Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Proper Rule (3)
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Asmorah senses the shortage of firepower
As declared by the Elf Empire's central council in their decision to launch an all-out war, the conflict between the ants and the Elf Empire was steadily growing in scale.
The fierce battles between the main grand hive force and the Second Legion over the southern region of the Lucadia Empire were one thing, but Seira's invasion hive, which had seized part of the Vanest Kingdom and turned it into ant territory by building nests, also had to clash intensely with the Elf Empire's armies swarming in from all directions.
In the midst of it all, Asmorah once again felt the lack of firepower.
Though they had assembled a lineup for long-range bombardment using turtle ants, bombardment and firepower deployment in general were not the ants' forte.
In contrast, the perfect arts passed down by the deities to the elves were a civilization born from the fusion of mana, spirits, and machinery.
Rather than relying on a few heroes, their system itself had been developed—a sight reminiscent of Astregon's forces that had once dominated the Lucadia Empire.
Unlike Astregon's mages, whose progress had slowed amid their battles with the ants, the elves had steadily conquered surrounding forces and rapidly elevated their level.
The elves, armed with far more diverse calibers of magic cannons and spells, realized this fact and redoubled their efforts to secure greater firepower.
"This seems unavoidable. Since our paths diverge, the only way is to prove whose is right."
Seira sighed, recognizing the truth.
Absorbing and mimicking a single technology or civilization was fundamentally different from Asmorah devouring new creatures and assimilating their genetic information.
Even for the ants at their current level, it would take a long time.
There were clear stages of development they had followed; skipping them entirely was impossible.
Though they had toppled Astregon's forces and absorbed much of their advanced magical knowledge, properly implementing and utilizing it required far more than a single line of knowledge.
'...So, block the sea routes first, then. We're definitely stronger at sea.'
Jin-hyuk, who knew her mind, watched as a group of ants moved out across the ocean in unison.
Veering off course at the first sign of trouble to find new methods was surely the rational, efficient way of thinking.
Asmorah decided to handle something else first.
Her target was the island nation of Zahar Kingdom, positioned across the strait from the Vanest Kingdom.
To be precise, it wasn't about landing and attacking Zahar directly; the goal was to sever the sea routes and trap them, preventing passage to and from the continent.
The Elf Empire's First Legion had already entered Zahar Kingdom and forced its conquest and surrender.
If left alone, that First Legion could cross the sea again and strike the rear of Seira's invasion hive entrenched in the Vanest Kingdom.
"W-what is that?! Monsters in the sea!"
Thus, aware of their superiority at sea, Asmorah dispatched forces to cut off the sea lanes.
That alone would pin down an entire Elf Empire legion on the island.
'The sea... is crucial.'
Jin-hyuk had personally taught her the importance of the skies.
Asmorah twitched her antennae and took it a step further.
If the skies mattered, then surely the seas did too.
"Sound the alarm now!"
"Abandon ship! Head for land first!"
With the addition of diving ants and other aquatic variants, plus Leviathans loaded with flying variants in their massive bodies, the ants seized maritime superiority in an instant.
The Vanest forces carrying the First Legion gave up fighting the ants outright, abandoning their ships and fleeing to land.
"W-we survived..."
"Why aren't those bastards coming onto land?"
The survivors who barely reached the shore wondered why the ants weren't pursuing them onto land.
Not just the aquatic variants, but even the flying types that soared freely and could attack at will ignored them.
"The enemy is smashing the ships. No..."
Instead, the ants used every means at their disposal—powerful jaws, claws, brute strength—to demolish the abandoned vessels.
They couldn't stop their ships from being torn apart piece by piece and sinking into the depths.
They were merely coastal guards responsible for defense; the main force was still deep inside the island.
"Why are you lamenting the loss?! We nearly died, and saving our lives is fortune enough!"
The captain of the Elf Empire's non-elf unit snapped at his sighing subordinates, feeling unjustly accused.
At least he thought abandoning ship had saved their lives—a notion that might not have been wrong.
Until the ants began methodically patrolling the coastline, destroying every last fishing boat without mercy.
Asmorah seeks to claim this sea for herself
Through their meticulously woven, vast collective consciousness unique to them, the ants were executing unrestricted sinking operations in this strait they could see as clearly as an open palm.
No vessel could pass through or traverse it—be it ignorant merchant ships from the distant continent unaware of the situation, liaison or supply ships from the Elf Empire, or even fishing boats launched by locals to catch fish.
Moreover, this strait was a vital sea lane that had turned the Vanest Kingdom into a maritime powerhouse.
With it seized, the entire region was inevitably affected.
"The First Legion is isolated on that island nation...? An army of 100,000, all trapped by what looks like barely half that number?!"
Naturally, the news reached the upper echelons of the Elf Empire as well.
I want to descend and wipe out every single one of those idiots who refuse to listen until the bitter end. I just can't comprehend it.
