CH473 The Weak Noble

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Nature is fickle and unpredictable.

From its crucible, countless strange and bizarre creatures are born. Many become prey. Some rise as predators.

Yet even among predators, there exist those who stand head and shoulders above the rest—beings so powerful that they can hunt other predators if they wish. Not for sustenance, but for sport… and dominance.

These beings—these creatures—are known as Apex Predators.

While common folk casually throw this title around for almost any dangerous beast they encounter, the truth is far harsher.

Only a select few creatures can truly lay claim to it.

They are not merely beasts capable of reaching the Legendary rank, but those that stand at the absolute pinnacle at any time within their class or rank.

Among avian creatures, no list of Apex Predators would ever be complete without mentioning Nightmare Eagles.

In the bestiaries of the Dankrot Forest and the greater Virellian Empire, it is written:

"If there is even a suspicion that a Nightmare Eagle has reached the Elite Rank, anyone below Veteran Rank should flee or hide immediately."

Make no mistake—this warning does not imply that Nightmare Eagles are only dangerous at the Elite Rank.

Rather, it exists because only those below Veteran Rank require such guidance. Anyone at Veteran Rank or above needs no warning at all before instinctively fleeing from a Nightmare Eagle of equal standing.

For Nightmare Eagles, the Elite Rank is a decisive evolutionary threshold—the line that separates potential from extinction.

Those with sufficient potential advance and rise as Apex Predators.

Those without it fall… and perish.

Without question, Queen Senu—Nightlight Herald of the Raging Lightning Blade Wolf King—was one such being with overwhelming potential.

Following her evolution, Senu's size surged explosively.

She now stood over three metres tall, with a beak-to-tail length of five metres and a terrifying wingspan exceeding ten metres.

And that was merely what could be seen.

[Spatial Step]!

After delivering Azgrug, Senu reappeared above Alex and the expedition party—shuttling through space itself in a manner eerily similar to a mage's short-range [Blink].

She hovered menacingly above the orc-adventurer formation, vast wings beating against the air.

Her gaze locked onto the Sand Ant Queen.

To Senu, the bloated monarch looked less like royalty… and more like a plump, writhing worm.

A perfectly sized snack.

The pressure of that gaze made the Sand Ant Queen shudder involuntarily.

Scrreee!!!

She shrieked furiously, ordering her royal guard to strike down the creature that dared look upon her as prey.

Immediately, her royal guard—the Sand Ants' elite troops—unfurled their wings and surged into the sky, charging straight at Senu.

Senu's eyes narrowed, icy cold. A frosty glint flashed through them as she regarded the foolish creatures daring to challenge her within her own domain.

Skrreee~~!!!

[Regality]!

A crushing royal aura burst outward from Senu.

Her enemies felt an overwhelming suppression press down on their bodies, while her allies—the expedition party alone—felt their morale and strength surge.

It was a terrifying dual-aspect dominion, perfectly expressing her light-and-dark elemental affinity, reinforced by her innate spatial alignment.

The flying ants wobbled midair, barely able to maintain flight under the pressure of the self-proclaimed Queen of the Sky.

Yet merely plummeting back to the earth like fallen Icarus was far too lenient a punishment for their insolence.

[Spatial Rend]!

Senu's wings snapped outward.

Two criss-crossing crescent blades of spatial energy tore through the sky.

Moments later, severed ant limbs and shattered bodies rained down upon the Sand Ant horde below.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Click—Click!

One of the massive male ants stationed beside the Ant Queen suddenly stepped forward, raising its mandibles in what could only be interpreted as a challenge.

Senu gazed down upon the ant from far above.

[Dazzling Strike]!

A blinding beam of concentrated light shot from her eyes, piercing directly into the ant king's gaze.

Its body froze mid-motion before collapsing to the ground—unconscious, overwhelmed by the sheer luminescence of the attack.

The battlefield fell silent.

All the ants froze in place, staring up at the terror incarnate hovering above them.

In that moment, instinct carved understanding into their collective consciousness.

This… was an Apex Predation.

And the terror they felt now, was why this being and other like it were called... Nightmare Eagles.

Alex glanced skyward and shook his head.

'Everyone is a show-off.'

With every movement, Senu seized absolute control of the battlefield's aispace, dictating its tempo through sheer presence alone.

With Azgrug holding the Dune Wolf King at bay and Senu's intervention halting the ants' advance, the opening had finally appeared.

"Scout team, left flank. Guard team, right flank. Move!" Alex ordered through the comms.

"What about you?" Udara asked from beside him.

"I'll be more effective dealing with the ants," Alex replied.

"Then I'm staying with you," Udara said.

