Chapter 124. Losing Battle.

Flor's face was tight as she looked beyond the wall. Ignatia said, "Flor, you can do nothing about that. There are too many. If Liu Shu was awake, I would fight with you until the end. However, she is sleeping. We are defenseless!" 

Flor's face became peaceful, and her eyes remained determined. "I promised I would be her protector until I was useless. After Liu Shu finally levels up, she will become incredibly strong."

Ignatia understood Flor's heart, but she was highly anxious. As an Ant Queen, a creature that was hunted down by almost every other being in the World, her danger senses were incredibly sharp. The feeling that was currently attacking her brain constantly was to "RUN!". 

A loud exclamation from her most primal part to flee as far as she can. Abandoning her colony to rebuild it far away was also flashing in her mind; that's how much danger she could sense from that approaching group. 

Ignatia, who loved her children dearly, was considering fleeing to rebuild a new colony.

When Flor flew upward, Ignatia felt restlessness and fear accumulating, making her lose her patience. She screamed a plea. "FLOR! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME THIS TIME! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU!" 

Flor paused her ascension and looked back. Even with emotionless compound eyes, Flor could clearly feel Ignatia's distress and fear. Looking further behind, she saw the large World Tree gathering energy.

'Liu Shu… My little Liu Shu… Will you wake up? Will you save us from this situation? Nobody came to report, which means that at least 30 Rose Fairies have been lost even before the fight started.'

Flor knew that the day she was too weak to protect would eventually arrive. But it was way too early. 

'Everything is moving so fast.' 

The Rose Fairy Queen looked at her titles and then at Amapola and Clavel. 'Is it the correct choice to flee? Perhaps, but… can I really abandon her?'

Flor remembered all the times the little World Tree would call her sweetly, mischievously send a barrage of messages, or the times she fought for the Rose Fairies. The more she thought of the young World Tree, the more her heart softened, and the more her determination grew. 

'As a tree, the option to flee just doesn't exist for her. She is rooted here, helpless if a powerful enough enemy comes.'

Flor remembered the joy she felt when Liu Shu talked to her with actual words for the first time, as well as the laughter and peace her canopy's shadow gave her. Flor's lips arched, 'Can I really run and leave her? I can't.'

"FLOR!"

Flor looked at Ignatia again and smiled. "Ignatia, in truth, I understand what is going on between us a bit."

Ignatia looked at Flor with a surprised expression. Flor laughed. "I know that you have affection toward me. I don't really know what kind of why, but I know you don't treat me like others."

When those words reached her, Ignatia felt as if her heart was going to rip apart into pieces. 

Flor continued softly. "But…"

Ignatia shook her head. "Please, Flor."

Flor looked at the beautiful and growing Willow Tree and smiled softly. "How can I face Liu Shu later if I don't fight?"

Ignatia, although incapable of shedding tears, felt as if her eyesight was blurring. Flor looked over and saw the trees on the walls starting to attack the approaching enemies to defend Liu Shu. 

"They are here. Ignatia, take the low-level Rose Fairies and Clavel and guide them away." Flor looked at the Level 10 Rose Fairy and smiled. "You discovered Liu Shu and always got along with her. Be sure to continue doing so.

Clavel understood Flor's intentions, so she didn't complain. She nodded firmly and started guiding all the low-level fairies toward the tunnel after having gathered the Rose Fairy Seeds. 

Cinderielle, Verdantia, and Tempestria walked forward, and energy started gathering toward their bodies as their bodies transformed. 

Ignatia constantly looked between Flor, who flew closer to the wall, and the escape tunnel she had secretly crafted during the last months. Her mind was locked in a battle of instinct against will.

BOOM!

A giant explosion opened a massive hole in the walls, catching everyone's attention. Then, hundreds of people rushed through the hole. 

Soon, Ignatia could see the all-out war starting. 'What do I do?'

Her instincts told her to run. She had been subconsciously walking backward this whole time, and the ants felt her hesitation, so they were all ready to flee at the slightest sign of Ignatia's retreat.

The Ant Queen looked at her <Sylvan Quest> and gritted her teeth. 'I am also close to completing my quest! If I complete it, I will become much stronger. I could've probably pulled a defensive stance right now! But I need to either befriend or kill a Level 10+ beastkin.'

