Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 31: Taking Revenge

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Still, the wealth he had just consumed and stored would set him apart from almost every other one-star creature alive.

But one thought broke through the haze of pride. One that made his entire body burn.

Vex. That traitor, that Bastard. He attacked him and left him for dead. Kai clenched his claws. Rage curled deep inside his chest like a coiled serpent.

"I’ll kill him," he growled. "Next time I see him, I’ll rip him apart. And I’ll feast on every part of him. His flesh, his strength, his lies. All of it."

His aura flared dangerously for a moment. Then he took a long breath and forced himself to focus.

"I can’t fight a three-star beast alone yet. Even with this new strength, I need to be smart."

He activated Predator’s Instinct. The world sharpened. He felt the wind’s direction, the faint heartbeat of distant creatures, the subtle vibration of nearby lifeforms. And just as importantly, he felt which paths were safe.

Kai turned from the broken clearing. He was done hiding. Now, he would hunt. And when the time was right... he’d unleash everything.

A few minutes later...

The mist of the Dark Ravine had not yet lifted when Kai emerged behind the trees, his body strengthened by the essence of fallen beast, his mind sharpened with one singular purpose: vengeance.

His exoskeleton gleamed under the dying light of dusk, a mixture of hardened chitin and recently adapted armor plating, gifts from the beasts he had devoured. With every step, he moved more like a predator than a worker ant. His antennae twitched, receiving vibrations from the damp forest floor. The system’s enhanced instinct inside him whispered that his prey was close.

His senses, empowered by Predator’s Instinct, scanned the surroundings constantly, searching for even the smallest tremor or aura fluctuation.

Then he felt it. A low pulse. A signature he recognized.

Kai crouched low, narrowing his eyes. His breathing slowed, matching the rhythm of the forest. He took one step, then another, the pressure in the air intensifying as he honed in on the source.

Vice Captain Vex. Wounded. Alone.

A trail of blood, faint but traceable, led deeper into the forest, away from the battlefield. Kai moved silently, each step deliberate and calculated. The scent of iron filled his senses, mixed with the acidic tang of internal damage.

There was no hesitation in his gait. No trembling.

No fear. He didn’t smile. He didn’t rage. But his heart beat louder with every step. Through a gap in the trees, he saw him.

Vex slumped against a large moss-covered stone, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle, one of his legs torn and dragging behind him. His aura flickered erratically—strong, but unstable. Deep gouges marked his once polished exoskeleton. He was a proud warrior brought low.

An injured enemy. A perfect opportunity to strike. Kai stepped into the open, no longer hiding.

Vex’s antennae twitched, and his head snapped toward Kai. His eyes widened with disbelief, followed by a flash of bitter recognition.

"You...?" Vex’s voice rasped, dry and hoarse. "How did you manage to survive? I left you for dead."

"You did," Kai said, his tone flat. "But now I’m alive. And you’re half-dead."

Vex grunted, forcing himself to his feet. His movements were stiff. Every breath he took was shallow. "You think you can kill me?" he snarled, trying to reignite the superiority he had once wielded like a weapon. "You were nothing but a porter. A worker ant with a bit of luck and trick."

Kai took another step forward. "Really! Sorry to say it, Your imagination is wrong."

The statement hung in the air like a challenge. Without another word, he surged forward.

Vex raised his guard, aura flaring around him like a burning halo, but it was sluggish and uneven. His wounds were deep, his body already in a bad shape from earlier battle.

Kai ducked under Vex’s first wild swing, claws slicing into Vex’s injured side. The older ant screamed, swiping blindly, but Kai was already behind him, mandibles snapping like scythes.

They clashed. A blur of claws and hardened limbs, aura slashing and fists striking.

Vex landed a hit to Kai’s shoulder, sending him stumbling, but Kai recovered fast. Activating Tiny Tank, his body hardened like stone. He tanked a direct punch to the chest, then countered with a devastating Devourer’s Bite to Vex’s abdomen.

Chitin cracked. Blood sprayed. Vex fell to one knee, gasping for breath, his eyes full of disbelief.

"You... an evolved ant," he choked out. "How did you hide it?."

"That’s none of your concern. You are about to die." Saying that Kai drove his foot forward, striking Vex in the chest and knocking him back. The vice captain slammed into the mossy boulder behind him, coughing violently.

He tried to rise, claws trembling but Kai kicked his lower body private parts (vex little ant bat and balls) knocking him back down.

"Bastard Vex, Taste my BALL CRUSHER move." Kai yelled in enjoyment.

[System Notification: Enemy HP below 10%, Finishing opportunity detected.]

Vex’s voice turned desperate. "You don’t have to do this... We’re of the same kind!"

Kai’s mandibles clicked coldly. "You’re not my kind. I am a handsome Ant, and You are a coward, a snitch, a backstabbing Bastard! " There was no rage in his voice. Just certainty.

He lunged. Essence Eater flared to life, bathing Kai’s mandibles in a ghostly light. The swirling aura enveloped Vex’s body as if drawn by fate.

Vex screamed one last time as his life was drained into Kai’s mouth. His body twitched... then crumbled.

[System Notification: Vice Captain Vex eliminated. +1000 EXP. Level Up: 16 → 17.]

Kai stood over the corpse, panting. His breath came in slow bursts. He could still feel the essence liquid rushing through his limbs, crawling into every part of him, reinforcing his bones, his muscle, his mind.

Then, another system window blinked to life.

[Kin Effect Triggered – First Time Consumption of a Kin. Permanent +20 Bonus Stat Points to Strength, Speed, Stamina (One-time per star rank). ]