Like every insect hive, this one also possessed a remarkably competent elite force, Thalion had to admit as he looked down at the winged black ants.
On the bright side, they weren't attacking him outright.
That had to be a good sign.
Deciding to give diplomacy one last chance, Thalion cleared his throat.
"Quite the impressive hive you've got there."
He hoped the comment would break the ice.
The black ants, however, seemed to have very different plans.
Without saying a single word, they continued rising toward him at an unhurried pace.
"So... are you one of those who can't speak, or..."
Only then did Thalion notice that all the weaker ants had begun retreating into the countless side tunnels or moving deeper into the hive.
They must have some sort of telepathic communication going on, he realized.
That left him in a rather unfortunate position.
There were simply too many D-grade ants beneath him.
Without another word, Thalion activated Shadow Step and shot away from the hive.
He could have manipulated his own body and simply flown, which was how Echovores naturally moved, but the technique still felt far too unnatural. For now, he trusted his movement skills far more than reshaping his own body.
Rather than heading back toward his settlement, he deliberately flew in the opposite direction.
The last thing he wanted was to accidentally lead the ants straight to his base.
Behind him, two powerful auras suddenly erupted.
Two of the black ants immediately gave chase.
They were significantly faster than Thalion.
Despite his head start, it took only a few seconds before they had almost caught him.
Fortunately, he had already created a respectable distance between himself and the hive entrance.
One of the ants suddenly spat a sphere of glowing green sludge toward him while the other closed the distance, both of its claws brimming with power.
To evade both attacks, Thalion pushed off the branch beneath him and shot high into the sky.
As he rose, his aura rapidly expanded.
A violent storm of darkness erupted around him.
The two ants didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Their wings beat so violently that they practically catapulted them upward toward Thalion.
Although it was still midday, everything within more than a hundred meters of Thalion darkened until it resembled the deepest night.
He completely unleashed his power.
Soul energy flooded into both his body and his aura.
The elite D-grade ants were undoubtedly powerful in their own right.
Their own auras radiated outward with astonishing force.
Yet despite being weaker in raw power, Thalion's Domain of Living Darkness slowly began forcing them back.
Bit by bit...
Their auras retreated.
Eventually, the darkness managed to touch their bodies.
Thalion immediately felt the first traces of doubt taking root within their minds.
Before those emotions could truly affect them, however, another influence surged through them.
Something from the hive itself.
The foreign presence swept every trace of fear and hesitation away, leaving the ants completely unaffected by his psychological attacks.
Interesting.
Thalion continuously poured more and more soul energy into his domain as all three combatants slowly circled one another.
The Domain of Living Darkness gradually transformed into a raging maelstrom spanning well over a hundred meters, with Thalion and the two ants standing at its center.
Only now did he realize just how long it had been since he had truly fought at full strength.
All those levels...
They had changed him far more than he had realized.
Maybe...
Maybe he truly could fight an early D-grade Chosen once he reached the peak of E grade.
There were still many levels left to gain and plenty of tempering ahead of him.
Even so...
For the first time, that goal no longer felt impossible.
The two ants circling him were incredibly dangerous.
Yet he could actually fight them.
Watching his domain slowly burrow through their auras while patches of their chitin armor dissolved wherever the darkness touched made one thing abundantly clear.
He was far stronger than he had anticipated.
It reminded him of young birds.
Eventually, they simply had to jump from the nest before they could learn to fly.
The Chosen were still on an entirely different level compared to these two ants.
But there was still time.
Still countless opportunities to grow stronger.
Hope...
Along with absolute conviction...
Rose inside Thalion.
Then...
Something clicked.
It felt as though a dam had suddenly burst open.
His aura exploded outward.
So did his domain.
Both instantly doubled in strength.
More soul energy than ever before surged through his body before flooding into every corner of his aura and Domain of Living Darkness.
Previously, he had only managed to infuse his abilities with a little over fifty percent of his potential.
Now...
He had reached one hundred percent.
The power of everything he did effectively doubled.
At the same time, every technique became supercharged by the hatred, despair, and malice of the countless imprisoned souls within the elemental's pyramid.
To Thalion...
Those negative emotions felt like limitless strength pouring directly into his body.
His greatly empowered domain finally began injuring the ants.
Realizing the situation had changed, both elite warriors immediately abandoned their cautious approach.
If Thalion's sudden display of power impressed them, they showed no sign of it.
In fact...
Neither of them even activated what appeared to be their own enhancement skills.
The first ant released an ear-piercing screech.
The sound became a devastating shockwave that blasted straight through Thalion's domain.