Ignatia saw Flor flying through the hordes of Level 9s, slaughtering everyone as her wind blades sliced through the bodies of those who approached. 

Her figure was valiant and elegant as the mighty Rose Fairy Queen fought with seemingly no rival. The three Sylvans fighting around her were also incredibly powerful, not allowing a single enemy to cross over.

While it looked like they were winning, Ignatia knew that this was far from over. 

As the Ant Queen expected, her compound eyes sharpened as her vision focused on a shadow moving through the hole at a horrific speed toward Flor. 

When her mind imagined the consequences of turning around, her body, which had been tied down by a battle between instincts and will, broke free. 

Once the instinctual fear was overcome, all that was left was her anger toward the people entering her domain and attacking those precious to her. 'Why are these people attacking us? Why do you force her to sacrifice everything!? It's all their fault… ALL THEIR FAULT!'

A primal anger came from deep within her bloodline, forcing her aura to go berserk. 

<Ant Queen's Ire (E Rank Level 3)>: When feeling angry, the Ant Queen can howl and induce a berserk-like state in all her children where they receive 23% less damage and deal 23% more damage. The Ant Queen's stats increase by 23%.

"ALL CREATURES THAT HURT THOSE WHO THIS QUEEN ADORES SHALL PERISH!"

Her vocal cords tensed, and a terrifying screeching howl burst from her, reaching all the ants. 

*KIIIIIIIIIIIILL!!!!!!*

The entire forest trembled at the furious Ant Queen's howl, and all the ants that were hesitating burst into action as plumes of fire engulfed them. 

Flor was fighting several creatures and killing them when a shadow approached her from the side at an incredible speed. She quickly turned to look and saw a human in black robes approaching, his violet eyes locked on her with incredibly deep coldness. 

Without a moment of hesitation, she released her most powerful wind attack at him, creating a torrent of sharp wind-blades. The wall of wind became visible in between them, but instead of stopping, the man reached to his waist, unsheathing two daggers and slashing at Flor's attack. 

BANG!

Flor's face darkened when the man flashed his weapons and blasted her attack into pieces. She quickly used her amulet's speed acceleration and her own skill, <Frantic Flight>, swiftly avoiding to the right as Malachai's daggers sliced through the air where her neck and waist previously were. 

The Level 20's eyes flashed with surprise as his attack missed. However, even as he missed, his eyes were always locked on the powerful Rose Fairy. He smiled and muttered. "<Witherwood Shadow>"

[-3154]!

Flor felt her vision flashing for an instant, and then, terrible pain attacked her brain as a burning feeling spread on her back. 

Ignatia, looking from the side as she rushed to help, felt her wrath peaking, fire blooming around her, when she saw Flor's wings being sliced off. 

The humans looked over only to see the terrifying compound eyes of the Ant Queen for a second before her body shot at them like an arrow. 

A Level 14 that appeared came her way, his sword flashing through the air at incredible speed. However, Ignatia twisted her body, dodging his attack. 

Then, the Ant Queen's face reflected in the man's pupils as her mouth opened beyond normal limits, releasing a pair of incredibly sharp-looking mandibles. 

SLICE!

A head flew into the sky while the body was tackled down to the ground by Ignatia's overwhelming physical strength. Using the falling corpse as a spring, Ignatia jumped forward and landed several meters in the distance.

Flor's figure was constantly reflected in her eyes. She could see that right after her wings got sliced off, Flor fought back by releasing a massive torrent of wind, which managed to push Malachai several steps back with wounds appearing on his body. However, without wings, Flor's flight was severely hindered.

The Level 20 rushed forward, his fist impacting in Flor's stomach. The large human-sized fist bent the Rose Fairy Queen's body, damaging several internal organs.

[-2454]!

What saved her was the dress Liu Shu made for her, which got broken together with that attack thanks to its skill <Saving Woodgrace>.

<Saving Woodgrace>: Reduce the damage an attack would've caused by 80% if the attack were to be lethal at the cost of the dress. 

Malachai rushed forward again, and Flor did her best to dodge by twisting her body using the wind, which helped her survive once more. Sadly, the two daggers sliced one of her arms and legs off.

