Chapter 55 Bonus Chapter

"You're not even using that bag to its full potential," Ember said, trying to sound calm and reasonable. "You're wasting it. Just give it to me—I'll hold onto it."

She kept her expression neutral, but the subtle tremble in her hands, reminding Ashborn of an old addict, gave her away.

Ashborn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, no. If I handed that to you, you'd end up with one hell of a big back."

Without another word, he tossed the bag into his shadow. Ember stared at him, unblinking.

"You know… I can make it so the food is healthy," Ember said, her voice a little strained as she slowly started to lose grip on her mental state.

Ashborn didn't even look at her. The silence was infuriating.

Ember gritted her teeth, fists clenched. She tried to stay composed—tried. But in the end, she almost broke down.

"I need some chocolate," she said, voice trembling. "Just this once. I won't ask for more."

Her pride crumbled. Because what was pride… compared to chocolate?

"Oh? Would you also date me for it?" Ashborn asked mockingly.

Ember suddenly came to a stop. She blinked—once, twice—then turned around and walked away without a word. 

And in that moment… a small part of Ashborn died inside. Sure, it was a joke… but that reaction? That was too much. 

Before he could even process it, a voice spoke beside him.

"My lord, don't mind that stupid chicken—I will gladly date you," said a shadow ant humanoid, suddenly kneeling at Ashborn's side with bright, hopeful eyes.

He wasn't alone. A whole swarm of ant people gathered around, staring at Ashborn, patiently waiting for him to choose.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Ashborn said, waving them off. "Instead, I want to give you all a mission."

The ants instantly stood at attention, posture sharp and ready.

These weren't ordinary ants anymore. Once normal insects, they had bathed in his energy and evolved far beyond their old forms—those very same old forms that could already catch Ember's attacks.

"Spread out across the world," Ashborn commanded. "I want one billion ants brought to me. Dead ants are preferred, but live ones will do. Just make sure no ant colonies are slaughtered. Once you gather them, revive them as shadows."

His voice was calm but absolute. "I will fuse every last one… to create the Ant King. I'll call him—Meruem."

Every ant's eyes lit up with joy.

"But for this to work," Ashborn continued calmly, "I want each of you to bring me 100 ants alive."

"I'll bless those ants with power—something that will evolve into the Ant King's strongest ability. Consider it a foundation."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Also… I want to experiment with an Ant Queen. Locate all the lifeless bodies of ant queens around the world, and bring them to me. I'll revive them as shadows too."

Ashborn could warp reality and grant unique powers with ease. And when it came to ants, altering their reality was laughably simple. Giving 100 ants power? That was nothing to him.

"Understood! You heard him—we're all going to evolve into the Ant King Meruem!" one of the ants shouted. The rest roared in joy, their excitement echoing across the manor.

Then, in an instant, they all teleported away, spreading across the planet like a wave.

It took only seconds. Ashborn felt it—over a billion ants being brought back as shadows.

Each one passed through [Shadow Preservation v3], emerging stronger than they had ever been in life.

They should have been massive—but they compressed their forms, shrinking down. And now, billions of them knelt before Ashborn, silent and loyal.

Ashborn looked at the 100 living ants that had been brought before him.

He raised his hand, palm open—and with a simple gesture, blessed them.

He gifted them a power: the ability to gain the abilities of anything they consumed.

They didn't need to devour an entire body—just a drop was enough. Even a single drop of Superman's blood would be all they needed to gain his power… although weakened.

Ashborn lowered his hand, his eyes sharp.

"Tell me your powers," he said calmly, addressing the shadows of the 100 living ants.

At his command, the living ants' shadows came to life, each one rising to stand on one knee, bowing before their Sovergin, completely ignoring their living selves. 

"Anything we eat, we gain the power of what we eat. We don't even need the full body—just enough DNA," the 100 ants said in perfect unison.

Ashborn smirked. He held full mastery over shadows. They were bound to his will—absolute in their loyalty.

He didn't need to give orders twice. If he desired something, they would move. He was their Sovereign. The very idea of defying his will was unthinkable.

"Then die… and Arise," Ashborn commanded.

The moment the words left his mouth, the ants' shadows exploded outward, swallowing their living bodies whole.

In the next breath, all 100 ants were reborn—now shadow soldiers, kneeling before their Sovereign.

They entered [Shadow Preservation v3], disappearing for only a second, And when they returned, they were no longer the same.

They were far stronger, more capable, and even their abilities had evolved.

After grasping the power of Death of the Endless, Ashborn's [Shadow Monarch Force] had grown even stronger.

When shadows bathed in that force—especially within [Shadow Preservation v3]—they evolved instantly. Time meant nothing inside. The moment they entered, they changed.

Ashborn looked at the 100-enhanced shadow ants before him.

"Fuse," he said calmly. The shadows obeyed without hesitation. The 100 ants merged into one—no energy release, no wild surges.

Ashborn had mastered his abilities. There would be no ripple across the world, no flashy spectacle. Everything was controlled, concentrated, and precise—focused entirely on the fusion.

{Name: Shadow Antx100

Race: Super Shadow Ants

Titles: [None]

Combat Capability: Universal+ (Mid Omniversal with piercing attack)

[Class And Skills]

Job Class: [Uprising Ant King]

Skills: [None]

Job Class Skills: [Consumptive Replication]

'I can even see their stat screen… not bad,' Ashborn thought with a smile.

The fused ant was truly strong. Sadly, it only reached Universal+—which wasn't enough to destroy a universe in the DC world, where universes held infinite dimensions. 

Still, it was a promising start.

"After this fusion," Ashborn said, smiling, "you shall all be reformed as Meruem—the Ant King. After that, I'll begin work on creating your Ant Queen."

At his words, the ants began to tremble, unable to contain their restlessness.

"Fuse," Ashborn said. At his command, the bodies of the 100 ants liquefied, flowing toward one another like molten metal.

They merged, reshaped, and solidified—forming a towering, super ant that dropped to one knee before Ashborn.

Its body was covered in a hardened shell, fused with the legendary Shadow Monarch Ore.

Its eyes glowed a piercing light blue.

Razor-sharp wings extended from its back, humming with energy. Its mandibles gleamed—sharp enough to pierce any defense, magical or physical.

Even in its weakened state, its combat capability was already at mid-omniversal level—thanks to its piercing specialization. One would be a fool to underestimate the power of Shadow Monarch Ore.

Thanks to their armor, all of Ashborn's shadows—even in a weakened state—were practically indestructible.

They were like Captain America—except instead of holding a shield, they were wearing it.

Except for the ants. They didn't need armor. Their exoskeletons were forged from Shadow Monarch Ore itself. And now, standing before Ashborn

{Name: Meruem

Race: Ant King

Titles: [Ant King]

Combat Capability: Multiversal+ (Mid Omniversal with piercing attack)

[Class And Skills]

Job Class: [Ant King]

Skills: [None]

Job Class Skills: [Devour]

[Ant King] – As the King of Ants, you have the power to command any ant to obey your will. As long as the target is weaker than you, their loyalty is absolute.

[Devour] – You have the power to devour anything and gain the abilities of what you consume. You don't need the full body—just a drop of DNA is enough.