Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Era of Upheaval (2)
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"Still, nearly half of them must have managed to escape alive somehow. A good number of those monsters died in the fierce fighting too..."
"But they're still hatching from their eggs nonstop. Even at this very moment. In the end, given enough time, they'll recover their numbers just fine."
The orc forces under Mogor's command were, in terms of sheer numbers, equivalent to more than half the total strength in the region—even when combining all the traditional powerhouse tribes that had long dominated the area.
Yet this massive force had mobilized first to wipe out the ants, only to suffer a crushing defeat in the head-on clash and fall apart.
As the scout captain reported to Gorzan—the great chieftain who had been elevated to lord of the horde—it didn't mean much that a decent number had survived and fled.
In the end, the warriors who had to fight had been depleted in huge numbers, and it had long been known that the ants, which had seemingly perished in mutual destruction, could recover their forces in no time at all.
No matter how orcish they were, orcs couldn't grow to adulthood anywhere near as quickly as the ants.
And that was the fatal difference at play.
"Do those things exist solely to fight?"
Gorzan muttered blankly to himself in the now-empty chamber.
The subordinates of the Outer God they had faced—this mutant ant colony—seemed designed from the genetic level up purely for war.
From the lowly individuals who threw themselves into battle without hesitation for victory, to the colony's obsessive drive to expand and grow: it was beyond what any normal creature could achieve.
That's right. They're subordinates created by an Outer God. Nothing more than tools to be used.
The Deity Urmark, who had overheard Gorzan's mutterings, gnashed his teeth and posted on the Divine Community.
Are we really just going to sit back and watch? While we're suffering like this, the others are growing smoothly. Who's next on their list?
Got it. I'll help for now as a stopgap.
His rage finally drew replies promising aid, one by one.
Of course, Edellion was still classified as a world in its early pioneering phase.
In other words, the Deities hadn't fully established themselves yet.
Among the suggestions, the most helpful came from a Deity who had been expanding their subordinate forces in the vast southern plains dominated by the Lukadia Empire.
But we can't just sit idle while preparing. I hear the monster horde that clashed with the orc army is nearly wiped out too. If your remaining forces clean up those remnants... we could combine strength to wipe out the ants in the northeastern unclaimed forest too.
'This bastard...'
But that Deity had countered with a proposal to Urmark.
If Urmark's subordinates mopped up the half-destroyed roaming colony after their battle, then together with his reinforcements, they'd sweep away the entire ant colony based in that forest.
Realizing the intent, Urmark bit his lip, but he had no choice.
Fine.
In the end, he accepted the offer, blaming it all on the Outer God's subordinates happening to settle right next to his territory.
'A reasonable proposal.'
But there was one fact that every Deity present was overlooking: the being they mistook for a system-exterior Outer God had already entered the very message board where they were conversing and was listening to everything.
[Subordinates are prioritizing colony recovery]
As the conversation on the Divine Community had indicated, the roaming colony that clashed with the orc horde had suffered heavy losses in exchange for victory.
Their numbers, which had reached tens of thousands just before, had dwindled to less than half.
Excluding the worker ants tending eggs and larvae, the mutant variants serving as the main combat force had taken even greater casualties.
'This won't cut it. The main force needs to help.'
I'd run the calculations every way I could, but no solution emerged.
The main force's aid was absolutely essential right now, as they bulked up while hammering at the barrier.
[Asmora decides to support the sub-colony]
The ants themselves were aware of this fact.
They just didn't know the enemies would come relentlessly without pause.
I had to warn them. The foes would swarm again in a few days before the roaming colony could recover, so prepare.
A simple intuitive alert like before wouldn't suffice.
Something more stimulating was needed.
"Time to eat."
I abandoned the experiment of seeing how much they could devour and hurriedly gathered new material, tossing it into the breeding pen.
Hoping they'd grasp my intent and act on it, just as they always had.
[Asmora is bewildered by the sudden massive influx of food]
It was natural for them to panic, since nothing like this had happened before.
But I quickly dropped the live-captured dragonfly into the pen and sealed the lid.
'Should've done this sooner.'
The ants, already dismantling a large but much smaller foreign centipede compared to the giants, swiftly hunted the dragonfly—crippled by the wing I'd severed—thanks to my help.
Asmora devoured the successive new food sources and absorbed their abilities.
The fact that I could do this now was thanks to the roaming colony pioneering new land and winning the battle.
