Faced with Ryuji Goto's question, Castorice didn't answer right away. Instead, she took a moment to observe the reactions of the others.
Only after seeing that the Korean hunters had no objections did she finally speak up.
"There's no need for everyone to worry too much. Hunter Sung is exceptionally strong. The swarm in the sky won't last long under his hands."
Hearing this, everyone instinctively glanced upward.
They then noticed that the dark cloud-like swarm had already been torn open by Sung Jinwoo, leaving a massive gap.
At his current pace, he'd probably clear it all in just over half an hour.
But no one expected him to keep up that intensity indefinitely—people get tired, after all. So, stretching the estimated time to about an hour seemed more reasonable.
Besides, he didn't need to wipe out every last insect in the sky. Taking care of most of them would be enough.
"The swarm inside the nest won't be larger than the one outside. Cha-sunbae and I happen to have means of large-scale attacks."
"Once frontal combat begins, ordinary tanks won't have much room to perform when there's such a stark difference in strength. So, tank and magic-type hunters can remain outside the nest."
There was nothing wrong with what she said. In fact, Choi Jong-In and Ryuji Goto understood this as well.
But these words had to come from Castorice—because she was, in a way, a neutral third party between the two sides, and also the strongest present.
Any decision she made would be difficult for either side to challenge, whether out of respect for her strength or her position.
"Then let's proceed as suggested."
Ryuji Goto nodded. After rebalancing their combat forces, the group began their operation according to the original plan.
The perimeter team, represented by Choi Jong-In, split into several squads and spread out in all directions, releasing magical energy to attract the insects.
Meanwhile, the assassination squad, led by Goto and Castorice, headed straight for the queen ant's nest.
Thanks to the bait squads' efforts, the assassination team encountered few insects along the way.
The handful that were slow to react or moved sluggishly were easily dealt with by Atsushi Kumamoto.
With the strength of an S-rank elite, these bugs were nothing more than cannon fodder—each falling to a single slash.
The insect nest, or rather, the gate, was located in an underground cavern.
There had once been an above-ground path leading down, but it had collapsed during previous attempts to breach it, making entry currently impossible.
However… impossible only applied to conventional methods. And there was nothing conventional about this situation.
"Could you handle clearing the path, Hunter Castorice?"
Once they reached the area above the underground cavern, Ryuji Goto ordered the deployment of sonic waves to prevent the Ant Queen's calls for help from reaching the swarm outside.
Then, he turned to Castorice. "A straight path downward from here will do."
Although Castorice had mentioned that Cha Hae-in also possessed wide-area offensive capabilities, he remembered clearly that Cha Hae-in was a warrior-type.
Even with such abilities, a warrior couldn't match a mage like Castorice in this regard.
Castorice nodded with a faint smile. Then, with a flip of her sickle, she sliced open a purple spatial rift before the group.
'Is that the special gate?'
The Japanese hunters had naturally conducted thorough investigations on Castorice. This move… was she summoning that giant dragon?
Dragons were among the rarest and most ultimate magical beasts in this world.
Any magical beast with draconic traits was formidable without exception.
And the most famous dragon-type magical beast was undoubtedly Kamish, which had descended in America—the strongest magical beast, slain only after a joint assault by several national-level hunters.
With Kamish's existence, Castorice and Sung Jinwoo, who could summon dragons, were naturally held in high regard.
Although Sung Jinwoo's dragon seemed purely for transportation, Castorice's Death Dragon was clearly different.
As these thoughts ran through their minds, the Death Dragon's head emerged from the rift.
Purple flames, saturated with dense death and destructive energy, churned within its maw. Even this contained breath made Ryuji Goto's eyes widen under immense pressure.
And he wasn't the only one.
Deep within the underground nest, the Monarch of Plagues, who had been coldly contemplating how to punish these intruders trespassing on her domain, now felt cold sweat trickling down her back.
In the pitch-black cavern of the nest, surrounded by swarming insects, sat a beautiful woman with long, curly black hair and striking height and legs.
Seated on a throne woven from spider silk, she now furrowed her brow, countless thoughts flashing through her mind.
What is this aura? Just who has come to this island?
Wait… could it be that Frost and Fang didn't go into hiding for some reason, but because there really are powerful beings here? But what kind of powerhouse could have an aura like this?
The answer came to her in an instant. Right—this dense, death-saturated magical energy… it had to be the Monarch of Shadows.
Though there were some differences, who else but the Monarch of Shadows could possess this level of death energy?
At this realization, she actually calmed down. If it was the Monarch of Shadows, then while there were issues, they probably weren't too severe.
After all, it wasn't her who had a grudge with him, but Fang. And though it seemed Frost had also met misfortune, taking out two Monarchs in a row was probably enough.
The Monarch of Plagues didn't think the Monarch of Shadows would continue the slaughter.
They were backed by the Monarch of Destruction, and the Monarch of Shadows had already betrayed the Rulers.
Now that he'd vented his anger, surely he wouldn't keep fighting against the Monarchs.
Antagonizing both sides to the death wouldn't do him any good.
'You've killed Frost and Fang, so you can't kill me too, right?'
Unlike her, the newly born Ant King—who had caught the Monarch of Plagues' eye before birth, been enhanced, and named Beru—now found himself unable to move.
He had never felt such terrifying magical energy before. What kind of enemy was this?
As for the Ant Queen, it had already let out a piercing shriek—which, if translated, was a plea for the Monarch of Plagues and Beru to protect it, along with a signal to all insect swarms to rally in its defense.
"How noisy."
The Monarch of Plagues clicked her tongue in disgust.
But before she could say more, a dragon's breath imbued with death energy and intense heat blasted downward, piercing through the cavern where she resided.
Sunlight streamed in, and several figures dropped down along with it.
Seeing invaders enter her domain, the Monarch of Plagues' mood soured further.
If not for not knowing the Monarch of Shadows's current intentions, she would have wiped these humans out immediately.
But after carefully examining the group before her, the Monarch of Plagues' heart sank, and cold sweat once again beaded on her forehead.
She could sense that the girl with white-purple hair, holding a sickle, was the source of the death energy.
She could also feel the immeasurable depth and superior quality of her magical power—far greater than her own.
These were traits that should have belonged to the Monarch of Shadows. But… this girl clearly wasn't human, yet she wasn't the Monarch of Shadows either.
So what was going on now? Was her safety still guaranteed?
Thinking of Frost and Fang, who had vanished without a trace, the Monarch of Plagues—her strikingly beautiful face full of sharp allure—forced an awkward smile.
She needed to call for backup, and fast!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.