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Chapter 1509 - Final, Sweet Release
🕑 Added 2024-12-13 01:00:04 +0000 UTC“This is our chance,” Leeroy hissed. “We can’t mess it up again.”
“Shhh!” her second in command, Hamadant shushed, waving her antennae to dispense the scent faster. “We don’t know who might be paying attention.”
The two looked around surreptitiously, then paused, then inspected the shadows beneath their feet. Leeroy went as far as to prod her own shadow with an antenna.
“I think we’re in the clear,” she said, dubious.
“We don’t have much time,” Hamadant said. “Artaxant said the armour will be repaired in less than a day.”
“The evolution might take longer than that,” Leeroy fretted. “What if it’s not finished in time?”
“We have to take this chance,” Hamadant stated, emphatic. “It was your idea, and we all agreed.”
“Mufasant was particularly keen,” Leeroy muttered. “She trampled over all our doubts.”
“If any of us evolve with supervision, they’re going to demand we explain our options and choose them for us,” Hamadant said. “Our only chance is for one of us to evolve in secret and find the right option for the rest of us to pick, and you’re the only one who’s reached max level. We’re counting on you, Leeroy.”
Member of the Council, among the oldest of all the ants in the Colony, leader of the Immortals and constant disappointment to the Eldest, Leeroy felt her heart swell with powerful emotions as her second in command placed a leg on her carapace and spoke so earnestly.
All they wanted to do was sacrifice themselves for the Colony. Was that so wrong? Was it such a bad thing to be so dedicated, to listen to what their instincts told them?
No. Of course it wasn’t! Thanks to the mistake they’d made when evolving to tier six, they’d become trapped, too durable to be defeated, and even if they were, they would simply revive. The Phoenix Flame had been so detrimental to their goals it had almost pushed them entirely out of reach. Whenever the Immortals found themselves in a position that was dire enough for them to be defeated the first time, the Colony would rally to their side, ensuring they wouldn’t get the chance to be defeated twice.
Even so. EVEN SO, Leeroy and her followers had not given up hope. Not at all. The search went on until they found what they were looking for.
“Take this. It was the best we could find.”
Hamadant handed her a rare core, nodding firmly as Leeroy took it in her mandibles.
“Good luck. Show us the way,” she said, then turned and scuttled out of the remote chamber they had stowed themselves in.
Again, Leeroy was deeply moved, then firmed her resolve. This was a chance; she was going to undo her mistake and find the evolution that would counteract their current evolution and its cursed Phoenix Flame Organ, giving them a chance to achieve their true goal.
Concentrating, Leeroy began to absorb the core, feeling its energy being added to her own, the gem inside her body swelling and pressing against her insides. The pain was good; she welcomed and embraced it. This pain was nothing compared to her burning will, her defining ambition. When weighed against her need for glorious sacrifice, what was pain?
Nothing.
When the core was fully absorbed, she took a moment to centre herself. This would be a big evolution, the first of the Immortals to rise to tier seven. This time, she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. She would read the full description of everything.
She could already imagine the Eldest laughing at her, forcing the rest of the Immortals to follow in her footsteps if she made another error. This time, it would be flawless.
She initiated the evolution process and focused her mind, quieting her spirit which cried out for selfless sacrifice, achieving a sort of mandible clenched focus. As she engaged the evolution menu, she flicked through the notifications until the list of possible species appeared. She honed in on each item, reading each word as if her life depended on it.
Salvation lay in these words, and she would digest each and every one fully and completely.
For herself. For her followers. For the search.
Your Evolution Options are as follows:
Enduring Soldier
Unending Warrior
Undying Commander
Leeroy winced. Things weren’t off to a good start. Even looking at the names, things didn’t seem promising on the surface. Hopefully there was something better in the special or rare options. She would check the details of each evolution, of course, the previous mistake couldn’t be repeated. Yet she was hoping there would at least be something that seemed promising on the surface.
Phoenix Soldier of Endless Rebirth (Special)
Unquenchable Flame of the Colony (Special)
Holy moly! This wasn’t getting better. Just look at those names! Leeroy wasn’t exactly sure what unquenchable would entail, but she knew it wasn’t good. She wanted to be quenched! Fully quenched! Every day she spent in a less that satisfactorily quenched state was a fresh agony!
