Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Humiliation (3)
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"What... what the hell is this..."
I stared blankly at the screen.
It had all happened so fast.
A small enemy force had completely fooled the ants' eyes, infiltrated deep into our territory, shattered the defensive troops, and in one swift strike, killed the queen, Bellona.
I hadn't even imagined something like this could happen until the very last moment.
Especially since the deities weren't making a fuss about it in the community this time.
Bellona's uniqueness made it even harder to believe.
In all the time I'd observed her, Bellona had been the colony's ultimate combat weapon.
She didn't shy away from battle or slaughter—in fact, she reveled in it—constantly modifying her own body and pouring resources into turning herself into a monstrous bio-weapon.
The power amplified through her demonic heart core and packed into her compressed muscles surpassed even the mutants with much larger builds.
Her exoskeleton was several times tougher, and her body was equipped with nearly every weapon the colony could muster, from venom stingers onward.
While Asmora was expanding her brain further and reshaping her body to resemble a human more closely,
Bellona had obsessed solely over gaining an even stronger physique, wielding that power to overwhelm enemies with sheer force.
'And yet... she got taken out like this? This is bullshit.'
It was so utterly unforeseen that my first reaction was sheer daze.
No matter how strong the enemy leader was, Bellona had transcended the limits of any living creature.
I figured they'd at least trade blows. Even if she lost, I thought she'd escape with injuries.
But the enemy was strong.
I already knew that veteran deities grew their subordinates and forces by employing overwhelming heroes.
The orc heroes disrupting the battlefield were the same.
Orcs weren't rivals to other races' civilizations and systems for nothing.
That's why heroes who could shatter balances and flip the board single-handedly earned their name.
That was their weapon.
But even knowing it all, witnessing that power firsthand sent chills down my spine.
[Asmora believes Bellona has not died yet]
"...?"
At that moment, Asmora—who had desperately retrieved Bellona's severed head—sprang into action.
'Not dead? Is that for real?'
I couldn't help but be startled when I first saw the notification.
"First Queen, how exactly do you plan to revive the second queen?"
Fortunately, Seira was asking Asmora precisely what I wanted to know.
Seira was currently in the southern Empire—far from the incident site—but all the information had already been shared through the hive consciousness.
It was the first time a queen-level entity had been killed, and the unrest rippling through the entire colony was visible even to me.
[Asmora says she has preserved most of Bellona's brain intact]
Asmora explained that she had rushed worker ants to recover Bellona's head, then injected it with pluripotent cells to seal the damaged wound, and was sustaining artificial life functions by infusing nutrients.
I was speechless after seeing the scene myself.
Insect vitality was incredible, sure, but I had no explanation for how such a feat was possible.
Asmora said it was, so I believed her.
[The body doesn't matter—what counts is the stored memories. Asmora asserts that transplanting those memories into a new body will ultimately revive Bellona]
"I don't quite get it. If that's possible, why bother saving the head? Isn't all the data shared through the hive consciousness anyway?"
Bellona's potential revival was astonishing, but the method eluded me.
Especially since the hive consciousness existed—why go to the trouble of saving her head, i.e., her brain? Asmora's orders made no sense.
[Asmora replies that the hive consciousness data alone cannot restore Bellona's unique fighting spirit]
Asmora gave a perfectly logical answer to my question, one I could grasp.
The hive consciousness—a neural network formed by countless ants—is a form of backup data.
But that backup, limited to memory information, lacks one crucial element.
The special essence unique to awakened queen-level entities.
Desires and obsessions like Asmora's greed or Bellona's indomitable fighting spirit couldn't be replicated by simply downloading memories from the hive consciousness.
Would an Asmora without her insatiable hunger for food and knowledge truly be the same? A Bellona who didn't revel in slaughtering foes and waging war?
The queens had nurtured those traits over long years.
In other words, Asmora had saved her "little sister" Bellona's ego by retrieving the brain at all costs.
[Asmora judges that Bellona's existence is necessary for the colony]
Asmora had witnessed the enemy's power too.
It instilled a crisis so profound it crushed even her usual resentment toward Bellona.
No matter how mighty one's raw strength and body, techniques were invented precisely to counter that power.
Stronger foes lay ahead, and brute force alone wouldn't suffice.
The ants needed techniques, civilization.
Asmora herself was implanting new powers into the colony—going as far as using cordyceps mages to steal and master the enemy's magic civilization—because she had realized this.
But seizing symbolic civilizations or techniques from enemies couldn't be achieved through predation and genetic analysis alone.
It required the powerful desires and obsessions that the queens were awakening one by one.
[Asmora calculates that Bellona will implant new power into the colony]
"Great Existence, the First Queen is now requesting permission to revive the Second Queen."
