Footsteps approached from afar.
A pitch-black stone had been rolling freely through the abandoned streets of the Rose District. At the sound of the footsteps, it abruptly stopped and pretended to be an ordinary stone.
Angel and Boiling Gentleman lifted their feet and stepped over the little stone.
After Angel passed it, he seemed to sense something and halted. The spiritual power he had kept behind him for vigilance gave him a strange perspective.
The inconspicuous black stone suddenly began rolling again. As it rolled, black traces spread across the ground. At first glance, they seemed unremarkable, but closer inspection revealed that they were not mere traces at all, but swarms of tiny black insects with two wings and paired legs.
These little black insects looked insignificant, yet Angel's expression changed slightly when he saw their true form.
Back when he had been cultivating Morphing Worms, he had visited Nis's library and read the manuscripts left behind by the legendary wizard Insekot, the "Heart of the Swarm."
In Insekot's manuscripts, one kind of insect occupied an important place: the Kalong Dripworm. Insekot had even specifically written an entire category for it.
These dust-sized insects were not particularly powerful on their own. But once they gathered together, even if they only formed a mass the size of a drop of water, they could gnaw dragon flesh and feast upon demon blood.
It could be said that Kalong Dripworms were the true embodiment of collective consciousness.
Insekot's nickname, "Heart of the Swarm," came from his fondness for studying insect swarms that possessed collective consciousness and calm execution. Kalong Dripworms were one of the extraordinary swarms he admired most.
Unfortunately, this terrifying swarm had vanished into the rolling river of time.
When Angel had first read the section on Kalong Dripworms, he had