Only by activating Shadow Step at the last possible moment did he avoid being hit.
Rather than retreating, he immediately dashed toward the second ant.
He wanted to test his newfound strength in close combat as well.
More importantly...
He genuinely wanted to tear the creatures apart.
The second ant didn't hesitate.
Both of its claws shot forward simultaneously.
Instead of dodging conventionally, Thalion twisted his body in a completely unnatural way.
His spine rotated while every joint shifted just enough for both claws to pass harmlessly beside him.
Using the opening, he drove a powerful kick straight into the ant's head.
The impact launched the elite ant several meters sideways before it finally managed to stabilize itself in midair.
Thalion immediately followed up with three massive spikes, each one overflowing with darkness and infused with soul power.
His kick had been considerably stronger than usual, leaving the ant stunned just long enough.
One of the spikes struck true.
It tore one of the ant's wings clean off.
The injury alone wasn't enough to bring the creature down. It still had three remaining wings, which proved more than sufficient to keep it airborne if it even needed them in the first place.
What Thalion didn't miss, however, was the burst of pain that flashed through the ant's body.
Another pulse originating from deep within the hive washed over the elite ant, instantly clearing away the mental influence his attack had inflicted.
Every successful strike coated his enemies with his malice, much like a venomous viper injecting poison into its prey.
The second ant retaliated by spitting another sphere of corrosive green acid toward him.
This time Thalion was prepared.
Multiple tendrils of pure darkness manifested within his domain and slashed through the incoming projectile.
His darkness won the clash.
The acid was completely annihilated with only minimal losses before the tendrils continued racing toward the second black ant.
Meanwhile, Thalion refused to give the wounded ant even a moment to recover.
These elite warriors were dangerous.
He couldn't allow them to seize the initiative.
Activating Shadow Claws once more, he slashed directly at the ant's head.
The D-grade creature reacted with astonishing speed.
It twisted sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack before retaliating with both claws.
The immense power behind the strike wasn't enough to tear Thalion apart.
Instead, it merely cracked his skin before blasting him backward through the air.
Thalion halted himself almost instantly.
Then he lunged back into the fight.
The ant didn't hesitate either.
Both combatants collided once more, tumbling through the sky while constantly clawing, slashing, and attempting to bite one another.
The ant managed to inflict several deep flesh wounds.
Thalion, on the other hand, succeeded in ripping away its right mandible, ensuring it could no longer bite his head off.
His own injuries regenerated rapidly.
The ant wasn't nearly as fortunate.
The living darkness infused into every one of Thalion's attacks continued festering inside its body.
Its vitality was undoubtedly impressive.
For the moment it merely prevented the living darkness from dissolving more of its flesh.
Still...
Thalion was slowly gaining the upper hand.
Attempting to end the battle, he conjured another massive spike and drove it toward the ant's chest.
Before the attack could connect, the second elite ant intervened.
Another deafening screech erupted.
The resulting shockwave blasted both combatants away from one another.
Realizing they were still far too close to the hive, Thalion decided to make the most of the opening.
He immediately accelerated away into the distance.
Fighting two D-grade ants already pushed him close to his limit.
There was no reason to risk even more elite warriors joining the battle.
Fortunately, the two black ants appeared more interested in killing him themselves than calling for reinforcements.
They continued the chase.
It took only moments before they caught up again.
The deadly dance resumed.
After several more exchanges, one thing became increasingly obvious.
Despite their D-grade strength...
The ants simply couldn't kill him.
Even when they managed to land solid hits, the damage remained surprisingly limited thanks to Thalion's new condition combined with all the other defensive advantages he possessed.
At the same time, Thalion wasn't exactly an easy opponent either.
He expertly avoided every potentially lethal strike, twisting his body at impossible angles before creating more distance from the hive whenever necessary.
Compared to the First Daughter, these ants lacked both versatility and experience.
Almost every attack followed the same pattern.
They charged into close combat.
Slashed with their claws.
Occasionally unleashed another sonic scream.
Or spat another sphere of acid.
There was little variety.
Nothing capable of forcing Thalion beyond his limits.
Their speed and raw strength were undeniably impressive.
Against someone like Thalion...
It simply wasn't enough.
With every passing exchange he pushed the elite ants further onto the defensive.
Fresh wounds continued appearing across their bodies.
Most importantly...
Neither of them seemed to possess any kind of boosting skill.
A temporary enhancement might have shifted the battle in their favor.
Without one, however, their situation became increasingly hopeless.
Now that they had traveled so far away from the hive, the mysterious pulses cleansing their minds no longer reached them.