She folded her legs and clapped her front legs together like she saw the human priests do something with their strange hand-things.
Please, she begged, there HAS to be something in the rare options.
Burning with a hope that refused to fade, she read on.
Armoured Ant-Phoenix of Limitless Vitality and Eternal Life (Rare)
Noooooooo!
That was SPECIFICALLY what she didn’t want to see!
Leeroy slammed her head into the stone floor of the cavern, breathing deep, slow breaths. There was hope. There was still hope. One option remained and it would surely be just what she was hoping to see. It had to be. It had to be.
Fallen Zombie Soldier (Rare)
Expecting the worst, Leeroy tilted her head to the side as she read the evolution. Wasn’t this… sort of promising? Fallen? That was a good start! She would love to have fallen! And zombies? Zombies were dead, weren’t they? She distinctly remembered that zombies were something that was heavily involved with death mana and had something to do with dead things.
Wasn’t this… wasn’t this perfect?
NO! She wouldn’t be tricked again! The description had to be checked. Thoroughly checked!
[Rare Evolution: Fallen Zombie Soldier (Rare). +20 Bonus to Cunning, +100 Bonus to Will, +250 Bonus to Toughness, +150 Bonus to Might. Embrace Death, and it will never leave you. The Phoenix Flame Organ will be consumed—
“It’s perfect!” Leeroy roared, eyes bulging from her carapace and slammed accept. A few modifications to turn her into the perfect sacrificial soldier, and her evolution would be complete!
She couldn’t wait until the Eldest saw her again. They wouldn’t be laughing this time!
Comments
william patterson
What is dead may never die, Leroy you may have made a mistake
Aeseof
...heh. You can tell Gandalf is just screwing with the immortals at this point. There's no way that last evolution is so different by accident.
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Victor Hertz
Meanwhile Anthony listening in with the Nave
Touch
Same thought, literally wanting to give lives to the colony, a life long dream that can’t be made peace of for comedic relief
TheLostGolem
Legit. Leeroy would start reading, get to the point where it says stitch the immortals, and immediately sign up thinking it finishes as stitch the immortals backs together after they were torn to pieces in a glorious death fighting a fearsome foe.
DerHochi
They probably dont have mythic cores to spare for every T7 ant. And making new ones is kind of a waste since you could probably do dozens of good T6 evolutions for the price of one T7 evolution. Not to mention, the immortals in particular are probably too little reward for the risk that they end up dying and wasting the ressources spent on them.
Anthony Romanov
Exactly Gandalf is so into the joke and he will troll them to eternity!
Elmithian
Tbf, all of the choices provided that. This one probably the most though.
Elmithian
Probably little need to. They just find most of their scattered remains and reattach them. Cast a bit of a healing spell and they likely end up and running again.
Ruwa
Anthony won't be laughing? Oh please he'll be laughing so hard he'll end up wheezing and crying unable to laugh because he won't be able to breathe as he forces every follower of Leroy to follow her evolution choice
alt31415
It's no accident that evolution only gives +20 Cunning.
Cinnamon Toast
Cool I read up to stitch and I’m ready to sign these terms & conditions
TheLostGolem
Let me just finish that. The Pheonix flame organ will be consumed and replaced with the Super Pheonix Organ. You will be like a zombie with how little meaning death will have to you since you will be practically unkillable.
alt31415
Oh yeah Grey Knight, just absorb one of those mythic cores laying all over the place.
alt31415
Hey, they can't all be ancient candidates.
alt31415
We’re counting on you, Leeroy – Ah, I see the brain trust has reached Tier 7. Armoured Ant-Phoenix of Limitless Vitality and Eternal Life – LMFAO “It’s perfect!” – Omg this idiot. Still hoping they make peace with their existence though: I reiterate that though it’s played for laughs, they’re good ants who deserve to be happy
Mohammed khaled
Damn she reminds me of me trying to find novels that I would like just read the first sentences XD
Mohammed khaled
Immune to death XD
stubs
gandalf is totally trolling her
Navarog
Or... She will die for colony, but still be serving colony. In some twisted way a ultimate win.
