The Great Purge

“At this very moment, disaster is descending from the north! Those monsters will kill and devour every living thing!”

Rumors about the ant colony had been spreading for a long time.

As more and more refugees fled from the north, these rumors grew increasingly rampant. They were no longer mere rumors to be laughed off, nor were they irrelevant gossip.

“I heard there are thousands of those monsters! They move as a single entity, swarming over everything in a black wave! The soldiers tried to block them, but the monsters didn't care about being impaled by spears—they just surged forward and tore everyone to shreds!”

“Those giant black insects are covered in venomous spikes! They slammed into the city gates with terrifying strength and smashed them to pieces!”

“And that Wailing Wings, which is even larger than a bull, took a Third-Ring spell head-on without sustaining a single scratch! How could we possibly fight against something like that?!”

Those who had personally clashed with the ant colony or lost everything because of them spoke from their own experiences, shouting desperately to the panicked southerners.

They described just how terrifying and dread-inducing the rapidly multiplying ant colony in the north truly was.

Even the lords had abandoned their ancestral lands to flee, to say nothing of the refugees who had forsaken their homes and belongings, desperately escaping here with only the clothes on their backs.

From the nobility to the common folk, everyone in the south witnessed this and could no longer turn a blind eye. Fear of the ants began to spread unchecked.

“Aren't the rumors about the Outer God's servants a bit too exaggerated? Allowing fear to spread too far isn't a good thing. I believe it would be best to control it to some extent.”

Grand Duke Lucas—the Pope of the Church of the Goddess of Light, who had rebuilt his power in the name of the Kingdom of Karmi's royal family and aspired to unify this land under the Goddess's name—brought up the rapid spread of the rumors regarding the ant colony during a gathering of his close confidants.

After all, for a Pope who had to govern millions of citizens, this was hardly a positive phenomenon.

“No, Your Grace. Right now, a shock is exactly what we need.”

However, Count Merlin, who had recently returned from the north, stood up to counter the Grand Duke's words.

“Fear... is sometimes necessary. The timing is perfect. Once the local lords who still refuse to submit to us are consumed by this fear, they will compromise.”

Having been personally dispatched to the north and survived to tell the tale, Count Merlin advocated for dispersing the refugees across various regions to allow the fear to ferment further.

As long as these refugees spread their firsthand accounts of the ants in every direction, the local lords trying to resist the Church of the Goddess of Light would soon lose their composure.

“To stand against those monsters, our top priority must be to unite all our strength. The Goddess would surely wish to see such an outcome as well.”

“Hmm...”

Hearing Count Merlin's words, the Grand Duke fell into deep thought.

Although the Grand Duke held the position of Pope, even he did not dare to defy the will of the Goddess Hestia.

They were, after all, servants of the deity. It was precisely because of this that they could possess everything they had now and stand in their current positions.

No one was willing to defy the Goddess and lose everything they currently possessed.

Seeing this, Merlin continued:

“Your Grace, time is running out. Since those wicked monsters have decided to abandon the beastkin to the west and turn their attack toward us instead, we must make absolute preparations. And to achieve this, our utmost priority is to bring everyone on this land under the Goddess's name.”

“Very well, you are correct.”

The Grand Duke glanced at the calm Count Merlin and ultimately nodded.

If they were truly heading down the wrong path, the Goddess would surely intervene just as she had in the past.

Her current silence meant that she was satisfied with Merlin's proposal.

In the end, the Grand Duke decided to execute the plan proposed by Count Merlin.

However, for Count Merlin, who had retreated from the north and witnessed the ant colony's power firsthand, his plan went far beyond this.

Having been granted partial authority by the Grand Duke—who highly valued his experience—Count Merlin gathered the paladins and priests who had joined the order. He looked over them and asked, “Are these the paladins and priests our order prides itself on?”

The Grand Duke nodded. “Yes. Even now, there are still many who are captivated by the Goddess's power and wish to join us.”

Count Merlin confirmed the numbers and said, “Indeed. Aside from those gathered here, many more have joined compared to before I left.”

As the Goddess Hestia was eager to expand her influence and participate in the competition, she had never cared about her servants' status, profession, or background.

She only looked at ability, granting power solely to those who were capable.

Whether they were lowborn adventurers or commoner knights with no hope of promotion, as long as they had ability, they could become paladins or priests and ascend to high positions.

Part of the reason the local lords were so extremely resistant to the Church of the Goddess of Light was due to this style of conduct that completely shattered the old established order.

Count Merlin continued, “However, there are also quite a few who refuse us. They are ignorant and foolish, believing that the opportunities granted by the Goddess will instead bring them harm.”

The Grand Duke showed a look of hesitation, starting to speak, “This...”

Count Merlin curled his lips. “I can no longer tolerate this. The black tide surging from the north is a disaster that will devour everything.”

The chilling coldness in his sneer made everyone around him involuntarily fall silent.

“From this moment on, we must prepare for war. The regions designated as our defensive line should have already received communication magic and begun taking action to block those monsters. But we must do something else—a great purge!”

What Count Merlin was determined to carry out was none other than a massive purge.

Abandoning all previous efforts to grant grace periods and convince people, he would issue a forced ultimatum to everyone: either join the Church of the Goddess of Light and serve the Goddess, or die right here.

Standing by the railing and watching the crowd boiling with fanatical fervor at the declaration of “judging heretics,” Count Merlin bit his lip.

After all, the people gathered here were the most devout believers, whom he had meticulously screened.

They were all people who had saved their lives because of the Goddess and risen to prominence because of her.

Count Merlin naturally knew that this move was a double-edged sword.

But he no longer had a choice, nor did he have the time.

The ant colony, which was continuously expanding its nests in the north, could strike again at any moment.

According to the periodic reconnaissance reports, the ants had already built new nests on the abandoned lands, and entirely new variants never seen before had even appeared.

In the face of such an unprecedented crisis, acting as gently as they had in the past was simply a luxury they could not afford.

“Set forth! Go and tell the world that in this hour of mortal peril, those traitors who dare defy the Goddess and conspire with demons deserve to be judged!”

With Count Merlin's declaration, the large-scale purge officially began.

The paladins and priests gathered here would serve as the commanders of this operation.

They would disperse to various regions to command the local believers gathered there, launching the operation in earnest.