If Daniel valued Celia's talent, then Merlin valued her ideology and her actual battle plans.
“To become a Fourth-Ring Mage at such a young age... Your talent in magic is clear for all to see. Have you ever thought about showcasing your skills on a grander stage in the future?”
Not only that, but he even entertained the idea of bringing Celia under his own wing.
After all, he was not just a magician, but also the leader of an academic school with numerous disciples.
At this, Celia was momentarily left speechless, recalling how Daniel had once urged her to follow him and join the Church of the Goddess of Light.
She had never imagined that the path to success she had once so desperately yearned for would present itself in such a manner.
However, she was unable to give Count Merlin an answer on the spot.
Beside them, a magician who was using a familiar for aerial reconnaissance suddenly shrieked in terror, “A massive swarm of monsters has appeared on the front lines! They are attacking the small fortress in the Ferry Barony!”
Staring at the colony fiercely besieging the fortress in the distance, Celia's voice trembled uncontrollably. “It's one of the monsters' hunting squads! How did they get here so quickly?”
A hunting force of about five hundred ants was frantically besieging the fortress. The survivors inside, including refugees, were locked in a desperate, life-or-death struggle.
“They usually split into countless hunting squads of several hundred individuals to indiscriminately pillage and attack vast regions. When necessary, they will assemble these hunting squads to form a massive army for battle.”
After listening to Celia's explanation, Count Merlin couldn't help but glance at the troops behind them and asked in a low voice, “Are you saying this is just one of their hunting squads?”
Their purpose on this trip was not to march onto the battlefield, but to conduct formal negotiations with the beastkin who were about to become their allies. As such, they had not brought many troops with them.
Even though their ranks included knights, magicians, priests, and other combatants, their total number was still less than a thousand.
Those from the north stepped forward one after another, volunteering to fight. “Although this is outside of our plans, we are fully capable of fighting. We must save the fortress!”
“That's right! We should defeat them while their numbers are small and earn some military merit!”
Most of them had suffered the painful experience of having their hometowns, families, or subordinates snatched away by the colony, leaving them with a hatred that ran bone-deep.
Celia quickly analyzed the composition of the ant swarm, making a swift judgment in her mind:
The largest of those giant soldier ants haven't appeared. Is it really because of their slow movement speed? There don't seem to be many gladiator ants that are immune to holy power, either.
She swept her gaze over the mutated ants mingled within the swarm and ultimately concluded that this was a highly winnable battle.
Count Merlin nodded after listening intently to Celia's report and made an immediate decision. “Very well. Let us support them while there is still time!”
They quickly reorganized their formation and charged in unison, slamming hard into the flank of the ant swarm besieging the fortress.
【Your servants have detected the appearance of new enemies. Judging that retreat is impossible, the colony has simultaneously called upon nearby hunting squads for reinforcement, officially entering combat】
The colony naturally sensed their approach as well, instantly preparing to face them head-on.
Lin Miao, who had received the battlefield notification and was keeping a close eye on the combat in this region, watched the movements on his screen. Filled with questions, he couldn't help but murmur softly, “...Is it still not the right time?”
The scattered hunting squads were currently attacking the entire northern region to draw the attention of all parties, yet they had not launched any large-scale battles.
It takes two to tango. Since their opponents were hunkered down in the fortress focusing solely on defense, the colony decided not to waste effort assembling a massive force to breach a single stronghold. Instead, they would first sweep through the regions that had not yet been pillaged.
Yet in the process, the colony actually left all of the newly created tier of soldier ants behind in the nest on standby, not deploying them at all.
Lin Miao had originally been looking forward to seeing these mutated hornet ants showcase their prowess in the battle against the Church of the Goddess of Light. Sometimes, it was truly difficult to understand their behavior.
However, the colony never did anything without reason, so he guessed they must have other plans.
On the battlefield, the swarm sprayed a massive cloud of corrosive venom toward the human ranks. Someone among the humans immediately shouted at the top of their lungs, “Venom incoming! Raise shields! Priests, bless the soldiers!”
Because of this, the ants currently fighting on the front lines were all individuals whose intelligence the enemy had already gathered.
Led by Celia and her peers, the people who had begun researching the ants were gradually figuring out ways to counter them, growing more and more proficient.
Compared to how they had panicked and fumbled about in utter confusion when they first saw these ants—which were completely different from ordinary magical beasts—it was like night and day.