"No. I need you with the scout team," Alex countered.

"No, Master." Udara's voice was firm. "I'm staying."

Alex frowned briefly, then relented when he saw the resolve in her eyes.

"Mordor, you're with the guard team."

"Understood." The orc nodded.

Alex turned to the elven team.

"Can I have you go with the scout team?" he asked.

"Of course." Yerion nodded without hesitation.

"Good. But I'll need one of you to stay behind and assist Eleanor."

Aylora stepped forward, but a look from Naena stopped her. The mysterious elf subtly tugged at Yerion's sleeve with obvious intent.

Yerion hesitated—then sighed inwardly and nodded in reluctant agreement.

Alex expected them to move immediately.

Instead, the group lingered, all of them looking at him with unmistakable concern.

A vein twitched at Alex's temple.

"What are you waiting for?" he snapped. "An invitation from the beasts? Move. Now!"

The hesitation vanished.

The expedition force split cleanly into two teams and surged toward their designated objectives, the elven party following closely behind the scout team.

Alex shook his head once before turning back to Eleanor and placing three beast cores into her hands.

"It worked?" Eleanor's eyes widened.

"Yes. AetherKindle can remove the berserk property—similar to how it protects my body," Alex said quickly. "Fall back and establish a treatment zone. I can't spare manpower. Can you handle it?"

"No problem." Eleanor nodded without hesitation.

She and Naena withdrew toward the rear lines.

Alex turned toward the orcs, his gaze settling on a familiar face.

"Hargul?" he asked.

The orc shook his head. "Hargul is my brother. I am Harum."

"Noted." Alex met his gaze steadily. "I need you and your unit to follow my lead while your chief engages the nest ruler. Can I count on you?"

"The Chief trusts you, human," Harum said. "We will follow."

Then he added bluntly, "But can you lead orcs?"

Alex paused.

Then he exhaled slowly.

'First the team. Then Udara. Now even an orc captain thinks I'm weak,' he thought.

Click—Click!!

The beasts had recovered.

The Sand Ant Queen—driven into fury by Senu's dominance—abandoned all restraint.

Her command rang out.

The ground erupted.

An uncountable tide of ants burst forth from beneath the earth.

Flying ants alone blotted out the sky.

As for those on the ground… counting them would require effort no one had time for.

The colour drained from the faces of the three hundred or so orcs and adventurers present—including Harum at Alex's side.

'Just in time.'

Alex snapped his neck from side to side.

'It's been a while. Looks like I need to remind these people who they follow—before they start thinking I'm just a weak noble.'

He raised his hand toward the advancing swarm.

[Delayed Spell: Triple Fireball]!

BOOM!!!

Another massive explosion tore through the ant line.

But unlike before, there was no hesitation.

The Ants surged forward immediately, flooding in from behind to fill the gap left by the blast.

Alex turned his head slightly.

"Try to keep up, Orc," he said calmly to Harum.

[Abyssal Conqueror's Steps: Third Step – Wraith's Crossing]!

With his draconic baton already in hand, Alex vanished in a flash of lightning—reappearing deep within the ant vanguard.

The moment he arrived, the Plate of Happenstance pulsed. Recycled energy from his spell flooded back into his body.

Alex's eyes flared.

[Dragon Kumite: Burst]!

BOOM!

He slammed the two-metre-long rod into the ground.

A violent pulse of power erupted outward, shredding every ant within range into fragments.

Time slowed.

Through the heightened perception of his Truth-Seeker Eyes, Alex scanned the battlefield, instantly identifying the strongest presences near him.

[Abyssal Conqueror's Steps: First Step – Ghost Step]!

His figure flickered.

Alex danced through the gaps in the ant formation, ignoring unranked and Bronze-level ants entirely. His focus was on the Silver-ranked ones—the sub leaders of the bunch.

The Draconic Baton shrank in his grasp, compressing into a longsword-length weapon.

He thrust.

He cut.

Each strike claimed the lives of an ant worthy of his attention.

At one point, Alex halted amid a cluster of ants, targeting the Silver-ranked one directing them.

Instead of attacking him, the surrounding ants backed off—instinctively retreating.

A fatal mistake.

They mistook him for a pure warrior. But he was a mage.

[Fire Bolt]!

[Fireball]!

With distance opened, Alex unleashed spell after spell, explosions tearing through the retreating swarm.

When they closed in and denied him casting time, he redirected the recycled energy into his baton and crushed them at close range.

Long-range... Close-quarters...

It made no difference.

With the Plate of Happenstance continuously recycling his waste output, Alex tore through the ant horde like a walking calamity.

From the perspective of the battlefield, it looked as if he could wipe out the entire swarm alone.

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