Evolution begins with an ant colony

As Akun made his way through the castle, he encountered the Dryad elders, Aelorin and Nyressa, standing in his way.

Elder Nyressa spoke up with disdain, "How dare you, a mere child, disgracefully tarnishing the Dryads' thousands of years of rich history." Pointing at him with an irritated expression, she demanded, "State your name, child, so I may know the name of the fool who was so bold as to do such a thing here today. You shall be used as an example so no one in the future would dare to do such again."

Elder Aelorin chimed in, "This must be the ruler of the Ant Tribe. If so, then we should try now to retrieve his core for that man."

Hearing Elder Aelorin's statement, Akun's thoughts raced as he mused inwardly. "Retrieve my core for that man? Who exactly? Was that the original reason they attacked the Ant Tribe?"

Suddenly, the system's voice echoed in his head: [Notice, player!! Time is of the essence. Wasting it on pointless thoughts will only make the end approach you unprepared.]

Akun mused further, "The system is right; I can't waste any more time. It doesn't matter what they are saying; when I get the princess, I'll get all the answers I need." Read latest chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

Directing his gaze at the dryad elders, his eyes shon brightly as he then spoke up with his deep, intimidating voice, "For your sakes, I would advise that you make way."

Elder Nyressa's voice echoed with authority as she spoke with a very serious tone, her eyes narrowing with intensity fixed on Akun. "All the trees in this forest would have long withered and died before I would make way for you."

With deliberate grace, Nyressa underwent a remarkable transformation, her form shifting seamlessly into that of a majestic wolf beast folk. The air around her crackled with an otherworldly energy as she addressed Aelorin, "Together, Aelorin, let's rid ourselves of this naive child." The atmosphere became charged with anticipation as the two elders prepared for a confrontation with the intruder.

Aelorin's eyes intensified with a bright glow, and the part of the tree castle where Akun stood began to respond with an unsettling sinking sensation, roots snaking out from the walls to entwine his feet in a tightening grip.

As the intricate display of nature's power unfolded, elder Nyressa wasted no time. Charging forward with the speed of a seasoned warrior, she extended her claws, poised to deliver a swift and decisive slash.

Akun's eyes blazed with intensity as he roared in irritation, "I don't have time for these old tricks!" In an instant, a colossal surge of aspect power erupted from him, a radiant force that propelled toward the elders like an unstoppable wave.

The roots extending from the walls shattered upon impact, unable to withstand the sheer force of Akun's aspect power. Elder Aelorin, caught in the maelstrom, was sent sprawling, while Elder Nyressa, struck directly by the powerful burst, reverted to her original form. Both elders tumbled across the ground, rolling backward in disarray from the overwhelming force unleashed by Akun.

Akun proceeded to advance slowly toward them, the purple glow in his eyes intensifying from the visors of his dark silver armor.

Elder Aelorin struggled to rise, her voice a murmur, "What was that force just now? It was so powerful."

Elder Nyressa, teeth gritted, managed to stand, muttering, "The youngster must be using some sort of trick. Well, it won't work again since I've already seen it once." She attempted to transform once more.

Akun spoke dismissively, "Sadly, I don't have any more time to waste on either of you, so be on your way." Suddenly, a massive burst of aspect power surged from Akun's body, far more potent than the one unleashed earlier. The tremendous blast struck the elders, sending them flying, crashing into a wall of the tree castle. They broke through it and landed outside, visibly weakened by the impact.

Through the massive hole they created when bursting out of the tree castle, Akun could see that alternate Akun had already enslaved nearly all of the dryads outside. The full moon hung overhead as both Akuns' gazes met. They nodded at each other and returned to their separate missions.

Suddenly, Elder Thalanor appeared behind Akun, thrusting his green dryad sword with confidence, yelling, "This is where you die, child! Pay for your arrogance and impudence."

As Elder Thalanor's sword came into contact with Akun's armor, it shattered into a thousand shards. "Impossible!" he mused aloud. Time seemed to slow down as he inwardly considered, "This sword was made with the scale of a dragon by a dragon. Mere armor shouldn't be stronger than it."

Suddenly, with his eyes glowing intensely, Akun swiftly turned around, grabbed Elder Thalanor by his head, and slammed him into the ground with a massive force. The impact sent out a resounding shockwave and a loud boom. Though Elder Thalanor did not die from the attack, he was knocked out cold.

The sound of the massive shockwave reached the ears of all the tribe leaders, prompting them to run into the hallways to investigate. The princess hesitated, torn between warning them and letting them face the consequences of their initial decision to abandon her tribe. In the end, she chose to let them go, uncertain of her feelings toward those who had once considered leaving her people alone.

As the tribe leaders left the room, Rinalef's thoughts raced. She mused, "How is this happening? Is it because of me? Did he detect the lies in what I told him earlier? Is that why he is here to make my tribe pay?" She fell to her knees as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

As the other tribe leaders and their guards made their way through the halls, they came into contact with Akun. He had just finished knocking out Elder Thalanor, and he was looking out to the dryad tribe that had nearly been completely enslaved.

Thalgar, the Fenire tribe leader, pointed a claw at Akun and asked, "Are you the one responsible for all this?"

Akun replied, "I am. What is it to you?"