Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 123: Leaving Pentaspire Heart

---

Final stat review before departure:

[Level 33

HP 3000 / 3000

Aura 1600 / 3300 (after claim)

Strength 257

Speed 210

Stamina 200

Subordinate Slots 4 / 10]

"Plenty room to grow."

He knelt by the egg, stroking the warm shell. "Little Miryam, I’ll be gone for several days. My subordinates will watch you. Eat your fill. I will be back soon."

A sad pulse wove through the bond. Kai soothed: "We’ll hunt starlight together soon." He stood, cinched cloak.

The exit waterfall roared like applause as he stepped through. Cool spray washed dust from his body, desert sun greeted him outside. He left the beasts’ roars echoing behind, promising they’d keep the egg safe.

He set out at bounding pace, cloak whipping, silver hair streaming like comet tail, an ant monarch on the road to look for future legions.

Behind him, the mountain kept its secrets, but now bore a crimson crest over hearthstone, the mark of a new lord coming into power.

Kai did not look back after the waterfall stitched itself behind him. He felt the mountain now a quiet second pulse beneath his own, every time the breeze skimmed the basalt tongue of Veil-Fall, it whispered to him, as if saying, I am yours, Monarch. Return stronger.

The new dawn smelled of juniper and faraway rain. Shadeclaw’s distant roar echoed inside the caldera, reassuring him the vassals had slipped into their patrol pattern. Kai lengthened his stride, letting the desert scrub thin into golden prairie swales. The map Luna had once traced on his palm, crooked stream, split valley, two hills that looked like rabbit ears lay three hundred kilometres north-north-east. With Speed 210 he could jog that in three days if predators, dunes, or border patrols didn’t interfere.

But a monarch travelling light invited the opportunity to test his other goal, filling the remaining six subordinate slots.

[Subordinate Slots 4 / 10

Aura 1600 / 3300]

He set a mental rule to claim only beasts or hybrid folk of at least two-star rank, preferably three, anything weaker would just drain Aura for little gain.

Near midday he encountered a sign of spiral gouges in earth where hooves had ploughed concentric circles, the hunting pattern of Sickle-Horns, two-star antelope-raptors that killed by rotating faster than eyes could follow.

Kai crouched, touched gouge depth. Fresh. Thirty metres away, prairie grass shivered, ring forming. He grinned, battle hearing tuned.

Without hesitation he flared Monarch Aura, red spear of will piercing tall grass. A pair of Sickle-Horns burst forth. These creatures are like deer sculpted from obsidian, each brow sprouting single scimitar horn curving forward. They accelerated instantly, legs a blur, grass folding behind vortex turbines.

"Submit or die."

He launched Monarch Brand at the lead buck; crimson rune spiralled, struck skull. -400 Aura. The beast stumbled, muscles seizing, then plates reshaped to chitin segments, compound eyes bloomed. Mark accepted.

The second buck kept charge. Kai pivoted, Devourer’s Bite manifested as obsidian mandible-blades along his gauntlet. He parried horn, slid inside, ripped through jugular. +20 EXP and +2 stats points. Blood mist caramelised on sand.

New vassal rose shakily, an ant-crest atop an obsidian brow. Kai named him Galehorn, speed asset for courier duty.

Slots 5 / 10

By dusk orange prairie faded to scrub-oak corpses. The true border forest loomed beyond, towering thorn-elms, parasitic glow-fungus chains. Kai camped beneath an ancient redwood stump. Moon Wing relayed an aerial sketch, thirty klicks ahead, a ruin of stone arches, likely an extinct watch fort.

Sleep came late. He dreamed of Mia lying on a bed of Amber Bastion rampart, silver breastplate reflecting moons, whispering, begging and panting his name. "Huff, Huff, Kai, stop, I... I can’t take it anymore. It’s so big. You will break me."

Morning shook leaves with an owl trill, Kai resumed his journey to the north. He stuck to animal paths, studying scent webs. At noon he stumbled upon Venom flowers, purple blossoms hiding acid tendrils. He harvested several bulbs for future traps.

Two-star Chitin Apes swung overhead. Curious but wary of Monarch Aura, they shadowed him for hours; he chose not to Brand them, slots were precious. They aren’t that useful.

Near dusk a flash of sapphire spat through ferns, Nightfire Lizard, three-star, body alight with bio-plasma. Rare. Kai wanted artillery.

He set up a bait with shards coated in the lizard’s favourite meat, (from his bag). When the creature sniffed curiosity, he flared Aura and leapt, grappled, Brand. -400 Aura again, He succeeded. Chitin overlaid glowing scales, concentrating plasma to thorax glands.

He christened her Blueloom, long range (tongue) weapon asset.

Slots 6 / 10

His Aura dipped to 800. He’d need rest before claiming more.

Second forest day twilight, Galehorn scouted ruin first, stone towers collapsed inward, moss choking spiral stairs. Kai entered through a broken rampart, spear ready. Sconces suggested pre-Ant dynasty design, human maybe, judging by doorway height.

Inside great-hall, dust motes drifted like ghost coins. Yet fresh claw marks scored one colonnade. Kai tasted air, Predator Instinct pinged, four star rank aura presence, feline acid musk.

He ordered Blueloom to perch overhead, Galehorn crouching at the doorway.

He advanced.

From the shadow behind the throne emerged a beast called Shadowmane Lynx. A mid sized but aura dense, four star rank. Black fur, silver stripes, six eyes. It stalked circles, unblinking. Territory claim is obvious.

Kai spoke calmly: "This hall no longer suits you. Serve me, taste greater hunts."

It growled low. Offer rejected.

Battle cracked off like whip. Shadowmane blurred sideways, arcs impossible. Kai toggled Reflex Mode activated. The world slowed. He parried paw, but the kinetic jolt shuddered bone. Lynx twisted in mid air, tail lashing with barbs. Kai’s Adaptive Armor shifted density, barbs scraped but didn’t pierce.

He baited it by retreating under an arch where columns blocked lateral leaps. Lynx pounced through, forced into linear assault. Kai met it, Devourer’s Bite ripping across shoulder. Blood sprayed glowing silver. Lynx shrieked, trying to fade into the shadows.

One heartbeat later, Kai slammed his hand to Lynx’s skull, and Monarch Brand fired. Aura cost 400 again but his reserves at 600 dangerously low.