Just as Lin Miao was observing the movements of the ant colony, the human forces scattered across various regions had assembled to form a subjugation army in order to stop the colony's wide-ranging hunting squads.
A portion of the forces from the subjugation army had been reassigned to form a vanguard.
The captain of this vanguard was Viscount Payne, who was both a paladin of the Church of the Goddess of Light and an old acquaintance who had traveled to Count Roland's territory alongside Daniel.
“According to the intelligence, the goblins mentioned those monsters and even offered to fight alongside us, is that correct?”
Payne, riding on horseback, gave a sneer as he brought up the matter of the goblins to the knight riding beside him.
The knight nodded and replied respectfully, “Yes. They said the monsters' nest is deep within the forest, where more of them are constantly being born, so they hope we can join forces and fight together.”
“From the very beginning, those goblins were no ordinary goblins. For mere goblins, who deserve to be nothing more than low-level monsters, to actually attempt to build a civilization and even seek an alliance with humans?”
However, Viscount Payne's expression hardened as he mentioned that the goblins in a certain region had already formed a massive force. They were currently attacking and destroying neighboring factions, constantly growing in strength.
In response to the knight's bewildered question of how that was possible, Viscount Payne simply shook his head and said coldly, “They have received the divine protection of a demon god.”
Just as the Goddess Hestia bestowed her divine protection upon humans, the goblins had also received protection. In their eyes, that was a power granted by some wicked demon god.
The knight asked blankly, “Then are those monsters from the abyss also servants of that demon god?”
“At least the servants of a demon god can be reasoned with.”
Viscount Payne scoffed at the knight's question.
In his eyes, the servants of a demon god—who were enemies but also competitors—were fundamentally different from the ant colony currently leveling this region to the ground.
“Phil, I will share this truth with you specifically. They are entities that seek only the destruction of this world. They are the servants of an Outer God existing outside of order.”
Viscount Payne explained the true nature of the ant colony to the knight, who had shown interest in the Church of the Goddess of Light. By their definition, these ants were an absolute, uncompromising evil.
Therefore, to them, fighting and emerging victorious was the only choice.
The core mission of the vanguard led by Viscount Payne was to pinpoint the exact location of the ant colony's nest.
They passed through a desolate land where residents had been evacuated and villages and farmlands completely abandoned due to the ant invasion, finally arriving near the forest that could be considered the colony's territory.
An accompanying mage released a wild pigeon he kept as a familiar, letting it soar high into the sky. His goal was to scout the area and locate the ant nest through the familiar, with which he shared a portion of his consciousness.
“I... I see it! Heavens, how can this be?!”
The wild pigeon soaring high in the sky quickly caught sight of the massive ant kingdom.
Lin Miao's servants had already integrated the traits of various ants. They had not only constructed a complex underground nest but had also built a massive ant city on the surface.
In the leveled area, massive mushrooms taller than a human were growing. Countless worker ants were transporting snapped and shattered ancient trees to this location.
Using these trees as nutrients to cultivate the mushrooms rather than leaves or other materials, these fungi were gradually becoming the primary food source for the ant colony.
“To think it has reached such an extent...”
Even Viscount Payne widened his eyes in astonishment upon hearing the mage's testimony.
It was glaringly obvious that the vast forest in the northeastern frontier borderlands had already completely turned into the ant colony's domain.
“Quickly report this to the main force, and build a camp nearby immediately!”
If the ant nest had been merely an insignificant outpost, Viscount Payne would have proceeded according to the original plan, marching closer to test their strength.
However, one look at the scale of the nest revealed it was extraordinary, to the point where they would have to mobilize the entire main force on standby and march with the determination to burn down the entire forest just to attack.
“My Lord! Those monsters are coming out of the forest and approaching! There are about five hundred of them!”
“Everyone, prepare for battle! It seems they are also desperate to stop us!”
However, as if the ant colony had anticipated their movements beforehand, they immediately launched a counterattack.
Five hundred ants were roughly the combined force of two hunting squads. Although their numbers were about double that of the vanguard, Viscount Payne still decided to engage.
This was because he believed that as long as they had the holy power of the paladins—including himself—and the priests, they could win even if the enemy outnumbered them twofold.
【Your servants have obtained their wish; the enemy did not choose to avoid them, but is preparing for battle.】
“...They were meant to fight, after all.”
In Lin Miao's eyes, the image of the vanguard taking up their formations and preparing for battle was also clearly reflected.