Through Seira's words, I realized Asmora was seeking my approval.
A wry chuckle escaped me at the absurdity.
Why ask for permission? Was she still hung up on the last scolding?
"Why would I refuse?"
It was vital enough for the rival sisters to join forces for the colony's sake.
Besides, Bellona was the second queen to receive a name from me. No reason to deny revival if possible.
[Asmora orders Bellona's brain placed into the cocoon]
With my permission granted, the ants carrying Bellona's head to safety began constructing a special chamber.
They filled a massive pit—big enough for dozens of oxen—with nutrients alongside the head. A gigantic cocoon formed from dividing cells soon covered the pit entirely.
'Bellona got taken out, but luckily the enemies halted their advance too.'
The nomadic colony faced the unprecedented crisis of losing its queen.
Fortunately, Grand Queen Asmora swiftly assumed command.
Not as familiar as Bellona, but enough to prevent the colony from descending into chaos.
Seeing the ants hold firm—unlike the sandcastle they expected—the coordinated enemy assault paused.
They had clearly fought to open a path for the elite infiltrators amid heavy losses and retreat.
To press on with momentum, they needed supplies and time too.
'Whew. At least we've bought some time.'
I sighed in relief, slumping onto the sofa with my drained body.
Both sides had been churning out forces and fighting at a brutal pace in this short span.
Impossible without the ants' traits or deity interventions.
"The elves are getting greedy again."
"Sigh..."
But we were battling on all fronts now.
Even as war raged north, enemies stirred south once more.
"We've only repelled one of the elves' many legions. At least four more await, and they'll be prepared for our forces now."
Seira murmured to herself, eyes closed—likely viewing scout feeds via the hive consciousness.
I was watching too.
A horde numbering tens of thousands advanced on the southern Lucadia Empire again, towing diverse siege engines.
Another legion replacing the second, whose defensive line was breached by cordyceps mages, over half slain, and routed.
'Moving to reclaim captured colonies too.'
Another screen showed a legion approaching the Vanest Kingdom, the elf colony already seized by ants.
Enemies coming to liberate their resource lifeline and expel us.
"Isn't there... some way?"
Muttering, I minimized the screen to check the Divine Community for more intel.
Clashing head-on as usual would cost us dearly.
With the nomadic colony nearly collapsed, we needed a solution fast.
Anxiety surged at the thought of crumbling under simultaneous attacks from both ends.
— Green Calamity
The bastard controlling those elves as subordinates broke the rules! If you're watching, show yourself right now!
I admitted defeat and agreed to withdraw from this Edellion land, but they're refusing to return my sacred relic after seizing it!
They went and used a sacred relic? Must've been desperate.
They're taking massive losses without even breaking even—what do you expect?
Those bastards are holding my relic-bearing subordinates captive and draining their power. I'll share the coordinates—use them wisely.
LOL, looks like it's right in the heart of their territory...
Idiot. It's just a recommendation—no obligation to follow. We never agreed to that in this frontier anyway. How'd a mid-tier deity even reach that level?
Amid the chaos, I spotted a rage-filled post.
At first, I dismissed it as typical loser tantrum or bait—those popped up daily.
But reading closely, it was intriguing.
A deity called Green Calamity was venting grievances.
From the post and replies, I pieced it together.
A sacred relic isn't mere deity power—it's the essence of rank itself.
Far beyond trifling gifts.
A symbol that lets one split their rank among many subordinates, debasing their own stature to massively empower them—a final bastion.
I knew of them theoretically, but this was my first encounter.
Deities in a mere frontier like Edellion rarely crafted or used ones that could lower their rank.
'Green Calamity... that name rings a bell.'
Racking my brain, I recalled: early days when I knew nothing, before even message replies unlocked.
The goblin deity spewing curses and frustration in a frenzy.
Thought they'd vanished from the continent, but they'd built some force near elf turf—only to be crushed instantly.
"Seira, if we play this right, we can shake the enemies badly."
After a moment's thought, my lips curved up.
I immediately issued a divine oracle to Seira with the coordinates from the community.
If feasible, I'd free Green Calamity's goblins, exploited by the elves.
The elf empire would panic at the unexpected mishap, their rear destabilized, halting their offensive.
Of course, someone might suspect.
Wonder if the ants' backer was some order-defying outer god... or one of their own deities.
'So what?'
I didn't care.
The outer god misunderstanding was their own doing, from their hysterics.
Whether I stayed "misunderstood outer god" or got exposed as a rival evil deity—it didn't matter.
They were enemies to crush for me and my ants anyway.
Bellona's misjudged size leading to her anticlimactic fall, or her revivability—fine.
But they did kill her. The fury I'd missed then now simmered slowly.