Chapter 144
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Another Queen (3)
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"Should I even call these ants?"
Though it had been that way for a long time already, Jin-hyuk scratched his head.
Their roots had indeed begun as a mere ant colony, but after repeating rapid, compressed evolutions in such a short time, his subordinates had long since transcended the boundaries of their species. They were now forging their own paths.
"War... and total annihilation."
Asmora's eyes gleamed behind her mask as she gazed with majestic pride at her vast army marching toward the western front, where the Orc Kingdom lay.
It wasn't just the countless ground forces traversing the land.
The vast blue skies above and the endless, boundless seas stretching out before them...
Most of this planet was already firmly in the grasp of the ant horde, teeming with all manner of variant strains.
"Your Majesty...!"
"So the time has finally come. The day Belzahad conquers the entire world."
Emperor Karian of the Lukadia Empire let out a quiet sigh as he stood atop a spire with his retainers, staring at the swarming ants below.
In exchange for the deity's subordinates eliminating the threats and allowing them to survive, the Lukadia Empire had ceded nearly half its territory to the ants.
From the empire's former northern and southern lands, ant nests had sprouted up like mushrooms after the rain. Even now, ants were endlessly pouring out from them, mobilizing without cease.
From massive types like the crayfish ants that could erect spinal cannons at a moment's notice, or the heavily armored ants—now as large as houses and serving as assault troops through steady improvements—to the nimble mid- and small-sized variants that formed the horde's core striking force, engaging in coordinated swarm tactics.
Karian watched them blanket the horizon with complicated eyes.
Can we really trust them? Once they've devoured all their enemies, will they truly turn their gaze away from us?
He couldn't help but feel anxious. They were the obvious weaklings with nothing to show for themselves, while the ants were the victors—the predators.
"It looks like the end is finally in sight."
Karian wasn't the only one witnessing the scene.
Count Merlen, who had been surviving amid the ruins of the old Holy Kingdom with the remnants of its people, also groaned as he watched countless flying variants take to the skies all at once from nests within the kingdom.
Those innumerable monsters dotting the sky might look at a glance like a massive mayfly hatch, but they were incomparable in reality.
These vicious flying variants, with their ferocious forms and combat prowess, had even their smallest winged ants matching the size of large beasts.
Count Merlen, who had tilted his head back to watch them spread their wings and cross the sea, let out a small sigh.
In a way, this might be for the best.
Count Merlen glanced at the murmuring crowd.
Though somewhat fatigued himself, his thoughts differed from Karian's.
With the overwhelming and utterly alien force of the ant horde right before their eyes, the surviving humans couldn't even dream of hostility or rivalry among themselves.
No cutthroat political intrigue. No petty power plays.
They all had to join hands just to survive.
Count Merlen often dreamed of the ants vanishing overnight.
Given the ants' lack of interest in shiny jewels or gold coins, the traces and legacies of the old Holy Kingdom were surely still largely intact, abandoned by their owners.
What if those spoils of a vacant castle were laid out before them?
Count Merlen couldn't even begin to predict how many more sacrifices there would be once the iron order of the ant horde vanished and a new one had to be forged.
"Elder, look over there."
"So many..."
On an island in the continent's south, where elves displaced from the sap-draining World Tree had taken refuge at Arie's invitation—a vast island mostly covered in dense forests, discovered by Asmora's scouts and resembling a chunk of the great forest transplanted whole.
The elves who had decided to make this their new home stood by the seaside, gazing out at the open ocean.
A herd of enormous beasts was crossing the sea.
Variants carrying countless troops within them—Leviathans—accompanied by aquatic forces like diving ants, mobilizing on a massive scale to strike the Orc Kingdom from behind by fully utilizing the ocean.
Just as they had once crossed the sea to deploy erosion nests in the territory of the old Vanest Kingdom to topple the Elf Empire.
"The skies, the land, the seas—all overrun by those monsters. Now I see just how foolish it was to fight them for this world."
One of the elders let out a sigh bordering on awe as he watched the endless procession of Leviathans.
It was a lament for the folly of the New Elves, who had rejected tradition, relied on divine power, and dragged their entire kin into war—and a self-reproach for his own failure to stop it, swept up in the end.
"Elder..."
"Let's head back. Arie said they won't touch us anymore, and if we're fortunate, they'll leave this land soon enough. We must fulfill our duties."
The elder turned and left the shoreline for the forest.
The seeds Arie had rescued and delivered to them had already sprouted and grown into saplings.
Not some abomination screaming as it drained sap. This sapling was now their World Tree, the one they had to protect.
To uphold tradition and custom, safeguard the World Tree, and preserve the clan—that was the elves' duty.
They intended to set right what the New Elves had shaken.
[Bellona feels slightly dissatisfied]
As Asmora's massive horde forces fully turned in that direction, Bellona—who had been leading the nomadic horde against the Orc Kingdom and the Dwarf Federation with their gates barred—grumbled in complaint.
