Forming an Alliance

In truth, the organization most affected by Kerrigan's actions was actually someone else.

It was the Dwarven Alliance, who had planned to retake the plains occupied by the migratory colony alongside the Beastkin Kingdom.

“Our support units were attacked again? By those Great Devourers again?!”

“...Yes.”

“Damn it, how on earth are we supposed to keep advancing then!”

Commander Kogbo was absolutely furious when he learned that Kerrigan had once again breached their defenses, destroyed supplies, killed personnel, and carried out assassinations.

The Beastkin Kingdom still had individuals who could contend with Kerrigan.

But the Dwarven Alliance relied more on equipment and collective firepower rather than that kind of individual hero.

“Does that monster not need to sleep? Or eat?!”

Kogbo was shocked as he looked at the report of Kerrigan's range of activity up to this point.

The more diverse the genes making up Kerrigan's body, the higher the efficiency of her Universal Cells, causing the abilities she could display to skyrocket.

As the queen standing at the apex, Kerrigan could absorb and utilize energy even under extreme conditions; at this point, she was closer to a machine than a living organism.

Currently, almost no one within the Dwarven Alliance could match Kerrigan, whose strength had been rapidly improving through endless battles with the warriors of the Beastkin Kingdom.

Even dwarven warriors clad in the latest equipment were often cleaved in two by a single strike of Kerrigan's sword, dying on the spot.

Unlike the Great Devourers, whose entire system served the purpose of war and who could instantly dig deep tunnels to hide themselves at any moment, the two great powers could not sustain themselves if their supplies and rear bases were subjected to guerrilla warfare.

“The Council is asking for a bit more time.”

“No. If we delay any longer, we won't be able to advance at all.”

As commander, Kogbo had to make a decision, if only for the sake of his fallen subordinates. That was to join forces with the Beastkin Kingdom once again to launch an offensive.

Moreover, this was not like their previous cooperation, where they merely agreed on a time and place to launch a joint attack.

This was more of a direct proposal for an alliance to fight side by side.

This was a rather bold decision, as the Beastkin Kingdom and the Dwarven Alliance were inherently in a competitive relationship and could not easily coexist.

Not only their nations, but even the deities watching over them had to reach a consensus.

“At least the commands of both factions have accepted the proposal to form an alliance. If this choice were wrong, the God of War would have issued a warning immediately.”

Grimgor accepted the proposal.

At the same time, Grimgor looked up at the sky, but the gods made no sign.

This indicated that an alliance between the two groups was necessary to combat the Great Devourers.

“Tell them to meet at the agreed location.”

Grimgor informed the Dwarven Alliance of the rendezvous point.

“Very well. We will rendezvous with the beastkin, launch a massive offensive, and blow their nest to pieces.”

Kogbo agreed and mobilized his forces.

Kerrigan had fought hard to halt the enemy's advance and inflict damage, but this had ultimately brought about a full alliance between the two groups. Now, it was up to the Great Devourers to respond.

“An interception... I am not pleased,” complained Elise as she watched a group of troops crossing the plains.

The Lictors were a new variant that fused the bodies of animals like spiders and scorpions with parts of a human body.

These variants created by Elise were now heading toward the western plains instead of the elven front as originally planned.

Kerrigan had tormented the headquarters of both factions, ultimately driving them into an alliance. Only when the migratory colony faced the threat of annihilation did they hastily provide reinforcement.

'However, the support provided on the surface consists only of a small number of worker ants and Lictors. Does Elise really believe this much support is enough?'

Lin Miao harbored doubts about this.

If they were driven out of the plains, many nests built by the main nest colony would immediately be in danger.

He had thought that even full support would barely suffice, yet Elise had dispatched all other mutants to the south to keep the elves in check.

“They probably have their own plans, and Kerrigan seems to be preparing something as well.”

Of course, Lin Miao muttered to himself; even though he had doubts, he did not intentionally interfere.

