The battle in the overcrowded hole-filled chamber continued without pause, as if time itself had stopped turning inside this dark nest. Thick green fluid from the crushed worker ants flooded the already slippery stone floor, creating sticky puddles that made every step feel dangerous and unstable. Each time a foot landed, a disgusting schlup... crrretch... sound echoed, mixed with the increasingly pungent metallic smell of green blood. The acidic damp earth scent now blended with the stench of rotting flesh caused by Alicia’s Corrosion Aura, making the air feel like being inside the stomach of a giant monster digesting its prey alive.

Sylvia stood firm at the front line, her cold pale undead body already completely drenched in thick green fluid. Her black dress, adorned with living bone and chain motifs, was soaked through, dripping acidic liquid that corroded the fabric but couldn’t harm her undead flesh. Her Abyss Chains continued shooting out from the shadows on the floor and walls, moving like dozens of living black snakes thirsting for blood. SCHLAAAKKK! One chain shot forward with lightning speed, piercing a worker ant’s mandible, coiling around its struggling body, and slamming it into the wall with tremendous force until its exoskeleton shattered into pieces. Black fragments flew everywhere as green fluid spurted like a foul fountain.

Her sharp, extending zombie claws tore open another enemy’s stomach with a horrifying RIPPP! RIPPP! sound. Green innards spilled onto the floor, mixing with the previous pools and making the room’s stench even more unbearable. Sylvia moved with cold efficiency, without excessive emotion, but her dark red eyes glowed with intense concentration. She knew this battle wasn’t just about survival, it was a test of whether they could conquer this living nest.

Beside her, Stacia fought wildly and with the characteristic enthusiasm of a Fallen Angel. Her eight jet-black wings spread wide, releasing cold winds full of darkness with every movement. Her grimoire spun in her hand like a living war hammer THUD! CRACK! BOOM! crushing the heads of approaching worker ants until their antennae and mandibles shattered. Occasionally she unleashed sharp wind spells from the open pages "Gale Slash!" creating black wind blades that sliced through the front lines of ants like cutting dry grass. Her eight wings functioned as eight living sword blades, slashing enemy legs with repeated slash! slash! slash! sounds. Her gray dress covered in dark runes was already soaked with green fluid, but the runes glowed, absorbing some of the enemies’ energy to strengthen herself.

Alicia remained at the back of the formation, her pure white translucent spirit body floating nimbly in the air like a protective ghost. Her wooden magic staff glowed continuously with holy white light, creating a sharp contrast against the chamber’s darkness. She stacked debuffs without pause, her soft yet firm voice echoing through the chaos: "Weakness Shell! Slow Movement! Corrosion Aura! Muscle Fatigue! Heavy Weight!" The effects were clearly visible. The worker ants’ hard shells began to soften like heated wax, their movements slowed dramatically as if trapped in mud, and even small wounds immediately rotted rapidly, releasing pungent green acidic smoke. Some severely wounded ants even collapsed under their own weight, their thick legs breaking with satisfying crack! crack! sounds.

Sol, the loyal golden kitten perched on Sylvia’s shoulder, continued firing golden laser beams PEW! PEW! PEW! with deadly precision. Each shot pierced the head or vital joints of worker ants, leaving perfect burn holes that made the monsters convulse before dying. Its tail moved quickly, its golden eyes shining with focus, occasionally leaping slightly to avoid splashes of green fluid.

However, after several minutes of exhausting, intense combat, Sylvia noticed a change in the battlefield pattern. Some worker ants in the front line began retreating in an organized manner, leaving an eerie empty space in front of the three sisters. Their movements were too disciplined to be simple fear-driven retreat. Their long antennae vibrated rapidly and in sync, sending invisible emergency pheromone signals deep into the nest.

Master... Sol’s voice sounded in Sylvia’s mind through telepathy, its small tone full of caution and slight tension. The soldier ants have arrived. These ones are much stronger than the previous ones. Be careful.

And sure enough...

From the large holes in the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, the ground shook violently. KRRRRKKK... KRRRRKKK... The sound of much heavier and more threatening scraping legs filled the chamber, as if stone was being gnawed by living war machines. New figures emerged one by one. Soldier Ants! Their bodies were far more impressive, reaching nearly four meters in height, with longer, double-bladed sword-like mandibles and sharply curved front legs like deadly scythes, ready to slash anything in their way. Their exoskeletons were much thicker and glossy pitch-black, covered with faint natural rune patterns as if granted by nature itself to strengthen their defense. The aura of power emanating from their bodies felt oppressive, making the air even heavier. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The moment they appeared, the soldier ants charged forward with perfect coordination. They even slashed through the worker ants still in their path without hesitation SCHWIIISH! SCHWIIISH! Worker ant bodies were sliced into two or three pieces in an instant, green fluid spurting heavily like monster blood rain.

