Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 150 • Crimson Blooming

In the grand hall of the ant tribe's castle, the entire populace of the ant city had sought refuge, escaping the rampant chaos unfolding in their city.

Among the crowd within the grand hall, the Kingin mother and child, who Akun had saved earlier, found themselves. Rok, the young Kingin boy, was absentmindedly scratching his belly, tears streaming down his cheeks as he spoke, "Mommy, do you think we'll ever see daddy again?"

Gina, the Kingin mother, crouched down and responded with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Rok. Our liege is not weak. He'll definitely save daddy for us, so don't cry, okay?" She gently wiped away his tears with her hands, offering him comfort amid the chaos.

Rok sniffled, his tears subsiding, and replied, "Okay, mommy." Gina smiled at her son's response and asked playfully, "Is your belly feeling itchy, Rok?" Her smile soon faded when Rok responded, "No, mommy, it's feeling weird, like something is moving inside." There was a hint of distress in his voice.

Gina chuckled softly and reassured him, "Don't worry, raise up your shirt, and let mommy take a look, okay?"

"Okay," Rok replied and proceeded to lift up his shirt. However, what Gina saw caused her eyes to widen in fear, and she gasped in shock.

Vividly, it appeared that veins were bulging all over Rok's stomach, pulsing with an strange rhythm.

Gina mumbled with fear in her voice, "W-what is this?" Enjoy new chapters from empire

"Ughaa!"

Suddenly, Rok coughed up blood as he fell to his knees, his voice filled with agony. "Mommy! it hurts, it hurts, make it stop!"

Gina yelled, "Rok!" as a red flower sprouted from Rok's stomach, the beautiful red petals seemed out of place when compared with the boy's pale skin.

Gina's earlier shout had drew the attention of everyone in the hall. She held her son close, comforting him as she said, "Don't worry, baby! Mommy is going to make sure nothing happens to you!" She took a step forward, wanting to protect Rok. But suddenly, her own body gave out on her.

She coughed up blood, collapsing to the ground with Rok in her arms. A red flower sprouted from her stomach as well, looking exactly likethe one growth out of her son.

Their gazes locked, and Rok mumbled with a trembling voice, "M-mommy, I'm scared." Blood flowed from both sides of his mouth as his body shook uncontrollably. Gina, with a forced smile, reassured him though she was also in pain. "Don't worry, Rok. Mommy is here. Nothing will happen to you."

Blood streamed down both sides of her mouth as she caressed his head, touched his cheeks, and brought him in for a loving embrace. In their shared fear, mother and son clung to each other.

Rok and Gina soon fell unconscious, their surroundings were now covered with red flowers that bloomed across their bodies, creating a bone chilling human garden. As this transformation occurred, the flowers emitted a red mist, covering them in a strange aura.

In the grand hall, the other Kingin witnessed this terrifying display. A wave of shock swept through them, and an elderly man's voice broke the silence. He urgently yelled, "Go get a guardian!" But before anyone could heed his call, Mara and Luna were already on their way.

"Alright, people, make way! Coming through," Mara mumbled as she and Luna made their way through the concerned Kingin. They ran as fast as the could.

Upon reaching the scene, Mara couldn't help but mumble, "Yikes, what happened here?"

Luna approached as well, but she unknowingly inhaled the crimson mist, causing her to cough. Concerned, Mara turned to her and asked, "Hey, you good?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Luna replied with a faint cough. She proceeded to walk up to the mother and son who had been transformed into a living garden.

She crouched down and examined the flowers, activating the 'Inspect' skill bestowed upon her by Akun, allowing her to comprehend the nature of the threat they were facing.

Before her eyes, a red status window appeared:

[Name: Crimson Blossom

Nature: Skill

Description: Born from the roots of the Dryad ancient tree, the purpose of these flowers is to facilitate the remote absorption of life force from those who managed to escape being impaled by the tree's roots. The flower will sprout on those pirced by the tree's roots before, causing the target to lose consciousness, enabling other flowers to emerge across their bodies.

Once this occurs, the flowers will begin releasing a blood mist containing microseeds of the Crimson Blossom. Those who inhale it become infected. The blood mist is created by the flowers as they absorb the blood, life force, and soul essence of their victims, channeling 99% of it to the tree while using the remaining 1% to generate the mist.

The flowers will continue blooming, claiming more lives, unless the main tree's host perishes. A flower withers only when all the blood, life force, and soul essence of its victims have been entirely depleted.

Skill Creator: Miazeo]

Luna's thoughts raced as she read the information on the status window, a dreadful realization dawning upon her. She mumbled to herself, "Wait, that means that I just..."

Suddenly, Mara's voice pierced through her thoughts. "Hey, Luna, are you okay? You seem frozen all of a sudden," Mara asked as she began walking towards Luna.

But Luna panicked and yelled, "Stay back!" She turned to face Mara, a red flower had sprouted directly above her right eye. Luna attempted to say something important, "The mist, you must not..." However, before she could finish her statement, she coughed up blood and fell to the ground, unconscious.

In the midst of the crimson mist, Mara's voice rang out desperately, "Luna!" She charged into the mist, coughing as she approached Luna, but it was already too late – Luna was completely covered in the red flowers.

Mara's thoughts raced as she knelt in the midst of the spreading crimson mist. Luna's warning echoed in her mind. "The mist? What did she want to say? Is it dangerous?" She thought about the possible threat that was hidden within the red fog, desperate for answers as time continued to slip away.

Panic and confusion gripped Mara. She muttered to herself, "What the hell is going on?" Inwardly, she realized their only option was to get their liege. As she stepped out of the mist, Mara noticed that the red fog was rapidly spreading throughout the grand hall.