[-1450]!

By now, Flor's Phoer Body Shards were dangerously low. Malachai's smile grew, but when he was about to give the final blow to the heavily injured creature, an aura of heat approached his face from the side. 'Huh?'

Looking sideways, he could only distinguish Ignatia's wrathful face for a second before her flaming punch landed and deformed his face from the strength of the impact. 

BOOOM!

[-2700]!

His body was sent flying for several meters, stupefying Malachai. 'A Humanoid Ant Queen!?' 

Flipping mid-air and using his hand to push against the ground, Malachai did a few acrobatic maneuvers to land on his feet.

Without a moment to lose, Malachai analyzed Ignatia. His anxious heart relaxed. 'Level 14! Thankfully, she is still low-leveled, or we might've needed to retreat.'

While this happened, Ignatia hastily hugged Flor into her arms and looked around. 

To her surprise, she saw the three Sylvans being sieged by the 15 <Stormriders > while a man mounted on one looked on from a distance with a grin. 

While she wanted to help, as the three Sylvans were clearly dying, she didn't have time to do so. 'I need to carry Flor to safety!' 

Without a moment of hesitation, she screeched again, telling all her children to cover her retreat. 

The mass of ants that had been attacking the humans with terrifying savagism rushed toward Ignatia. 

Malachai laughed. "Oh, you are not getting away!" 

He was about to push against the ground and rush to kill them when an incredibly profound aura swallowed everything around them. 

Malachai's body burst into chills and quickly looked over. 

"Eldric, I am taking my child away before you kill her, if you don't mind."

Eldric looked skyward with an utterly terrified yet resentful face. "L-Lady Verena!"

Verena landed on the ground and tapped the ground with her foot. Before anyone could react, the ground burst apart as several Level 20 and above plant creatures appeared. There were even Second Cycle summons between those. 

Malachai didn't dare move an inch, and the same was true for the rest of the humans. This woman was more than capable of sending everyone here to hell with just a single word. 

Looking at the situation, all the remaining Ants, Myconids, and Rose Fairies followed Ignatia and Flor, escaping through the underground tunnels as they collapsed them. 

Eldric shouted. "Lady Verena, if you let those creatures flee, they will-."

"Child. Shut up." Verena looked at the Leveling Up World Tree, and then her gaze landed on Malachai. "Had you attacked the World Tree, I would have got an excuse to exterminate your little group. Sadly, that has not been the case, so I can't stop you from what you will do." 

Malachai didn't dare say a single word, just in case this woman came up with a ridiculous excuse to attack. 

Verena looked at Verdantia and the other sylvans, who were on the ground, full of wounds. "You failed, Verdantia." 

Verdantia looked up at her mother, her green eyes dim and tired.

Verena commented. "If I didn't intervene, you, your friends, and even the World Tree you adore so much would've ended up quite badly."

Verdantia muttered, exhausted beyond words and with her entire body almost unable to move. "I… Did, huh, my… best." 

Verena smiled and shook her head. "If you had done your best, you and your friends would've been Level 10, and perhaps, you could've done better." 

Verdantia's nails dug into the ground as she clenched her bloody fist. 

Verena looked at Eldric and said. "If you or anyone present reveals the existence of the World Tree to your family, I will reveal to your father the relationship with the Void Witherwood Exarchs. Do we have a deal?"

Eldric looked at Cinderielle with greed, but thinking of what his father might do to him, he nodded. "Understood, Lady Verena."

Verena looked at Malachai and said. "If you attack her before she attacks you, I will uproot your power. If words of the existence of this World Tree spread, I will uproot your power. Don't try to find a loophole in my words, as you are well aware of what I mean with them." 

Then, a giant bird with leaf-like feathers appeared below Verena. Its back was wide enough to carry Verdantia, Cinderielle, and Tempestria. With a flap of its wings, it took to the sky and disappeared. 

As Verena flew away, all the summoned creatures returned to the earth. 

Eldric gritted his teeth, looking at the bird getting smaller in the sky. 'Eventually… I will make even you kneel before me!'

Malachai pointed at the <Mother of Thousand Flower Field>, who has taken quite a few lives already and ordered. "Cut it down and clean this place! We are securing this place as our next main base!"