Death… And Me

Chapter 4469: More Pain

The Krik Locusts’ territory was surprisingly lush. At first glance, it seemed like a contradiction considering the race that lived there. Locusts were usually known for consuming everything in their path and leaving nothing behind, so one would expect their territory to be barren.

However, there was a reason the area remained filled with life. The plant life in this place grew at an incredibly fast rate, continuously replacing whatever the Krik Locusts consumed. Even when thousands of locusts fed on the vegetation, the plants recovered quickly enough to provide them with an almost limitless source of food.

It was almost as if the plants and the locusts had been made for each other. The plants provided an endless supply of food, while the locusts prevented the rapidly growing vegetation from spreading too far and consuming the territories of other races.

Rarely did cultivators come to this place, though. Almost every Krik Locust was a Godly Spawn of the lowest level, and their Godly Crystals contained very little energy. One would need around ten crystals from these locusts just to equal the energy contained inside a single average Godly Spawn Crystal from another race.

Their individual strength was almost insignificant. However, their race made up for that weakness through sheer numbers. Once a large swarm gathered, even cultivators above their level could find themselves overwhelmed.

Rean didn’t take the airplane toward the center of their territory. Instead, he stopped at the outermost area, where only a few locusts could be seen at a time. This was perfect for what he had in mind. The airplane landed in an empty area not too far away, and Rean carried the fox outside.

"Alright, can you see those yellow insects over there?" Rean asked while pointing toward several Krik Locusts feeding on the nearby vegetation. "Every single one of them has a Godly Crystal. Considering the strength you displayed against that Godly Beast Fish, I reckon they should provide a proper challenge for you."

The fox carefully observed the insects. There were only six nearby, and each one was several times larger than a locust from Earth. Their sharp legs dug into the ground while their powerful jaws continuously tore pieces from the plants around them.

"If you truly want to eat Godly Crystals, you have to earn them yourself," Rean continued. "So, off you go. If you can’t kill any of them... well, you’ll just go hungry."

*Rawr, rawr, rawr, rawr!*

The extremely discontent fox immediately jumped out of Rean’s arms and shot toward the locusts. She was already hungry, and hearing that she would receive no food if she refused to fight was more than enough motivation.

Her fur once again turned red-golden as flames spiraled around her body. She didn’t possess any special skills or techniques, at least none that they had seen so far. There was no complicated preparation or strategy. She simply charged directly at her targets!

The nearby Krik Locusts immediately noticed her approach. Their insect-like eyes turned toward the little fox, and all six rushed at her at once. Fortunately, there weren’t any other locusts nearby, so she wouldn’t have to deal with a swarm immediately.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The locusts slammed into the fiery protection surrounding her body. Their shells began to burn, and several of them were pushed backward by the impact. However, they quickly recovered and opened their mouths, attempting to bite through the flames and reach the little fox.

*Kraw! Kraw! Kraw! Kraw!*

And they succeeded!

*Awwoooo!*

The little girl cried out in pain as several locusts bit into different parts of her body. Still, she refused to retreat. Instead, she pushed forward and bit one of the locusts back.

Red-golden flames erupted from her mouth as she violently thrashed the insect from side to side. The first locust’s body quickly cracked before breaking apart completely. Its Godly Crystal fell to the ground, but the dust didn’t even collect before she already swallowed it.

She moved everywhere while the remaining locusts continued attacking.

One locust...

Two locusts...

Three...

Four...

She killed one after another, but she was also bitten many times. Her flames protected her from the worst of the attacks, and her body was much tougher than expected for someone with such little cultivation. Even so, every new bite caused her pain.

More locusts eventually noticed the commotion and began approaching from further away.

Rean and Celis watched leisurely from the side, neither showing any intention of intervening.

"This fox is truly incredible..." Celis commented.

Rean nodded, knowing exactly what Celis was talking about. "Her cultivation is probably weaker than a simple Initial Stage Anchor God cultivator. Yet, her physical strength is incredibly high, and so are her flames. Those are definitely some kind of special flames if you ask me."

He continued watching the battle. "The locusts are biting her, but they can barely break through her skin. There is definitely a lot of pain involved, but she isn’t in any real danger at the moment. At least, not while there are only a few dozen of them."

"Oh!" Celis suddenly noticed something. "The new locusts are beginning to bite the same places where the previous ones attacked. They seem to have realized that those areas are already weakened."

Rean looked more carefully and quickly confirmed it. Several wounds that had initially been superficial were beginning to grow deeper as more locusts attacked the same locations.

"That will definitely teach her a lesson," Celis said before raising his voice.

He used Godly Energy to make sure his words reached the fox. "Hey, little girl! Aren’t you going to flee? You’re too weak!"

The little fox not only refused to flee, but Celis’s words seemed to make her even angrier.

*RAWR!*

Her flames erupted with even greater intensity. The Godly Energy contained inside the crystals of the locusts she had already killed was being absorbed by her body, strengthening the flames around her. She continued charging through the insects, biting and throwing them around while refusing to take even one step backward.

The locusts kept plunging toward her, and the pain only increased. However, the fox refused to give up. She killed more and more of them, and every time another crystal fell to the ground, she immediately swallowed it before attacking again.

"Well, she does have guts, I’ll tell you that," Celis commented.

It wasn’t until ten minutes had passed and more than forty locusts had died that the little girl finally reached her limit. Her flames weakened, and her movements became slower. Several locusts managed to climb over her body, and she could barely move her paws anymore.

Still, she tried to stand.

*Raw...r...*

The fox glared at the remaining locusts, unwilling to accept defeat. However, her legs finally gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Before she could completely pass out, several roots suddenly erupted from the earth. They pierced every remaining locust attempting to bite the fox, killing them before they could cause any further damage.

Rean appeared beside her a second later. He caught the exhausted little girl and pulled her away from the battlefield. By the time the remaining locusts realized what had happened, Rean and Celis were already flying back toward the airplane.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for them to disappear from the area entirely.