Jealousy

The God of Knowledge, who once ruled the Lucadia Empire, had already sent out pleas for help in all directions before being wiped out by the Great Devourer's pincer attack from both north and south.

The other forces had no choice.

If the Great Devourer conquered this land and slaughtered everyone on it, they would also lose the territories and servants they could contend for.

Thus, the elves marched north from the south, while the Beastkin Kingdom and the Dwarven Alliance advanced from the west.

“Take up your swords! The time has finally come to reclaim our homeland stolen by the Great Devourer!”

Gorzan, the beastkin king, drew his sword and declared vengeance.

The Beastkin Kingdom had been driven out of their homeland, the great plains, by the Great Devourer.

But after losing their foundation, their combat strength had actually grown even stronger.

Relying on their formidable martial prowess, they forcibly annexed the indigenous populations of the western plains, turning them into slaves to prepare for war.

Under the sacrifice and exploitation of countless slaves, the beastkin quickly completed their preparations for war.

They forged new weapons and armor, conscripting a massive number of soldiers.

The rapidly accumulating interference force allowed the God of War to create even more heroes.

These newly born heroes became powerful figures far beyond the reach of ordinary folk, leading troops and consolidating the beastkin's rule.

Issuing orders from the capital of a former human kingdom, Gorzan gazed at the increasingly powerful beastkin legion and let out a faint smile.

Their vision was by no means limited to the present.

They looked ahead ten years, twenty years, or even longer, firmly believing that the beastkin were the true rulers of this world.

Beastkin could impregnate females of other races, and their reproductive capacity was staggeringly high.

Countless beastkin had already been born and raised on this land.

In just another generation, the beastkin population would multiply several times over.

Of course, the price for all of this was the immense sacrifice taking place right now.

The residents of the lands occupied by the beastkin could no longer live peaceful lives.

Simply because they had lost the war, they lost everything.

Able-bodied men were seized to serve as slave soldiers, women were given to strong warriors as breeding tools, and the wealth and cultural relics they had accumulated over generations were ruthlessly destroyed, cast into furnaces to be melted down into weapons and war resources for the beastkin.

This was fundamentally different from the elves' style of colonial rule.

The elves sought long-term governance, preserving the foundations of occupied territories as much as possible;

But to the beastkin, other races were merely consumable goods to be used up immediately.

“Your Majesty! Another batch of escapees has crossed the border and fled into the dwarves' sphere of influence!”

“Damn it, those shorties actually dare to harbor them!”

However, even after their massive migration, the beastkin—who had gradually become regional overlords through brutal wars of conquest—still had a formidable rival.

That was the Dwarven Alliance, which centered around the Great Mountains and continuously annexed surrounding forces.

The dwarves, who had also developed rapidly under divine protection, had broken their long-standing isolation and stepped out of the Great Mountains. They were definitely not to be trifled with.

Hearing that another batch of escapees had evaded surveillance and pursuit to flee to the dwarves' side, Gorzan furrowed his brows.

Slaves were precious resources; escaping to a rival was absolutely intolerable.

“They're escapees, with beastkin cavalry chasing close behind.”

“There's nothing we can do. We can't make a move until they cross the border.”

As night fell, Radan bit his lip, watching the flickering firelight and faint shouts in the distance through a jade night-vision telescope crafted by the dwarves.

Radan had once been a recruit knight of a duchy, but now he was a knight of the Dwarven Alliance, stationed at the border bordering the beastkin to carry out defense duties.

“Don't worry. At their speed, they should just barely make it across the border. If those beastkin dare to cross the line, we'll teach them a lesson.”

His dwarven superior, Tolz, sneered as he watched his anxious state.

Although the beastkin were in hot pursuit, the escapees were also running for their lives. It looked like they would cross the border just before being caught.

Soon, the ragged and exhausted escapees stumbled across the stream that served as the boundary line.

“Rest easy, everyone! Once you cross this line, the beastkin won't dare pursue you! We will protect you!”

Radan immediately led his subordinates forward on horseback to meet them.

Instead of drawing the sword at his waist, he picked up another weapon resting on his saddle, ready to aim at any moment.

It was a weapon that used gunpowder to fire bullets, concentrating immense physical force onto a single point to kill enemies—a gun.

Because of his background as a knight, Radan still carried a sword.

For other ordinary soldiers facing the physically robust beastkin, their only reliance was their guns.

“They are runaway slaves!”

“But once they cross the border, the right to handle them belongs to us.”

The beastkin cavalry, pursuing on grassland wolves, roared in fury as they watched the slaves they had failed to catch despite being so close.

The ferocious aura radiating from them was enough to make weak-willed people collapse on the spot.

But Radan faced them calmly, long accustomed to it.

The recruit who had once been paralyzed with fear upon seeing the beastkin and the Great Devourer for the first time had grown into a mature knight in a short span of time.

“If you dare cross the border, it will be equivalent to the Beastkin Kingdom declaring war on the Dwarven Alliance.”

“A mere human dares speak to me like that! You willingly act as a lackey for those shorties—where is your dignity as a warrior?!”

Facing the beastkin's insults, Radan did not even blink.

“At least I have more than you.”

The beastkin knew the power of guns, and they knew that without mastering battle aura, they could easily be shot dead with a single bullet. In the end, they could only turn back while cursing under their breath.

“Well done. Those savage monsters are nothing but talk.”

After the beastkin left, Tolz, who had been hiding in the back to avoid trouble, walked over, patted his shoulder, and spoke with a laugh.

The dwarves did not view the wild, bellicose, brown-skinned grassland beastkin as intelligent beings at all, considering them at most beasts close to sapience.

“What should we do with these people?”

Radan asked cautiously, pointing at the hundred or so terrified escapees.