Under special circumstances, Lin Miao had acted like other deities by conveying information and directing attacks, but his fundamental stance remained unchanged:

Observe the Great Devourers to the greatest extent possible, let them develop on their own, and do not interfere.

The Great Devourers had their own standards and rationale.

If he rashly intervened and caused everything to go wrong, he would be just like those incompetent but overbearing leaders in history, ruining everything.

As the intelligence of the Great Devourers increased, his control became more efficient, and this conviction grew even firmer.

“Just do what you must.”

Unlike other deities who experienced awakening and transcendence within existing civilizations or factions, turning their former kin into servants, Lin Miao's Great Devourers had followed him ever since they were nothing but tiny creatures.

Therefore, this trust was incredibly deep; he only needed to believe in them and watch from the sidelines.

For the Great Devourers, this was more than enough.

“Enemy gathering confirmed.”

Kerrigan's eyes flashed as she confirmed the approaching enemies through the eyes of her scouts.

The visual organs of the scouts were extraordinarily developed, occupying more than half of their heads. They were capable of 360-degree all-around vision, allowing them to see distant sights clearly and even peer through the darkness.

The joint coalition army seemed to no longer be at Kerrigan's mercy; they were advancing in a unified front.

It would be one thing if the migratory colony, as usual, avoided direct confrontation and only attempted to nibble away at them.

But now, the migratory colony had also gathered all its forces, choosing to defend their nest located in the Sacred Beastkin City.

【Kerrigan has discovered her nemesis】

Kerrigan spotted Grimgor marching formidably, and she gritted her teeth beneath her helmet.

From the very beginning, everything had revolved around a single goal: defeating Grimgor with her own hands.

【The servants have begun to move】

“Attack!”

At Kerrigan's command, countless Great Devourers scattered across the area gathered in an instant and moved in unison.

All-out war had finally erupted. Although they had avoided direct confrontation and used small-scale skirmishes to buy time, it had only been to secure greater advantages.

The migratory colony had restored most of its strength.

Coupled with the support provided by Elise.

Even with the alliance of the two factions, the colony was fully capable of contending with them.

'Tunnels.'

Lin Miao watched as a massive number of Great Devourers vanished underground at the same time.

The first action the Great Devourers attempted was to dig tunnels.

The vast plains in front of the Sacred Beastkin City would become the battlefield. The underground was already riddled with complex tunnels dug by the Great Devourers that had previously occupied this area to mobilize troops and transport supplies.

The joint coalition army also knew that the tunnels dug by the Great Devourers were extremely dangerous, so they used magic or spells to destroy them.

However, the tunnels destroyed in that manner were at most ten or so meters below the surface.

Deeper tunnels still existed. Although things were fine for now, if there were a way to dig tunnels rapidly, they could easily excavate new paths even where the old tunnels had been destroyed, launching a surprise attack on the surface from underground.

【Kerrigan has deployed her elite forces to various positions】

Digging ants and a large number of worker ants led the way, while the Lictors supported by Elise entered the tunnels alongside them.

“Could it be?”

Watching this unfold, Lin Miao realized the Great Devourers' intentions and murmured in admiration.

Now, the Great Devourers had a way to dig tunnels rapidly—so fast that it would be incredibly difficult for the enemy to detect.

And that was through the magic-wielding Lictors.

...

“We can see the monsters' nest from this distance.”

“They're densely packed together. Looks like there are at least fifty thousand of them.”

“We just need to get within the firing range of the Dwarven Alliance's cannons. That way, we can fight from an advantageous position.”

Grimgor maintained a grim expression as he pulled his gaze away from the telescope, which showed nothing but a dense swarm of Great Devourers.

The beastkin, being primarily warriors, lacked the firepower to counter such a massive horde.

Conversely, the Dwarven Alliance needed elite soldiers to protect their firepower, preventing the enemy from rushing in for close-quarters combat.

In the end, the two sides joined hands, compensating for what each needed most.

