To say that Warlya was reluctant to even consider forgiving the Humanoid Ant Queen for past mistakes was an understatement. She physically recoiled just thinking about it. After all, most of her grieving moments were directly or indirectly related to her. 'Speaking of which, when the Golden Sap Army came to help her clean up the domain, they all had a strange aura around them that didn't really click with me.'
She clearly remembered at that time almost telling them to back off from her domain. Still, knowing that such a request would cause the death of the people in her domain, she refrained from saying it. After that war, almost 40% of the population in her domain were killed, most deaths occurring before evacuating most of the population into her main city.
"Lady Warlya. Important report."
Warlya's wandering thoughts refocused, and she looked at the room where the male's voice came from. The man holding a few documents looked old, but there was energy in his movements and gaze. "We've discovered a humanoid flying into your branches. Is there a problem? Does Lady Warlya need help?"
Looking at Ignatia's resting body on her branches, Warlya was somewhat tempted. 'If the entire city fights her, killing her won't be impossible.'
Still, only she knew how strong a Fourth Energy Cycle Humanoid Ant Queen was. The terror of that creature was deeply imprinted in her. In the war in the past, the Ant Queen literally punched a hole so deep in her trunk that her core was exposed. Back then, she thought that her entire body would snap in half after receiving her last desperate attack.
To make a World Tree of the
And yet… Her gaze shifted once more to the peaceful creature sitting on her branches with a complicated mood. 'How did Liu Shu do it? Or is this one trick of the Ant Queen? Humanoid Ant Queens are too intelligent.'
After struggling for almost ten minutes straight, Warlya eventually answered the person who spoke. "No need to. I can deal with this. Moreover… She isn't an enemy."
The old man bowed forward with respect. "As you wish, Lady Warlya."
Warlya sighed and finally directed her words to the Ant Queen. "Ignatia… right?"
"Yes." Ignatia smiled. "You can also call me Liu Shu's Mommy~. Either way is okay for me, haha."
"... Ignatia. You do understand that you've crippled my entire existence."
"As I've said," Ignatia answered calmly. "That was not me. Me knowing that creature's actions, memories, and skills doesn't mean that I am them."
Warlya didn't argue with that. Instead, she asked. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" Ignatia asked. "If you are asking about why I am trying to convince you, it is for Liu Shu's sake." She chuckled and added. "If you are asking why I am mothering Liu Shu, that's also for my baby's sake. I just love her too much and want her to be a happy little tree~."
Warlya wanted to rebuke her words, but when she looked at Ignatia's face, she couldn't. The Ant Queen's expression, even with her insectoid eyes being unable to communicate emotions, was impossible to confuse with anything other than motherly determination and love.
"You…" Warlya's entire mood became extremely complicated. "If you and the previous Ant Queen had similar memories, why did you choose this path, while she chose that one?"
Ignatia admitted. "If I had not met Liu Shu, my path wouldn't have been much different from my predecessors. It's just that when I met Liu Shu and interacted with her, I fell in love with her. Not romantically, but in a way that I just wanted to protect her, hug her, and make her giggle and smile. She was just a puzzle piece that my predecessors had overlooked."
The Ant Queen's tone was soft and loving, her entire body radiating warmth and comfort. "My baby Liu Shu is the most lovely and cute baby in the world. That's what I firmly believe, and if I need to become a catastrophe or guardian to maintain her smile, I will."
Warlya couldn't speak for a while. Then, she sighed and muttered. "I can see the same traces of her on you. You both believed that giving your everything for those you loved was correct. Only, it seems that the love you felt this time is not only directed at your children, but at a World Tree as well."
"Hey! Liu Shu is my baby as well, okay?" Ignatia rebuffed with a huff.
A faint chuckle escaped Warlya. Ignatia could hear the complex emotions in that laugh. She didn't speak anymore and just waited.
It wasn't until more than a day had gone by that Warlya spoke to Ignatia. "... Alright."
Ignatia sat up, tilting her head. "Hm? What do you mean?"
"I said, I'll give you a chance." Warlya sighed deeply, and one of her branches moved down. "If you ever change your nature, I'll deal with you regardless of what price I need to pay."
Then, Ignatia was thrown out of Warlya's canopy without any decorum. The Ant Queen's antennae flopped around in the wind as she completed the throw's trajectory. Even then, she was not upset. 'It didn't take that long. I was prepared to battle with Warlya for a month straight just to start a conversation. I wonder why she gave up so quickly.'
