Chapter 56: The Hunt for the Queen Bee

Just as Roland was about to turn and flee, Kus suddenly shouted, “Roland, focus your strength and kill this fourth-level queen bee, then use it to control the rest of the green-winged bees!”

Roland had already activated his Lightning Speed technique, and upon hearing Kus’s words, he hesitated for a moment. “Uncle Kus, this fourth-level beast is extremely hard to kill. If we waste time, the more than a thousand green-winged bees behind it will catch up in no time. By then, I’m afraid we won’t even have a chance to run!” With that, Roland prepared to make his escape.

“Boy! Trust me, you’re carrying the ‘Queen’s Essence’ that skeleton brought back. These green-winged bees will never let you go; you simply can’t escape!” Kus’s voice was nearly a shout in his urgency.

“Oh, Uncle Kus, if they insist on having it, I can just give it back to them. My life is more important,” Roland replied quickly, taking several steps back as he spoke.

“Give it back to them?” Kus nearly roared. “Do you have any idea how powerful the life force within the ‘Queen’s Essence’ is? If a green-winged bee’s leg is broken or its wing is torn, just a little of it will restore them completely. I suspect it could do wonders for your brother’s leg ailment. Even if it can’t cure him, it should at least ease his suffering. More importantly, this Queen’s Essence has restorative properties for the undead—it’s a sacred relic for necromancers. Back in my day, I dreamed of obtaining it, but…” Kus rambled on, giving an impassioned explanation.

However, Roland barely heard a word of what followed. He had only grasped that the Queen’s Essence could greatly benefit his brother’s leg. Without hesitation, he carefully stored the piece of honeycomb in his Necromancer’s Space, swearing to himself that he would never part with such a precious treasure, even under threat of death.

Having done this, Roland immediately called for Little Black, the donkey, to stop running. At that moment, the queen bee, leading several hundred green-winged bees, caught up in an instant.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning as thick as a finger crashed down from above the queen bee, so quick it was there in the blink of an eye. The queen bee’s eyes flickered with disdain; just as it was about to beat its wings and dodge, it found its delicate wings entangled in a mass of black threads.

In that instant, Roland had simultaneously cast two first-level spells: Lightning Strike and Slow!

Yet the queen bee showed no sign of panic. With a forceful flap, it severed the black threads binding its wings, then nimbly evaded the lightning from above with a deft beat of its wings.

At that moment, the queen bee sensed two searing auras rushing toward it. Glancing over, it saw two fireballs, each the size of a head, coming from opposite directions—like fists aimed to crush it. If they hit, the sheer heat radiating from their surfaces would be enough to cause serious harm.

After casting Lightning Strike and Slow, Roland immediately unleashed his best fire spell, summoning two fireballs to pincer the enemy.

With a violent tremor of its gossamer wings, the queen bee barely dodged the two fireballs. But as it angrily prepared to charge the human who had stolen its Queen’s Essence and repeatedly attacked it, it was startled by a flurry of blue-green blades flying toward it. On the ground below, over thirty wind wolves simultaneously unleashed Wind Blades, which converged in a net, rapidly enveloping the queen bee.

This was Roland’s strategy: use his instantly-cast magic to ensnare the queen bee, giving his pack of undead wind wolves time to prepare their Wind Blade assault. No matter how agile the queen bee, faced with such a barrage, there was nowhere to hide.

While Roland’s side was launching their relentless assault on the queen bee, the hundreds of green-winged bees it led surged toward Roland and Little Black. Having learned that their attacks were ineffective against the undead, none of them went after the wolves—instead, they focused their fury on Roland and his donkey.

The Necromancer’s Sacred Armor that shielded Roland flickered wildly under the onslaught of so many green-winged bees, but he ignored them completely, his gaze fixed on the queen bee ahead.

A torrent of Wind Blades closed in on the queen bee, churning the air into chaos. The fine hairs on its body were whipped in every direction. As the blades converged, the queen bee managed to dodge a dozen with rapid wing beats. But when it became impossible to evade the rest, its wings suddenly folded in, wrapping its body in a protective shroud.

Thunderous explosions echoed as dozens of Wind Blades struck, sending shockwaves that blasted the surrounding green-winged bees hundreds of meters away. Even Roland, standing at a distance, felt the harsh wind sting his face.

“As I thought, it still survived!” Roland’s eyes narrowed. When the smoke cleared, the queen bee emerged, unscathed, its wings beating. Yet Roland’s keen senses detected a change—though unharmed, its flight was no longer as smooth and effortless; the assault had clearly taken a toll.

By now, the hundreds of green-winged bees had battered Roland’s Necromancer’s Sacred Armor almost to pieces; it would collapse at any moment. Worse still, nearly a thousand more were about to join the fray. And yet, Roland paid them no mind.

Just as the queen bee escaped the blast, it suddenly sensed a new danger. The wind wolf leader, which had been lying in wait nearby, sprang up, its massive claws slashing with ferocious speed—faster even than the Wind Blades from earlier. The queen bee, recognizing a threat from a peer-level beast, drew upon all its strength, its wings vibrating madly, propelling it out from under the wolf’s claws in the nick of time. But at that instant, the wolf’s claws extended by half an inch, the razor-sharp tips grazing one of the queen bee’s wings.

A faint tearing sound split the air. The queen bee faltered mid-flight, nearly dropping from the sky; a large gash now marred one of its gossamer wings, making its flight awkward and unstable. Seeing this, the queen bee soared upward, intent on escaping the dangers of low altitude. Yet, just as it climbed barely a meter, a wave of scorching heat crashed down from above.

To its horror, ten massive fireballs rained down from the sky, their searing force forcing the queen bee to veer sharply downward to escape.

At that moment, the Necromancer’s Sacred Armor shielding Roland finally gave out, shattering with a resounding crash. The green-winged bees swarmed him without mercy, each one lunging fiercely. And now, the thousand bees from behind had arrived, their wings buzzing furiously as they plunged into the fray.