By IMERPUS RELUR
--
At dawn, the first scream tore across the Lord Plane—not from a human, but from the land itself.
The soil cracked.
The trees howled.
And the Beast Tide surged.
---
[World Notification – Beast Tide Initiated]
> Tier Range: 1–4
Spawn Scaling: Territory Development, Combat Activity, and Core Energy Output
Target: Lord's Heart
Objective: Destroy or be destroyed
---
Lin Shen stood at the edge of his upper nest. He gazed across the vast plain surrounding his territory. The grass rippled unnaturally. The wind carried the sharp scent of blood.
Then they appeared—dozens, then hundreds.
Razor-toothed canines with six legs. Armored lizards dragging spiked tails. Burrowing serpents slithering beneath the ground like living saws.
But the ants were already waiting.
---
> [Hive Defense Protocol – Engaged]
Subterranean Defenses Activated:
• Collapse Traps (x42)
• Resin Spike Chambers (x12)
• Acid Tunnels (x9)
Command Channel Synced: All Units
Tactical Override: Active
"Swarm. Respond."
The order wasn't shouted. It was whispered through thought.
A second later, 1,700 ants surged upward like a flood.
---
The first wave was met with brutal precision.
Soldier Ants rushed into formation, their mandibles crushing the necks of feral hounds. Acid Sprayers took position behind spiked tunnels, launching arcs of green fluid that melted flesh and bone. Tunnel Tyrants emerged from below, tearing serpentine beasts in half with bladed limbs.
> [Enemy Slain: +EXP]
[Hive EXP Accumulated: +3.4%]
[Lord EXP: +2.1%]
Lin Shen barely blinked. "Form rotating triads. Reinforce the east trench."
A ripple passed through the Hive Network—and the troops obeyed instantly.
---
[Regional Chat – Region 7 – Midwave Broadcast]
[Lord FangBreaker]: I lost two hundred troops already. These things don't stop!
[Lord ViciousBlade]: The ground's boiling with them. Who's holding steady?
[Lord LinShen]: I haven't lost a single one yet.
[Lord ShadeFeather]: His sync rate must be insane.
[Lord AshThorn]: Or his Hive has no fear.
---
Deep within the nest, the obsidian egg stirred.
Its black surface cracked slightly, pulsing with violent hunger.
> [Hive-Class Evolution Detected – Dormant Seed Reactivating]
Condition: Sustained High-Tier Combat + Blood Saturation
Progress: 11%…
---
Lin Shen didn't flinch as an acid explosion roared behind him.
He simply adjusted the network's tunnel pressure and sealed the rear gates with a thought. One group of Tier 3 ants redirected. A pair of Ant Generals took the front line and began executing advanced maneuvers—flanking, collapsing pathways, baiting beast groups into kill zones.
It was beautiful.
It was war, written in instinct and bone.
And it was only the beginning.