Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 155 There Is Hope....

Unknown to Akun, the parts of the tree he had carved open to reveal Oliver were slowly closing up. As they sealed shut, a tremendous red flower emerged, facing the castle. Energy gathered around it as the flower bloomed, a sinister presence looming in the air.

Akun and the other Evolved ants, with their naturally heightened senses, could smell the sudden change in the air. All of them swiftly turned their attention to the giant flower that had bloomed and was gathering energy. An air of concern and alarm filled the group as they realized the potential danger of this sinister development.

The flower unleashed its concentrated life energy blast, and the powerful beam struck the barrier that was used to encase it eariler, created by Akun's aspect power. The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the barrier, causing it to crack. Akun watched with growing concern as the barrier began to falter under the immense power of the blast.

As Akun's eyes settled on the flower, his mind raced with concern. "Wait, don't tell me, that must be it's concentrated life energy blast... If that's true, it would be very powerful," he thought. He glanced back at the lifeless bodies in the grand hall, his resolve hardening. "After all, it has stolen the life force of nearly everyone," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

"I can't allow it to take any more."

Realizing that the other guardians were in danger, Akun swiftly stood up and exited the barrier encasing the castle. He sped toward the front of the guardians and created another barrier. With a serious tone, he instructed, "You all should stand back."

The guardians and the guards listened to him and stepped to the side, their collective gazes directed at the cracking barrier and the bomb-like flower. Their expressions were grim as they all hoped for the best.

Inwardly, Akun mused, "The reason that beam is able to crack the barrier is most likely because I was shaken by the sight I saw in the castle, causing me to lose focus and weakening the barrier, so I better clear my mind now an make sure this barrier doesn't brake."

The aspect power barrier encasing the tree finally broke, shattering into a hundreds of sparkling fragments, and the concentrated life energy blast burst forward, heading directly for the castle. Akun, witnessing this approaching disaster, braced himself for the unavoidable impact.

"Here it comes!" He mused inwardly.

Time appeared to slow as the approaching blast grew nearer, and the energy's intensity became overwhelming. Akun fixed his gaze on the oncoming force, causing the world around him to blur as he stood his ground, ready to defend the guardians and the castle.

Upon impact, the massive, concentrated life energy blast caused the ground beneath Akun to tremble intensely. The energy's sheer power sent shockwaves through the earth, resulting in violent quakes. The guardians and guards surrounding Akun remained on high alert as they witnessed the earth's response to the impending devastation.

The concentrated life energy shot struck Akun's hastily erected barrier with incredible force, leading to some parts of the blast deflecting wildly due to the immense pressure. These shots collided with a section of the castle not previously shielded by Akun's aspect power. With a deafening roar, that part of the castle began to crumble and collapse.

As the castle section crumbled, Ember's voice rang out in alarm, "It's coming down!"

Akun, his eyes locked on the falling debris, felt a sense of frustration welling up inside him. He clenched his teeth as he realized, "Those blasts that deflected somehow ended up hitting the parts of the castle I just so happened to not be defending...

Just my luck." Despite his irritation, he remained focused on ensuring that no one got hurt in the falling wreckage, as it became clear that their situation continued to grow more dire.

With a grit and sweat forming on his brow, Akun extended his arms and harnessed his aspect power. Through great effort, he managed to catch the falling rubble and debris, carefully guiding them to the ground. His potent aspect power facilitated a controlled descent for the once-falling castle sections, preventing further damage and instilling a sense of relief in the awe-struck guardians.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Akun reached out to the system once more, his desperation evident in his voice, "System! Are you absolutely certain there's no skill in the shop that can save Oliver?"

The system's response was consistent, [As the system has informed the player earlier, no skill exists in the shop for this particular purpose.]

Akun clenched his teeth as he grappled with the harsh reality, murmuring to himself, "I can't keep defending like this. Even I would run out of energy if this goes on any longer... It seems I will have to... kill Oliver, I could try bringing him back later with Xalender's help."

Just when it felt like hope was slipping away, an idea suddenly struck Akun. His face brightened as he realized, "Xalender!? That's right! Resurrection! I can bring everyone back once I've dealt with Oliver, I can also bring him back once this is all over." For the first time in a while, a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon. Little did he know what challenges still lay ahead.

With a determined plan in mind, Akun immediately created a colossal dark silver railgun directly above the castle, its barrel pointed menacingly at the tree. He initiated its spinning motion, whispering to himself, "I don't know how powerful the tree is, but considering all the damage it has caused, I'll start the railgun at 40%."

As the railgun began to spin faster and faster, crackling with aspect power, a sense of awe and trepidation filled the air. All the guardians and guards looked up in astonishment at the colossal structure looming above them.

Leona, Zara, Finn, and Kael, who had never witnessed such a sight before, exchanged bewildered glances, their voices laced with confusion and fear.

"My liege!" Leona exclaimed, pointing at the massive black object hovering over the castle. "What is that?"

Finn chimed in, "Yeah, what she said. What the hell is that?"

Zara added, "It looks weird."

Ember, however, wore a confident smile as he reassured them, "You guys shouldn't worry. That's one of our liege's ultimate moves."

Kael, still perplexed, inquired, "Oh, really?"

With resolve in his eyes, Akun swiftly disintegrated the remaining remnants of the shattered aspect power barrier that had previously encased the tree.

He then commanded, "Fire! Silver railgun!" Discover stories at empire

In the blink of an eye, the colossal railgun released its devastating shot, striking the tree with unimaginable force. A resounding boom reverberated through the desolate forest, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. The impact created a massive dust cloud that billowed into the air, obscuring the tree and putting an end to the concentrated life energy blasts it had been releasing earlier.

As the dust cloud began to settle and the air grew still, Leona and the others gazed upon the scene with bated breath. They watched as Akun removed the barrier that had safeguarded them from the tree's wrath, although he kept the one in place that was containing the crimson mist. The question hung heavily in the air as Leona mumbled, "Is it over?"

Akun turned his attention back to Ivy, who lay on the ground, covered in the stubborn red flowers. He watched in growing concern as they showed no signs of withering away, contrary to his expectations. Perplexed, he mused inwardly, "What's going on? I thought the flowers are supposed to wither away once the host tree dies."

Amidst his thoughts, Finn's voice cut through the uncertainty. "Look, guys, over there," he exclaimed, pointing toward the damaged tree. Despite the significant harm it had suffered, it was astonishingly regenerating.

Akun shifted his attention back to the tree, and what he saw left him utterly astonished. The tree, split down the center with Oliver's core partially exposed and his head blown off, was undergoing a miraculous regeneration. In a state of awe, Akun couldn't help but exclaim, "What the..."

He swiftly realized that he couldn't afford to hold anything back. While he had initially been concerned about minimizing collateral damage, the tree's resilience had shown him the gravity of the situation. With determination in his eyes, Akun muttered to himself, "I can't worry about the surrounding area when facing such an opponent. I'll have to go all out."

Instantly, Akun initiated the rapid spinning of the railgun once more. However, this time, the speed was so incredible that the railgun seemed to disappear into thin air, generating a powerful upward pull on everything around it.

Concerned, Ember couldn't stay silent any longer. "My liege! Don't you think this is too much?" he added.

Akun looked back at the guardians and guards who had been watching in silent anxiety. They all wore expressions of worry, and he responded with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Things are going to be alright."

His words had a calming effect on everyone present. Akun then shifted his gaze back to the regenerating tree and declared, "Fire. Silver railgun... 100%."

In an instant, the railgun fired, releasing a colossal blast of white light that engulfed nearly half of the godforsaken forest.