Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 77: Fake Report

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Kai nodded. Yet inside his chest, a darker oath coiled, "Darius will pay." The coward had buried them under stone, stolen star crystals, and fled. Kai would carve that crime onto his bones and settle the debt in full, one day soon.

Wind rustled willow fronds. Above, the night sky spread like black silk pricked with diamonds. For a heartbeat Kai imagined Mia’s face and her divine figure among those stars, soft, determined, waiting to be conquered by him. A slow heat crept through his ant rod. He pushed the thought aside.

"Sleep," he told Vexor. "I’ll take my first watch."

The older ant tried to protest but his eyelids drooped. In minutes he lay snoring, back against a log. Kai remained by the fire’s last glow, spear across his knees, Renna’s soft breaths steady at his side.

The moon rode high when something padded at the pond’s edge. Kai spun, his spear ready and his mind very relaxed.

A white doe, no beast aura, only simple animal grace which stood drinking. Moonlight silvered its coat. It lifted its head, met Kai’s gaze, and held it for three calm heartbeats before stepping away into reeds. A sign, perhaps. A silent blessing. Kai let the coals die out and finally slept.

Pink dawn swept over fields as they broke camp. Renna still unconscious but stable, Vexor stronger though still limping. Kai’s shoulders burned from constant weight, yet he welcomed the ache with proof of purpose.

The watch‑towers drew nearer. Ant banners flapped crimson against the pale sky. Kai felt tears heat behind his eyes. Home.

They reached the crest of the final hill and saw the main eastern road: wide, hard‑packed earth, patrols in bronze shells pacing its length. A mere hour’s march.

Kai shifted Renna’s weight, tightened the straps, and started down the slope. Vexor followed, spear a walking‑stick.

Beneath their feet, the land hummed with life: cicadas buzzing, brook water laughing, the soft beat of their hope‑heavy hearts.

They would arrive by sunset, tell their story, and the kingdom would know who had lived, who had died and who had betrayed them.

But that reckoning would have to wait for tomorrow. Today, there was only the long road home and the steady steps of survivors who refused to fall.

Morning sun warmed the hard road. Kai’s steps felt made of iron, yet he kept moving. Renna, still bandaged and bound with vines, lay across his back. Vexor walked beside him, spear tapping the earth.

Ahead, tall watch‑towers grew larger with every breath. Bronze bells glimmered on their roofs; red flags that bore the Ant Kingdom crest snapped in the wind. Beyond those towers waited gates, healers, maybe even Princess Mia herself.

A patrol spotted them first. It was four guard ants in a polished carapace. They rushed forward, halberds raised, then froze when they saw the battered trio.

"By the Queen!" one guard gasped. "It’s Kai! And Vexor... they are alive!"

Hefting Renna higher, Kai forced a smile. "Need... healer hall," he croaked. Dust glued to his mandibles. "He’s hurt bad."

Guards closed ranks around them, voices crackling through horn tubes to alert the gatehouse. Wooden doors groaned open; warm smells of honey‑sap and baking root bread drifted out—a scent so gentle Kai’s knees nearly buckled.

Two stretcher teams appeared. They lifted Renna with care and bore him toward the Healing Hive, an oval dome of golden resin glowing at the city’s heart.

Kai stepped to follow, but the world swayed. Hands caught him. He tasted iron, felt road stones kiss his cheek, then darkness washed over.

He awoke inside an amber light. Golden gel surrounded him, thick as syrup but cool. Clear tubes carried pale draft milk that eased through cuts and filled every crack in his exoskeleton. Above the pod’s rim, healer ants in white leaf aprons moved like ghosts.

"Kai, do you hear us?"

He nodded weakly.

A healer tapped a crystal slate on his body. "Pulse strong. Stamina rising. One or Two days of rest and he’ll be fine."

Kai’s eyes searched. "Vexor... Renna?" he asked.

"Next hall," the healer ant said. "Vexor stable. Renna is in critical condition, but holding."

Relief washed away the last of his fear.

[System: HP restored to 90 %. Aura to 80 %.]

Kai flexed fingers inside the gel. Lomar’s stolen strength still thrummed. And hidden in his Soul‑Cube slumbered every ounce of star‑crystal milk. The thought steadied him.

By evening he sat on a cushioned mat in the recovery garden, watching bees dip among red blossoms. A messenger ran across the grass and saluted.

"Kai, you and other survivors including Captain Darius present was requested in Ant War Hall." (It’s a place for holding meetings)

Kai’s antennae twitched. "So the snake made it home first." He rose, thanked the healer, and followed the courier through arching tunnels lit by glow‑shards.

Inside War Hall, stone pillars loomed like cliffs. Captains, scholars, and clerks filled long benches. At the front stood Darius, his body polished, new four‑star aura shining faint silver. His voice rolled across the chamber:

"I... did all I could. The mine collapsed. Predator of four‑star strength struck without warning. I barely escaped and quickly rushed over to find help. The others..." he lowered eyes, face carved with sorrow "...lost."

A hush. Council ants scribbled notes. One elder wiped tears. Suddenly the doors creaked. All heads turned. Whispering swept the benches.

Kai walked in, Vexor behind him, sling still on his arm. Every gaze swung to Darius. The captain’s mask of sorrow cracked. Eyes widened, mandibles parted a hair, shock he tried to hide.

"Captain," Kai said, voice calm. "Reports of our deaths were... early." free𝑤ebnovel.com

Ripples of murmurs rang amongst the bench. An elder coughed. A scribe snapped a quill.

Darius gathered himself. "Remarkable! You survived after all. Praise the Queen. Where is the rest of the squad?"

Kai’s stare stayed level. "Two fallen. Renna in healer hall. You blocked the tunnel when you fled. We dug our own exit."

Gasps. A junior captain barked, "Blocked? Captain Darius, your earlier statement claimed the cave had collapse!"