Prepared

‘Elise’s first plan is to lure the enemy’s main force as deep as possible. For that, she needs bait.’

Lin Miao had already roughly guessed the ant colony's plan.

They had long since evacuated all the egg-laying individuals, the larvae and pupae about to evolve into mutated species, and all of their precious resources through secret tunnels deep underground. This was exactly part of the plan.

“Charge!”

Meanwhile, on the surface, the Holy Kingdom’s army had already launched their attack, engaging in a fierce battle with the ant colony's garrison guarding the nest.

The ants deployed to defend the nest resisted desperately, utterly unconcerned with sacrificing their own lives.

From various combat mutants to the urgently mobilized ordinary worker ants, they all threw themselves forward recklessly, sinking their jaws deep into the enemies' ankles.

“The Goddess is with us!”

However, under Gilbert's leadership, the Holy Kingdom's army ultimately breached the ant colony's defensive line.

Holy power and magic exploded in all directions. Knights clad in armor made from the ant colony's exoskeletons charged through the poisonous mist, thrusting their swords and spears into the ants' bodies.

Ultimately, the strongest individual among the garrison—a tiger hornet ant equipped with a brand-new carapace—was sliced in two by Gilbert’s greatsword.

“Charge inside! Kill their queen!”

Their morale soaring, the Holy Kingdom's soldiers rushed into the depths of the ant nest.

The interior of the ant nest was incredibly deep and complex, making it impossible to destroy or burn from the outside using conventional methods.

Because of this, this was the first time humanity had ever caught a glimpse of the entire interior of an ant nest.

“Even though we got some idea of it through projection magic, seeing it with my own eyes is still terrifyingly complex.”

“Don't act rashly, everyone. No one knows where traps might be hidden.”

The tunnels inside the nest were so intricately intertwined that only the ant colony, with their hive mind, could navigate them freely without obstacle.

From massive tunnels devoid of a single speck of light and wide enough for golems to pass through, to tiny openings where humans could only crawl, hundreds and thousands of paths crisscrossed above and below ground.

Having anticipated this, Count Merlin and his soldiers deployed numerous mages and familiars, using exploration magic to illuminate the darkness as they searched for a path forward.

Although their progress was slow, this was the only way they could find the correct path with the minimum number of casualties.

Naturally, the fighting inside the nest never ceased. Combat within the dark, narrow tunnels was a completely different beast compared to the battle on the surface.

Fortunately, many of the soldiers had experience as adventurers, which barely managed to keep their losses to a minimum.

“We found them! Larvae!”

“And a room full of pupae!”

Finally, one after another, they located the ant colony's "weak points."

“These disgusting things...”

Looking at the dense, wriggling mass of larvae, Gilbert showed an expression of disgust.

“Burn them all! This will deal them a heavy blow. Quick, light the fire!”

Count Merlin immediately ordered them to be completely incinerated.

What they did not know was that these were merely ordinary worker ant larvae.

The mutated larvae and pupae, into which actual resources had been invested, had long since been moved away.

Of course, this did not change the fact that this was a historic victory.

This was the first time they, who had always been on the receiving end of the beatings, had actively breached an ant colony nest and set its interior ablaze.

“Why do you look so unhappy, my Lord? This is a victorious moment that will surely go down in history.”

“Because there are more than twenty nests that have already been observed.”

Amidst the cheering crowd giving thanks to the Goddess, Count Merlin shook his head firmly in response to his lieutenant's question.

It was enough for the ordinary soldiers to celebrate to their hearts' content, but as the commander-in-chief, he had to look further ahead. He could not afford to get carried away by this minor victory before his eyes.

‘A necessary sacrifice.’

Lin Miao thought to himself as he watched the Holy Kingdom's army, which did not stop after destroying a single nest but continued to march forward.

War was inevitably accompanied by sacrifice.

Someone always had to carry out more dangerous missions and face more powerful enemies for the sake of their comrades.

Sometimes, for the sake of victory, they even had to lay down their lives.

And no one understood this better than Lin Miao's ant colony.

Even the Church soldiers with their unwavering faith would experience moments of hesitation and struggle in battle.

But to the ant colony, such things were not even worth mentioning.

For the sake of the colony, they would offer up their everything without a single moment's hesitation.

As long as it was a sacrifice necessary for victory, they would not hesitate in the slightest, even if it cost them their lives.

Even if a calculation error resulted in unnecessary casualties, they would not complain or feel wronged.

They were a single, unified whole that existed for one sole purpose.

This was their essence—the essence of the Great Devourer.

【Elise ordered the execution of the plan to divide the enemy forces】

This victory convinced the Holy Kingdom's army that the main force of the ant colony had indeed been entirely redeployed to the western front. Consequently, they accelerated their pace of operation.

They had to destroy as many nests as possible before the main body of the ant colony could return to reinforce them.

“Let's catch up quickly! We need to rack up some military achievements of our own!”

“I know, I know. Stop rushing me.”

Thus, the second army led by Marquis Lumiere urgently set out, with Marianne right among their ranks.

Carrying a vast amount of supplies, they prepared to rendezvous with the main force, replace the wounded, and maintain their sustained combat capability.

【Elise locked onto her target】

Through the scouts hidden in various locations, Elise captured this piece of intelligence.

She watched Marianne leading the support unit, rapidly advancing northward along the path cleared by the main force, her antennae twitching slightly.

Marianne was the most important bait prepared to lure out the true target personally designated by Lin Miao—Celia.

No matter what, they had to capture Marianne.