Myriad Devils-Chapter 71: Flesh Ripping Ants

In the Blood-Drip Jungle, a group of thunder cloud wolves had fallen, their corpses littering the earth. The group’s dead leader had been reduced to a puddle of blood, which had already been absorbed by the jungle as nutrients.

On the other hand, these corpses became nutrients for the living creatures of the Blood-Drip Jungle.

Crunch!

It was the sound of flesh and bones being animalistically torn apart and crushed under a powerful force.

Usually, ants were one of the least frightening creatures to the average human.

This was certainly true in the old world, where ants measured only about ten millimeters in size.

However, when these ants experienced the baptism of the apocalypse, they evolved from ten millimeters to centimeters long, then to inches, and finally gave birth to a species known as flesh-ripping ants, with an average body length of around a foot. These once-not-so-frightening insects suddenly became quite alarming.

Over fifty flesh-ripping ants rummaged through an open field littered with more than two dozen thunder cloud wolf corpses.

They were the sole reason for the splattering of blood and guts, dirtying the earth where the wolves’ remains lay.

This scene did nothing to improve their horrifying image.

Sometime thereafter, the corpses of the wolves disappeared without a trace. In their place, small craters appeared in several parts of the jungle floor, where puddles of black fluid bubbled and released sizzling sounds.

These flesh-ripping ants did not traverse the land unless pursuing prey.

Without any significant hints of their presence, they disappeared into a world unseen by the human eye, moving through the earth beneath Anon’s feet.

...

The gap between stellar fighters and normal humans was so vast that even a hundred men might not be comparable to one stellar fighter. However, this disparity was not as pronounced when comparing two stellar fighters.

The same principle applied when comparing a stellar fighter to a beast or plant beast.

So, even if a stellar fighter could confront multiple other stellar fighters, an increasing number would inevitably pose a threat.

This truth made the existence of flesh-ripping ants even more terrifying. Individually, they were weaker than the thunder cloud wolves, yet...

Pa! Pa! Pa!

Seth’s staff sent ripples into the surroundings as it pierced the exoskeleton of four flesh-ripping ants in the blink of an eye.

Though it caused these four ants severe wounds that left them almost lifeless, eight more flesh-ripping ants rushed toward Seth.

However, he was already a step ahead, retreating the moment he vanquished the initial ants. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the eight ants; what truly irked him was clear.

The "vanquished ants," all four of them, were used as the grounding for eight more to utilize as they shot towards Seth, and right after, the gaping holes on their bodies underwent a transformation as their bodies trembled and their muscles twitched.

Shooting back up to their feet, it all occurred almost in the blink of an eye. So, in a moment’s notice, Seth was suddenly assaulted by twelve flesh ripping ants.

It wasn’t just him though!

Bam! Crack! Crunch!

Lightning-fast jabs rocketed into the bodies of several flesh ripping ants; still, no matter how much damage they did, it didn’t give Felix any confidence whatsoever.

Everywhere he punched and kicked, these flesh-eating ants fell; however, they got back up soon after, like an army of undead, and not just that, but lunged at him with two and three more companions alongside them.

Dark green veins attempted to bulge through Felix’s skin as his body slowly yet surely grew into a burlier form, his every punch becoming more overbearing and powerful, and his every step becoming more earth-shattering and forceful as he, along with the rest of his companions, with their lives on the line, tried to escape from a colony of blood-drinking ants.

Anon’s shadow maneuvered through the trees, from branch to branch, many meters above the earth, and yet, the relentless wave of blood-drinking ants didn’t let up, maybe even focusing on him even more than the others.

’Well, isn’t this problematic?!’ His eyebrows were furrowed whilst a mocking smile tugged at his lips.

A sizzling noise entered his ears, causing them to perk up. Tightening the grip on his golden staff, a powerful breath escaped from his lips as his staff struck out, piercing through an incoming blast of black fluids and soon after, the fleshy form that the fluid originated from.

Entering through one side, Anon’s staff exited through the other side of a flesh ripping ant. His staff violently trembled as the veins on his forearms bulged allowing him to exert the physical prowess of a second world stellar fighter, causing the ant’s body to explode into meaty chunks of bloody mess that tainted the near vicinity.

In the blink of an eye, he had thoroughly taken care of a flesh ripping ant, giving it true death, and still, after completing such an act, a deep scowl was etched across his face.

