The three were fast asleep, completely unaware that a swarm of Black Armored Ants was silently closing in.
Following the scent Ang and Linya had left behind, they darted through the World Tree branches and rapidly approached the camp.
These Black Armored Ants moved stealthily. Even their feet made no sound as they stepped across the bark.
More terrifyingly, they had somehow failed to trigger the magical warning Ang had set up and arrived unimpeded outside the magic shield.
The magic shield gave off a faint glow, blocking the Black Armored Ants' advance.
But the Black Armored Ants showed no hesitation. Their antennae quivered slightly as they exchanged some kind of information.
A few breaths later, all the Black Armored Ants swiftly gathered and completely surrounded the shield.
Then, the densely packed Black Armored Ants raised their heads, opened their mandibles, and sprayed streams of acid!
"Sizzle—sizzle—"
Hundreds of Black Armored Ants simultaneously released highly corrosive acid. When it splashed against the magic shield, clouds of white smoke immediately rose, and sizzling corrosion sounds rang out one after another. The shield's surface began to shake violently, its energy rapidly drained away, and its flickering glow seemed on the verge of collapse.
Ang woke instantly. As a warrior, he had keenly caught that faint abnormal sound.
He abruptly rolled over and sat up. Listening closely, he heard the magic shield being corroded outside, and his face immediately darkened.
Without hesitation, he threw open the tent flap and rushed out.
Before him lay an endless black mass—the Black Armored Ant army.
Outside the shield, hundreds upon thousands of Black Armored Ants continuously spat acid, attempting to dissolve the magic shield completely.
Ang's pupils contracted slightly. He took a deep breath, then shouted, "Linya! Dana! Wake up!"
Inside the tent, Linya and Dana