Ibuks5
Leeeeeeroooooyy
Shimelton
Perhaps if we stitch the Immortals mandible-to-thorax and place a blue box of text on the antenna of the lead Ant, their collective wisdom will teach them to read. We can call it “Cent-iPant”
Yanni
You’d think she would have learned her lesson about reading the full description before making her choice. Oh well, I’m looking forward to the absolute despair she will go through and Eldest laughing his business district off. Edit: you know how one zombie isn’t much of a threat but a horde of them are. What if they all had an aura that made them harder to kill the more them there were.
taukid
"...consumed to form the ultimate survival organ, the eternal zombie organ that will never allow you to die. Ever." Is what I imagine the rest reads, lol
Melody Haren Anderson
This will be so funny. She just never learns to read the whole thing.
Huy Ngo
Wish I can know what other option is for their evolution 😂. Maybe include it on as one of those future short story.
CUI13
I was kinda hoping for one of the other ones. I hope Leroy doesn't get all gross and zombified
Brandon14754
lol tier 10 but still stuck at mythic
Runaway_Cactuar
10 years later: Leeroy evolved to a tier 10 Mega Immortal Zombie-Ant of Unfathomable Vitality (Mythic)
Runaway_Cactuar
While it's funny that she forgot to read the fine print, again. Based on her choices, she seemed pretty hosed regardless of what she picked. No matter what, picking the phoenix fire organ fatally doomed their cause~
Briar
Lmaoooo
Man_of_culture
I can already see the colony picking up the remains of Leeroy and patching her up while she cries silent tears
strainge guy1
Oh dear
The-DM-Dino
Poor Leeroy she will never die now
Roombot
She didn’t have any mythic cores, those are pretty rare
BelligerentGnu
Oh for fuck sake.
Roombot
Noooo Leeroy! You didn’t read it!
Clara
They just happen to stink of "FOR THE COLONY"
Gabus Deux
Says who?
Grey Knight Lord
The issue is that she absorbed only a rare core not a mythic
Clara
That was her last option, she didn't get any mythics: There was still hope. One option remained and it would surely be just what she was hoping to see.
Ether's Blessed One
Eldest will be laughing his business district off. Leeroy did not read full description. Again. This will be hilarious soon Kehehe.
CentaureHeart
Mythic
Grey Knight Lord
I guess so, but she could have been a mythic.
Shaitan
Haha! Hopefully zombies can be healed back up again
DrDankness
Naw this is one of those times it “looks worse” but is genuinely stronger because its unconventional. There is no way Rinoz doesnt make an absolute meme out of this
Zielscheibe
Oh, I can already hear the healers laughing with glee.
bbk
Beautiful just beautiful ❤️
Master James
What comes after rare again?
Syf0
Zombies stink. Cant see any scenario where that could cause issues with the not zombie part of the colony
CentaureHeart
Also : "Holy moly! This wasn’t getting better. Just look at those names! Leeroy wasn’t exactly sure what unquenchable would entail, but she knew it wasn’t good. She wanted to be quenched! Fully quenched! Every day she spent in a less that satisfactorily quenched state was a fresh agony! " Had me in stitches.
Rick Delallata
Oh no, undead Leeroy. She fell into the trap again. Undead aren't unkillable, but if it's consuming the phoenix core I'd assume her regenerative abilities will be extremely potent
CentaureHeart
That was hilarious. All the more with Leeroy rejecting an evolution called "Armoured Ant-Phoenix of Limitless Vitality and Eternal Life" which clearly sounds like an awesome power up for any sane person. Sanity isn't her strong suit though.
Buck
Oh shit. There is no way this is not going to go horribly wrong. I really like Leeroy and the Immortals. They make me think of the Forlorn Hope soldiers of the English armies during the Napoleonic Wars. A unit made up of mostly volunteers who were sent on the most dangerous missions where the probability of survival was slim at best. Leeroy and the Immortals just need to temper their fanatic desire to die for the Colony.
bobby2dreki
I really want to know the rest of the description now..... Poor Leeroy, patience is a virtue.
Kurt A
Oh no, not again
DrDankness
Looool leeroy you foooool. You will become UNDEAD. As in you will literally be unable to die you darnable fools
Grey Knight Lord
I hate Leeroy, she wasted her Tier 7 evolution. I can’t stand waste. Edit: Ah what the heck, I can’t stay mad at the dummy.
Daddy Frog
Oh no Leeroy, I fear you may have chosen in haste
SleepingNight
Lol, I'm guessing that will make them even more unkillable.