“What else is there to do? Follow the old rules and send them to your human settlements.”

Tolz replied with a completely indifferent look.

Looking at his superior's attitude, Radan let out a bitter smile.

Unlike the beastkin and elves, the dwarves had not undergone an internal revolution; they still worshiped the deity known as the Earth God.

Even after stepping out of the Great Mountains, the dwarves' characteristic insularity and xenophobia remained unchanged.

Dwarves disliked ruling other races directly, preferring only to build power in the form of an alliance.

This trait was also reflected in every individual dwarf. Unless one got close to them, they were always cold and lacking in warmth.

It had taken Radan quite a while to earn the approval of his superior, Tolz.

But now, there were too many enemies around them. From the beastkin to the Great Devourer in the east.

All the forces that had joined the Dwarven Alliance did so with complete sincerity.

Because only by relying on the alliance and obtaining the new technology provided by the dwarves could they survive.

“Just be glad you were assigned to guard the border. If you were chosen for the vanguard offensive, you'd have to go east and fight those crazy monsters.”

“The Great Devourer... I heard that the ones on the plains are nothing compared to those in the east.”

“Just thinking about it makes me sick. Those swarming bugs aren't in the tens or hundreds of thousands, but millions, tens of millions.”

Gazing toward the dark east, they clicked their tongues in unison.

While the beastkin were certainly terrifying enemies, there was only one reason why they had not fought a decisive battle with them yet.

The moment either side rashly mobilized a grand army, Kerrigan's migratory colony would instantly pounce on them.

It was also for this reason that the two forces had not launched a massive simultaneous offensive against the migratory colony.

Because once one side made the first move, the balance of power would be shattered.

...

“Is there any way to help the migratory colony? Simply increasing the supply of magic stones probably won't have much of an effect.”

Although the various forces had different systems, weapons, and ideologies, keeping each other in check and remaining wary of one another, they now shared a common enemy—the Great Devourer.

Seeing Kerrigan suffering successive defeats and being utterly overwhelmed, Lin Miao also had to start looking for a solution.

Moreover, this was not a problem he could solve alone.

Thus, he handed down an oracle to Celia to discuss countermeasures with her.

“With the Beastkin Kingdom in the southwest and the Dwarven Alliance in the northwest, it's no wonder the two queens are struggling so much.”

Receiving Lin Miao's oracle, Celia also nodded with a troubled expression.

Looking at the overall war situation, it was already a miracle that the Great Devourer could maintain the current front line.

After all, this was equivalent to the Great Devourer single-handedly withstanding the combined offensive of forces built up by several veteran deities pouring in all their resources.

Yet in essence, it was impossible for the Great Devourer to ally or cooperate with anyone.

Even if Lin Miao were to clarify now that he was not an Outer God and join the Divine Net forum, the result would be the same, and he had no desire to do so anyway.

The interactions among the so-called deities were, in essence, no different from a political arena filled with intrigue and deception.

Lin Miao believed in the Great Devourer, trusting the strength and growth potential they had already displayed.

And the Great Devourer had never let him down.

“...We can demand help from the remaining humans of the Empire.”

Just as Celia hesitated for a long time before finally making up her mind to speak.

Lin Miao's eyes widened.

This was a solution even he had not considered.

“Thanks to the mercy of the Great One, nearly a hundred million citizens of the Lucadia Empire escaped the clutches of the evil god and preserved their lives. They have an obligation to repay this kindness.”

Once she opened up, Celia clearly articulated her thoughts.

Lin Miao listened with a serious expression, falling into deep thought.

If it were his past self, he would never have considered so much.

But now, his first thought was: will this help the Great Devourer? Does it align with the interests of the Great Devourer?

He considered the problem from the standpoint of the Great Devourer first, rather than that of humanity.

This was only natural, as he was the master of the Great Devourer.

“However, the Lucadia Empire is currently in an extremely difficult period. Countless people are on the brink of starvation due to food shortages. If the Great One could lend a helping hand, they would certainly be willing to contribute their strength.”

Celia had her own calculations as well.

To utilize the strength of humans, they first had to help them.

The Empire had lost nearly half of its territory, generating a massive number of refugees.

Coupled with having to clean up the mess left behind by Astaroth's forces, Emperor Calian was currently utterly overwhelmed.

Though held in check by the ant nests scattered throughout the Empire, the current Empire could break out in rebellion and completely collapse at any moment.

【Elise strongly objected, claiming there was absolutely no need for human assistance】

【Kerrigan chimed in, saying that as long as they could win, nothing else mattered】

The only issue was that upon learning of Celia's plan, Elise flew into a rage and resolutely opposed cooperating with humans.

Celia also knew that Elise particularly loathed humans, which was why she had petitioned Lin Miao directly.

“Then let us give it a try.”

After careful consideration, Lin Miao ultimately made his decision.

Kerrigan's chiming in midway had also played a significant role.

By any means necessary for victory. Arriving at this stage today, their hands were already stained with the blood of countless enemies.

【Elise received a massive shock】

However, a small misunderstanding began to deepen continuously within Elise's heart.

This time, Lin Miao's decision was purely a strategic choice made for the sake of victory, having nothing to do with race.

But Elise firmly believed that Lin Miao still harbored an inexplicable favoritism toward humans.

A jealousy as intense as her greed burned within her heart.

Furthermore, this jealousy was gradually transforming into a murderous intent: given the chance, she would ruthlessly slaughter all humans without mercy.

Everything of his should belong to her, belong to the entire Great Devourer.

His gaze, his attention, his love, his rewards—everything.

In truth, what Elise envied was merely the natural kinship Lin Miao felt toward his own kind as a human, but she would never be able to comprehend this.