It felt like her prey was being snatched away by Asmora.
Of course, it wasn't genuine resentment—just some petulant griping.
Bellona knew full well that with only the nomadic horde's strength, she couldn't fully devour enemies several times their size.
As the second queen, Bellona sought only battle.
Conquering land, building nests, establishing nutrient supply chains and optimized production routes to expand and manage the horde's scale—that was Asmora's specialty.
Bellona breaking the enemy's momentum, followed by Asmora deploying conquest forces to crush them utterly—that completed the process.
"The Dwarf Federation is already perfectly fortified for defense. But if they're advancing in great numbers, those defenses will only hinder them. No need to leave enemies at our rear—proceed with the plan to strike the Orc Kingdom first."
Seira and Arie joined in as well.
Seira offered her opinion as if it were the most natural thing.
While it was ultimately Asmora's role as queen to decide, she generally heeded such advice.
Seira's exceptional abilities and her proven track record spoke for themselves.
"..."
Bellona, who had been silently observing the meeting through the hive mind, took an interest in Seira's skills and role.
It suddenly occurred to her that it might be good to have an aide working alongside her within the nomadic horde.
Especially since Asmora had one—surely she deserved the same.
"Orcs first."
Asmora decided to attack the Orc Kingdom first, as planned.
Unlike the dwarves, the orcs were currently in a panic.
They could fight with heroes at the fore, but hunkering down behind defensive lines had never been their forte—not since they'd been driven from the plains.
Their straightforward tech tree from the start was a total mismatch for the situation.
"My king! The enemy has reached our doorstep! Their numbers... tens of millions, at least! As for the flying ones—we couldn't even count them!"
"My king! More slaves have fled en masse from the northern villages, defecting to the dwarves!"
"My king! The Great War God has issued an oracle warning caution along the southern coast..."
Orc King Gorjan clutched his head amid the flood of messengers pouring in with reports and the magic communication orbs.
"Arrrgh!!!"
He roared with all his might. Yet no one dared reproach him for it.
They all knew the immense pressure and stress weighing on him.
"Master, what in the world should we do? Ever since the elves fell, they've been openly targeting us. At a time when we must meet them with full force, the dwarves have burrowed into the mountains, piling up walls!"
Gorjan, no longer able to endure, poured out his woes.
The one listening to his lament was Skroom, who had lost an arm and suffered a chest-piercing wound.
Though his body could no longer fight, Skroom remained at Gorjan's side as an advisor.
"No matter the method, if you waver, nothing can be done."
Skroom sighed with regret.
Truth be told, anyone could see the orcs were at a disadvantage.
Their one redeeming feature—stalwart warriors—had already been countered by the ants.
"The War God won't forgive a craven death."
"Even in death, to fall on the battlefield—that is a warrior's honor."
Gorjan muttered in response to Skroom's words.
Fleeing was no longer an option. Surrender was out of the question.
All that remained was to fight. That had always been the prerequisite for the War God's blessing.
"Preparing for a last stand, then?"
"Not just now—every day, every battle, we've fought with the resolve of our final moments."
As Skroom exited the palace, Berglen approached.
From a prince of a small kingdom invaded by orcs, to a slave soldier, and now treated as an equal among the orc great warriors—Skroom gave a wry smile and nodded to the knight Berglen had become.
"Rumor has it Belzahad isn't mindlessly slaughtering every living thing that moves, contrary to what we'd heard."
Skroom brought up tales of those still surviving.
Unless they were subordinates of a deity deemed an enemy, the ants didn't kill those who didn't antagonize them.
Human, elf, or orc—it made no difference.
This policy, initially set by Jin-hyuk and Seira to curb indiscriminate slaughter, had unexpectedly yielded benefits.
It eroded the locals' loyalty to their deities, weakening their forces.
"Even if we lose, some will survive. Your people, that is."
"...That isn't true liberation."
Berglen bit his lip at the mention of his people.
Through his growth and exploits, Berglen had freed not only himself but also the slaves from his homeland.
He had incited rebellion from the start to avenge himself against the orcs and save his people.
Being subdued by Skroom had revealed his true aim.
But the Berglen now had seen a wider world and gained far more experience.
Living under the ants' watchful eyes without achieving liberation for more with his own strength wasn't what he wanted.
"To achieve what you desire, one thing is absolutely necessary in the end. You probably know it already."
Skroom's voice trembled faintly as he let out a small sigh.
"The Sword Queen. We must defeat that demon."
Skroom referred to Bellona, queen of the nomadic horde.
The monster who had ultimately severed him with her bizarre, twisted realm and claimed victory.
To Skroom, who had faced her directly and glimpsed her true nature, Bellona was no mere rival warrior.
She was violence incarnate—obsession, madness, and cruelty personified.