The Seventh Collision: Seeds of Ruin
The pollen that triggered a vicious allergy in my ecosystem was a stroke of genius.
Even with all my divine power, I couldn't pour it out during the slowed time of a world collision to evolve every living thing. Even if I did, they'd just cultivate new plants that spread fresh pollen.
So I didn't bother defending at all. I turned it into an attack. The Ttegamchi—my ecosystem's most socially organized creatures. These small things don't adapt well to the Dessert Legion, which gives them some resistance to pollen. I evolved only them and forced their population to explode.
By tossing their natural predators into the enemy world and wiping them out, the Ttegamchi would multiply at an insane rate. Then the overpopulated swarms would be culled by the enemy world itself.
I created a staggering 98,000 of them. I ordered Abhojuth not to attack so the creatures could gorge on the Nectar Lake and even the Syrup River without interference.
As always, I issued a revelation to the Ttegamchi leaders, commanding them to cross into the enemy world and feast in the floating Sky Garden.
Of course there would be defenses, but they couldn't kill them all. The place was already the safest spot in existence thanks to geography alone. It couldn't be that thoroughly fortified.
And if it was, I'd just summon Yogur-tosoth to bulldoze the whole thing. Nothing else to it.
I didn't want to use such crude, inefficient methods, which is why I chose this approach.
Yogur-tosoth would definitely start whining for that sky island the moment we conquered the world.
Anyway, the real weapon wasn't the 98,000 Ttegamchi. It was the fruit and grass seeds they ate, plus the weed seeds that clung to their membranes and fur as they crossed over.
Given the enemy world's capabilities and its many heroic units, the Ttegamchi—lacking any real combat power—would be wiped out instantly no matter how many there were.
But the weeds? They probably wouldn't even notice. And even if they did, removing them would be far harder. How do you pick out every tiny seed from a ruined Sky Garden littered with corpses and blood?
I also scattered countless grass seeds on the wind. Yogur-tosoth draws attention, but my real strategy is winning through these small, overlooked details.
More importantly, there's something tempting right now.
Tademoira—the floral and horticultural expert who quickly breeds new varieties to counter threats. Is there any way to bring that high intelligence into my ecosystem?
∞
Mugite's world was built for siege warfare from the start, so he had stockpiled food and the technology to maintain it.
Thus he could endure losing a year's crops and having his gardens destroyed. The monster offensives that followed also proved manageable, and he even managed to push back into my world to plant flower fields. It was amusing—and relieving—that the monsters couldn't withstand the pollen.
The problem arose around the three-month mark.
This world had seasons too. It was summer now—the time when grains ripened and flowers bloomed in full splendor.
These weren't just flowers. They were the highest-priority strategic resources. The growth of both crops and flowers was the most important matter in the world.
【O God! A great famine is expected! Has the enemy god played some trick?!】
"What?!"
It was unthinkable that agriculture could fail with Tademoira—the greatest horticulturist—present. They rushed to inspect the fields.
And the workers who examined them discovered the truth.
"Strange weeds have grown thick everywhere."
【Weeds. And a particularly vicious strain that devours nutrients. What kind of world did these things evolve in?】
Tademoira examined the life force and divinity radiating from the weeds. These were creatures enhanced by "traits" and similar systems.
【O God. We must uproot every last weed.】
"Right. We don't have enough warriors, so we'll mobilize the elderly and children to pull them all."
That was the best Mugite could do. Tademoira possessed the authority to control insects, so he created bugs that devoured the weeds. If the food supply collapsed, everyone would starve, so this task became the single most important thing in existence.
And the moment Mugite's world discovered the weeds, Yogur-tosoth opened a dimensional gate and unleashed another magical barrage.
【You filthy abominations! Get out of our world!】
【Still! Still you refuse to kneel before me! Tremble in fear!】
The clash between Yogur-tosoth and Tademoira was fierce. Yogur-tosoth held clear superiority, yet Tademoira's side maintained the advantage in energy efficiency and supply lines, allowing their defenses to hold.
The real issue was the battle itself.
"Haa… We're all going to die at this rate…"
"Shut up and pull weeds."
"Y-yeah. We have to pull weeds…"
The residents' focus was crumbling. The endless terror from Yogur-tosoth had worn them down physically and mentally until they could no longer devote themselves to weeding.
In other words, their Politics stat had begun to drop. And in this situation, a falling Politics stat was fatal.
That autumn, the harvest yielded less than one-fifth of the minimum required food.
【Aaaah…!】
Tademoira despaired at the sight of the wilting crops and withered flowers. Mugite felt the same, and so did the residents.
No matter how you looked at it, there would be no food come next spring.
Originally there had been other food sources. Terraced fields lined the mountain ridges, and floodplains in the desert regions allowed modest farming and livestock. But now they were holed up around the mountains while the enemy's vicious weeds—resistant to pollen—roamed the plains. How could they possibly protect those areas and secure food?
The idea of eating less and working less was absurd. And suggesting they kill residents for food would shatter both Politics and Faith stats completely.
Mugite's vision went dark.
∞
The conflict ended before it even reached the dimensional rift stage. In a normal human civilization, people would flee the moment starvation became obvious, but the game rules meant all resources were tied to the world itself.
