Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Dictator (4)
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Considering just their knowledge of magic, Seira and Asmodra could actually be seen as quite similar.
She couldn't match the brainpower of Asmodra, the queen of the hive, but Seira could borrow some of the hive mind's computational power, and she still had far more practical experience as a mage than Asmodra did.
But there was a fundamental difference between her and Asmodra.
Unlike Seira, who thought like a human, Asmodra was an entirely different kind of being at her core.
"Using people as mere components in a magic circle..."
Seira muttered blankly at the unbelievable sight.
What Asmodra was doing was something someone with as strong a sense of kinship as Seira couldn't even imagine.
To Asmodra, the cordyceps mages were nothing more than disposable consumables.
She didn't see humans—mere one among the countless lives on this land—as inherently dignified or valuable.
Just as the innumerable ants in the hive threw themselves into the fray without hesitation for the collective, the cordyceps ones were merely soldiers existing for the hive.
"---!!!!"
The cordyceps hosts connected themselves to the magic circle and unleashed all their mana in screams that bordered on shrieks.
By forcibly releasing the instinctive limits that protected their bodies, their exploding mana ignored the agony of their bodies burning up and the side effects, amplified through the massive magic circle they'd formed by linking together.
"It's magic!"
"Everyone, evade! Hurry and raise the barriers!"
The mana, amplified beyond its limits, surged forth as a colossal shockwave.
The elves instinctively sensed it and rushed to defend, but their magical defenses, naturally weakened from battling the ants, couldn't withstand the massive blast.
'It wiped everything out.'
Jin-hyuk stared dazedly at the devastated land in admiration.
This wasn't a pinpoint strike on the enemy artillery like Seira had planned.
Asmodra had summoned this immense power to shatter the entire enemy position.
An area the size of a massive stadium was crushed and pulverized beyond recognition.
Those hit directly—whether flesh or machine—were smashed flat and burst like balloons, while even those caught in the fringes lost limbs or were mangled.
"Aaaargh!!"
As the roar and shock faded, only screams of terror and chaos echoed through the air.
Those who stopped at losing body parts were the lucky ones, able to scream in survival; the completely obliterated were reduced to mere chunks of meat, merged with the earth, unable to even cry out.
[Asmodra is satisfied with the firepower]
Only Asmodra, pleased at the sight like a successful test run, was delighted by it.
Soon, the ants swarmed toward the elf Second Legion, whose defensive line had completely crumbled.
"I never imagined something like this was possible."
[Asmodra brags that there are even more ways to use magic]
"I suppose so. This... this magic wasn't made for humans."
Seira sighed as she watched the charging ants overrun the devastated enemies in one fell swoop, breaching the defensive line.
To her, magic was a human tool. Made for humans, to be used by humans.
But that was just a preconception, not an absolute truth.
The moment that power entered Queen Ant Asmodra, humans could drop to being mere tools for magic as well.
That was why Seira had lost to Asmodra—divided by their true natures.
"Guardian, we must retreat. We can no longer hold the front line!"
"Those demons... how dare they...!"
The elves, caught completely off-guard, were driven into a corner.
Belphein, blinded by vengeance for his nephew, trembled with rage at the sight of his crumbling forces.
It felt like the ants had deliberately set out to humiliate him.
"Fortunately, reinforcements are nearby. We won't need to fall back far. Even if we've been defeated, if we warn the main force..."
"The fact that we've been defeated is the problem!"
He couldn't contain his emotions and snapped at his adjutant's words.
"Retreating to our allies with a half-destroyed legion means we'll never seize the initiative again. Vengeance will be impossible. We might even become scapegoats for the others."
What he cared about most was revenge. But for the powerless, nothing was as luxurious as the word "revenge."
To achieve it, power was essential—and the order to retreat meant losing that power, no different from telling Belphein to die.
Yet even in his fury, there was little he could do.
No matter how strong or noble-blooded a guardian he was, one person had limits.
The world called those who could turn the tide alone and create miracles heroes, but the elves' deities weren't the type to invest resources in just a few such heroes.
"...We retreat."
In the end, Belphein swallowed his boiling rage and ordered the withdrawal.
But he hadn't abandoned his revenge.
On the contrary, the vendetta sank deeper into his heart, growing heavier fused with his frustration.
[Subordinates reclaim the land once more]
And so the ants began reclaiming the imperial southern lands abandoned by the retreating elves, one by one.
The land, long restored by elven power from the contamination of nest erosion, was now wholly retaken.
There was no reason for the ants to pollute or ruin it anymore.
