The Divine Sword

【The servants recognized the origin of the divine sword】

The ant colony remembered that day clearly.

They remembered that the holy spear they had casually picked up and brought back had been taken away by a giant hand reaching down from the sky.

This memory, shared by the entire colony, was incredibly intense and awe-inspiring.

【Elise resolved to seize that thing back no matter what】

Because of this, Elise, who had a closer connection to Lin Miao, was single-mindedly determined to seize such a treasure and offer it to him.

She knew very well that Lin Miao had taken the holy spear and given her a “reward.”

For Elise, who constantly gained new abilities by devouring materials bestowed by the Great One, she needed more rewards—specifically, Lin Miao's recognition.

And to obtain recognition, she had to prove her worth.

By now, Elise was already capable of independent thought to this extent.

She was no longer acting out of pure curiosity; it was to do something that would make Lin Miao happy that she wanted to seize the divine sword from the hands of the beastkin captain, Slun, and offer it to Lin Miao.

“Th-these monsters!”

Slun, who was bravely slaying enemies while wielding the divine sword wrapped in lightning, suddenly lost his composure.

At some point, the ant colony that had been charging in all directions had begun pouncing toward him with a clear, singular target.

“Captain! Fall back, quickly! Those monsters seem to have recognized you as the core! If you fall, we're finished!”

“No! I must fulfill the mission entrusted to me by the God of War!”

Feeling the blood of battle boiling within his body, Slun gritted his teeth and shook his head, rejecting his subordinate's plea.

Just as his subordinate said, he was indeed one of the most important combat forces on the battlefield.

He was a powerhouse wielding a divine artifact whom Uria had painstakingly nurtured under difficult circumstances, and one of their few peak combat forces.

Slun naturally knew how precious his life was, but he also understood the responsibility he bore in his current position.

“The golems can't hold!”

“Damn it! Reserve unit, reinforce the right-wing defensive line immediately!”

Slun took a deep breath, looking around the battlefield that had already descended into chaos.

Colossal heavy-armored ants clamped onto the bodies of the golems with their pincers before slamming into them with their giant horns.

On the other side, shouting beastkin warriors were locked in a brutal melee with the swarming ant colony.

Soldiers were constantly dragged away by the silk of the spider ants, while the venom of bombardier ants splashed everywhere, filling the air with a dense toxic mist.

Just as Elise had anticipated, the stronger exoskeleton obtained after devouring crustaceans did not let the invested resources go to waste.

They successfully withstood the swords and spears of the beastkin that would have normally pierced them, and could even shrug off attacks from heavy ballistas.

“What kind of monster is this again... Aaargh!”

Moreover, they had obtained far more than just a harder shell.

A brand-new mutated species mixed within the colony: the scorpion ant, which possessed scorpion-like pincers and a venomous stinger on its tail.

Their size was similar to that of the gladiator ants, about as large as a bull.

Yet their mere appearance brought immense chaos and a devastating blow to the beastkin.

If this continued, the total defeat of the beastkin and the breakthrough of the defensive line by the ant colony would be a certainty.

“Look at this! In a hellish battlefield like this, how could I possibly flee!”

With a look of absolute determination, Slun raised the divine sword once more.

A bolt of lightning struck down from thin air, wrapping around the blade, and the crackling lightning instantly enveloped his entire body.

A hero was someone who created miracles.

The power bestowed by the gods existed precisely for this purpose.

【Elise rejoiced that the prey did not run away, but instead delivered himself right to her door】

“Go to hell, you demons!”

To win the war, Slun resolutely charged into the ant colony with the divine sword in hand.

This action of his brought a positive impact to both sides simultaneously.

For the retreating beastkin soldiers, a hero leading from the front was the best opportunity to rally their morale.

And for Elise, it was the perfect opportunity to devour the prey she had long set her eyes on.

However, the one who could laugh last would always be the victor alone.

And up until now, the entire ant colony, including Elise, had never once lost in a showdown against a mortal hero.

Enveloped in lightning, Slun unleashed an astonishing combat strength, slaying even the large mutated species several times his size one by one.

Even when facing hundreds of enemies surrounding him from all directions, he did not flinch in the slightest.

Although the subordinates fighting alongside him fell one after another, countless ant corpses had already piled up beneath his feet.

【Kerrigan felt a strong competitive spirit ignite upon seeing the heroic bearing of the enemy general】

Slun's heroic figure even sparked a deep interest in Kerrigan, who had always yearned to fight against a hero.

“Look! The path has been opened for us!”

“Quick, keep up with the captain!”

The hero had created a miracle.

Slun tirelessly and frantically slaughtered the surging enemies, forcefully carving out a bloody path.

Although his strength was gradually waning, the dawn of a miracle was already in sight.

【Elise calculated that the current sacrifices were still within acceptable limits】

Yet unlike the beastkin who saw hope, Elise calmly watched the reality unfold.

In any case, their objective had shifted from breaching the defensive line to killing Slun and seizing the divine sword.

Elise believed that for this goal, even if they failed to breach the line, it would still be worth it.

“Ugh... Th-these bastards!”

Finally, Slun's strength reached its limit.

No matter how powerful a hero was, it was impossible to stand against an entire army alone.

The price of creating a miracle was his life.

“Ah...”

His hand wielding the divine sword finally lost its strength, and was clamped shut by the massive mandibles of a blade-jawed ant.

His other arm was violently torn off by the scythe-like leg of a gladiator ant.

His body was completely submerged by the ants swarming from all directions.

Slun continued to swing his sword until the very last moment, wanting to kill just one more ant, but in the end, he watched as a scorpion ant's venomous stinger pierced his chest, and he drew his last breath.

“Slun, you are a great warrior.”

Fortunately, at the final moment, Uria's voice echoed in his mind, allowing Slun to show a faint smile at the last second of his life.

【Elise ordered the recovery of the item and a full retreat of the army】

The ant colony had paid a quite heavy price just to kill Slun.

But the moment they successfully killed Slun and seized the divine sword, they turned and retreated without the slightest hesitation.

In any case, the other defensive lines were still engaged in fierce combat; it would be enough to break through from there.

Slun had fought bravely like a hero, successfully completing his mission and holding the defensive line.

Yet his lost life and the stolen divine sword would never return.

“They actually went to such lengths?”

Lin Miao, watching the ant colony willing to make such a massive sacrifice just to offer him the spoils of war, couldn't help but murmur to himself in a daze.

The reason he was so shocked was that he knew from past experience that this was only the beginning.