Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Era of Upheaval (1)
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After the roaming colony split off from the main hive and began its independent operations, this was their first large-scale battle.
Even if they could fully absorb the experiences of the main hive, the different circumstances and environment meant they couldn't rely on them completely.
"They're coming. A horde of monsters numbering at least tens of thousands. Tell me how we fight them."
But the same held true for their orc opponents.
The orc chieftains under Mogor, unable to even exchange information through the Divine Community like other Deities could, gathered in a tent with grave expressions for a strategy meeting.
No one could open their mouth easily.
After all, the calamity charging toward them now was something unprecedented—not just for them, but in all of history.
"I... If Gorzan's forces could hit them from behind, this would be so much easier."
"Nonsense! We're lucky if those bastards don't stab us in the back the moment they see an opening!"
Naturally, talk turned to Gorzan, who commanded a force rivaling theirs.
But Mogor raised his voice at the suggestion.
The declaration to place all orcs under Deity Urmark's command was tantamount to a death sentence for those who had led great tribes and reigned as powers on the plains.
For orcs, who saw struggle as the natural order whenever desires clashed, even a temporary truce because of the ants was nothing short of a miracle.
"It's too late anyway. The distance is already too great. Even if they rushed through the night, they'd arrive too late."
The ants that had changed course were already traversing the vast northwestern plains.
Even if those who had gone southwest now tried to pursue, it was clear it would take time.
"From what I heard, those monsters build massive nests and live there."
"That's right, but the ones that appeared on the plains this time are different. The scouts said they were carrying not just eggs and larvae, but everything from their nest."
"What the...?"
Their specialty was mobile warfare, leading with wolf riders and shamans.
Mogor had briefly considered detaching some forces to raid the nest while the ants' main force was away, but that idea was dismissed from the start.
Like their own nomadic wanderings without a fixed home, the ants roamed the land freely, leaving Mogor speechless.
'What in the world are those things?'
Unable to seek answers from a Deity, the more he learned of the ants' abilities, the more chills ran down his spine.
There was a world of difference between building a nest and operating around it versus pure nomadism.
The realization that the ants possessed both capabilities instinctively bred unease.
"...Prepare for battle. They're almost upon us. If we retreat further here, we'll just lose our land."
In the end, unable to find any sharp strategy, they had no choice but to prepare for combat.
Though their racial traits made them more resilient to losses, the orcs were no different from the human forces of the southern Carmion Kingdom.
If the ants took their land and the resources on it, they too would be unable to expand and would slowly wither away.
The subordinates realize how important this battle is.
The calm before the storm didn't last long.
The ants also understood that this all-out war the roaming colony was launching could determine the fate of the entire hive—it was that valuable.
Victory here would provide massive amounts of food to evolve the whole hive.
'Numbers seem about even. Hard to tell.'
Jin-hyuk, equally tense, paced restlessly, eyes glued to the screen.
Scout ants took turns flying overhead, providing him uninterrupted vision.
The orcs had positioned their forces on a low hill—the highest point in the wide plains.
The coalition of nearly all local tribes looked comparable in number to the ants.
'At least no Deity intervention. That's a relief.'
Merely redirecting them once hardly counted as smooth communication with the ants yet.
Other Deities could instantly aid their subordinates even at a loss, so Jin-hyuk's wariness of them was natural.
The subordinates are trying to discern the enemy colony's intentions. They judge that the enemies are unlikely to charge first.
The ants recalled the countless wars they'd fought so far.
In most of those across various races and environments, they had been the attackers breaking through enemy formations.
Thanks to their ability to charge heedlessly into the jaws of death for the hive.
And this time was no different.
The orc army facing them acted far more defensively than their reputation as incarnations of plunder and violence against neighbors.
"They'll charge us for sure. That's what those monsters do!"
The orcs were convinced the ants would rush them unconditionally.
Even unaware they were the prey themselves, such conviction let them hold.
"The enemies are moving!"
And it happened just like that.
From the ants' view, there was no reason to forgo familiar terrain and prey. The orcs could fight safely on defense rather than attack.
'It's starting.'
Jin-hyuk watched tens of thousands clash on the vast plain, face set.
Many times before, but never once relaxed.
