The place where the ant colony first sensed the otherworld and established their stronghold was what the locals called the frontier borderlands.
The masters of this land were creatures known as magical beasts, whose appearances differed slightly from ordinary beasts. The only group that could be considered an established force was the goblins, who gathered in packs and built tribes.
Naturally, the ant colony expanded its domain from there, using magical beasts and goblins as their primary food source to fuel their continuous evolution.
After Lin Miao awakened as a god, even more active and large-scale conflicts erupted between them.
Although this allowed the ant colony to consume a wider variety of prey, their primary diet still consisted of goblins and magical beasts.
Thus, it was only natural that magic power and blood vitality were the energies they absorbed the most.
Starting from the areas closest to the ant nest, the magical beasts began to vanish one after another.
Meanwhile, the goblins suffered consecutive defeats in large-scale territorial wars, eventually abandoning their settlements to flee to more distant regions. This was an indisputable fact.
The ant colony extracted magic power from the prey they devoured in vast quantities, using it to fuel their growth and evolution.
But now, a new enemy wielding a unique power specifically designed to counter them had appeared.
“How do we solve this?” Lin Miao frowned.
In his eyes, this was not a problem he should directly interfere with. Rather, it was a biological adaptation the ant colony had to achieve on its own.
【To counter the new enemy, the Queen Ant intends to breed a specialized force that excludes magic power and focuses solely on physical strength.】
In fact, the ant colony, with the first-generation Queen Ant at its core, had already found the answer.
They sought to focus on physical reconstruction instead of infusing magic power, creating entirely new individuals.
“Oh...”
Lin Miao let out a soft gasp as he watched the worker ants use their antennae to sort the food, feeding it to the larvae based on category.
The first-generation Queen Ant had established a new protocol: the secondary queens would lay eggs at a frantic pace, while the worker ants would select the larvae with the highest potential and feed them “special” food.
This special food was, of course, nourishment rich in pure blood vitality.
By consuming this food, the larvae accumulated physical strength, spun cocoons, and eventually emerged as evolved or mutated individuals.
Previously, the ant colony had mixed their food indiscriminately. This time, however, they deliberately filtered out anything containing magic power, feeding the larvae only pure blood vitality.
Once these larvae matured, the resulting soldiers would be completely devoid of magic power.
【The Queen Ant is also coveting the power possessed by the new enemy.】
“Can they acquire that power by devouring them too?”
Seeing the system notification, Lin Miao sighed softly.
The fundamental ability of his ant colony was predation—the power to assimilate everything they consumed.
Magic power and blood vitality were both energies they had acquired this way.
Even if it was an entirely new form of energy, once devoured, it would inevitably be assimilated by the colony.
These insatiable ants actually coveted the very power that had just defeated them.
Confronted with a formidable new enemy, the ant colony was independently seeking a solution, fighting for survival with everything they had.
Meanwhile, Lin Miao did not idle around either.
Before he could even take off his coat, he rushed to the living room and introduced the new ants to the terrarium, hoping to assist his colony.
This species, known as the Savage Gladiator Ant, possessed razor-sharp mandibles and exceptional combat capabilities.
The colony was already capable of manipulating genetic material through predation, creating chimeras that blended the traits of various ant species. Lin Miao believed that the genes of the Savage Gladiator Ant would provide them with even more diverse evolutionary pathways.
【Your servants have sensed your assistance and are rapidly harvesting the new addition.】
Moving with frantic urgency, the ants swarmed and killed the Savage Gladiator Ants, processing them into a paste. They then presented the offering to the first-generation Queen Ant, whose massive mandibles were snapping open and closed.
【The Queen Ant wishes to breed a new tier of soldiers. She believes your aid is the key to overcoming the current crisis, as it has always been.】
Without hesitation, the Queen Ant utilized the newly acquired Savage Gladiator Ant genes to bolster the colony's military might.
“Because it has always been so, you trust me?”
Seeing the system notification, Lin Miao let out a wry smile.
Although he had grown accustomed to the colony's extraordinary capabilities and behavior, their reliance on him was far deeper than he had anticipated.
He had assumed that as their intelligence grew, their reliance on him would diminish, but the reality was quite the opposite.
As their cognitive capacity expanded, the depth of their hive mind increased, only serving to strengthen their dependence and loyalty to Lin Miao.
“Well, this isn't bad. It's certainly better than the alternative.”
Lin Miao thought to himself that this was far better than them doubting him or deeming him useless.
Only then, when he was eventually able to communicate with them, would they serve as an fiercely loyal army that would execute his every command without hesitation.
Of course, once that day came, a single mistake on his part could lead to devastating losses for them, so it was no light responsibility.
Yet, even so, he had to see this through.
Although he had not chosen to start this journey, the affection he had developed for them while watching and caring for them over this time was genuine.
【Your servants are meticulously preparing to avenge their defeat. However, to prevent the enemy from launching a preemptive strike in the meantime, they have decided to increase scouting activities and adopt a defensive posture.】
It was time for the ant colony to regroup and make thorough preparations.
The hunting parties that had been actively roaming the region suddenly vanished.
They withdrew into their territory, conducting only defensive hunting while taking the opportunity to rest and reorganize.
Having learned patience, the ant colony had grown stronger and far colder.
【The scouting ants have discovered something within the enemy's territory. Your servants are deeply perplexed by their behavior.】
This notification appeared on the eve of a short-lived storm, just as the curtains were being drawn.
“No! Please! That is the sacred stone statue where our ancestors' spirits reside!”
A local villager wailed in despair at the scene before him.
