First, I had to handle the ants flanking me. They surged toward us from the corridor, their paralysis finally dissipating. Fortunately, their movements remained sluggish, likely a lingering effect from the intense lightning strike they had endured.0

I summoned shadow spears below the ants nearest the iron door, impaling them, before slamming the door shut with all my strength. Thankfully, it had a locking mechanism. I hurriedly twisted the latch, but a thought crossed my mind.0

How would I have entered if it had been locked? 0

If I hadn’t snuck by the guards, the locked door would have proved to be an impenetrable obstacle—in the short term at least. 0

Did one of the ants we bypassed earlier have a key? 0

Though I hadn’t noticed any key-bearing ants, the idea seemed plausible. Regardless, since I was already inside, there was no point dwelling on it.0

I turned my attention back to the ants, scrutinizing them.0

Queen ant, worker ants... and are those winged ones males?0

The ants were postured tensely, ready and poised to attack. Unlike the queen and workers, the males sported enormous mandibles, indicating a reliance on physical strength rather than magical ability.2

I had trapped about thirty ants inside the chamber with me. Compared to the hordes outside, however, that seemed manageable. Utilizing the pause in combat, I began to formulate a plan.0

A smirk tugged at my lips. 0

This provoked the queen ant to snap angrily, “My children didn’t send any signal!...0