"Run faster! This is a special order from the great War God!"
A small group of wolf riders desperately crossed the wide plains amid clouds of dust.
Nothing around in the open expanse, but they pushed on desperately—their mission weighed heavily.
Even spotting winged ants flying overhead changed nothing.
They had to keep going.
"There! Climb that hill, and we'll see the battlefield!"
The youngest warrior pointed to the hill ahead on the map.
And when they finally crested it.
Panting beside their ridden wolves, they froze at the sight before them.
"No way..."
Far off, endless armies filled the earth, clashing.
To the left, their kin—brown-skinned grassland orcs. To the right, bizarre ants clad in black exoskeletons.
"How is this possible."
"A fight like that...?"
The visuals were shocking, but the tactics even more so.
Amid faint screams and roars carried on the wind, the scout captain stared blankly, eyes unblinking.
'Using shamans to cut off paths momentarily and pour fire—clever.'
In the central front, a massive pit several meters wide and deep gaped.
A common orc earth spell to halt enemy mobility in internal fights.
Clearly used to block charging ants led by tank-like variant Soldier Ants.
"Don't shoot the ones crossing—target the ones forming bridges with their legs!"
But the ants bridged the gap by linking legs into living spans.
Dozens such bridges formed, ants trampling over to assault the shooting and spear-throwing orcs.
Even deliberate fire arrows were doused instantly by sprays of bodily fluids and venom—the ants were fire-adapted now.
'How are they so seamless?'
The entire war machine flowed so naturally, it chilled onlookers.
These were the young hive new to the plains, by all accounts.
Yet their movements showed no rust, like veterans of countless wars.
"Captain, look. They're using riders to flank."
Then a scout pointed.
Wolf riders and shamans on earth shards bypassed toward the ant center.
"Clear as day. That one! That's the queen!"
Mogor, fidgeting at the ants' prowess, spotted the Queen Ant amid her colony and shouted excitedly.
Even now, she laid eggs with Worker Ants tending larvae and pupae.
"Take that out, and it's over!"
No basis, but Mogor believed killing the queen ended it.
Doubt that, and he'd sense his forces crumbling to defeat soon.
"Kill it no matter what!"
Knowing it might be irreversible, he committed anyway—deploying elite guards for the strike.
With most forces frontline, he thought they'd have a shot.
The subordinates have prepared for such a situation in advance.
But the Queen hadn't stripped defenses blindly.
As the orc mobile unit neared, ants burst from hidden tunnels, swarming.
"Oh, damn."
The watching scout captain sighed unwittingly.
The ambushers were odd variants.
Matching full-speed wolf riders, they swung massive hook claws at stunned foes.
Armor shredded whole, faces halved—brutal.
After their pass, only a few panicked orcs flailed amid the dead.
Variants delivering hornet ant-level shock.
The subordinates pursue the fleeing, routed enemies relentlessly.
"How many died...?"
Jin-hyuk muttered blankly at the corpse mountains.
Bodies everywhere—orcs, ants, no distinction.
This was the ants' way. They never shunned death if needed.
"Survive! Run!"
"It's over! Can't stop them!"
Queen strike failed, endless ant waves overwhelmed—Mogor's orcs broke.
To first-timers, the mechanical obsession was pure terror. Terror spread, collapse followed.
The ants claimed victory amid heavy losses.
Now, just devour the spoils.
Enemy corpses, ally dead—both mere fodder.
The subordinates detect gazes from the south.
"We head back now. We have to report this!"
Of course, Urmark's scouts witnessed post-battle.
The ants noticed but lacked pursuit strength.
'Must survive and report. Fight blind, and our future's the same.'
The scout captain ground his teeth, fleeing desperately.
Providing vision for the Deity fulfilled duty, but relayed words had limits.
'Go tell.'
Jin-hyuk wryly smiled at that.
The southwest orcs, seeing the full battle, would grow much stronger.
But now he was certain.
No matter how others studied and adapted to the ants, none could outpace their evolution and mutation.
His rank rose once more.
His eyes gleamed red again at the flickering alert.
The Queen evolves one step further.
And that wasn't all. As he grew, so did the ants.
Battle cleanup unfinished, the roaming colony's Queen shed her shell amid devouring, awakening anew.