【Elise orders a charge against the enemy forces arrayed on the mountain】
The battle to defend the mine began with a probing attack by Elise.
Having replenished her forces using the stored nutrient solution, Elise immediately dispatched her units to attack the enemy arrayed on the mountain where the mine was located.
The rugged mountain paths and makeshift positions would normally be formidable defensive fortifications, but this was not the case for the ants, which could freely scale walls and ceilings.
“Fire!”
To Elise's surprise, the imperial forces in the harsh rear regions fought in a rather primitive manner.
Unlike the soldiers at the high wall whose individual firepower had been vastly enhanced, the soldiers here could only shoot arrows and fire heavy ballistas.
Ordinary arrows could not penetrate the mutants' exoskeletons unless they struck a vital spot.
Fortunately, the imperial army held a numerical advantage, which barely allowed them to hold off the ants charging up the mountain as if they were running on flat ground.
Since Elise had crossed the sea aboard the Leviathan, she had not brought along large species like the heavy-armored ants. This was the only saving grace for the imperial army.
...
However, amidst this precarious balance, Celia made her move.
Celia—or more accurately, the chest of the mutated symbiotic carapace ant she wore—had also been implanted with a fist-sized magic heart, transforming her into a Tyrant.
With firepower surpassing human limits and computational capacity borrowed from the hive mind, Celia's magic far exceeded the level of a grand mage.
Her magic shook the hills and pulverized dozens of towering trees, instantly pushing one of the imperial army's defensive lines to the brink of collapse.
“That woman is the witch serving the Great Devourer! Stop her!”
Count Leo, who had long heard rumors of Celia, immediately deployed his strongest squad, which had been on standby.
This elite group included the Royal Guard knight commander brought by Count Leo, a renowned and highly capable mercenary captain, and a Fifth-Tier Mage from the research institute.
Although it was a hastily assembled team, he believed that as long as they worked together, they could block even the strongest enemy.
“Trigger the spell!”
Not only that, but he also played another trump card he had prepared in advance.
He detonated pre-placed explosive spells, triggering an artificial landslide.
A massive tremor accompanied the collapsing earth as trees and boulders cascaded down the mountain.
Countless ants were buried underneath, vanishing into the dust.
Celia, who had been unleashing magic on her own to combat numerous enemies, also leaped backward and retreated.
【Elise concludes the probing attack】
The imperial soldiers, experiencing a fleeting moment of triumph amidst the grueling battle, cheered excitedly. However, Elise remained completely unfazed and calmly ordered her forces to fall back.
The combat analysis was complete. Next, she would tear open their weaknesses and turn the tide of battle.
This was the doctrine of war for these mutated ants ruled by the Queen.
Under normal circumstances, this would be an easy victory, but her forces are too limited right now. Seeing that she hasn't even recalled the flying species scattered elsewhere, she must have a solution.
Lin Miao watched with anticipation to see how Elise would overcome this crisis, his eyes shining slightly.
The imperial army had done their absolute best given the circumstances. Under Count Leo's strict supervision, they had not let their guard down, nor had they underestimated the colony.
They poured all their efforts into the single goal of holding the mine.
Thus, the colony needed a new approach.
Unlike other deities, Lin Miao would not step in to help just yet. Everything depended on Elise's own capabilities.
【Elise requests Celia to perform accelerated growth】
“Can we really win with this method?”
Elise had already moved on to the next phase.
Hearing Elise's request, Celia murmured in soft wonder.
What on earth is that?
Lin Miao watched as Elise did something to a few selected blade ants and bombardier ants, tilting his head in curiosity.
Growth Acceleration!
But soon, he understood.
The bodies of the chosen ants began to harden and swell, preparing to molt just as Elise did during her own molting process.
“Now, utilizing the power extracted from the magic heart... accelerate their growth.”
Celia took a deep breath. Writhing tentacles extended from her body and pierced into the other nearby mutants, drawing out their latent energy and absorbing it into herself.
Gritting her teeth to withstand the surge of power, Celia raised her staff and funneled the overloaded energy into the pupae.
The cell division, which normally had natural limits, broke through its constraints under the influx of external energy and began to accelerate rapidly.
Growth that would normally require a long time was miraculously completed in just a few minutes.
Digging ants.
Watching the new mutants break out of their cocoons in forms completely different from before, Lin Miao couldn't help but chuckle.
These mutants were created by blending the traits of creatures skilled at excavation, such as moles and mole crickets.
By inducing further mutation in existing variants, they could generate the exact mutants needed for the current situation even without a queen's direct spawning.
Combined with the ability to accelerate cell division for rapid growth, the colony was instantly ready for battle once more.
【Elise predicts that the enemy is putting up a desperate defense because they believe the main forces from the high wall will reinforce them】
But that was not all.
Elise saw through the imperial army's desperate resistance at the mine; they were holding out solely because they were convinced reinforcements would arrive.
If left unchecked, the Empire would inevitably redeploy a massive force from the high wall to march across the land and annihilate her infiltration units.
“A simultaneous operation?”
Lin Miao murmured softly as he watched countless ants leave their nests simultaneously, tunneling through the earth.
Tunneling through the ground, soaring through the sky, and crossing the sea—the grand invasion, attacking from all directions, had officially begun.
It looks like I'm about to get much busier as well.
Lin Miao let out a soft sigh, turning his gaze away from the screen and looking at his phone.
On his phone, Bai Zhantang had just sent an earnest text message, explaining that the recent magic stone supply and company operations were facing severe difficulties, and pleading for the great deity's assistance.
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