Spying at the enemy camp.

Know thy enemy as you know thyself and you need not fear the result of a thousand battles.

As the battle preparations and rescue efforts continued, Finn asked Deon to scout the queen's chambers and draw a map of its vicinity.

As their trusted strategist, Finn busily made plans and distributed work among the members.

No one complained about his bossy attitude nor questioned his decisions.

Finn's reputation as a special Almagi who wields three elements shut people up with awe and envy.

Indeed, no matter which Middle World one goes to, the strong will always reign over the weak.

"Kid, you're letting Finn push you around too much. How about learning how to say 'No', huh?" Mikael scolded as he glided beside his partner.

"But I'm the best person for the task, Sir Mikael." Deon confidently strutted along the dark road.

"Again, with that hero syndrome. Tsk! I can't even rest for a second with you running around doing dangerous tasks from Finn. But when I'M the one asking for favors, you always say 'No'" Mikael grumbled like a jealous wife seeking attention.

Nevertheless, Mikael was quite happy to be alone with his partner for the first time in a while.

He was getting really lonely, trying to act like he doesn't exist. It even came to the point where he wanted to prank people just to validate his existence.

'Now that I'm one of them, I can finally understand why poltergeists terrorize people for fun. They weren't really evil; they just suffered from an existential crisis**-- literally and metaphorically.'

Mikael felt pity for the other spirits,

'At least I have Deon. I have someone who listens to me… how about others? how frustrated they must have been when they tried to communicate with the living, only to receive terrified screams in response? No wonder they turned to the dark side.'

As Mikael was contemplating, they arrived at the food storage.

Although their group has freed more than a hundred people, the repletes still have many other food options.

Apparently, the Killer Ant diet has leveled up to include various E-class and D-class monsters now that they were upgraded higher in the food chain.

Deon rummaged inside his space ring for a death juice ant repellant.

Shhkk… sshkk…

The prince sprayed the repellant all over his body like a foul-smelling perfume.

Meanwhile, Mikael floated inside the cave.

He watched as a minor ant sent its thoughts to the repletes like a waiter asking for a VIP customer's order,

"Que..en… wan.t…spi..der…big…bi..g…sp..ider.."

Suddenly, a large replete storing a particularly large D-class huntsman spider dropped from the ceiling.

THUD!!

The replete rolled toward the minor worker ant. Then, like a cat choking on a hairball, it opened its mouth wide while its inflated abdomen disgustingly pulsated, pushing the spider out.

Splash!

The replete regurgitated the contents of its stomach and a sedated spider spilled out, drenched in a pool of orange liquid.

"UGH! Yuck!" Mikael stuck out his tongue.

He grimaced at the thought of the ant queen deliciously eating the barf of her children.

The minor ant easily lifted the spider and beelined to the entrance.

"Kid, it's out. Let's go!" Mikael told Deon and they followed the ant from a distance.

Several hours later, the ant led them to the queen's chambers.

"Whoaa! This place is queen-sized indeed!" Mikael gaped at the vast cavern that housed the most important creature in the colony.

The ant queen's chambers reminded Mikael of the underworld courtroom. It was so spacious that it could probably fit the entire Olympic stadium and still have extra space.

But its semblance to the courtroom was more than just its size.

Somehow, a thick aura of death curtained the chamber, crushing Mikael with an oppressive power similar to Hades' divinity.

"Ughh! What's this? It feels so heavy…"

Mikael felt like he was suddenly submerged in an electrified pool with the pressure in the cavern. His skin tingled, sending shivers down his spine. His whole being screamed of danger yet Mikael seemed to be frozen in place.

It was a sensation that was all too familiar with him—it was fear.

Fear that stemmed from coming into close contact with a higher being.

Like a god!

Then, as if to shed light on the mysterious sensation, the system brought up an unexpected notification.

Ping!

<Alert! Dense corrupted mana detected in the atmosphere!>

Deon also felt this change as soon as he stepped inside the vast cavern.

It was freezing—the kind that chills down to the bone marrow.

Deon's skin erupted in gooseflesh, his eyes trembled, and his legs turned into jelly.

The prince then weakly slumped on the floor, all the confidence that he gained after a week of suffering suddenly flew out of the window.

The place was utterly terrifying!

Mikael forced his gaze up, fighting the oppressive aura.

His pale green eyes traveled past the scurrying minor workers and the stiffly guarding soldiers and up to the giant ant queen.

The queen, just like the god of the underworld, towered over everyone with a dominating presence. She was so massive that she took up nearly a third of the chamber.

Like all other ants, she had a matte black exoskeleton that looked to be at least ten times thicker than that of normal ants. She also had their characteristic compound eyes that subtly glowed red only, it was blown into gigantic dimensions.

Every part of her body looked like super upgraded versions of her kin.

As if that wasn't enough, she also possessed large clear wings that fluttered every time she moved!

Deon weakly asked, "Sir Mikael... how--?"

The prince, who had a crestfallen expression, struggled to speak, but Mikael understood exactly what he was trying to convey.

'How will we defeat THAT?'

The Ant Queen was more than just a creature that needed protection.

She was a chess piece.

She was a QUEEN—the most powerful attacking figure in the colony.

--Chapter end--

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**Existential crisis- when people question the meaning, purpose, and value of their existence. It can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, or despair

** for those who aren't familiar with the rules of chess, the queen, although not as important as the king, is the most powerful attack piece. she can move in every set direction hence making her a more formidable enemy than the king.