Chapter 27: The King Falls, the Nation Weeps

Time flew by, and the entire Original World was swallowed as the Devouring Ants continued their relentless feast. Jiang Ping felt waves of sorrow and anguish emanating from the world’s source.

For the native creatures of the Original World, the feeling of despair was even more profound, flooding their hearts.

“This is the suffering of the Mother World! We are all her children. The Devouring Ants are wreaking havoc; they are on the verge of destroying the world!”

In just five days since the Ant King emerged, 80% of the world’s creatures had been slaughtered, with millions of corpses piled high. The carnage was too extensive to sum up the Original World’s devastation! The once prosperous continents now lacked life, with billions destroyed by the Devouring Ants. Powerful races that had existed for millions of years, such as the Behemoth, Chimera, Pegasus, and the Abyssal Octopus, had all vanished from existence forever…

On the front line continent, tens of millions of allied forces stood defiant, fully prepared to face death. Among them were the hidden masters of the human race and the last remnants of various factions, all led by the leader of the Sacred Alliance, Jing Shan! “Today, there are no enemies here, no distinctions of rank or nobility. Millennia ago, our ancestors battled the Devouring Ants here, sending their hordes back to defeat!” Jing Shan surveyed the army below.

“Today, we shall likewise repel the Ant Army; this is a just war! Justice will prevail!”

“Justice will prevail!”

“Justice will prevail!”

The collective shout from the crowd echoed powerfully. In this moment, there were no differences between races, only the common heart of protecting home and country. Behind them lay the last piece of ancestral land, with the seeds of all races standing united at their backs! Soon, a dense swarm of black soldier ants appeared on the horizon. Even before their arrival, the air was pierced by a cacophony of shrill sounds.

Millions of warriors gripped their spears tightly, facing an enemy they couldn’t hope to withstand, yet their hearts were filled with determination! All available warriors were ready to fight.

Those too old or young to fight gathered together to pray devoutly, bowing reverently before the towering statue of the great Creator God.

“Great Creator God, please bless the fearless warriors ahead. Under your guidance, we will crush the enemy and save the world.”

Countless followers prayed earnestly, and streams of faith surged from them into the statue of the Creator God…

The battle was on the brink of igniting as the massive army of billions of ants surged forth, their ominous figures casting a shadow over land, sea, and air.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Alchemical firearms roared to life, but the Devouring Ants had suffered too many losses from these before; they too had evolved similar weapons.

Oddly-shaped soldier ants began to crawl out, their bodies grotesquely enormous, rendering them unable to move without assistance, even though their mouths gaped wide open.

These were the special forces developed by the Ant Queens in the wake of the catastrophe—Cannon Ants! Cannon Ants were specially crafted by the queens, imitating the principles of explosive alchemical weapons. In fact, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

The Ant Queens initially planned to wait until this unit was perfected before slowly beginning another offensive, but they did not anticipate the Ant King’s astonishing emergence, which shattered the balance of power! The Cannon Ants continuously devoured minerals fed to them by worker ants, rapidly igniting their immense stomachs, and opening their jaws to shoot out massive fireballs.

The fireballs traced beautiful arcs through the sky, crashing into the allied forces with a thunderous boom followed by intense explosions!

The airborne Cannon Ants posed an even greater threat, attacking from above, making it hard for the allied forces to defend themselves. Only after Jing Shan deployed elite aerial units could they begin to suppress the attack.

Everyone was drenched in sweat; they had known the Devouring Ants were terrifying, but they hadn’t expected them to evolve into such formidable forces now.

Jiang Ping gulped down a drink with satisfaction. “I can’t believe the Devouring Ants have evolved so many powerful species. They are developing towards an interstellar insect race; no wonder they’ve been able to suppress all races for so many years.”

Although the allied forces were ready to fight to the death, able to take on a hundred enemies each, their opponents numbered in the billions, with powerful mutated strains mixed among them, leading to continuous setbacks for the allied forces and rising death tolls.

If courage were enough, why would we need weapons? If justice must prevail, does that mean all the effort on the side of evil is in vain? Moreover, who truly is just, and who is evil?

For countless races, the Devouring Ants were crimes against nature. To the Devouring Ants, everyone else was their enemy; they believed no one was off limits to kill!

“Leader, you must leave now! There won’t be time if you don’t!” the captain urged Jing Shan anxiously.

The battlefield showed the irreversible downfall of the allied forces, and all this had been foreseen even before the battle began. With the recent emergence of the Ant King, the Devouring Ants surged with unprecedented morale. The most powerful units of the allies, artillery and air support, were easily crushed by the Ant King as if they were toys.

Gazing at the black figure that resembled a deity in the distance, Jing Shan showed no sign of retreat.

“If I retreat, the allied forces will collapse instantly, leaving even less time for those behind! Besides, as long as I’m here, I can at least delay the Ant King’s advance!”

Jing Shan raised his hand to stop the captain’s continued pleas, saying, “Everyone has their own fate. The warriors fight bravely; how can I hide in the back? The world is vast, yet we have no path of retreat left!”

His gaze was intensely serious as he looked at the captain: “As the highest leader of the Sacred Original Alliance, I order you!”

The captain shuddered, dropping to one knee. “Commander of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Sunset, obeying orders!”

“You are to retreat immediately to the ancestral ground. Tell Gai Feng that I have fulfilled my duty and successfully delayed the enemy for four days, urging him to complete his mission and save the world! Save humanity!”

“Yes!” The captain replied tearfully, “May the Emperor take care of himself!”

After these words, he took his leave without hesitation.

Jing Shan looked at the distant Ant King and drew out his golden sword with a clang!

“Warriors of all armies, fight alongside me to slay the enemy! To have allied with all of you is the greatest fortune of my life!”

“To fight with you against the enemy is our supreme honor!” The soldiers roared, tears brimming in their eyes.

Clang, clang, clang! One by one, the highest-ranking commanders drew their swords, “Break through the encirclement with the leader and slay the Ant King!”

“Kill, kill, kill!”

A thousand soldiers charged forward with the fury of death; the multitude of beasts went mad, their colossal bodies appearing even more fearsome. The allied forces erupted with the will to fight, causing even the battle-hardened Devouring Ants to pause in surprise.

The Ant King, Bei Ou, flashed a cold look of astonishment. What was supposed to be a doomed army still possessed such momentum? He fixed his gaze on the approaching Jing Shan, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

“The leader of the Sacred Original Alliance? Let’s see if you can reach me!”

Almost there, almost close enough to the godlike Ant King. Jing Shan desperately urged his powers, blood spurting as he ignored the pain, using all his strength to throw his sword.

Whoosh! The golden sword flew through the air, drawing a radiant arc as it hurtled toward the Ant King!

In the last moments of Jing Shan’s life, the sword, forged from countless celestial treasures and fused with the highest alchemical techniques, broke in half upon its contact with the Ant King. The sword tip turned to golden powder, drifting away into the void.

“Not bad.”

Those were the last words Jing Shan heard in his life before he was engulfed by the elite War Ants. He could not discern whether the Ant King’s praise was for this final strike or for the fact that the Sword of Kings left behind even a single mark on him.

“Gai Feng, it’s up to you now. I hope I won’t be known as the last king of a fallen nation, nor the final leader of the all races…”

Far in the ancestral land, Gai Feng seemed to sense something. He opened his eyes, brilliant light shooting from them, and in his hand, the re-refined artifact sparkled even more brilliantly.

Gai Feng suddenly turned to look at the door; the sound of hurried footsteps from outside was rapidly approaching.

“The leader has fallen!”