At last...
Thalion's aura and Domain of Living Darkness could unleash their full effects.
Even after losing multiple wings and suffering numerous deep wounds, the ants continued attacking without the slightest hesitation.
Any other intelligent opponent would have realized long ago that victory was impossible.
The ants never received that message.
As one elite warrior lunged forward once more, Thalion ducked beneath its claws.
A five-meter-long spike erupted upward.
It pierced straight through the ant's head.
The creature died instantly.
The remaining ant fought on alone for several more minutes.
Eventually, however, countless black tendrils burst from every direction.
They wrapped themselves around the elite ant before violently tearing it apart piece by piece.
Only Thalion remained floating in the silent sky.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
This had been a very good fight.
More importantly...
It had given him hope.
Before today, his confidence regarding the Third System Event had been far from ideal.
Winning had always felt more like an obligation.
He desperately needed the reward, and with unlimited lifespan, skipping the event would have been an incredible waste.
Now...
For the first time...
He genuinely believed he might have a chance.
Even if these black ants occupied a relatively high position within the hive, it was obvious they weren't among the strongest D grades in existence.
Yet this battle had proven something important.
He could do it.
There was still time.
Still countless ways to grow stronger.
The hive itself didn't seem to care that two of its elite warriors had fallen.
Using countless tendrils of darkness, Thalion consumed their remains and absorbed the darkness within them for body tempering.
His previous experiment had cost him a tremendous amount of accumulated darkness.
Every little bit he recovered helped.
Over the following days, Thalion continued hunting ants without pause.
Now that he knew exactly where the hive was located...
Finding new prey had become remarkably easy.
For the next two months, Thalion remained in his Eclipsari, Consecrated Scion of the Void form. Between every hunt he continued tempering his body while steadily improving his ability to infuse both himself, his aura, and his skills with soul power.
During those two months, the levels simply flowed toward him.
Even though the later levels required an incredible amount of experience, he eventually reached level 145.
That was also when he received a new skill.
Consecrated Bloodlink (Divine)
The Blooded Templar may perceive the world through the senses of any individual carrying his blood. Distance is of little importance, as blood calls to blood across vast stretches of land. The user may shift his awareness between followers instantly, observe through multiple vessels at once, and leave fragments of his will within particularly loyal servants.
The new skill, Consecrated Bloodlink, seemed incredibly unique.
And incredibly useful.
There were, however, a few important questions.
What exactly counted as carrying his blood?
Did the skill only work on individuals he had directly infused with his blood, or did it also include everyone affected by his curse?
Checking the curse's description again, Thalion noticed that it specifically stated the victim's blood would no longer truly belong to them once the curse fully awakened.
That strongly implied it would instead be considered his blood.
The thought alone that he might be able to observe the world through the eyes of someone transformed by his curse opened up countless possibilities.
What truly elevated the skill, however, was the final sentence.
"...leave fragments of his will within particularly loyal servants."
That sounded suspiciously like he could issue commands remotely.
If that interpretation proved correct, he might actually be able to become something resembling a true puppet master.
Until now, Thalion had deliberately held back with spreading his curse.
There simply hadn't been much benefit in infecting random beasts across New Earth, especially since doing so would only provide his future enemies with opportunities to develop countermeasures.
Now...
Things were different.
With Consecrated Bloodlink, he might finally gain a reliable method of controlling the bloodthirsty monstrosities created by his curse.
All in all...
The skill possessed enormous potential.
It definitely deserved extensive testing.
So far, Thalion couldn't have been happier with how the Eclipsari had developed.
Still...
It was time to switch forms.
Before the Third System Event began, he still needed to refill his blood reserves.
That also reminded him that he had been away from the base for quite some time.
Checking on everyone probably wasn't a bad idea.
If he planned on continuing his leveling in his human form anyway, he might as well see whether Solan had already managed to capture creatures possessing passive light-based skills.
Adding one or two of those to his human form would greatly improve his chances against Eric.
Overall, Thalion was extremely satisfied with his progress.
Time remained his greatest enemy.
The Third System Event drew closer every single day, while every new level demanded increasingly absurd amounts of experience.
Even so...
Receiving another skill had reminded him of something he had completely forgotten.
He still had thirty-five levels left before reaching the peak of E grade.
The possibility that one of his forms might unlock another Divine Skill before then no longer seemed all that unlikely.
That thought alone was enough to put him in an excellent mood.
Transforming into his wyvern form, Thalion spread his massive wings and launched himself into the sky.
Hopefully everything back at the base was going well.
Then...
He could return to what he did best.
Leveling.