither of them taking their eyes off each other.


    [Human, how dare you speak to me like that?] the ant king uttered in a cold tone. At the same time, he kept his guard up because of the unwavering confidence Nox was disying.


    It was rming. The ant king even wondered if he had a hidden weapon with him; it was the reason he had yet to smash the human into oblivion.


    Wait. The ant king realized one crucial detail... how was hemunicating with the human? All this while, he hadn''t thought of this.


    Seeing the confusion on the ant king''s face, the ant queen felt it was the right time to exin everything to him. Nox didn''t interfere. If there was a way to solve this issue without resorting to a fight, he would readily ept it.


    Thest thing he wanted was for this location to be revealed to the public... things would be very messy if that happened.


    A few minutester.


    [So you became a ve of the human?] the ant king said with an unreadable expression on his face. Although his face wasn''t twisted in anger, one could feel the murderous aura emanating from him. It was so intense that the others flinched back a little.


    The air was cracking with anticipation. They knew it was only a moment away from something huge happening, and they didn''t want to be caught in the crossfire.


    The ant queen stepped forward, [My king, please understa-]


    [Silence, my queen] the kingmanded as a fierce light shone in his eyes. [I will not be swayed by your petty feelings. This human has to pay... I''ll get rid of him and free you from this ve bind.]


    [I''m not his ve!] the queen retorted. [I''m just his pet.]


    ''It means the same thing technically.''


    ''Sigh, it seems this king isn''t as reasonable as his wife,'' Nox thought, preparing himself for the inevitable fight. He did regret that things hade to this. If only the king was reasonable, he could have be part of his private ant army.


    As he was sulking, he suddenly had an idea.


    "Ant king, why don''t we make this fight even more fun?" Nox smirked. "If I win, you''ll recognize me as a friend and ally, and if you win, I''ll leave this ce and nevere back."


    The ant king''s expression changed from anger to curiosity. "What kind of fight do you propose, human?"


    "A normal spar," Nox replied, a confident grin spreading across his face. "But I won''t be the one to fight you... he will." Nox said as he looked at Thirteen.


    Thirteen pumped his fist and stepped forward, his eyes shining with a fierce light, [Panda fight!]


    [A panda?] The ant king stared down at the cute panda with amusement. [You think a mere panda can defeat me? This... creature looks like it would be more suited to cuddling than fighting. What makes you think it stands a chance against me?]


    Thirteen felt his ridicule and became angry. The ant king was clearly looking down on him, and he didn''t like that. Thirteen''s face twisted in a fierce snarl, and his eyes zed with determination.


    [Panda show you! Panda strong!] he growled, his tiny fists clenched. The panda swore in his heart to deal with the overgrown ant.


    "You asked me what makes me think this panda stands a chance against you?" Nox smirked as he activated his newly acquired skill, [Beast Sense]. "Because I know your strengths and weaknesses."


    [Hmph, fat lies... in fact, if I don''t get rid of this panda within one minute, I lose!] The ant king felt it was beneath him to fight such low-level creatures, so he decided to make it more fair, not knowing that from the beginning he was already at a disadvantage.


    ****


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