If they could cooperate well like this, the resulting synergy would clearly be immense.

“This is close enough. Set up the artillery batteries, quickly!”

Beside Grimgor, Kogbo hurriedly directed his artillerymen, starting to mount the cannons in preparation to fire.

Kogbo asked, “Are we good?”

Grimgor replied, “Yes. Isn't your side detecting them as well?”

They had ample experience dealing with the Great Devourers, so they were fully prepared.

They remained vigilant in their own ways, monitoring all directions, including the sky, to prevent any surprise attacks.

Knowing that one of the Great Devourers' specialties was digging tunnels, they did not slacken their detection of the ground and underground either.

“Listening to the vibrations of the ground, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual.”

“Excellent.”

Grimgor nodded at the shaman's words confirming that there was nothing unusual underground.

Even if the Great Devourers dug tunnels, they would have to be too deep to bypass their detection range, allowing them to perceive them in advance and prepare.

Consequently, only one thing truly remained.

To fight the Great Devourers head-on, and to personally intercept Kerrigan, who would undoubtedly show up.

Grimgor frowned slightly and remarked, “I've felt that the Sword Demon has been intentionally avoiding me lately.”

Begrun responded with a solemn expression, “I'm afraid so. Several Great Warriors have been defeated in succession, yet she has consistently avoided any location where a commander is stationed.”

Grimgor spoke with certainty, “But no matter how cunning she is, she will be helpless when faced with the complete destruction of her nest.”

Begrun, who had recently been learning swordsmanship directly from Grimgor, nodded at his words.

Kerrigan indeed used to avoid Grimgor.

Since she definitely could not defeat him at the time, it was a perfectly rational course of action.

However, the time had now come.

Grimgor intended to personally take the field to escort the main force, and the moment Kerrigan appeared, he would charge to meet her.

“When that time comes, I will show her. A true realm must ultimately be achieved through the heart. Monsters that only know how to imitate can never follow our path.”

Grimgor wanted to demonstrate the power of the heart to the warriors under his command, including Begrun.

He firmly believed that the sliver of power that transcended limits originated precisely from the heart, from a powerful will—this was the exact mindset with which warriors proved their conviction.

“Artillery setup complete! They are approaching, and they're in the air as well!”

“Prepare to fire!”

Just as the dwarves' cannons were mounted, the Great Devourers began to make their move first, as if they had timed it perfectly.

Needless to say, the ground was densely packed, and the flying species also spread their wings in unison, taking to the sky and flying toward them like a swarm of black dots.

“Don't be afraid. As long as our shells hit their mark, at least half of them will vanish.”

A dwarven master gunner looked high-spiritedly at the massive cannon beside him.

General exoskeletons could not withstand a cannon capable of firing shells larger than a human head.

That was how much they trusted their firepower.

“Ready, fi—”

But at that very moment, just before the cannons could fire, the ground that had previously shown no issues began to tremble violently.

'This is...'

Grimgor's senses were far more developed than others, and he clearly heard a massive explosion echoing from deep underground.

“The ground is collapsing!!”

Grimgor didn't even have time to shout anything else.

The cracked earth caved in, instantly tearing apart the position they had originally occupied.

“It's a trap! From underground!”

As monsters clad in black shells leaped out in unison amidst the dust filled with screams and shouts, Grimgor yelled in shock.

The Great Devourers had approached stealthily underground and then used magic to instantly excavate a massive amount of soil, successfully executing a surprise attack.

This meant that if the artillery batteries collapsed before they could even fire, the Great Devourer assault forces that were supposed to be cleared by the cannons would pounce directly onto their positions.

【Kerrigan has once again increased her chance of victory】

Having successfully initiated the strike using her new variants, Kerrigan instantly bounded from the ground, charging into the enemy lines that her soldiers were currently sweeping through.

Vengeance!

Now, only one person remained in Kerrigan's eyes: Grimgor, who was frantically directing his subordinates.