Lin Miao stared blankly at the beastkin on the screen, with only one thought in his mind: what on earth were those things?
His reaction was because those beastkin used a skill he had never seen before while pursuing the retreating colony.
The beastkin shamans channeled their witchcraft, slicing the hard earth into blocks.
The next moment, the beastkin warriors stepped onto these surfboard-like blocks of earth and glided forward, catching up to the retreating colony in the blink of an eye.
Each earthen surfboard carried more than a dozen warriors. The moment they caught up to the colony, they swarmed forward, swinging their heavy weapons in a wild frenzy.
【Your servants have fallen into panic and have urgently entered combat mode】
The colony was also caught off guard by this unprecedented beastkin witchcraft.
Although they immediately turned to fight, this colony was already retreating after a grueling battle and stood no chance against the fierce offensive of the beastkin.
The locals watching the battle from the side recognized the beastkin's method at a glance. Someone remarked in a deep voice,
“This is the Earth Wave Spell, the beastkin's specialty. If we ever fight them on the open plains or grasslands, this witchcraft will be incredibly difficult to deal with.”
After all, not long ago, they had been fighting to the death against these beastkin, making them all too familiar with this move.
Count Merlin gave orders to the soldiers who had just caught their breath. “I know you must be reluctant to help the beastkin, but now is the perfect opportunity! Charge! Annihilate all these monsters!”
He knew very well that the beastkin were rivals who had contested them for hegemony in this region for years—millennia-old enemies who detested each other. However, the colony currently ravaging this land was an equally loathed enemy.
Ultimately, the humans reorganized their formation once more, spurred their horses, and charged into the fray.
One of the beastkin glared at the rushing humans and roared, “Humans! Is this a place where you can interfere?!”
Another beastkin immediately pulled him back and yelled, “Calm down! Let's deal with these black monsters first!”
Naturally, the beastkin were none too pleased by the sudden human intrusion, but because of their common enemy, the two major factions temporarily set aside their differences to cooperate, launching a final, desperate struggle.
Through continuous growth, the colony's strength had become a major threat even to the beastkin, a race born for battle.
However, on this particular battlefield, the scales had already tipped completely against them.
【To inflict maximum damage on the enemy, your servants have decided to fight to the very last breath】
The colony, which had been desperately fleeing, suddenly turned around. Resolved to die, they launched a counter-charge, making their final stand.
Every living creature is born with an instinct to survive.
It was precisely because they could suppress this instinct with sheer willpower that both humans and beastkin recognized each other as intelligent beings.
A beastkin roared in shock and fury as he watched the ants throw themselves forward without a shred of fear. “Are these monsters not afraid of death?!”
Yet, the colony was doing the exact same thing.
The only difference was that they were not driven by a burning fighting spirit or surging emotions, but by the cold, logical commands of the hive mind.
If anything, they used a far more powerful force to completely override their instinct for survival.
Once an order was handed down, the colony would fight to the bitter end.
Even if decapitated, even with broken legs, as long as they could move, they would continue to press forward.
Even if death was certain, as long as they could inflict damage, they would drag their enemies down with them without a second thought.
Anyone who had fought the colony on the front lines could not help but feel a deep, instinctual horror at this absolute, fanatical persistence.
In the midst of this chaotic battle, Bogut, the young tribal chief who had led the beastkin here, watched in horror as an ant whose head he had split in half still tried its absolute best to drive its stinger into him.
Unlike the human forces who had somewhat adapted to the colony's tactics, most of the beastkin present were fighting these mutated ants for the very first time.
Relying on their natural wildness and fighting spirit, the beastkin did not falter in morale. However, because they knew nothing about the colony's traits, they frequently fell victim to successful counterattacks.
Just then, a blazing spear of fire pierced through the air, pinning the dying ant to the ground and saving Bogut, who had been a split second away from being stung.
Celia walked over and warned, “Watch out for their stingers. Even the strongest warriors will be paralyzed with pain if they are hit.”
Bogut turned his head to look at Celia, who was holding her staff, and chuckled. “You seem to know these monsters well, human mage.”
Celia suppressed her sudden nervousness, swallowed hard, and replied, “If we don't stop them, the entire world will be destroyed.”
This was her first time having a proper conversation with a beastkin.
Having grown up in the north, she had heard countless tales of the beastkin's notorious reputation and their various atrocities.
Standing this close to a beastkin, with his massive, muscular frame so different from a human's, she couldn't help but feel a heavy sense of pressure.
More importantly, the beastkin were notorious for being no different from goblins when it came to violating human women.
Yet, unlike the hyper-vigilant Celia, Bogut didn't seem to harbor any ulterior motives. Rather than dwelling on her attitude, he pointed toward another ant nearby and spoke.
“The High Chief ordered me to establish contact and cooperate with the humans. It seems we'll be fighting side by side against these monsters for a while. That knowledge of yours is going to come in handy.”
He was pointing at a mutated barbed ant covered in sharp thorns.
Bogut asked, “Is that one venomous too?”
Celia immediately replied, “...No. Among the barbed types, an individual this small isn't venomous.”
Bogut grinned and pointed at another ant species behind her. “Alright! Then that big one behind you is all yours, mage!”
And with that, their cooperation officially began.
It was not just Celia sharing her knowledge of the colony; the classic combination of warrior and mage allowed them to coordinate seamlessly.
In the heat of battle, Bogut roared excitedly, “Kill them all!”
Celia's face turned pale with fright, and she quickly yelled back, “No! We need to capture some alive for research!”
From then on, the two faced no major threats, fighting side by side until the battle finally drew to a close.
By the end, Bogut was so worked up that he was shouting to slaughter every last ant, and Celia had to scramble to hold him back.
After the battle, Bogut wiped the blood from his axe and looked at Celia. “I didn't expect you to be such a capable fighter.”
Celia let out a sigh of relief as well. “We didn't expect you to be the first to charge in, either.”
Afterward, led by their respective representatives, Bogut and Count Merlin, the meeting between the human and beastkin camps proceeded smoothly in an exceptionally harmonious and close atmosphere.
After all, they were comrades-in-arms who had just risked their lives together. The weight of such a bond was worth more than a thousand words.
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