''So, the Empress is already nning to face me.'' Xuna thought, observing their discussion further, ''But, this Kekua Fornol is pretty strong. She shouldn''t join the Fornol Empire.''


    Once they left the Pitcher nt Forest, Xuna and Yihan had gone eastward, following where her luck led her. During the journey, her luck led her to a Hoil Bee, one that was coincidentally trapped in the vines of a massive tree.


    There was an arrow peeking through its head, bleeding from the wound. Xuna approached the Hoil Bee, chancing upon the letter tied to its leg, unfurling it to see Feleokruna''s message.


    As Luncress was in charge of delivering the message, he had obviously mobilised the Hoil Bees. The Hoil Bee was somehow caught in the crossfire between the Blight Humans and those with parasitic abilities, being injured as a result.


    Following that, in its fluster to escape, it got trapped in the vines of this tree and could only wait here until it bled to death.


    Once Xuna came to understand Feleokruna''s intentions, she was curious about Kekua Fornol, scouting for information regarding that.


    It was easy to do so as all they she to do was get into the mouths of a bird after injecting it with her syringe. With that, she could control the bird and scour through the viges, gathering up some information.


    Only then did shee to understand the internal threat that had formed in the Fornol Empire, one lead by the individual named Kekua Fornol, a Blight Human talented enough to be on par with Feleokruna.


    Following that, she intercepted their messages, learning of the location where this meeting would be held.


    Of course, Xuna couldn''t head alone in such a dangerous territory. Therefore, she brought in reinforcements: Tui and Hu.


    These two Southern Guardians were akin to an entire fleet underwater and allowed her to flee through water when necessary.


    Unfortunately, neither Yihan nor the two Southern Guardians had reached Stage 5. So, they weren''t able to transform into their Guardian Beasts and control the size of their bodies, preventing them from settling within the mouth of a bird.


    That was why only Xuna could infiltrate the ruins while the rest had to remain underwater. With the Southern Guardians around, it was the safest ce for Yihan to remain in wait, which was another reason Xuna had brought them.


    ''If Kekua Fornol joins them, the Fornol Empire''s strength would be bolstered. Her power''s too unique.'' She though, hoping to see where the talks lead before taking action.


    If Kekua Fornol nned to join them, then Xuna would sneap attack with a barrage of canon balls that would tten the entire ce. Kekua Fornol was only at Stage 3 and against her full powered attack, she wouldn''t survive.


    There was a possibility for Feleokruna to survive, for she was at Stage 4 and possessed a naturally strong body. But, once Yihan and the rest takes action, killing her would be simple.


    The ambush would only be sessful if she takes action at the perfect time. And hence, Xuna was waiting for the moment when the discussions go through and both parties are content. That was when their guards would be at their lowest.


    Of course, things had no n on going her way as Xuna could see her Coincidental Luck flickering in response, being consumed at a gradually increasing pace, alerting her, ''Something ising here!''


    Her luck values were consumed sharply as suddenly, the entity approaching them changed directions, not emerging from the ce where Yihan and the two Southern Guardians were but from the opposite side.


    "I e…" Kekua Fornol was just about to give her reply when she was rmed, stomping the ground in hurry as roots surged out of it in an instant, covering both her and Krodn.


    Feleokruna turned her palm into the Fornol Sunflower, unleashing a powerful beam at the work-like creature that jumped on the ind while Felor grabbed her and leaped to the side.


    "What the heck is this monstrosity?" Feleokruna shouted in shock upon staring at the mass of flesh before her, one that ttened the ancient ruins, spreading around dust everywhere.


    In response to her shout, a gigantic eye opened up, one spanning a length of two metres, bigger than her, startling her at its sheer size.


    Boom!


    Both Feleokruna and Felor mmed their sunlight beams at the work-like creature, startled to observe the terrifying toughness of the creature that tanked their attacks. Feleokruna''s beam only made a small hole in its body while Felor''s failed to even pierce through the carapace, losing all strength half way.


    Of course, the worm-like creature had zero ns to give them enough time to drill a way through as its body wriggled,shing out at them.


