Surprise Attack on the Rear

The Empire's massive army gathered at the high wall stared in awe at the giant machine rumbling toward them from the distance.

“So this is what the Silver Twilight Secret Society poured their heart and soul into creating...”

“The latest automated golem equipped with magitech armor. Our Empire's magitech has long since reached such heights. Those monsters don't stand a chance against it.”

A mage who had failed to secure a position at the Central Research Institute and could only serve as a low-ranking mage at the high wall held his head high, excitedly explaining the golem's formidable power to the surrounding soldiers and knights.

“I heard the high wall near Fortress Rotas was breached by increasingly massive monsters, but this place will never suffer the same fate, precisely because we have this machine standing guard.”

Just as the mage said, this giant golem was the crystallization of a brand-new generation of technology, a generational leap from past models.

Most of its body was forged from metal, its armor plates engraved with complex rune circuits, making it look like a massive piece of living battle armor.

Furthermore, the engraved runes could automatically cast several types of magic.

“A third-generation all-weather combat golem. This barren land doesn't deserve to have such a thing! Dammit, how much resources and manpower did it take to build just one? I already have a mountain of urgent tasks on my plate...”

Astaroth watched the screen with an anxious expression. He had already consumed a massive amount of interference force to pass down more knowledge to his subordinates.

If his gamble failed again, even though he commanded the strongest force in eastern Terra, he would not escape the shame of defeat and would become a laughingstock in the deity circle.

For someone who had always shown off and bragged about his conquests within the circle, this was absolutely intolerable.

“...By the way, where did the Great Devourer's monsters go?”

Having reinforced their defenses, the Empire's soldiers stared blankly out beyond the desolate high wall, whispering to one another.

The ant monsters, which usually roamed rampantly and stood ready to scale the high wall at any moment, were now nowhere to be seen.

...

“So this is the brand-new mutated species?”

Lin Miao murmured softly as he watched the new species appear on the screen.

Elise had bred the magic heart processing individuals, the heart-fusing worms, while Kerrigan had created the decomposers.

The current ant colony had long since broken past the limitations of simply synthesizing chimeric organisms, achieving a leap in evolution in both form and life tier.

This was also true for the new mutated species before him.

No longer restricted to an ant-like appearance, their bodies were covered in scales, resembling giant moray eels or monstrous fish. Several tentacles extended from their bodies, clearly borrowing characteristics from squids.

This species, reshaped by Elise by fusing the forms and abilities of numerous predatory creatures, was far larger than the previously massive heavy-armored ants and Tyrant types.

The upper limits of body size, which were difficult for terrestrial organisms to achieve, were easily shattered through marine life.

Supported by the magic hearts, this seemingly impossible species fusion was realized, with their sizes even rivaling that of giant blue whales.

“Heavens! How can such monsters exist...”

“They are practically mythical beasts... This is the wrath of the ocean!”

Lin Miao was not the only one marveling in awe.

Gathered along the coastline, the survivors of the Holy Kingdom cried out in shock as they watched the colossal beasts crossing the sea.

Lin Miao felt a mix of emotions as he looked at the crowd.

The survivors, forced into a bizarre coexistence with the ant colony, had gradually adapted to the situation, submissively scraping by under the new order.

Of course, there were still those whose hearts were filled with revenge, harboring deep hatred for the ants as evil monsters.

But in the end, those who did not submit had only one path left: death.

The only reason the ant colony did not actively harass the survivors was because Elise strictly adhered to Lin Miao's will.

In the colony's perception, humans were inherently potential prey.

Lin Miao had never expected the ant colony, with its entirely different nature, to truly understand or pity humans.

It was enough that they obeyed his commands.

“I was wondering how they would cross the sea, but I never expected it to be like this...”

“The further we go, the more we realize we have no true limits.”

Another figure was particularly eye-catching—Celia.

Lin Miao turned his gaze toward her as she conversed with Count Merlin, the leader of the survivors.

The survivors of the Holy Kingdom were only able to live peacefully in the southern part of the island and preserve the embers of their civilization because Celia had personally stepped in to mediate and negotiate on their behalf.

The people, powerless against the ant colony, desperately needed a spiritual anchor.

Consequently, the fallen goddess and the old Holy Kingdom were painted as evil villains, while Celia, who could command the ant colony, was revered as the Saintess of Salvation.

Such a sight was truly absurd and lamentable.

“You do not need to worry about the Great Devourer's legion passing through here. They are merely crossing the sea peacefully and have no intention of harming you.”

Removing her mask, Celia stood before the crowd and pointed at the neatly aligned, orderly marching ant colony to reassure the people.

Ignoring the watching survivors, their fertile fields, and their homes, the ants marched straight toward the seashore, entering the mouths of the giant transport beasts one by one.

The local populace, along with Celia, named this brand-new mutated species—referred to as the “Wrath of the Ocean”—Leviathan, after the legendary sea monster.

