Yvonne's captive had proven himself quite capable, and freely revealed the information he held, answering all questions with remarkable frankness while leading the duo toward his tribe's central dwelling.
From him, Verena and Yvonne finally understood the structure and hierarchy of the Hidden Forest's forces. They were divided in five, each representing a lineage and ruled by a Knight General. However, many restrictions within the Hidden Forest ensured outsiders couldn't make use of their full powers.
Thanks to that and the founders' initial mercy, those five factions managed to maintain their independence from the Celestial Church and Infernal Cult over the eons. But while the people of the Hidden Forest possessed strong constitutions, they failed to produce a Knight Paramount across one million years.
They respectively were the serpent tribe, the blood beast tribe, the sekhmet beast tribe, the anzu beast tribe, and the black swan tribe.
Meanwhile, unbeknown to them, the Ant Queens and Goddess stood within the roots and base of the World Three, draining it of its boundless life essence and vitality to fuel their growth and expand their colony. Now, the Zenith Ants' colony stretched across the underground with an incalculable number of warriors.
Worse, having been a part of the Hidden Forest for so long, and with their connection to the World Tree, they obtained the "right of citizenship" and weren't subject to the Hidden Forest's foreigner restrictions.
Therefore, when they rose from the undergrounds to invade the Hidden Forest, no one could resist them. No tribe could resist them. In a flash, the sekhmet, anzu, and black swan, the three weaker tribes were forced into submission and became the dogs of the Zenith Ants.
Although slightly stronger, the remaining two shouldn't have fared much better. But thanks to their peers' fate, they understood an all-out battle would either result in their surrender or death and chose to use their ancestral formations as blockades to prevent further invasion.
Thanks to that, the entirety of their tribes were invisible to the Ant Elders who could no longer lead their troops into more land annexation. It was also for that reason that Yvonne's captive so candidly explained everything. Even if they knew, it mattered not. The only reason why they could capture him was due to his carelessness. But as long as they stood within his serpent tribe's territory, they couldn't raise any storm.
However, he also revealed a new piece of information that filled Yvonne and Verena with a sense of urgency. The blood tribe was ready to surrender, and if it did, the serpent tribe would most likely follow!
The silent clashes of the Hidden Forest were the only reason why the Zenith Ants' armies had yet to flood the Barbarian Continent. Once all the tribes were pacified, the Barbarian Continent would be next, and after it, the Holy Continent would follow.
With Konrad's current state, Yvonne would naturally not allow things to develop in that direction. Therefore, she resolved to take the bull by the horns, and force the conclusion she sought.
Following several hours of walk, they reached the serpent tribe's headquarters where beasts and fiends gathered in startling numbers to welcome them all. Clearly, they had been alerted of what occurred. And stood ready to handle Konrad's consorts.
Among the beasts were nature serpents, poisonous serpents, winged serpents, and many others. But the distinction of serpent fiends was much simpler, and they all seemed to belong to one race.
Though, it would be a mistake to think it so.
On a massive green leaf throne, a fearsome giant with slit silver eyes, crest-styled hairs, and a long black beard sat with his cheek resting on his fist. The aura rippling from him was by far the strongest of the gathered individuals, standing at the limit of the late the Knight General Rank, and infinitely close to the peak.
It didn't take a genius to identify him as the serpent tribe's chieftain.
"Welcome, outsiders. I must say that I didn't expect you to be the first to see through our tribe's cloaking formation. Impressive."
He declared with an indifferent tone. From the gathered intel, he knew that unlike those Zenith Ants, Verena and Yvonne were not "blind" within their tribe's territory and could freely come and go.
Although the cloaking formation was only the first layer and their tribe's survival relied on more formidable formations, it still was enough to keep the zenith ants at bay and strike them from the shadows.
Clearly, those two relied on some mighty extra-sensory ability even their formation couldn't swindle.
And indeed, on one the hand, the duo's Origin Sight was leagues above what it was in the past, and on the other hand, Verena could rely on Seer's Vision to break all phantasms.
"I will not beat around the bush; I hear you plan to surrender to the zenith ants. Is that accurate news?"
Yvonne directly asked, causing the serpent chieftain to arc his eyebrows.
"In your current situation, I'm afraid you're not entitled to ask questions. However, I've always respected strong-willed and outstanding women, so why not? Indeed, should the blood tribe surrender, we will follow suit."
The serpent chieftain replied. As he spoke, no ripple flashed on his face.
"May I ask why?"
This time, it was Verena that spoke. While Yvonne cared very little for the surrendering party's plight and reasons, Verena believed that if diplomacy could amend the situation, there was no need to resort to arms.
Following her inquiry, the chieftain shook his head.
"In that matter, there is nothing to hide. The situation is going from bad to hopeless. The Zenith Ant Elders were already troubling enough, but thanks to our ancestral formations, I can feel the Ant Queens are about to go out of seclusion and emerge from the World Tree.
When they do, fighting becomes meaningless. At best, we can hide here throughout eternity, hoping they have no way to break our formations. But even that is no long-term plan.
Even in the case they don't have the means, the Goddess definitely has the ability. To say nothing of the fact that our formations' strength comes from the Hidden Forest. When the World Tree's Withering reaches its final stage, our formations will lose all powers.
Thus, leaving us exposed.
I'm not afraid of death. But I have no interest in dragging all my tribesmen into oblivion with me for the sake of a fleeting moment of glory.
If the blood tribe is willing to join hands to fight for a way out, I'm willing to take the bet. But if not, we might as well surrender, and leave an escape road for the future generations."
The serpent chieftain explained in the same calm and direct tone. Naturally, Verena could understand his plight and was willing to use logic to shift the chieftain's reasoning. But before she could speak further…
"Asinine waste."
…Yvonne's voice echoed. And those two simple words turned the still peaceful gathering into a burning stove. The serpent chieftain's eyes contorted into a frown, and the full might of his pressure erupted to lock on her.
"Are you tired of living?"
He asked in the calmest tone he could muster under these circumstances. But unalarmed, Yvonne merely folded her arms beneath her chest and sneered.
"No, but you are."
She began, and stepped forward, releasing her own pressure that effortlessly dispelled that of her soon to be foe.
"The enemy is at your doorstep, threatening to obliterate your very future, but instead of actively seeking ways to overcome the threat, you idle in your pathetic throne, waiting for another tribe's move to make your decision.
What are you? A ruler, or a third-rate politician?"
With her tone full of derision, Yvonne took another step forward. Her pressure intensified, forcing the legions of demonic beasts to recoil with massive blood spurts.