[Food crossing the plains is being delivered to the main colony]
Over time, unlike the pure combat variants that only fought, the worker ants—composed of individuals of various sizes and builds receiving no special power investments—simply worked tirelessly, as long as it wasn't physically impossible.
They lived working, died working, and were devoured by kin to recycle back into the colony as nutrients.
The numerous ant-exclusive tunnels, including underground ones, left in the roaming colony's wake were their achievement.
Some of the countless orc corpses from the roaming colony's heavy losses—and fallen allies—traveled those paths to the main colony, fueling Asmora's growth and strengthening the next generation of ants.
[Asmora asserts that the great existence's sudden abundance of rewards carries another meaning]
The ants gladly devoured the food I provided as always, but Asmora was different.
Having noticed my actions deviated from the norm, it sensed some deeper meaning.
[At Asmora's strong insistence, the colony agrees to ramp up troop production]
"Phew."
They hadn't fully grasped my intent to prepare urgently against incoming enemies, but following Asmora's will—recognizing the significance and thus needing to bolster forces with what I provided—the colony didn't halt production across its scattered nests.
This would do. Any new genetic info Asmora produced would be shared with the second queen via the hive mind anyway.
Plus, with troops prepped like this, they could deploy immediately if needed.
[The queen molts once more]
"What now? What's gotten into her?"
It happened just as the roaming colony's queen, frenziedly devouring the still-piled orc corpses, molted again—undergoing a unique mutation.
[The queen gained much from her recent experience. Knowing she can't be protected like Asmora, she deems herself in need of combat ability]
The roaming colony's queen had been deeply impressed by the orc raiders swarming to snipe her.
Thanks to pre-positioned ambush forces, she hadn't taken major damage, but such incidents could happen anytime—and she couldn't prepare for every one.
To defend herself if it recurred, the queen had remodeled and evolved her previously combat-less body during molting.
'This is insane.'
Amid splattering fluids, the monster crawling from the massively split old shell looked entirely different.
Its exoskeleton was now as thick as a soldier ant's, and its size had grown nearly 1.5 times.
Most striking were the four hook-like limbs sprouting from its back: they supported its massive frame in peacetime but could whip out as weapons in all directions when needed.
This was a far cry from Asmora, which invested all resources in its brain over time.
Just as the same info produced entirely different mutant forms, the core queen's appearance was gradually shifting too.
[Subordinates detect the enemy army's approach]
A few days passed like that.
Just when they'd recovered and devoured all enemy and fallen ally corpses from the roaming colony's victory.
But still a critical weakness, as the colony hadn't fully recovered.
A band of orcs slid into the vicinity on earth shards in unison.
These were the orcs I'd foreseen, dispatched under Deity orders to eliminate the roaming colony.
[The roaming colony prepares to evacuate]
The ants immediately readied to flee.
Despite their image as relentless destroyers, they weren't fools who charged headlong recklessly.
'Buy time.'
They clearly knew it was sometimes right to stall and await reinforcements.
The roaming colony's queen was ceaselessly laying eggs while raising a new queen to assist her, still in larval form.
Curiously, this second queen also neutered the intelligence of her own progeny queens, using them as mere egg-layers.
Sly like Asmora—same trick.
"Impossible! What the hell happened!?"
"The bastards moved! They're still heading north!"
In the end, the orcs who'd rushed over collapsed in dismay at the plains, leaving only devastation behind.
Thanks to aerial scouts, I observed their panic at the ants' escape perfectly.
"Th... those wicked fiends. They're trying to buy time by fleeing, aren't they?!"
The site of the fierce battle still bore scorch marks on the ground and gear corroded by ant venom—nothing more.
There was nothing for them to gain here.
Unless they relentlessly pursued and caught the retreating ants.
"Chase them down! Before they multiply further, we'll kill every last one and cleanse this sacred land!"
So of course they wouldn't back off.
I spotted their leader—an orc in ornate armor and fur-trimmed helmet—bellowing thunderously.
Glancing skyward, he hurled a glowing blue spear with all his might, piercing and slaying the scout that had dipped slightly in altitude.
'Chase to the end? Fine then.'
I smirked, unconcerned.
The ants had already detected the enemies, and thanks to my efforts, they were somewhat prepared in advance.
Faith in them had built up: if I trusted and waited, they'd win somehow.
The next generation ants, still in egg, larval, and pupal stages—they'd be the backbone.