Sylvia reacted immediately. She ordered the newly created zombie ants to swarm the nearest soldier ants. Dozens of zombie ants moved with unnatural roars, trying to tear and bite from all sides. But the soldier ants simply slashed once with their mandibles or scythe legs. SCHWIIISH! Zombie ant bodies were cleanly cut in half, green fluid spraying in all directions. Their strength and durability were truly on a different level.

"Very strong," Sylvia murmured coldly, her eyes narrowing. She advanced and unleashed her zombie claw attack with full power. RIPPP! Her sharp claws struck a soldier ant’s exoskeleton. Instead of tearing flesh, her own claws broke with a loud CRACK! Sharp pain shot through Sylvia’s arm, though her undead flesh immediately regenerated in seconds. "Their armor is too thick. Normal physical attacks aren’t enough."

She switched to Chain of Abyss. One chain shot forward SCHLAAAKKK! striking a soldier ant’s chest. Only a small crack appeared. Sylvia frowned, then combined five chains into one heavy attack. The thicker, stronger jet-black chains launched like a giant dark spear. SCHLAAAAAKKKK!!! This time it successfully pierced the soldier ant’s chest with tremendous force, bursting out from its back. The monster roared in agony before its body collapsed heavily to the floor, shaking the entire chamber.

But before Sylvia could breathe a sigh of relief, more soldier ants emerged from the holes. Their numbers kept increasing rapidly, as if this nest was an inexhaustible troop factory. The already crowded chamber felt even more cramped, and the sound of their heavy scraping legs krrrt... krrrt... krrrt... sounded like endless war drums.

Stacia tried her wind magic again. "Gale Cutter!" Sharp wind blades shot forward, but only left shallow scratches on the soldier ants’ thick shells. "My wind magic isn’t effective enough! Their armor is too strong for physical attacks!" She switched to more mana-intensive space magic. "Spatial Slash!" The space in front of the soldier ants suddenly tore apart like ripped fabric. Deep wounds that couldn’t be blocked by physical defense appeared, green blood spurting heavily from the dimensional gaps.

Alicia never stopped for a moment. She continued stacking debuffs with high precision: "Heavy Weight! Slow Movement! Muscle Weakness! Corrosion Aura! Joint Lock!" The affected soldier ants began moving extremely slowly, their bodies as if crushed under an invisible mountain’s weight. Some already severely wounded ones even collapsed under their own body weight, their thick legs snapping with satisfying crack! crack! sounds.

The battle grew increasingly brutal and horrifying. Sylvia fought at the front line with a combination of chains and regenerating claws, her body like a tireless killing machine. Stacia used deadly space magic combined with physical grimoire attacks and her eight wings. Alicia supported from behind with nonstop debuffs, causing many soldier ants to die from their own weakness before they could even get close. Sol assisted with continuous golden laser beams, piercing gaps in armor already cracked by Spatial Slash.

However, the pressure continued to increase drastically. The newly emerging soldier ants grew more numerous and more ferocious. One soldier ant managed to break through the formation and approached Alicia with surprising speed. Its sword-like mandible raised high, ready to tear the white spirit body apart. Stacia reacted instantly, protecting her sister with her jet-black wings. CLANG!!! The sound of a heavy impact echoed. Her wing was deeply gashed, but the dark runes glowed and quickly healed the wound. Still, Stacia grimaced in pain.

Sylvia frowned deeply. "This isn’t an ordinary battle. This nest is like a living creature defending itself with all its strength. We need to find the queen or the core of this nest if we want to end it."

Even so, the flow of EXP pouring into Sylvia’s body continued to increase. Her level rose slowly but surely, granting new power that flowed through her entire undead body. The soul bond allowed Stacia and Alicia to also feel real increases in strength, even though they had to work harder and more in sync.

The battle in this ant nest was still far from over. Soldier ants continued pouring in without end from the depths of the dark holes, while the three sisters fought tirelessly in the middle of an seemingly endless black sea of monsters.