The Last Monarch : Unlimited Regeneration
Chapter 43: The Assault (Part 2)

Chapter 43: The Assault (Part 2)

Niva listened to the report from the Ant Bees. She immediately left the nest, hoping that what they had said was wrong.

However, she saw it with her own eyes—hundreds of enemies floating in the sky and hundreds more marching on foot.

All of them were fully armed, holding weapons and wearing armor.

Niva clicked her tongue in frustration. "Damn it. Why now?" she muttered.

Her master, Alvaric, had yet to recover, and at the same time, Lyrith had disappeared without a trace. Niva had already sent Ant Bees to search for her.

Unfortunately, no one knew where Lyrith was.

"That means... I’ll have to face them alone."

Niva’s hands trembled. She could feel their strength. Some of them radiated immense magical energy—especially two of them.

The enemy army kept approaching, led by a gorilla-type demi-human. Similar to the one that came before, but this one was larger... and stronger.

Niva stepped forward, accompanied by several elite Ant Bees. She wanted to try negotiating.

She raised her hand. Both sides immediately stopped. Her eyes met Gramn’s. Both wore serious expressions.

Niva began speaking first. "Why are you attacking our colony?" she asked softly.

Gramn didn’t answer. Instead, he laughed loudly, pointing at Niva—and a second later, a dagger flew toward her face.

It almost hit her, but she caught it with her fingers. Niva didn’t get angry. She simply threw the dagger away and repeated her question.

"Is there really no other way? I believe we can still solve this peacefully. We’re open to negotiation. I swear no Ant Bee will ever take a life again."

She spoke firmly.

Gramn sneered. "You think we’re here to negotiate? You monsters really are dumb—no brains at all."

His gaze turned sharper, filled with dark aura. He clenched his fists, looking furious for some unknown reason.

"If you don’t want a fight, then kill yourselves! That way, there won’t be a battle," said Gramn with a wide grin.

Of course, Niva would never accept such a demand. If no other options existed, then she would fight. No matter what, she would resist.

Then, the real leader of the army appeared. He descended from above, standing right beside Gramn.

"There’s no need for negotiation. No matter what you offer, we’ll still kill you all," Clard said firmly.

Niva wanted to say something, but Clard raised his spear and swung it, pointing toward the Ant Bees.

"Attack!!" Clard shouted.

"Waaaahhh!"

The royal army charged, launching their assault. Dozens of spears rained down. Niva blocked some of them, but several Ant Bees were killed.

She glanced around. "Forgive me, my lord."

She quickly prepared herself. Her body became covered in hard armor. Niva was ready to strike first.

But just then, Gramn appeared before her and launched a punch.

Niva crossed her arms, blocking the blow—but it still sent her flying backward. Her arms trembled.

"His punches are powerful," Niva groaned.

Gramn charged again, throwing another attack. There was no avoiding it now—the battle had begun. Niva turned her arms into blades and launched a counterattack.

The two exchanged fierce blows. They were evenly matched. Niva was pushed back repeatedly, but her slashes also landed on Gramn from time to time.

Slash!

Blood dripped from Gramn’s body, but he didn’t care. It was just a scratch. His body was trained—his muscles thick and hard.

[Twin Venom Slash!]

Niva unleashed her signature move—two fast and deadly slashes. Unfortunately, Gramn dodged both of them.

"He’s fast," Niva muttered.

When she looked again, Gramn had vanished from her sight. She turned her head—and to her shock, he was already there.

Gramn’s hand was glowing with mana. Niva couldn’t react in time. Within a second, his punch struck her head.

BAAM!

She was sent flying. Her head slammed into the ground—and a second later, Gramn appeared on the other side. He raised his foot and stomped on Niva’s head with full force.

Baam!

Her entire head was driven into the ground. But just as Gramn was about to stomp again, one of the Ant Bees fired a flame spell.

Gramn blocked it with his arms. The fire obscured his vision for a moment. In that brief window, Niva stood up and delivered a strong punch.

BAAM!

Gramn was pushed back. His right hand throbbed slightly with pain. He grinned, clearly excited.

"You’re strong too, Prince of Ant Bee," Gramn said.

"My name is Niva," she replied.

"Oh? So monsters have names too? Interesting... but I don’t care. You’ll die here anyway."

Gramn charged again—fast. At the same time, Niva became fully serious. Her eyes tracked his every movement.

She never expected to lose in terms of speed—but Niva had a skill called [Commander]. It allowed her to issue commands to other Ant Bees.

She would now use them as shields or tools for coordinated strikes.

"Forgive me... but I need your help."

***

From above, Clard observed everything. He could see his troops gaining the upper hand. Several Ant Bees had already fallen.

Yet something felt odd. "These are the creatures I saw back in the forest," he murmured. "Turns out Ant Bees come in many forms. I’ve never seen this type before."

So far, he had counted seven distinct kinds of Ant Bee—but two stood out the most: one that could cast magic and another that could heal others.

"If only the king had sent fewer soldiers... we might’ve lost this battle," Clard muttered.

His elite unit, the Sky Birds, continued throwing spears from above, putting the Ant Bees in a difficult spot.

The Ant Bees couldn’t counterattack—their range didn’t reach the Sky Birds.

"Bringing my personal troops was the smartest choice."

It gave them a huge advantage. They could attack without being attacked. Or so Clard thought—until something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, the Ant Bees formed into trios. Clard narrowed his eyes.

"What are they doing?"

A second later, Clard’s eyes widened. A large fire spell was launched—aimed directly at his troops.

One even came for him. Clard deflected it with ease, but three Sky Birds were hit and fell to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Clard exclaimed.