Whatever that esteemed one desires, I will accomplish it no matter what.
For Daniel, the most important thing was the Goddess's will.
To make sacrifices for his chosen Goddess, he would not hesitate to offer human lives or anything else.
And that Goddess had also clearly expressed her strong will to Daniel and the members of the Church of the Goddess of Light.
She demanded that they seize hegemony over this region, eventually expand across the continent, and establish a power that would rule the entire world.
Just then, an urgent report arrived that the ant colony had begun moving in full force.
“This is bad! The enemy is coming!”
“Those monsters have actively given us a reason we cannot run away from. Do you understand? In any case, the servants of the Outer God will keep launching attacks.”
Daniel sneered, patted the Baron on the shoulder, and walked out of the tent.
“There is no benefit in stalling. Although the number of those immune to holy power is still small, if their numbers increase, it will only work against us.”
【The servants wish to hunt their prey before they can escape.】
The thoughts of both sides coincided perfectly.
The colony wanted to hunt before their massive prey scattered and fled, while the subjugation army wanted to start the war before the colony's numbers and strength grew any further.
“According to the reports, those special monsters look like this.”
Naturally, the subjugation army was most wary of the ants that were unaffected by holy power and had grown solely through blood vitality.
Daniel instructed them to prioritize stopping those specific ants.
He believed that as long as they could stop them, they would ultimately win.
【The operation planned by the servants has begun.】
“...Wait, why are there so many?”
However, one thing the subjugation army had failed to anticipate was that they had already given the colony too much time.
Clearly, it was only when they first arrived in the north and encountered the colony not long ago that they discovered the special gladiator ants.
Yet that was not the case. The colony had already begun breeding frantically the moment they determined they needed more forces to counter the enemy.
The lower-tier queens, solely focused on laying eggs, did so without cease. The constantly expanding colony had already claimed the vast forested areas of the untamed lands during the time the southern roads were blocked.
There was even the First Generation Queen Ant, who had evolved much more thoroughly, efficiently mixing and portioning the food.
The result of this was the army now appearing before them, numbering in the tens of thousands.
“As expected, the foundation of the colony is still their numbers.”
Lin Miao muttered in admiration as he watched the scene unfold before him.
The vast plains were densely packed with a massive army of ants, spreading like watercolors and dyeing the entire landscape.
If one only counted individual numbers, the quantity of ants launching the frontal assault alone already exceeded five times that of the subjugation army.
Who told them to be so leisurely?
In the eyes of Lin Miao, the master of the colony, the Church of the Goddess of Light was thinking too far ahead.
Even though a force they defined as absolute evil was right before them, they were still fussing over various minor matters, caring only about their political maneuvers.
The ultimate price would be paid not only by the Church of the Goddess of Light, their primary enemy, but also by all the surrounding human factions.
Daniel observed the various forms of mutated ants mixed within the swarm through a telescope, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“There is no other way now. Defend your positions and engage! If we cannot stop those things here, this entire region will be destroyed!”
Now was not the time to think about the future.
If such a massive number of ants swarmed out and rushed toward the various territories and regions, most places would undoubtedly crumble like sandcastles washed away by waves.
Even if they wanted to annex the northern territories in the future, if the colony slaughtered every living creature of a certain size before then, what value would this land still hold?
Among the mages, Celia tightly gripped her staff, her body trembling in unison with it.
The day her hometown was trampled by bandits and completely leveled, and the sight of the ant army surging like a tide, flashed back into her mind once again.
...
The colony was always serious.
This had been true from the moment they appeared in this world, and it was even more so now that they had their own god.
For them, concepts like joking or teasing simply did not exist.
It was just that this aspect of them was rarely shown in normal times.
As a result, the colony could now mobilize their entire military strength, known as the grand army, while the subjugation army, composed of the Church of the Goddess of Light and the surrounding lords, had to face this overwhelming force.
Is there really no other choice?
Daniel bit his lip, his expression grim as he stared at the densely packed colony.
It was clear that the main force of the Church of the Goddess of Light was still stationed in the center of the kingdom; they had never expected the colony's growth rate to be so rapid.
However, for those present, this was a situation that required them to put everything on the line.
Only by doing so could they avoid becoming the colony's prey.
“Mages! Those monsters are afraid of fire! Use fire magic to stop them!”
Though they made up only a minority of the total force, the mages—who had been known as the artillery of the battlefield on this land since ancient times—raised their staffs, which served as magical focuses, and activated their magic.
That's right, fire is indeed one of their weaknesses.
Celia also gritted her teeth; she was one of those mages.
Including the mid-tier spell Wall of Fire that she cast, the fire magic unleashed by the mages flew out in unison, striking their targets.
Whether the magic was long-range or short-range, the ultimate goal was to set fires across the plains-turned-battlefield, hindering the colony's advance and dealing a blow to them.
In reality, like all living things, the colony feared scorching fire.
This was because they had not yet found a way to increase their fire resistance.
【The servants have decided to charge through the flames and continue their advance.】
“How can this be... Those monsters are forcing their way through with their bare bodies!”
However, even as the mages did their best to turn the tide of battle in their favor, the colony completed its calculations through the rapid decision-making unique to the hive mind.
No matter how much fire the humans set, they only needed to ignore it and break through. This conclusion had already spread throughout the entire colony.
By now, Lin Miao had become familiar with the habits and behavioral patterns of these ants, seeing through their actions at a single glance.
Sometimes, rather than complex tactics and strategies, overwhelming the enemy with sheer volume and numbers was far more effective.
The colony had realized that their numbers alone were their most powerful weapon.
“Quickly, cast the next spell! Don't stop!”
The terrified mages hurriedly chanted their spells.
Magical flames that could burn fiercely using magic power as fuel even without physical combustibles.
Yet, the colony did not hesitate to cover the flames with the charred corpses of their fallen comrades and continue their charge. The scene was both brutal and grotesque.
“Hurry, hurry...”
Celia, dripping with cold sweat, also hurried to chant her next spell.
If she hesitated even slightly and it led to defeat, then the memories that still haunted her nightmares—of her home being trampled and people being brutally slaughtered—would have to repeat themselves here.
“It's not over yet.”
At that moment, a powerful force surged into her body, amplifying her magic power.
Celia widened her eyes in surprise. Seeing Daniel standing beside her, already clad in armor at some point, she was rendered speechless.
“Are you surprised? I can use the powers of both a priest and a paladin simultaneously. That is why that esteemed one chose me to be an Inquisitor.”
Seeing her reaction, Daniel sneered. Without withdrawing the boosted holy power, he drew his sword.
At this moment, despite the desperate resistance of the subjugation army, the surging colony had already drawn near.
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