I Became an Ant Lord, So I Built a Hive Full of Beauties
Chapter 253: The Fog Below the Flame

Chapter 253: 253: The Fog Below the Flame

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Azhara nearly dropped her sketchbook. "Are we eloping?! I didn’t pack my lingerie leaves!"

Kai crossed his arms. "You won’t need them."

"Oh. So we are eloping."

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just listen."

Akayoroi stepped forward. "Explain."

Kai took a breath. "We’re not walking on the land roads. We’re flying."

Vel narrowed her eyes. "Flying... with what wings exactly? We don’t have wings, sir Kai. At least not yet."

He smirked. "I know, I know, We’ll be riding Alka." NovelFire

Silence.

Azhara tilted her head. "Like the beauty bath powder for itchy lower lips?"

"What? What are you saying?" Kai asked her, then said, "Never mind. I don’t wanna know. Alka is... a predator beast."

Sha narrowed her eyes. "What kind of beast? Who the hell is Alka?"

Kai gave her a serious look. "The Sable Crested Alkaidon."

Everyone blinked.

Azhara tilted her head like a confused owl. "Sounds like a fancy pastry name."

"Nope," Kai replied. "Alka is a six star rank aerial marine type predator. Black plumes. Blade crested. About twenty meters wingspan when gliding. Alka can divebomb from the clouds and swim in the abyss. Has wind manipulation. Also hates being brushed the wrong way."

Vel’s mouth dropped. "Wait. You tamed that predator bird?"

"No," he said. "We made a pact. Alka doesn’t depend on aura control. Alka acts on loyalty and respect. She’s an autonomous mount, not a pet."

Naaro’s eyes widened. "You mean... she agreed to carry us?"

Kai nodded. "She syncs with my aura now. I can guide her flight path from kilometers away. She’ll land by the tree spine clearing before dusk."

Azhara slowly raised a hand. "Did I hear that right? You bonded with a flying fish eagle goddess beast that can cut through storms... and you forgot to mention it?! It’s also a female... How many more females do you need?"

Kai shrugged sheepishly. "Stop that. She is a pure beast. She will remain that way. Why didn’t I tell you all earlier... I meant to. But I got distracted by four leaves wearing girls. Then I was with akayoroi. I didn’t get the time to tell you all about her. "

A silence fell in the room. It’s their fault. They were busy tasting his anaconda. Kai was busy satisfying them. They can’t argue with that.

Vel pinched the bridge of her nose. "So instead of marching through beast-infested gorges and thunder land, we get to ride an air hunter with mood issues?"

"Yes."

Azhara gasped. "Like a majestic sky warrior?"

"Yes."

"While holding on to your—"

"Don’t finish that," Kai snapped.

Akayoroi raised an elegant brow. "And how much weight can she carry?"

"Maybe, about thirty adult warriors or half a boulder nest. We only bring what matters. No extra luggage."

Sha’s jaw dropped. "You want us to leave the gear?! What about food, supplies, the egg carts?!"

"We take only the Queen’s chamber eggs, the relic crate, and personal weapons. Alka’s glide field protects against ranged attacks, and I’m not risking overloading her."

Akayoroi’s expression tightened with calculation. "You’ve already coordinated this."

Kai nodded. "A new friend delivered the message. Alka’s en route."

Azhara’s ears twitched. "Wait—what friend?"

Kai paused. "Just a friend. A strong one. You don’t have to know. That friend is one who helped me get the Alka."

Vel muttered, "That’s so vague it hurts."

Sha elbowed her. "You just came here, you already made friends. Is your new friend a female too, sir Kai?"

Then something happened. A faint thud pulsed through the floor. Kai’s smile vanished.

Akayoroi’s antennae twitched. "...That wasn’t thunder."

Another tremor. Deeper this time. Then the hiss.

Kai turned, eyes narrowing. "Get behind me. Now."

Azhara shot up, nose twitching. "Something’s wrong. The air... it smells off."

Naaro whispered, "It’s... it’s poison fog."

From the shaft beneath the meeting hall, a dull hum began to rise. Wet. Sick. As if hundreds of swollen creatures were breathing through rotted lungs.

Then the smell hit them. Not smoke. Not sulfur. It was Rot. Sweet, sticky rot. Like nectar left out too long. Twisted with decay.

Vel backed up quickly. "That’s not mist."

A sickly green vapor began curling along the moss-lined floor, slithering like living fingers toward the hall.

Sha darted forward, heart racing. "No! The eggs!"

Akayoroi snapped to full height, her voice ringing like a blade on stone. "Seal the upper chambers! Now! Those eggs are our brother and sister. We must protect them."

But it was too late.

The fog surged upward in pulsing, unnatural waves, spilling from wall vents, cracks, and lower tunnels. The glowing moss dimmed to a sickly yellow as poison crept through.

Azhara’s eyes widened in horror. "That’s aura forged fog. I can see the aura threading through it!"

Kai’s instincts screamed. He stepped toward the front corridor, the fog now curling near his boots.

"No!" Akayoroi grabbed his wrist. "You don’t know what’s in there!"

"I do now."

[System Alert: WARNING. Host exposed to unidentified toxic field.

Analyzing... Necrotic Affliction Confirmed. Target: Insectoid Nervous Systems.

Recommended Action: Aura Shell / Aura layer Deployment.]

Kai’s blood ran cold.

"They’re targeting you," he said, staring at the fog. "Ant biology. It’s engineered."

Vel coughed. "Who the hell would do this?!"

"I don’t know," Kai growled. "But they knew where to strike. And when."

Azhara pulled a silk bandana over her mouth. "Do we fight it? Burn it? Lick it?!"

"No licking!" Naaro shouted, already wrapping her scarf around her face.

Akayoroi’s voice rang out, precise and commanding. "Form the barrier! Evacuate the nurseries! Protect the eggs with wrapped aura cocoons!"

Kai stepped forward, the poisonous vapor creeping toward him like a curious pet.

"System," he murmured. "Give me the shell."

[Confirmed. Activating Aura Shell: Compression Mode.]

A gleaming blue film flared across his skin, hardening like invisible armor.

He turned to face the others. "We don’t have time. I’ll hold them back. You all secure your previous queen eggs."

Sha rushed to his side. "You can’t fight alone."