Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 52: The Alpha

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The beast chitin was deep, mottled hue, roared with a challenge that echoed like thunder among the trees. Its skills, though not yet fully detailed by Kai’s system, promised a brutal onslaught—a reminder that the wild beast harbored predators capable of annihilating an entire formation if left unchecked. The system overlay appeared again in swift succession:

[Beast Alert:

Pack Alpha: Rok’tar.

Rank: Two-Star.

Skills: Devastating Crushing Charge, Dominant Roar that stuns nearby foes, and Vicious Tail Swipe.]

This was no ordinary encounter. The alpha was larger than its packmates and radiated an aura of savagery that demanded respect and fear.

Captain Darius barked a new order, his tone colder than ever, "All units fall back and form a defensive circle. We fight together against Rok’tar. Renna, Thren, cover our flanks; Lomar and Vexor, keep watch on the rear. Kai, you lead the assault on the alpha!"

Even in this situation, Captain Darius was thinking about how to kill Kai. He let Kai take the lead. "This time you will definitely die," he muttered under his breath, too low for anyone but himself to hear.

With a unified roar, the five warriors converged as one. The clash that ensued was an epic storm of mandibles, spiked limbs, and the thunderous heartbeat of nature in full fury. Kai didn’t care to think about Darius’s plan. He wanted to kill the beast. The more enemies he killed, the more experience points he would gain. He wanted to level up fast.

So, Kai moved like liquid motion, first activating Tiny Tank and then Reflex Mode. He would have to rely on his skills sparingly and precisely. The system recognized the skill usages:

[Tiny Tank Activated. Aura -200. Current Aura: 2000 → 1800.]

A protective hardness flowed over his exoskeleton, giving it a dull gleam. Though the world’s sounds dimmed for an instant, he felt his body become sturdier, more resilient to crushing force.

[Reflex Mode Activated. Aura -200. Current Aura: 1800 → 1600.]

A surge of energy coursed through his limbs, sharpening every movement. His joints braced, mind hyper-focused, legs taut like springs ready to pivot or dodge. In five minutes, this window of extraordinary reflex would end. He had to use it wisely. He can’t waste aura.

Kai dodged the alpha’s Devastating Crushing Charge with a near-preternatural swiftness. Rok’tar the monstrous behemoth of a beast thundered forward, heavy chitin slamming against the earth in a quake of momentum. The ground underfoot cracked. Kai threw himself aside at the last heartbeat, feeling a shockwave pass his flank.

In retaliation, he dashed in to strike. His mandibles scraped over a joint in Rok’tar’s leg, but the thick chitin resisted him. Furious that his opening blow had done so little, he pivoted to see whether he could flank the alpha.

Rok’tar’s presence, a savage swirl of roaring fury and massive limbs, dominated the battlefield. Despite Kai’s new upgraded speed (Speed: 80) and the full five-minute effect of Reflex Mode, the alpha was cunning. It pivoted in place with a vicious tail swipe.

That tail was thick as a trunk, lashed out. The air whistled. Kai tried to leap, but the alpha’s Dominant Roar blasted through the clearing with a force that rattled every nerve. Even with his reflexes and hardened exoskeleton, he wasn’t immune to the sudden stun. His ears rang. Captain Darius smirked from behind the circle of ants, hoping the momentary disorientation would end Kai for good.

Yet Kai’s determination blazed. He landed awkwardly on his side, HP dropping by 200 from the partial blow. Pain radiated from his battered exoskeleton. That’s 200 HP was gone in a single strike, he thought grimly, forcing himself upright. "Few more like that, and I’m going to be in real danger if the fight drags on."

Ding! HP: 2000 → 1800

Nearby, a piercing cry tore through the din as Lomar, one of the three-star warriors, suffered a deep gash from Rok’tar’s sweeping tail attack. His three-star power hadn’t shielded him from the alpha’s monstrous blow. Lomar tumbled backward, thick fluid seeping from the open wound. The entire battlefield seemed to pause for a fraction of a second, the hush broken only by the alpha’s ragged breathing and Captain Darius’s silent, ice-cold stare.

Kai clenched his mandibles, ignoring the sting in his side. He needed a stronger advantage. His Tiny Tank and Reflex Mode were already active, locked in their durations. But he still had other tools. A swirl of passion in his gut, and he activated:

[Antenna Sensory Boost. Aura -200. Current Aura: 1600 → 1400.]

Though typically used for scanning entire fields and reading pheromones, he’d apply it in a laser-focused sense to detect Rok’tar’s subtle shifts in posture. The alpha, recovering from its tail swipe, locked eyes on Kai.

Kai advanced, his heart pounding. "Focus on me, you monster," he yelled.

He read the alpha’s stance. From the angle of its hind legs, he suspected Rok’tar was about to lunge with another catastrophic charge. With heightened senses, Kai timed his step exactly, meeting Rok’tar’s chest with a powerful mandible strike.

But the alpha’s forward momentum hammered him backward, and another thunderous blow cracked across his flank. He felt the impact ring through his exoskeleton, HP dropping by another 200.

Ding! HP: 1800 → 1600.

He bared his teeth, breathing ragged. "I can’t keep taking hits," Kai realized. Three more direct blows and he’d be at half HP.

Meanwhile, the alpha roared, slamming aside two ants who tried to distract it. The ground vibrated with each of Rok’tar’s steps, the beast’s molten eyes shining with unstoppable fury.

But Kai had an unwavering goal kill before it kills you. If he didn’t finish it off, he’d gain nothing. Summoning everything left in his arsenal, he invoked active workers’ resilience.

[Worker’s Resilience. Aura -200. Current Aura: 1400 → 1200.]

A fresh wave of stamina coursed through him. The cost was steep—he’d be paying for it once the effect wore off. But the doping effect on his muscles let him grip the ground more firmly. He ground his mandibles.