The countdown to the battle between the ant colony and the humans had already begun, yet Lin Miao did not feel the slightest tension or anxiety. He simply stood quietly in front of the terrarium, watching the flickering screen before him.
“If they need food, they must fight,” Lin Miao thought to himself.
Quite different from Viscount Payne's assumptions, the ant colony's proactive strike was not meant to stop the human reconnaissance. They had deliberately deployed a controlled number of forces not to protect their nest, but to hunt down these humans who had voluntarily delivered themselves as food.
On the screen before Lin Miao's eyes, the ant colony charging from all directions and the humans holding their formations to offer fierce resistance were vividly displayed.
“Are you watching this too?”
Lin Miao thought of the other god who might be using the same system as him.
Perhaps they, just like him, were holding their breath and watching this battle unfold.
“We are the ones launching the attack.”
However, the sight of hundreds of ants quietly flanking behind the fiercely engaged vanguard was something only Lin Miao, the master of the ant colony, could see.
“They are charging! Hold the line at all costs!”
Viscount Payne drew his sword and hastily shouted orders to his troops.
Since they had not yet had time to construct proper defensive fortifications, the soldiers could only form a wall of flesh, pointing their weapons at the charging ant colony.
The massive ants—capable of easily tearing apart a robust, grown man with just one or two of their kind—were now swarming out of the forest, sweeping forward in dense, overwhelming numbers.
At this sight, the soldiers instinctively felt a wave of terror, yet they still gritted their teeth and held their ground, for they had something to rely on.
“Behold, the Goddess's power will protect you.”
The priests of the Church of the Goddess of Light erupted with a brilliant holy light, enveloping the soldiers.
This was holy power, which could both purify the venom sprayed by venomous ants and enhance the soldiers' defenses while restoring their depleted stamina.
“Kill!”
With that, a chaotic melee erupted in an instant.
The ant colony's exoskeletons were sturdy enough to deflect the arrows and spells fired by a small number of archers or mages, so the core of the battle ultimately became a test of who would break first in close-quarters combat.
“Quick, kill them! Aaagh!”
Bullet ant variants that shot venomous stingers scrambled frantically over the bodies of their comrades, piercing the armor of the front-line soldiers and driving their stingers deep into their chests.
While holy power could block the splashes of venom, it was powerless against the highly toxic spikes that pierced through their bodies.
Some soldiers collapsed screaming in agonizing pain as their bodies were dissolved alive. Yet the ant colony did not hesitate for even a second, continuing to charge at the pale-faced survivors to slaughter them all.
Some ants crawled low to the ground, aiming their surprise attacks at the soldiers' lower bodies, while others stepped on their comrades' backs to knock aside spears and overturn shields.
At times, some ants would even leap high into the air and land directly inside the defensive line. Facing such tactics for the first time, the soldiers were completely unable to withstand them.
“They do not fight as clumsily as wild beasts; instead, they are exceptionally agile and cunning. But do not think you will succeed!”
Viscount Payne personally charged into battle on horseback, and the paladins under his command also began to display astonishing combat prowess.
Their swords, clad in holy power, displayed an overwhelming advantage when dealing with the mutated ants born on a foundation of magic power, instantly turning the tide of battle.
The ant colony—which had been waging a chaotic melee using their sheer strength, rapid movements, and incredibly tight organization so different from humans—began to fall back bit by bit before the humans gathered around the paladins.
“As expected, it is different.”
Watching this scene, Lin Miao's eyes shone slightly.
He noticed that when the paladins' swords struck down the mutated individuals born from absorbing magic power during their larval stage, the swords exhibited a completely different state compared to when they struck down ordinary ants.
When slaying a magic power mutant, the holy power reacting to and repelling the magic power would shine much more intensely. Conversely, when slaying an ordinary ant without any magic power enhancement, the effect of the holy power would also be greatly reduced.
【Your servants sense the arrival of victory.】
Although this was a fact Lin Miao had already theoretically confirmed, this battle served as the final validation once again.
The ant colony had long been certain that the holy power possessed by their opponents could not affect the mutants born on a foundation of blood vitality, so they immediately deployed their true fighting force that had been on standby.
“Look over there, those are monsters we've never seen before!”
“Ugh, there look to be at least a hundred of them.”
Viscount Payne's eyes also reflected those brand-new ant species.
Individuals completely different from the ants they had seen before were closing in on their formation at an extremely rapid pace!
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