In the final phase, the enemy tried a desperate crossing into my ecosystem to harvest Nectar, only for Shuc-rimmurath to trample the entire force.
Thus summer passed. With Tademoira unable to create more plants through magic, the residents of the enemy world begged for mercy from me—their own god having abandoned them—until, starving, they began devouring one another… and it was over.
You have achieved victory in the world collision against Player 'Mugite'.
Your world has expanded.
I stared at the victory message, slightly confused.
"There are still some of the enemy species left, aren't there? They're clearly forming a community."
"That is irrelevant. The enemy god has completely lost control over his species. You may now do as you wish with all their territory, so it is treated as 'occupation' and you are declared the victor."
Ah, I see. Come to think of it, even in regular games, half-starving the opponent was enough to decide the match.
Anyway, Shuc-rimmurath crossed into the enemy world, and Yogur-tosoth followed. The few remaining residents lived quietly around the defensive walls Tademoira had built in the Sky Garden, tending modest vegetable patches. Feeding those fewer-than-a-hundred survivors was possible, but restoring civilization was clearly impossible.
It was over.
【You lowly creature. Do you finally know your place?】
Yogur-tosoth was genuinely furious. His bubbles and tentacles writhed. It made sense.
Because he hadn't made any decisive contribution this time. He'd only drawn aggro and intimidated the enemy. We probably would have won even without him.
He knew that too, which fueled his rage. From the look of it, he wanted to trample Tademoira, the handful of surviving civilians, and the last four epic units and thirteen heroic units.
The final survivors of the enemy world seemed equally determined to kill Yogur-tosoth before they died.
Yogur-tosoth wouldn't die, but he might get seriously injured. Tademoira wouldn't want to waste his precious abilities either.
Hmm…
"Yogur-tosoth. Stand down. And that goes for Tademoira and Mugite's heroes as well."
【Creator! Do you intend to spare these vermin?】
"There's simply no reason to kill them. I have never ordered you to exterminate anyone. The rest of them starved to death in the Dessert Desert of their own accord."
【……】
"The same applies now. Your contributions were significant, so I will grant you a portion of the world—part of the spiritual realm and territory. I will not give you the task of finishing them off."
【Understood. However, should they attempt to stand as your equal, they must prove themselves worthy……】
Well, that settled the arrogant one…
The real issue was Tademoira and his species—their subordinates.
"Tademoira. You used some rather amusing tricks. Honestly, it was a little nerve-wracking."
【Nerve-wracking? You seemed perfectly fine.】
Tademoira's form was ambiguous—neither clearly male nor female—but the tone was sharp.
"I wasn't completely fine. My world was originally far more abundant."
【Abundant? More like horrific and cruel.】
"Same thing. In a horrific, cruel place like this, life thrives all the more."
Tademoira looked resolute yet deeply worried.
【If you spare us, I will devote myself to your world. Save my god's species.】
"That is not up for negotiation."
【Kh… We know we have no choice but to cooperate with you. But if we are to vanish meaninglessly, we would rather commit mass suicide together……】
"That is not what I meant. I have already decided to spare you. Did you not hear what I just told him?"
【……!】
Tademoira seemed surprised. The Angel looked surprised as well.
【Why?】
"Why? Because I don't like the principle of survival of the fittest. Your ecosystem and your gods failed to adapt to mine, so they died. You? You survived anyway. Since we've already won, there's no need to maliciously slaughter you."
【We are grateful for your mercy, but what orders will you give us……】
"Why would I give any?"
Tademoira looked utterly bewildered. So did the Angel.
"Biin-nim?"
Wait.
【Then we don't have to help you?】
"Help or don't help—either is fine. You can even try to interfere if you want."
【Why?】
"Why? Because I dislike civilization and intelligent beings. But winning the game takes priority over destroying civilization. Now that victory is assured, there's no reason to deliberately and maliciously destroy your civilization and world."
Tademoira wore an expression that said he had no words.
"I want you to fail to adapt to my ecosystem and be naturally weeded out—without any malicious intervention from me."
【How cruel! If we actively cooperate instead, please grant us the right to live!】
"Ah. I will grant you the right to live. As I said, if I intended to kill you, I would have done so already. That Sky Garden—you may live there. Whether you create more vicious pollen or not, it doesn't matter. Tend your vegetable patches and live only there, or descend the mountains and become part of my ecosystem. Do as you please."
That concluded the conversation with Tademoira. Their species survived.
"That was truly unexpected. Is there a trap?"
How should I answer the Angel?
"First, it's confidence. Confidence that they won't survive in my ecosystem."
"Aha."
"But I'm also hoping for other possibilities. Anyway, this ends here."
──Consciousness shifted, and I was staring at the Angel. She smiled back at me.
Time stopped.
"Well then, Biin-nim. You have won the seventh round. And seven is the first prime number greater than five."
Right.
"And surprisingly, there are seven prime numbers between now and the final round—30: 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 29. The pattern of gaps—2-4-2-4-2-4—repeats three times, and the next prime appears right before the final round. Prime numbers are highly significant."
Yeah, yeah. I'd heard it all before. I already knew.
"Then let me begin explaining the 'Expansion Phase' event that occurs every prime round!"
Damn it. Another preview of a preview.