Each Leviathan could accommodate dozens to hundreds of ant soldiers within its body as they submerged deep into the ocean.

After entering the transport bodies, the ants severed their connection to the hive mind and entered a deep hibernation to maximize energy conservation. They would only awaken and emerge once they reached the opposite shore, turning the Empire's coastline into scorched earth.

Count Merlin spoke up, “Are you going with them as well?”

Celia nodded. “The Queen herself ordered it. Going to the Empire might allow us to steal brand-new magical techniques.”

Count Merlin couldn't help but marvel, “...To think she could plan so far ahead.”

Her silver hair fluttering in the wind, Celia bid farewell to Count Merlin and walked toward the giant maw of a Leviathan alone.

The last Leviathan took her inside and slowly submerged into the deep sea. Lin Miao then switched the screen.

This sea crossing would take no more than a single day.

Once they landed on the opposite shore, this ant colony and Celia, who had been watched by the survivors as they departed, would transform into terrifying harbingers of death, unleashing relentless slaughter and destruction.

【Elise detects Empire warships】

Elise did not rashly send aerial scouting ants across the sea, as the vast ocean was impossible to survey through flight alone.

Instead, she bred small marine mutants resembling water striders to act as maritime scouts, dispersing them to investigate.

There were only three Empire warships in her line of sight, which the ant colony could destroy in an instant. However, once the news reached the mainland, the surprise attack plan would be completely compromised.

【Elise chooses to detour】

Without needing Lin Miao to warn her, Elise decisively commanded the Leviathans to alter their course.

At the same time, she activated the mimicry abilities of chameleons and cuttlefish, cloaking their massive bodies in the dark, deep sea, perfectly blending into the environment as they slipped by in silence.

The Empire's warships on the surface failed to notice the giant creatures passing in groups beneath them.

The Lucadia Empire had thus missed its final opportunity for an early warning.

“...What's going on?”

Fishermen on their boats stared blankly at the sea, where the schools of fish had suddenly vanished.

The fish had not vanished into thin air; rather, they had sensed an instinctual level of danger and fled in all directions.

The Leviathan colony gradually approached the Empire's major coastal city of Belen, subsequently dropping their camouflage and advancing at full speed.

【Elise orders the flying units to launch an all-out attack】

The Leviathans surfaced, their turtle-shell-like back carapaces suddenly splitting open.

Awakening from their hibernation, the tiger hornet ants and Dragon Ants took flight through the passages, spreading their wings and rushing straight toward the coast.

“A-Alarm! Monsters are pouring out of the sea! Sound the emergency alert!”

Only now did the people snap out of their stupor, frantically ringing the warning bells and sounding the alarms.

However, most of the Empire's elite forces had been deployed to guard the high walls. The garrison left behind in the rear was weak, utterly powerless to fend off an unprecedented assault by the ant colony.

Knights were pierced through the chest by the venomous stingers of tiger hornet ants, while others were seized by the powerful, giant claws of flying Dragon Ants and thrown mercilessly from high in the sky.

The rudimentary defensive walls could not withstand the barrage of venomous needles fired from mid-air by the Tyrant ants. Self-destructing venom-pot ants exploded upon landing, dispersing toxic fog in all directions like thick smoke.

【Elise scoffs: The enemy's forces are utterly pathetic】

While the soldiers on the front lines of the high wall were somewhat familiar with the colony's tactics, and scholars of the Silver Twilight Secret Society were constantly researching and analyzing the ants, it would still take a long time to popularize this knowledge and defensive strategies across a vast territory and among millions of citizens.

Ultimately, the ant colony's speed of evolution and operation was simply too fast.

They shared information and experiences at all times, with the entire colony cooperating as a single organism.

“Your Majesty, I beg you to spare the innocent civilians who cannot resist and are fleeing in panic. This is the will of the Great One!”

【Elise is deeply annoyed, disdaining such inferior prey】

The moment the surprise attack succeeded, the battle along the coastline was already decided.

Celia knew this well, so she once again implored Elise to stop the indiscriminate slaughter, and her plea was tacitly granted.

Elise did not do this out of mercy. For one, she was obeying Lin Miao's will; for another, she was no longer satisfied with hunting ordinary humans, as her ambitions were far grander.

[Supreme Will of the All-Devouring Hive: If you wish to minimize innocent casualties, your only option is to crush the enemy's main force as quickly as possible.]

“I will join the battle as well.”

Receiving Lin Miao's will, Celia put on her mask and waited for the Leviathan to open its mouth once more.

The moment the giant mouth opened, the ground forces led by Celia swarmed ashore, launching a general offensive against the city, which was already on the verge of collapse from the flying units' assault.

Belen City's defenses were already weak, and the sudden raid by the flying units had nearly paralyzed it.

Now, with thousands of ants bearing down on it, Lin Miao could already foresee the outcome: thunder and lightning bursting from Celia's staff, and the entire city collapsing into ruin in the blink of an eye.