But the growth of the colony was never just about the birth of new mutated species.
Agonizing screams continued to echo across the battlefield. A knight gritted his teeth, slashing with all his might at the rushing ants, and couldn't help but roar, “Why are they so hard?!”
The Queen Ant would continuously refine the genes of the offspring based on the steadily accumulating combat experience.
This gave them forms more suited for combat, allowing them to utilize specialized abilities like stingers and bladed parts more freely.
For instance, their legs grew longer to make it easier to drive their stingers home, and their excretory organs were enhanced to better spray venom, among other adaptations.
Because of this, the people fighting a bloody battle against the hunting squad before the small fortress had absolutely no room to catch their breath. They could only throw themselves into a desperate struggle with a resolve to die.
Count Merlin couldn't help but roar, “Why hasn't the garrison inside the fortress come out to support us yet?!”
A soldier beside him immediately replied with a tearful face, “S-Sir, a portion of the monsters have already breached the interior of the fortress and are wreaking havoc. I'm afraid they can't support us!”
Count Merlin cleared out a large area of ants with fire magic. His sweat-drenched face contorted in anger as he cursed through gritted teeth, “These cunning bastards!”
Most importantly, the colony possessed the most powerful weapon that their enemies lacked—the hive mind.
Every single individual could share their status in real time, acting like machinery for the sole purpose of the colony's singular goal.
No matter how hard humans tried to adapt, the rigorous organizational and collective combat capabilities based on the hive mind were a formidable power that humans simply could not replicate.
It's already like this. If we get overwhelmed in numbers on top of everything else, we'll be completely out of options.
Celia, whose face had also turned pale from frantically casting magic, swallowed hard as she watched a knight wielding his greatsword like a windmill get swarmed by several ants.
Although the knight fought to the death and cut down several ants, the swarm still seized an opening. They chewed frantically at his limbs and drove their stingers relentlessly into the gaps and weak points of his armor.
Ultimately, the knight's eyeball was pierced by a stinger through his visor, and he collapsed with a bloodcurdling scream.
Every single ant was like a precise killing machine, executing their predatory movements with flawless accuracy.
What was more, when several ants fought in coordination, their cooperation was completely seamless.
This was why one could not let their guard down for even a single second when fighting the colony.
【Having achieved their minimum objective, your servants intend to begin their retreat】
However, no one present, including Celia, realized that the colony had already entered the next phase.
Having judged that they had inflicted enough casualties to render the enemy unable to pursue, they turned and retreated without the slightest hesitation, doing their utmost to preserve their active forces.
Watching the colony turn around and retreat en masse, and then looking at the humans who were absolutely furious with a mix of frustration and anger, Lin Miao couldn't help but comment, “Are they playing an extraction shooter here?”
Clearly, to the humans, their objective was to save the fortress, which could be considered a victory that achieved their goal. However, the emotions that had built up to their limit during the fierce battle were not so easily pacified.
On the other hand, the colony was completely different. The moment an order was handed down, they could charge or turn back to retreat without a shred of hesitation.
Of course, there were still those like Count Merlin who could quickly calm their emotions and consider the subsequent matters.
Merlin immediately called out to soothe the crowd, “Everyone, calm down. Regardless of the details, we have won, and we successfully saved the fortress.”
Amidst the crowd, Celia, who was leaning on her staff to support her body while catching her breath, bit her lower lip tightly as she watched the majority of the ants escape.
They have indeed grown stronger. Is it really just because they are monsters blessed by an evil Outer God?
Celia had no idea that the very Outer God she spoke of was quietly watching her through a screen at this very moment.
Looking at Celia as she raised her head on the screen, Lin Miao felt a sense of familiarity. “That silver-haired woman... I feel like I've seen her somewhere before.”
Just then, Celia suddenly felt an inexplicable sensation. A tingling chill ran down the back of her neck, and she abruptly looked up at the sky.
At the same time, Lin Miao, who was watching all of this through the screen, also saw her face clearly due to her upward gaze, reinforcing his sense of familiarity.
Even across the vast spatial barriers, the two of them, in this manner, locked eyes for the very first time.
【Your servants have detected the approach of another enemy force】
“Hmm?”
Seeing the system prompt that suddenly popped up, Lin Miao couldn't help but let out a soft cry of confusion.
And matters were still far from over.
Just as the colony successfully retreated, a group of beastkin riding giant wolves was charging at full speed across the distant plains.
Rate on N.U.