Foolish one. Governing internal affairs so your subordinates harbor no discontent is the most vital virtue for any deity.
Why are you picking a fight?
Whenever Jin-hyuk peeked into the Divine Community, he saw posts like these—deities venting frustrations about managing their subordinates.
Conquest and expansion weren't everything. The key was how well you made your subordinates obey and how little direct interference that required.
Blind oppression and suppression through sheer force had long been proven ineffective for true subordination.
The deities of the Divine Net viewed boasting about their governance of subordinates as natural, even essential, for any deity.
This mindset deepened with their disgust toward Outer Gods, who filled their forces with pure creations under total personal control, bypassing subordinates altogether.
'Fascinating. I thought deities were omnipotent transcendent beings at first.'
Jin-hyuk chuckled at the sight.
Of course, they were mighty transcendents.
Yet even high- or top-tier deities pushing into transcendent ranks still racked their brains over subordinate management, just like anyone else.
It mirrored ordinary human society everywhere.
No matter how much power or rank they gained, it reminded him that at their core, these deities had once been mundane beings like himself.
Each managed their subordinates and forces in their own way.
There was no single right answer—survival defined the truth.
In fact, the Divine Community consensus was that low-rank deities should simply mimic the methods of higher-rank ones.
"No, not my child! Anyone but mine!"
"No choice. The conscription order has come down. Demons could swarm here any moment!"
Within the Elf Empire, which had declared total war, former kingdoms, duchies, and tribes had merged into its fold and now operated as parts of it.
This was the central council's doing, but non-elves failed to grasp it as the will of the Great World Tree spirit—their deity.
And now, ruthless conscription and resource seizures were underway there.
The Elf Empire's power, equal to the ants', was neither infinite nor free.
"Governor, is this really okay? If every able-bodied fighter is conscripted and livestock seized, who will hunt beasts or farm the land?"
"How should I know? We can only pray the war ends quickly."
The city governor overseeing the operations broke into a cold sweat at his adjutant's words.
He had surrendered to the elves first and joined them, earning the governor title and enhancement rituals for greater power.
Yet he too had once been an ordinary knight hailing from this land.
Having swiftly surrendered to the unstoppable elven foes, he had believed a small sacrifice would preserve much more.
Now, he was deeply flustered.
"Marco! You lying scum! I'll curse you forever!"
"Ugh..."
He trembled at the fury and wails of an old woman whose last, late-born son was dragged to the front lines.
'Why do the ones ordering it get off scot-free while I take all the hate?!'
Elves rarely took the field themselves due to their low numbers.
Thus, turncoats like him handled governing conquered populations, earning second-class citizenship, power, and status in return.
But that power and status weren't free.
The stigma of being traitorous exploiters of their own kind was a lifelong curse.
"Time... seems to be on our side."
Seira murmured softly, having successfully gathered such intelligence and sensing a path forward.
The ants could afford to drag things out, truthfully.
For them, war—demanding immense cost and fatigue for others—was just a natural part of life.
Of course, Seira wanted resolution before more deaths, but the decision rested with Grand Hive Queen Asmorah and the watching Jin-hyuk.
"Chairman, we should at least make contact. Those bastards pushing from the west. How can those monster hordes still be dawdling on the plains when we're facing this many? We're handling so much already."
"...No choice. If the spirits say nothing, we'll urge them on."
The elves, who had once underestimated the ants, paid the price within weeks and changed their tune.
Saruel reached out in the Elf Empire's name—to none other than the Orc Kingdom and Dwarf Alliance.
They were the ones slowly advancing while clashing with the roaming hive.
In the end, the Elf Empire repeated Astregon's playbook: admitting limits and begging aid from all surrounding forces, including themselves.
"So the old tales about those pointy-ears were true..."
"What a joke. Worse than those disgusting orcs."
But the Orc Kingdom and Dwarf Alliance could only scoff at the news.
"Do they think we're staying put because we want to?"
The orc commander set down the communication orb and stared blankly ahead.
The vast plains, now a toxic wasteland crawling with death after the roaming hive's devastation, blocked their path.
A massive variant ant, like a worm-snake hybrid, churned the earth, spraying venom, while groundwater formed poisonous marshes.
Ant flies, a recent Asmorah development, swarmed the skies for relentless ambushes, and in the distance, downsized turtle ant variants waged hit-and-run mobile artillery warfare.
Bellona urges when help will arrive
Asmorah tells her to hold out longer
The roaming hive was waging unprecedented guerrilla and delaying tactics in hive history, even against the grand hive.
With only their own strength, they couldn't face two forces advancing simultaneously.
Asmorah provided support—sharing data on new variants and tactics, distributing Jin-hyuk's magic stones—but it wasn't enough.
Even pouring all into buying time, halting the slowly advancing foes grew impossible.
Thus, Bellona—relegated to rear command, unable to indulge her beloved slaughter and violence—fumed with mounting frustration.