Bogut chopped off a beastkin bandit's head with a single swing of his axe, cursing in disgust, “Even at a time like this, there are still scumbags like you. What a hopeless bunch, not even realizing what kind of situation we're in.”
In this land where most areas were undeveloped and conflicts between various races were constant, the line between bandits and adventurers was already blurred, and plundering was a common occurrence.
Especially under the current chaotic circumstances, such scum was only growing in number.
The ones Bogut had just slain were the lackeys of Bonebreaker. Even now, these guys still hadn't changed their ways, continuing their plundering activities and even attacking human villages fleeing from danger.
Bogut found a unique mark on the enemy's corpse and couldn't help but click his tongue, saying, “Looks like this guy really can't kick the habit of robbing and plundering.”
During this period, the numerous scattered beastkin tribes had not truly united.
Ultimately, only the tribes influenced by the god Uria were able to maintain strict discipline and present a united front.
Just as the Church of the Goddess of Light, which worshipped Goddess Hestia, had still not completely taken control of the Kingdom of Karmi on which they relied.
Even the beastkin under Uria, who had resolved to fight against the ants, had failed to unify all the surrounding tribes.
Even for a veteran high-tier deity, trying to spread their faith in a completely new land was subject to many restrictions.
At this stage, they shouldn't have blindly expanded outward, but rather taken steady steps to first consolidate their own foundation.
There was a reason why the deities felt indignant about the appearance of the ants, as the ants were indiscriminately attacking everything around them.
Celia stared blankly at the scene and murmured, “That was truly unexpected.”
Bogut snorted disdainfully. “You mean me saving these humans?”
They were currently leading a portion of their forces on patrol and reconnaissance, and just happened to save the villagers who were being attacked by the beastkin bandits.
To continuously spread knowledge about the ants to the beastkin, Celia had been staying by Bogut's side.
Because of this, she was surprised by Bogut's actions of slaying his fellow beastkin to save humans.
Even before she could speak, Bogut had already decided to deal with those bandits and save these villagers.
Traveling together during this period had already greatly eased her prejudice against the beastkin, but she never expected Bogut to go this far.
Bogut said in a matter-of-fact tone, “The great God of War has already revealed that those monsters are our true enemies. Anyone who fights alongside us against them is our comrade-in-arms.”
Looking at his open and heroic demeanor, Celia couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration in her heart.
This stood in stark contrast to Daniel, whom she had met before—calculating and ruthless, solely focused on expanding the influence of the Church of the Goddess of Light.
Of course, the convictions of both were built upon absolute faith in their respective deities; this was their common ground.
While facing the ants, which killed anyone they saw like a walking disaster, those fools who plundered their own kin and allies were running amok everywhere.
Aside from the northern territories that bore the direct brunt of the ants, there were still far too many people who didn't take the ants seriously at all, even thinking it was mere alarmism.
A conviction gradually budded in Celia's heart: if Bogut, or people like him, could take the lead alongside her, they could purge and awaken those fools, bringing everyone together to fight against the ants.
Just then, the crystal ball in Celia's hand lit up with the light of communication magic. Bogut immediately asked, “What's the news?”
Celia's face paled after reading the transmission. “It's a mobilization order. It seems something has happened.”
Bogut immediately called a shaman over and ordered, “Prepare the Earth Slabs. We depart immediately.”
Bogut looked at Celia, who was standing in place, grinned, and stretched out his hand to her. “We have to bring the saved villagers, so it might be a bit crowded. Coming up?”
Celia revealed a faint smile, tidied her robes, and took Bogut's massive hand—which was as large as a pot lid—stepping onto the fragmented Earth Slab.
...
Lin Miao looked at the split screen before him, which was divided into four panels. His body tensed slightly as he muttered to himself, “Are you all prepared...”
Unlike before, his screen could now be split into four panels, synchronously broadcasting scenes from different areas from various angles. In each panel, a massive army was gathering.
This time, what was coming was no longer those scattered subjugation squads from before.
Instead, it was a joint coalition army in the truest sense, composed of humans, beastkin, and even a portion of goblins.
Clearly, they could no longer sit idly by and watch the ant colony's plundering. They had gathered together, dividing their forces into two routes, and were simultaneously marching toward the ant colony's nest in that undeveloped forest.
“It's obvious at a glance that the main force is the route mixed with the beastkin.”
Lin Miao looked at the scale and organization of both armies, instantly understanding their division of labor.
The northern force, which was smaller in number and composed solely of humans, was mainly made up of human soldiers cobbled together from nearby territories.
Their role was merely to draw the ant colony's attention, shifting the ants' gaze to the north.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of their combat power was concentrated in the western route force. Core powerhouses like Count Merlin and Bogut were all on this route.
Within the main force, Count Merlin drew his longsword and declared loudly, “There is no more time to delay! Advance at full speed and burn the nest of those monsters to ashes!”
Just as Count Merlin had said, their goal was to crush any ants blocking their path, strike straight at the heart of the enemy, burn down the nest, and thoroughly eradicate the root of this disaster.
The statement that they couldn't afford to delay was only natural.
Neither the deities protecting them nor those living on this land could afford the consumption of resources and time brought about by a prolonged war.
【Your servants have seen through the enemy's intentions】
Only the ant colony, which regarded war itself as a necessary condition for the colony's evolution, would welcome this war with open arms.
The ant colony was also well aware that the humans had gathered all their scattered hunting squads from various places.
【The harvest time has arrived; your servants have finished deployment】
Lin Miao looked at the ant colony waiting in battle array on the screen, thinking to himself: Yes, from the very beginning, this is exactly what you wanted.
Having already made full preparations, the ant colony began to react swiftly and precisely.
Relying on scattered hunting squads to secure prey piecemeal was simply not enough to obtain the abundant resources needed for their evolution.
Accumulating it bit by bit was just too slow.
Therefore, the Queen Ant, who craved faster growth, and the entire colony had always been looking for a means to acquire a massive amount of resources all at once.
And a war of a certain scale was the simplest, and the only method known to the ant colony.
Rate on N.U.