Ignatia missed one very simple detail. The Warlya of the past and present were drastically different. Before, Warlya had a powerful will and strength, and she was unbending in her ways. That single-mindedness to defeat the Humanoid Ant Queen of the past is what pushed her to break all limits and reach incredible strength.
After the war, a broken World Tree was left behind. While wounds healed, they were too deep and left deep scars both physically and psychologically. Warlya learned to compromise during the hundreds of years after the war, and nowadays, she has become a recluse. Whatever happened around her was almost always none of her concern. If it weren't because Liu Shu started a conversation with her in the past, she would've never reached out on her own accord. Only if she were invaded would Warlya pay attention.
Ignatia continued flying back while pondering, but eventually, she placed it at the back of her mind. "Anyway, the last obstacle for my darling baby is gone. Now, she just needs to take over the world~. After that…" Ignatia looked up, her compound black eyes seemingly piercing beyond the atmosphere and reaching far away.
Meanwhile, the Abyssal Void Nexus gathered some of their Fourth Energy Cycles to discuss what happened in the Wild Continent.
"Annihilated?" Spoke one man, his tone full of confusion. "How is this possible? Didn't the other three superpowers send no one? Moreover, they are now attacking our borders, so they shouldn't have any chance or resources to interrupt or participate in our Wild Continent conquest."
Kaelis, a human who formed part of the group that decided to send Evangeline back, frowned as well. "What about Evangeline and Eryndis? Those two were not only intelligent and talented, but their plans were quite thorough when they sent them back for inspection."
The man they were speaking with was tall and stern, his facial features leaning towards average but with a hint of superiority. "Annihilated means no survivors. So, naturally, those two must be dead as well." Looking at the paper in his hand, he commented. "It seems that a World Tree named Tianlian Liu Shu has appeared on that continent and reversed the entire situation. What information do you all have about her?"
"Impossible!" Kaelis blurted with wide eyes. "How can it be possible for that young World Tree to be so influential!?"
A man by her side frowned. "Evangeline did warn us about her. Were we too dismissive of her?"
The average-looking man squinted his eyes, making the others feel a chill. Even when his appearance was not too remarkable, his strength was ridiculously high. "Have you been hiding reports? What is happening, and why have I only learned about this disaster after it occurred? Foler, search the documents and gather them in my palace three days later."
He stood up, his gaze freezing as he swept the Fourth Energy Cycle powerhouses in the room. "As for all of you… You'd better pray that the mistake this time around is not too large. Otherwise, I don't mind killing you and replacing you with new
When he left, the Fourth Energy Cycles gathered in the room all looked a little pale; their original arrogant looks were nowhere to be seen. Kaelis muttered. "He wouldn't inform the higher-ups because of this, right? While we lost a few million, they are all cannon fodder."
Renvar, the man who spoke at first, glared at Kaelis. "You stupid woman. Do you know whose daughter Eryndis is!? If she has truly died, not because of her incompetence but because the information she had was incorrect, you'd better pray! Her father is a lesser Star Lord who sent her here to test her!"
"Star—!" Kaelis almost released a strangled scream as fear rushed up her spine. Kaelis's eyes shifted around, and suddenly, a crazed light appeared in the depths of her eyes. "I-If we get rid of Tianlian Liu Shu, they shouldn't be too angry with us, right?"
"Are you crazy, woman!?" Renvar shouted. "If you dare leave the continent and the other side uses this chance to start an all-out war against us, we will be in deep trouble! Remember that we are not the only interstellar power in this remote country! Otherwise, why would we even need to be careful!? The Explorer Association, the Verdant Sanctity Covenant, and even those mysterious Skill Traders that come from time to time. Do you think they'd be fine with you breaking the rules!? Only a powerhouse that was born in this world and grown through it can do as they please!"
Kaelis shook her head. "Eryndis is dead! Do you really think that Star Lord will not act after he learns that we messed up and got her killed with inaccurate information?" She whispered to him and the others. "It is better to just kill Folar, get rid of the important documents, and then get rid of Tianlian Liu Shu. That way, we can throw all the blame onto that dead plant and save our lives!"
Renvar and the others frowned deeply, but they didn't deny her words. Kaelis commented. "I'll go to deal with Tianlian Liu Shu. You four deal with Foler."
Then, she rushed out and flew off into the distance with her bow in hand. Her gaze was murderous as she cursed under her breath. 'A little Third Energy Cycle World Tree, how dare you threaten my existence with your pitiful strength!? I'll make sure you burn down!'