"To think there are still scum like this. Pathetic fools who don't even know what era we're living in."
This region, where uncharted lands dominate and clashes between diverse races are commonplace, has always blurred the lines between bandits and adventurers, with pillaging as a daily norm.
Especially in chaotic times like these, their numbers swelled even more.
The orc bandits from another tribe, their heads cleaved by Tuks's battle axe after ambushing a group of humans fleeing to safer lands, were no exception.
"Looks like Julgul's underlings. Still up to their old tricks of banditry at every opportunity."
He clicked his tongue after spotting distinct markings on the corpses of the enemies he'd dispatched with ease.
Not all the scattered orc tribes had fully united as one.
The disciplined movements hinting at unification came solely from those influenced by the Deity Urmark.
Just as the Golden Mandate Society, followers of Goddess Henes, hadn't yet fully seized the Karmion Kingdom they'd chosen as their base, Urmark's orcs—who had decided to confront the ants—hadn't unified every surrounding tribe either.
Even veteran Deities of high stature faced immense constraints when pioneering new territories.
Now wasn't the time for reckless outward expansion; they needed to steadily consolidate their immediate surroundings.
It wasn't for nothing that the Deities had erupted in fury at the ants' indiscriminate assaults on their neighbors.
"Unexpected."
"You mean me saving these humans?"
He snorted at Seira's murmur.
They were currently leading a detachment on patrol and reconnaissance when they happened upon these villagers under attack by orc bandits and rescued them.
Seira, who had tagged along to continue educating the orcs about the ants, couldn't help but be stunned to see Tuks, the orc chieftain, slaughtering fellow orcs to save humans.
Tuks had declared he would eliminate the bandits and rescue the humans before she could even speak.
Though her prejudices against orcs had softened considerably during their brief time together, she hadn't expected him to go this far.
"The Great God of Warriors has already informed us that our true enemies are those monsters. Anyone who fights alongside us against them is a comrade in arms."
He declared it proudly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
And Seira found herself slightly admiring that boldness.
It stood in stark contrast to Daniel's ruthless, calculating demeanor as he relentlessly expanded the Golden Mandate Society's influence.
Of course, the foundation of that conviction—their unshakeable faith in their Deity—was a point they shared.
'Orcs truly are strong. If everyone unites to stop the Heralds of Doom, and orcs like Tuks rise to lead their kin, it might actually be possible.'
Seira saw the qualities of a hero in the young orc chieftain Tuks and felt a spark of hope.
With the ants rampaging like a calamity, slaughtering indiscriminately, idiots were still looting their own kin and allies.
Outside the northern territories directly bordering their sphere of influence, plenty still refused to believe in the ants or took them lightly.
If Tuks—or others like him—stepped forward with her, they could sweep away those fools, awaken the rest, and unite everyone against the apocalypse. That belief began to blossom in Seira's heart.
"What news?"
"Assembly order. Something's happened."
At that moment, a communication spell arrived through the crystal orb Seira held.
Upon receiving it, she spoke, and Tuks summoned the shaman to prepare the earth fragment for sliding across the ground.
"We'll have to cram in a bit more to fit the rescued humans too."
Tuks grinned as he boarded the fragmented earth chunk, extending a hand to Seira.
She smiled faintly, straightened her attire, and grasped his massive, pot-lid-like hand to climb aboard.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Have you steeled your resolve..."
Unlike before, the screen was now divided into four panels, each showing different angles of various locations where sizable armies had gathered, visible at a glance.
Jin-hyuk tensed slightly at the sight.
This was no mere extermination squad.
It was a proper alliance force, blending humans, orcs, and even some goblins.
Determined not to tolerate the ants' pillaging any longer, they planned to advance on the ants' home base in the uncharted forest from two separate points simultaneously.
'At a glance, the main force is the one mixed with orcs.'
From the troops' size and composition, he discerned the roles of the two detachments converging from different locations.
The smaller southern force, composed entirely of humans, consisted mainly of soldiers scraped together from nearby territories.
Their role was simply to draw the ants' attention southward.
"We can't drag this out. Advance as fast as possible and burn their nest!"
In contrast, the western force concentrated most of the strength, including Count Merlen, Tuks, and other key figures.
As Count Merlen declared, their goal was to smash through any obstructing ants and torch the nest, eliminating the root of the problem.
His point about not wasting time was all too obvious.
Both the watching Deities and those fighting in the real world knew that resources and time lost to war were devastatingly costly.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Subordinates also notice the enemies' intentions]
Only the ants, who viewed war itself as an essential condition for the colony's evolution, could welcome such a conflict.
And the ant colony knew that the enemies had gathered all the forces they'd scattered to block hunting parties.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Subordinates busily move at the time of harvest]
'Yeah, this is what you wanted all along.'
The ants, already prepared, began responding swiftly and precisely.