Building proper fortress nests and rooting into the earth was far more profitable than recklessly expanding simple outposts.
Just as the ants had made every effort to breach elven defenses, the elves would need to pour massive resources and effort again to dismantle established ant nests.
[Bellona requests immediate support for new weapons]
The production of cordyceps mages and their live combat testing concluded successfully within Asmodra's calculated parameters.
Though there had been some hiccups at the start, Asmodra had paid the price for them, and the cordyceps legion was now officially recognized as a new variant under the ants.
Naturally, Bellona, queen of the wandering hive, took notice.
She'd giggled watching Asmodra— who usually looked down on her—get disciplined by Jin-hyuk for her insolence, but truthfully, Bellona's own situation wasn't great either.
"Follow the great warriors!"
"The War God himself will reward those who earn merits!"
In the southern plains, orcs were charging in.
Driven out by ants and soon returning, the orcs had come back dragging hordes of slave soldiers under the pretext of reclaiming their homeland.
They shoved the slaves into ant traps, breaking through at the cost of countless lives, then heroes blessed directly by the War God Urmark stepped forward.
"The War God's blessing is with us!"
The orc great warrior bellowed and swung his massive axe, collapsing the earth, shaking the air, and unleashing lightning storms.
Even colossal beasts like heavy-armored ants or tyrants were kicked into the ground, pinned by the horns, barriers shattered by axe barrages, heads crushed—one-man strategic weapons in their own right.
These intensively blessed by Urmark were demonstrating what true heroes who could shift battlefields alone really were.
"Fire!"
And that wasn't all. From the north, forces from the dwarf confederacy advanced with steam magitech tanks at the fore.
The hulking tracked vehicles rumbled closer and began shelling; even turtle ant firepower couldn't match it.
Armored in reinforced exoskeletons, dwarf warriors guarded the flanks, making close combat difficult for the ants too.
"This seems like the real problem spot, honestly."
Even in Jin-hyuk's eyes, it was no easy fight.
Bellona had stalled as long as possible, but they'd already lost over half the vast plains they'd once devoured piece by piece.
At this rate, they'd soon reach Lukadia Empire territory—and further still, the ants' homebase in the undeveloped northeast.
[Asmodra prepares large-scale support]
Asmodra, queen of the grand hive, could no longer stand idly by the wandering hive.
She ordered mass support—including the cordyceps requested by Bellona—aiming for a full reversal not just on the southern front against the elves, but the western one too.
[Asmodra orders the capture of prisoners]
For that, she needed materials. Poor souls to be infected with cordyceps and used as consumables.
Belphein's wounded left behind in retreat and captured prisoners were perfect candidates.
Ants, of course, felt no pity.
[Asmodra gauges your mood]
"...I won't complain about unavoidable necessities."
Asmodra, still vividly recalling the electric shock's pain, instinctively gauged the mood, but Jin-hyuk just gave a wry smile and didn't interfere.
Those under deities would be culled for nutrients if they survived anyway.
So Jin-hyuk saw no reason to stop Asmodra from turning them into cordyceps instead of her usual disposal.
"---!"
[Bellona begins her counterattack]
In the end, the mass-produced cordyceps legion was dispatched north to the wandering hive.
The orc kingdom and dwarf confederacy were just as blindsided by ants wielding the civilization of magic in an "ant way," limited though it was.
"Great warrior...!"
An orc hero charging ahead as if no one could stop him was struck by massive lightning from overlapping magic circles and perished.
"What the hell is that?"
"They're wrapping their bodies in earthen armor...!"
Heavy-armored ants or sawblade ants became living golems as crude rock from the ground encased them.
And amid the confusion, the wandering hive launched a massive counteroffensive, inflicting heavy casualties on enemies who'd been relentlessly pushing them back.
[Bellona's dissatisfaction builds]
But even with this successful counterattack, Bellona couldn't shake the growing dissatisfaction within.
What she craved was tearing and biting enemies apart with her own jaws.
Unlike Asmodra, Bellona's self—awakened in the crucible of slaughter and violence on the battlefield—had to endure being babied by worker ants alone.
"A war of attrition won't beat those monsters. At this point, we need a desperate measure for the homeland. I'll infiltrate their nest myself and sever the queen's head. Send word to the dwarves. For this operation, let's cooperate—just this once."
That was when Scrumm, the orc great warrior commander leading them, made his resolute decision with a grim expression.
Truthfully, the ants weren't the only ones in a hurry.
The orcs and dwarves, with stretched supply lines and dwindling homeland resources, were in the same boat.