    "We need to leave." Krodn said, having no desire to stay behind.


    Kekua Fornol too was of the same mind, making her Root House turn around to leave this ind when suddenly, the head of the worm-like creature swooped on her, mping upon the head of her turnip.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The worm-like creature began to eat through the turnip as the countless mandibles in its body grated through it casually.


    The bottom part of the turnip opened as Kekua Fornol and Krodn leaped out as thetter shouted, "I''ve loaded the inside with traps!"


    "Great job!" Kekua Fornol said as the moment shended on the ground, roots jutted out to create another Root House, this time resembling a beetroot.


    Within the safety of the beetroot, the duo watched the turnip explode as hundreds of pellets shot out of it, mming throughout the throat of the worm-like creature.


    "Impossible!" Krodn shouted in shock upon seeing the worm-like creature shrug the attack as in a matter of seconds, all the wounds on its throat healed up while the petals he had created were diced up by the mandibles on the throat.


    His attacks only served to be its fuel as the worm-like creature consumed the turnip easily before ring at them.


    Crta-crta-crta!


    Scuttering sounds resounded from the worm-like creature that red at the four Blight Humans before it, slowly hovering before them as the wounds on its carapace were already healed. But a momentter, it opened its mouth to spray out toxic venom everywhere, drowning the entire ind with it, ensuring the four Blight Humans wouldn''t be able to hide anywhere.


    The toxic venom sshed on the ruins, melting through the rubble in a matter of seconds, disying its ferocious toxicity.


    "Shit!" Feleokruna grunted, straining her palms as the Fornol Sunflower on it became strained, turning convex in shape as the beam it unleashed spread around radially, vaporising the approaching toxin.


    The beetroot pped its fists, creating arge umbre that guarded against the toxin, melting rapidly as some of the toxin also fell on its face.


    The roots forming its body grew in response until all the damaged parts were cast off, revealing an unharmed beetroot. Though, Kekua Fornol had expended a significant sum of corruption in response to achieve this.


    "Is it not your pet?" Kekua Fornol started at Feleokruna to shout in response.


    "Would I even need to ally with you if I had such a terrifying pet?" Feleokruna snapped back, "We''ll be done for if we don''t kill it…"


    "Kya!" Xuna''s shouts resounded as she used a rocket to take to the skies, using a healing rod to heal her injuries. The bird she was hiding within was melted throughpletely, a puddle on the ground now.


    Some of the toxin indeed fell on her body, damaging her when she hurriedly healed herself. But with that, she could no longer remain in hiding.


    "She was here all along?" Feleokruna stared in shock, tensing up at Xuna''s arrival.


    Upon seeing her actions, Kekua Fornol too gleaned the other party''s identity, staring at the horn that sported five segments, ''So, this is the Horned Human Xuna. She''s already at Stage 5, huh.''


    She then eyed the tensed expression on the faces of both Feleokruna and Felor, ''No wonder she wants to wholeheartedly focus on growing stronger. With such an overpowering enemy, I too would do the same.''


    "Well…you guys have fun." Saying so, Xuna turned around as her rocket unleashed a powerful thrust, taking her away.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t seem possible to escape as suddenly, her figure crashed into a barrier of sorts that had appeared at some point in time. This barrier had neither Nacre nor corruption in it, transparent in nature, almost resembling ss.


    Boom!


    She mmed a cannonball at it, watching it barely sport a crack that healed instantly, surprising her, ''Damn, it''s tough.''


    A geyser of toxin mmed into her as Xuna had no other choice but to evade, ring at the worm-like creature that didn''t give her the time to destroy the barrier.


    Having consumed countless Horned and Blight Humans, its power had evolved a lot until it became the current barrier, one that could trap arge area of prey. It was relying on it that the worm-like creature managed to hunt for so long.


    The barrier actually epassed the entire ind and even the stretch of water surrounding it, disying the terrifying umtion that the worm-like creature had attained within three weeks since the Ant Queen had gained power.


    And now, whether it was Feleokruna and her Blight Human group or Xuna and her Horned Human group, all were trapped within this barrier.