“Silence! The only omnipotent true deity proven to exist on this land is Lady Hestia!”
Knights bearing the banners of the Church of the Goddess of Light barked orders, confiscating every religious symbol, charm, statue, and ancestral tablet treasured by the locals before smashing and burning them.
Anyone who dared to resist was beaten until they could no longer stand.
The knights justified their actions by declaring these relics to be unverified, heretical superstitions.
In their stead, priests of the Church of the Goddess of Light stepped forward, preaching the greatness and omnipotence of the Goddess who bestowed holy power upon them. They forced the residents, regardless of status, to worship and follow Goddess Hestia.
“Those bastards are acting like they own the place...” a local lord's knight muttered, gritting his teeth at the sight.
“Quiet down. Didn't you see the strength they displayed against those monsters?” his companion hissed, quickly pulling him back.
The local lord's knights and soldiers were powerless to stop this extreme, arbitrary behavior.
Although it was infuriating to watch these outsiders lord over their land, the paladins and priests of the Church of the Goddess of Light had indeed achieved overwhelming victories against the ant colony—the very monsters known locally as the “incarnation of dread.”
However, the real issue went far beyond the suppression of local beliefs and forced conversion.
During the days the ant colony spent resting and withdrawing, the Church of the Goddess of Light and its followers began causing trouble throughout the front-line territories.
“Do you see? The moment we arrived, those monsters vanished. We are the messengers of light who dispel the darkness!”
“Do you even know what we are fighting for? Those who show no gratitude are worse than beasts, understand?”
Coincidentally, the ant colony's sudden retreat after their defeat became the perfect justification for the Church to boast of its might.
The clergy promoting Goddess Hestia, along with the central soldiers and mercenaries sent to assist them, grew increasingly arrogant, acting with complete impunity.
Under the guise of rooting out heresy, they executed those who resisted and hung their corpses from poles as a public warning.
They seized every opportunity to extort wealth, demanding “contributions” from the locals under the pretense of fighting for justice.
Some even went so far as to violate defenseless women under the pretext of taking a liking to them.
Yet, even when resentment brewed, the fear of who would stop the terrifying ant colony kept the locals from driving them away.
The dread of the ants was engraved deep into the very bones of the populace.
【Your servants do not understand their behavior. They cannot fathom why members of the same colony would engage in such meaningless, inefficient actions that actively damage their own strength.】
“...There's no point in trying to understand that.”
Lin Miao looked at the system notification, sighed, and shook his head with a wry smile.
To the ants, what must this look like?
It was the absolute height of inefficiency.
And to Lin Miao, it was much the same.
“Priest Daniel! This is wrong! Whatever else might be justified, extorting wealth and violating the village girls can never be the will of the Goddess!”
Inside the lord's castle of a certain barony on the front lines, Celia burst into the room panting, shouting at Daniel.
She had already received reports of the atrocities taking place across the territory, and she could not hide her fury and confusion.
“Priest Daniel! Please order them to stop immediately. We are supposed to be on the same side! The situation is already dire enough. Doing this is nothing short of destroying ourselves on the eve of battle!”
“You are absolutely right.”
Daniel looked at the agitated Celia and merely chuckled, his tone remarkably calm.
“Celia, you know how it is. We humans must ultimately trample over others to survive. The clothes you wear, the food you eat—aren't they all produced by exploiting the labor of others?”
“How can you say that...”
Celia was so incensed that the tips of her long silver hair trembled. Yet, Daniel's nonchalant, knowing expression left her mouth hanging open, momentarily speechless.
“And as for being on the same side—yes, we have temporarily joined forces to combat the servants of the Outer God. But aren't these lords the very same people who only joined us after the royal family collapsed, having spent the entire time prior watching the fire from the safety of the opposite bank?”
Daniel grinned, setting down his glass.
At that moment, Celia's anger cooled, replaced by a sudden, sickening pale realization. She finally understood the true meaning behind his words.
“Celia, you truly are clever. One day, all the lords of this region will have to submit to our Church of the Goddess of Light. Stripping them of the power to harbor any rebellious thoughts is simply the correct path.”
“To weaken the lords' ability to resist, you are deliberately letting this happen? How could you...” Celia's voice trembled with disbelief.
“Didn't I say? In the end, we are all people who must trample over others to survive.”
Unlike Celia, who was deeply shaken, Daniel's expression remained perfectly placid, as if he were merely stating an immutable law of nature.
“But you needn't worry too much. You know as well as I do that Goddess Hestia's power is real—it is true holy power. Her influence will only grow stronger from here, and these people will soon find peaceful salvation. Bringing the entire world under her grace is our ultimate goal.”
Celia took a deep breath, staring directly at Daniel as she enunciated every word. “If you cannot completely eradicate the servants of the Outer God, then everything you have just said is utterly meaningless.”
“Hahaha! Of course, you have nothing to fear. The Goddess has assured us that this Outer God's influence will be swept away before it even has a chance to expand.”
In Daniel's eyes, the ant colony was no longer a threat.
Through their previous skirmishes, he had personally witnessed the devastating effect Goddess Hestia's holy power had on the mutated ants. He was absolutely confident in their victory.
“By the way, I see you've started using the term ‘Outer God’ as well. Keep studying diligently; the Goddess has always favored those with talent.”
Seeing Celia stand there speechless, Daniel patted her shoulder as if in shared understanding.
It was clear that Celia was slowly unraveling the truth of this world.
Her shift to using the term “Outer God” rather than “evil deity” or “demon god” like the common folk was the perfect proof.
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