"What? Are you still thinking of charging alone?" Bella asked, smirking.
He didn't respond.
"You know very well that taking it down alone is impossible. I suggest we cooperate. You go distract it, and I will retrieve the fruits. You can trust me to give you an equal share."
Aegis pondered for a moment, then gave up on charging alone.
Though he didn't like her presence, she was painfully right.
Charging alone against a Count would be nothing but suicide.
That being said, he wasn't polite toward her at all.
"Guess I have no choice then. But you will get one, while I get two, as I'll be doing the heavy work here. If you don't agree, forget about thsi cooperation."
Hearing his demand, Bella fumed in silent anger. But she also understood her position.
She gave up on quarreling with this fool.
"Alright, I agree."
Aegis gave a small nod, then hid Billy and Milly in a safe spot.
After that, he acted first.
Without hesitation, he raised hand and several Water Blades shot out from behind him, slicing through the air and crashing into the Chrysalis King's shell.
"Blomp, blomp!"
The impact echoed sharply, water exploding outward on contact.
But the blades barely left a mark.
Although, they did something far more important.
They provoked it.
The Chrysalis King let out a sharp, grating screech. Its single compound eye locked onto Aegis with pure malice.
The faint green veins across its body pulsed violently.
It antennas glowed when it tried us its mind control power, but it failed overwhelmingly.
Though Aegis didn't know, the Crown he was wearing also helped him resist the spiritual attack.
The next moment, it moved.
Whooosh..
Its body burst forward with terrifying speed, far faster than its size suggested. The bark beneath it cracked as its limbs dug in, launching it straight toward Aegis.
But before fully committing to the chase, the Chrysalis King slammed one limb into the tree.
Crack.
From beneath the bark, the ground, and hidden crevices, swarms of ants poured out.
Thousands.
No, tens of thousands.
"Skee, skeee, kreee..."
They came in waves, black and green bodies crawling over one another, mandibles clicking sharply.
Some were the size of fists, others as large as wolves. They immediately formed a dense wall around the Fruit of Evolution to shield it completely.
Aegis clicked his tongue.
"Tch. It's all upto to you, Ice lady."
Then he turned and ran.
He did not flee in panic, but he did not slow down either.
From his feet water burst forth, propelling him forward in long, rapid strides as the Chrysalis King chased relentlessly behind him.
As the creature tore through the path, branches shattered.
It was closing the distance little by little.
Meanwhile, Bella came out of her hiding spot.
The moment the ant legion surged forward, her eyes turned icy.
She raised her hand, and the temperature plummeted.
From her feet a wave of frost spread outward, spanning across the bark like a living thing.
The front line of ants froze instantly, their bodies locked mid-motion.
Only then she stepped forward.
"Ice Bloom."
Following the silent command, dozens of sharp ice spikes erupted from the ground and skewered entire clusters of ants. Others tried to swarm over the frozen bodies, only to be trapped as ice spread further.
Bella advanced calmly. Her movements were precise and efficient.
She did not waste energy. Each spell she casted froze, shattered, or sealed the ants in place, carving a narrow but clear path toward the glowing fruits.
Behind her, the ant legion screeched and charged.
Ahead of her, the Fruits of Evolution shone brighter and brighter, promising excellent possibilities for their pets.
Far away, Aegis led the Chrysalis King on a deadly chase, branches exploding behind him with every impact.
The cooperation was working.
But both of them knew one thing.
If either side failed even for a moment, death would follow immediately.
Aegis moved like a slippery fly, gliding as if through water rather than air. Every step was precise, every shift of direction calculated, water propulsion carrying him across branches with unreal smoothness.
But even so, there came a moment when he was almost caught.
The Ant King's massive limb swung down, aiming straight for Aegis's head. The pressure alone crushed bark and sent splinters flying.
At the very last instant, Aegis vanished.
The world around him shifted as he entered the first floor of the Sea God's Tower.
The Ant King froze mid-motion.
It screeched sharply and scanned the surroundings, its compound eye flashing with agitation. It searched the branches, the air, even the cracks in the bark.
Nothing.
The human was gone.
Anxiety began to rise within the creature.
The Fruit of Evolution.
That was all that mattered.
Once it consumed them, it would shed this incomplete state and ascend into an Ant Lord, commanding millions. It could not afford delay.
With a furious screech, the Ant King turned and rushed back toward the fruits.
And if it returned, Bella would be overwhelmed.
The mission would fail.
Aegis reappeared behind it in a burst of water.
He understood the situation perfectly.
He could hide inside the Sea God's Tower forever if he wished, but that would doom everything.
So this time, he attacked seriously.
Dozens of condensed Ice Blades formed instantly and shot forward, slamming into the Ant King's shell from multiple angles.
"Clang. Clang. Clang."
The blades shattered on impact.
The Ant King did not even flinch.
Slowly, it turned around.
It stood upright, its posture changing, its presence becoming heavier.
Rage poured out of it in visible waves.
Its aura surged explosively.
For the first time, those hardened fiber wings unfolded from its back. The shell cracked and shifted as its body rearranged itself, limbs elongating, joints realigning.
It was no longer just a beast.
It was becoming an insectoid.
"Buzz."
The sound vibrated directly into the air and into the mind.
Then it vanished.
No, it did not vanish.
It flew.
Its speed was so fast that Aegis could no longer track it properly. His vision blurred for a split second.
Then pain exploded across his chest.
"Bang!"
Aegis was struck squarely by one of the creature's limbs, which now functioned like a massive arm.
His ribs screamed as his body was hurled backward, crashing through multiple branches before barely stopping himself with water propulsion.
From the corner of his mouth, blood spilled out. "Blurgh!"
"Argh... Damn it!" And yet, he stood up straight again.
He felt the pain in his core, but it was drown by his immeasurable calm.
"So It's like this. I overestimated myself. But it doesn't matter, because... I will return this pain tenfold."