’Now that I’ve killed one,’ he didn’t even finish his thoughts as his feet landed atop a tree branch.

Raw strength coursed through his legs as he pushed himself into the distance.

The force caused the branch to explode, but more glaring was the sight of several flesh ripping ants scaling up the tree’s trunk.

Though they were merely beast soldiers, their eight feet allowed for an even quicker initial burst of speed than what a second world stellar fighter like Anon could complete against.

On top of that, there were the numerous flesh ripping ants that were previously on his trail. As Anon maneuvered through the air, in his wake, a trail of twenty-some flesh ripping ants, black in color, lunged towards him.

Their skin shimmered under the blood red nightly skies.

’The more power I reveal, the more of these damnable creatures would come after me!’ Anon’s eyes revealed a frosty and ruthless light as he subtly observed one of these flesh ripping ants from the corner of his eyes.

’Their antennae are said to be highly sensitive to the stellar energies in the air, so every attack and movement I make while harnessing the power of the second world only draws them closer.’

Though this meant that he could technically ease the burden that the other members of his group were suffering from...

When Anon’s gaze picked up on them...

From Seth to Melissa, Andrew, Catharina, and Felix, and finally, Bolan... Ease their burden?

’Besides water, there isn’t anything else that can save me right now...’ He sighed inwardly.

If he could’ve transferred the focus of these ants to the other members of his group, he’d have done it long ago.

However, right now, with no other choice, he and Seth, along with the rest of the group, followed Andrew, each working together as they attempted to escape these beasts with Andrew’s help, he whose perception was the sharpest, most astute at achieving what they were desperately seeking.

Swoosh!

Bolan leapt from a tree trunk, just barely evading a gush of dark fluids. Said trunk saw itself almost instantaneously eaten away by this dark acidic fluid.

Thereafter, Bolan’s twin blades shone with dark light as they traversed the air, severing parts of the flesh ripping ants at any chance they got.

With exquisite skill, he immobilized the many beast soldiers that rushed towards him as even more lunged at him.

’Isn’t this problematic,’ Bolan shook his head, yet his abyss-like eyes didn’t reveal even the slightest trace of worry. ’It would be good if these flesh ripping ants get rid of Anon and Seth,’ his eyes fell on Anon some distance away.

Besides Felix, Anon was chased by the most ants.

On the other hand, Seth was only assaulted by eight, at times ten, but never higher than twelve ants.

Only Melissa was attacked by less, and still, whilst she struggled to keep herself safe, it was obvious that Seth had an easy time.

’He’s quite terrifying,’ Bolan mused inwardly, ’Master referred to him, I’m sure.’ His gaze landed on Anon once more, ’Your death at this time would be good, it’ll be too good to be true.’

Though flesh ripping ants were lunging towards him, his state of being was still calm enough to release a slight chuckle, ’But your end is much closer than you think.’

Seth’s image appeared in his mind, causing his thoughts to churn, ’Both of your ends, it is an inevitability.’

"Hahahahaha!" A burst of laughter, so loud it could cause one’s mind to buzz, suddenly resounded out.

Not Bolan, it was Andrew who excitedly alerted the other members of his group, "To the east, follow me quickly! Follow me, I hear it!"

Abruptly, they all turned, altering the direction of their escape, with even Melissa leaving a small crater on the earth as she stomped down to bring her body to a halt and thereafter, burst forth with incredible speed to her left.

On the other hand, golden snowflakes materialized before Catharina as she used them to help ease into a sudden alteration in the direction in which she was bolting towards.

Only Felix was greatly affected by momentum, tripping and skidding across the dirt as he tried to turn to his left all of a sudden.

But out of all the members in this group, only Felix could somewhat easily handle the repercussions caused from losing his balance.

As the flesh ripping ants that trailed behind swarmed atop his body, spewing acidic fluids that burnt his flesh and blood, Felix’s heart thumped with fever as even more bulging veins formed throughout his body.

"Arghhhh!"

Releasing a yell resembling more, the growl of a beast, he slowly rose to his feet whilst still submerged in a swarm of flesh ripping ants.

Like a small giant, he easily towered over eight feet, and with only one palm, he grabbed hold of six ants, crushing them and shattering their exoskeleton, as if without any resistance!