Chapter 401 - 401: Assigning Roles
Who would have thought that by coming here with the intention to cure the felines of the plague, Michael would come to uncover a giant ant colony consisting solely of spiritual beasts, rapidly growing in number?
Time had become an even more pressing matter than before. Even though he wasn't an expert in ant biology, Michael could easily conclude that numbering in the thousands, the ant colony was close to expressing a sudden population rise.
A higher number of soldiers meant that their collective work would fetch more food, allowing the ant queen to create more offspring, increasing their numbers even more exponentially.
Since the ant queen was a spiritual beast led by Lord Eleanora, a woman who had made her disdain for the feline nature apparent, neither Michael nor anybody on the crew deluded themselves into entertaining the thought that maybe the enemy Lord would use the boosted forces of her ant army to aid humanity.
Without a doubt, she would first pillage the human realms for the greater benefit to her colony. Having dealt with a lot of people like her, Michael imagined that she had put herself on a pedestal. Rather than being willing to lead humanity, she would harbor the ambition to rule it under her iron fist.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we all know the solution to our current predicament!" Devil, having assumed his true form, spoke aloud.
"Murder! Obliterate this so-called Lord, the ant colony, and the Monarch they have brainwashed into protecting them! Simple as that!"
Undeniably, the crew were hesitant.
Victoria frowned. "We must tread with caution."
Claire nodded in agreement. "Fighting against an army of spiritual beasts isn't a simple matter, much less if they are governed by a single intellect."
The others voiced out their concerns, making Devil click his tongue.
Unlike them, he and the other soul weapon Michael carried were the only ones among their group who knew about their ruler's true nature. Not only was he a Regressor, but he had already faced several Monarchs single-handedly.
'Don't speak so recklessly.' Heaven's Judgment interjected, the double-barrel seemingly locking onto Devil.
'On Neptune, Michael killed a Monarch by forcing their souls to clash. As for the parasitic Monarch, it wielded so little battle prowess on top of being wounded by assessing Michael's mind… Don't compare these exceptions to the current situation! The most your bickering could achieve is force our Master to make hasty decisions!'
Michael partly agreed with Heaven's Judgment. A part of him felt touched that she worried so much for him.
However, time wasn't exactly on their side. Too much caution would backfire in a spectacular way.
After considering their potential options for several minutes, he declared.
"Bryce, I want you to head back to the surface and directly alert Livia and Robert of our findings."
Michael had sent them a message before the crew began to dig underground that they could lose signal indefinitely. It would be wisest to report to them the true danger the hollow valley held.
Choosing the old man was primarily to ease Claire's silent worries. Bryce being her grandfather, she would naturally have her attention split in worry if a battle was to break out with him here. This way she could fight with a clearer mind.
Claire gave Michael a silent nod of appreciation.
In the same breath, Michael continued.
"I, Ruby, Ava, Cyberfang with Enzo and Amelia on board, will investigate the ant's colony, freeing other felines from the research facilities along the way. Nyla and Colt will come with us acting as scouts to lead the way."
While they might not have been the strongest members of the crew per se, their way of fighting wasn't so destructive that it brought unwanted attention. Yet they still proved sufficiently deadly in real combat.
Ruby clenched her fists in determination. She would stop at nothing to help her brethren!
After a brief pause, Michael added.
"The rest… Victoria, Claire, Richard, and Leo will stay in the feline camp. Making use of the current peacefulness, I want you to guide the felines in your field of expertise. If the worst comes to shove, at least they would be able to retaliate."
Formerly being part of the most influential factions, Victoria and Claire wouldn't find it difficult to organize the felines in a flash. Michael entrusted them with the leadership role precisely because of the trust he held in them.
Victoria's flames were simply impossible to miss. Claire's mecha was too loud to make her stealthy, while Cyberfang, having been designed after a tiger, held several concealing measures.
Most didn't voice complaints, with one exception.
Richard frowned. "Boss, come on! It would be more amusing to take me with you rather than letting me rot here just to teach some felines how to hold their ground!"
Michael met his gaze. "Your tendency to search for amusement can make you unpredictable. Taking you with us increases the risk of being exposed. Plus, having to take up the role of a teacher would benefit you in the long run."
Clearly, Richard wasn't convinced. Yet, having sworn to follow Michael, he didn't object for long, complying in the end.
Devil, being the overly sympathetic and compassionate person everyone knew him as, didn't hesitate to pat Richard on the shoulder with a smirk.
"From henceforth, I shall refer to you as Kitten's Nanny."
Not taking kindly to the nickname, Richard retorted. "Fuck off!"
Succeeding in having gotten under his skin, Devil began to laugh wholeheartedly.
Only for Nyx, Nyla's spiritual beast, to land on Devil's shoulder. The crow's bottomless gaze shifted between the two men before it opened its beak.
"Fuck off!"
The crow proclaimed proudly, causing Nyla to turn pale.
"My baby, no!" She bellowed in anguish. "So many hours spent teaching him to speak… only for his first words to be a curse!"
For a moment, the world around Nyla seemed to spin. Nyx, sensing the distress of his master, timely landed on her shoulder. He tilted his head in worry before asking with concern:
"Fuck off?"
Strangely, his master's mood didn't improve regardless of how many times Nyx boasted about his learned phrase.
It led the crow to wonder what he was doing wrong…
With the roles of the crew assigned, they split off. Michael, along with the others, made their way to the supposed heart of the ant colony, eager to investigate how bad the situation really was.