Scattering hunting parties for piecemeal pillaging yielded scant resources capable of elevating their 'level' in one go.
Hoarding bit by bit was too slow and frustrating.
Thus, both the Queen, who needed greater growth, and the colony had always craved ways to acquire vast resources at once.
Full-scale wars beyond a certain size were the simplest means—and the only method the ants knew. Since awakening as Subordinates, war had become utterly familiar and natural to them, its lessons deeply ingrained.
A grand showdown where countless lives wagered everything.
The mana of humans, the Demonic Power of orcs—the special resources the ants craved—were gathered, ripe for the harvest.
'I don't think we'll lose, but we can't afford massive losses either. If the ants win this, how much damage will their enemy Deities suffer?'
The ants thought of their prey and quarry: the alliance army.
And their master, Jin-hyuk, naturally turned his attention to those backing the alliance.
He already knew this eastern coalition was led by the very Deities who had fervently messaged him, branding him a chaotic Outer God and plotting a joint assault.
Considering their intentions—especially the transcendent power Daniel had gained at the cost of his life, bolstered by Henes's might—this war was one he couldn't take lightly.
Swallowing dryly, he gazed at the tens of thousands of ants marching majestically through the forest, fully revealing themselves.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Subordinates resonate with your strong will]
At that instant, power befitting his elevated Deity rank surged forth.
"...Thanks for understanding, even if just a little."
He gave a wry smile at the notification that the ants recognized and resonated with his will.
Unlike other Deities' Subordinates, they were still mere beasts that couldn't properly comprehend his words.
When push came to shove, they merely rampaged under his emotions' sway.
Yet undeniably, the ants now shared his fate.
Without his aid, they wouldn't have reached this point, so as their Deity and master, he couldn't help but take joy in their growth.
"As expected, the scattered ones are hastily converging. The key is to crush them piecemeal before they fully assemble."
Of course, the other side was just as desperate.
Orc Great Chieftain Rakor grinned upon hearing that the ants' dispersed hunting parties were rushing to regroup in response to their movements.
"We know they multiply quickly, but they can't have multiplied several-fold in just a few days, right?"
They believed the ants' external hunting parties constituted their main forces and that striking first gave them the advantage.
Annihilate those assembled hunters, and the path to the nest would essentially be wide open.
Unless the ants fortified and defended, their advance would outpace any reinforcements.
"We can only hope so."
Count Merlen kept his words brief.
No need for bombastic overconfidence.
And that choice proved wise.
"What do you mean? The monsters' numbers are far greater?!"
"I-it's true. The ones swarming black from the east aren't the ones that were active outside before!"
Seira, sorting documents inside the tent, was speechless at the news from a fellow mage.
Recon via familiars and spells revealed the approaching ants were far too numerous—over twice the estimate.
Hearing this, she bolted out of the tent.
A grave council was already underway in Count Merlen's tent.
"You're absolutely sure it's not a mistake? That possible?!"
"No reason it couldn't be. For instance, if they'd hidden a portion of their forces from the start."
Count Merlen pointed grimly at the map on the table in response to Rakor's raised voice.
It marked the observed ant movements.
'They're trying to encircle us...?'
Glancing at it, Seira instantly grasped the ants' intent.
What they'd thought were converging hunters were flanking wings approaching them, while vastly more ants advanced head-on.
"No... No way. Those monsters have the brains for that? To anticipate our alliance from the moment we formed it, meticulously set this trap, and execute it?!"
In the sudden silence of the tent, someone's dazed murmur rang clear.
Seira realized why they were so shocked.
Though they'd verbally acknowledged the ants' physical and collective prowess and urged vigilance, deep down, they still saw them as mindless beast packs.
"Because they're not mere beast swarms, but an Outer God's Subordinates. Yet even the Goddess didn't warn of this extent..."
Count Merlen sighed softly.
They had been the aggressors, bolstered by an unprecedented alliance that gave them the edge.
But in an instant, the tables turned.
The ants had laid the trap in advance, reducing them to prey that had to endure the hunt.
'Outer God... and its Subordinates...!'
As terror awakened, Seira's eyes began to tremble.
She now knew what an Outer God was—and the nature of its Subordinates.
They would drag the entire world into ruin and apocalypse, just like her defenseless hometown crumbling before her eyes.
She couldn't help shuddering at the thought of those emotionless slaughters replaying right before her.
"Wh-what's there to worry about?! Twice? Thrice? We're committed now—no matter how many come, we fight, sweep them all, and win!"
At that moment, Tuks's confident roar echoed.
"Think of it this way: those shallow-brained fools know that beating them here clears our path wide open."
He flashed a grin amid the focused gazes.
Anyone could see he was raising his voice to lift the sinking mood.
"...We'll have to prepare even more thoroughly and fight. Everyone, get ready."
Count Merlen nodded, accepting that resolve.
The war, now vastly larger in scale and stakes, was entering its final countdown.
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