Chapter 218 | Swarm: I Became a Cataclysmic Disaster

“According to the intelligence we've gathered, it seems the civilization and technology of the higher worlds ruled by high-tier deities far exceed our imagination.”

Although Lin Miao had provided the coordinates, the Great Devourers did not immediately warp over once they were ready.

Before launching their invasion through the Stargate, the Great Devourers naturally did not waste any time; they made thorough preparations and studied the intelligence.

Part of this information was discovered and shared by Lin Miao through his research on the Divine Net forum, while the rest was gathered from the survivors who had once been taught by their respective deities.

“What is most concerning is that even without a Stargate, they possess multiple compressed transit technologies capable of crossing vast distances in an instant,” Celia said in a serious tone during the assembly being held within the hive mind.

Of course, Elise was the only one listening intently.

Kerrigan had already blatantly lain down to sleep, while Begrun and Lisette, though listening, had expressions of complete incomprehension written all over their faces.

“Even if our surprise attack through the Stargate is successful, they will undoubtedly find other ways to send reinforcements.”

The issue Celia raised was a glaring reality.

The Stargate was just one of many technologies.

Even if the Great Devourers could launch continuous attacks on the opposite planet through the Stargate, the Goddess Hestia would immediately order her entire army to reclaim it and instruct them to attack the Great Devourers.

Even if it was a remote Pioneering Zone where the balance of profits and losses was unclear, or where there was no spare capacity for investment, the situation would be completely different once the Goddess was enraged.

The Goddess of Light Association would immediately open rifts and dispatch a massive force of reinforcements.

Just how powerful the civilization and strength of the higher worlds were had been thoroughly demonstrated to everyone in the previous battle, where Lisette was defeated in an instant.

“Therefore, we must devise a countermeasure before we invade.”

“A technology that can cut off the enemy's reinforcements.”

Hearing Celia's words, Elise swung her legs.

This was indeed a problem that required careful consideration and preparation.

Otherwise, even if the invasion succeeded, they would likely be driven out in an instant.

They were still weak right now. Before they could devour more and grow stronger, they had to prepare as much as possible.

'But will it really be that easy?' Lin Miao fell into deep thought as he watched.

If one searched the Divine Net forum, such methods could indeed be easily found.

After all, for deities whose daily lives revolved around fighting for territory and recruiting vassals, technologies that allowed them to launch attacks freely while cutting off counterattacks were essential.

There was a wide variety of these methods, but the problem was that they all shared a common technological requirement.

The defining feature of this technology was the ability to perform world tuning.

To put it simply, it involved exerting real-time influence over an entire planet to disrupt the enemy's coordinate settings or block rift and warp attempts, which was a necessary condition to prevent remote infiltration by enemy forces.

Consequently, the only remaining method of invasion would be to dispatch forces to the nearest space sector and launch an offensive from outer space—but this method carried an additional condition, which was the requirement of a certain level of space navigation capability.

Therefore, world tuning was also one of the essential requirements established by deities for transitioning to a higher civilization.

Meanwhile, the Goddess Hestia's faction was one that had always concentrated its space-faring power and resources elsewhere.

“World tuning is a difficult task. Even for deities of higher civilizations, it requires a massive investment of time and resources to bring an entire world under their control.”

“Which is why this is the key.”

Hearing Celia's explanation of the concept of world tuning, Elise's eyes lit up.

To prevent attacks from other deities or Outer Gods, the first thing deities did upon acquiring a Pioneering Zone was employ various methods to perform world tuning.

For instance, a massive central control device that implanted an artificial core at the planet's center;

continent-scale magic circles designed around massive mountain ranges and islands;

mesh-like networks established through countless sky islands;

or ultra-high-grade World Trees whose roots blanketed the entire world.

There was a reason why every single one of these was a planet-scale project that required an immense amount of time and resources to complete.

Elise realized that even though they were destined not to remain in a single world forever, they still needed this tuning technology.

A brand-new technology that was uniquely theirs.

During this process, it suddenly occurred to Elise that perhaps this could become a weapon exclusive to them.

If they could tune a world faster than anyone else, then this ability itself could be utilized as an invasion tactic.

But for this, a new evolution was required.

Elise reflexively looked at the massive brain behind her.

That massive auxiliary brain, placed externally and connected as a computing device, was a mechanism Elise had started using long ago to maximize her calculation capabilities and the hive mind.

'We need a specialized individual.'

At this moment, Elise felt a strong necessity.

To establish a massive tuning system on Terra, and in the worlds they would continuously expand into in the future, was not something a mere mutant could control.

Elise herself could not manage it either.

It was both difficult and complex, requiring a specialized individual with the capability to resolve these challenges.

“We need a third queen.”

Ultimately, Elise decided to create a new sister.

◆◆◆

“This is...”

Even Lin Miao was astonished; this was the culmination of everything the Great Devourers, who now controlled the entirety of Terra, had accumulated so far.

Resources, technology, and predated genes.

Elise poured all of this into creating her new sister, a new Queen Ant for the colony.

First, her physical design was inspired by the World Tree.

Elise focused her research on the World Tree's ability to claim the entire Great Forest as its own with its colossal body and root system, controlling it at will.

Having already experienced dissecting, analyzing, destroying, and exploiting the World Tree, Elise did not create traditional roots; instead, she plunged massive tentacles deep into the ground.

Instead of branches and leaves, she extended countless long, grotesque antennae, fitting sensory organs onto their tips to create such a monster.

“Divide further.”

According to Elise's design, a colossal fleshy stalk rose from the ground.

Magic hearts wrapped in chunks of flesh were attached all over the stalk, swelling and writhing like tumors.

Writhing tentacles, enveloped in psionic substances capable of withstanding geothermal heat, pierced through solid rock and dug deeper and deeper underground.

Its height already exceeded several hundred meters, making it even more massive than the original World Tree.

The Great Devourers gathered nutrients from the surrounding area and even the entire continent, pouring them all into this new queen.

In any case, pouring nutrients like this would suffice as long as a certain condition was met.

And that was for the tips of the roots, surrounded by psionic energy, to make contact with the scalding geothermal magma.

“Elven God Formula, activate.”

Here, Elise utilized the Spirit-Tech she had absorbed from the elves.

By manifesting the absorbed elven genes to successfully force communication with the Elven God, Elise developed a formula capable of absorbing geothermal heat from the boiling magma through the tentacles and converting it into energy.

If this energy were used to fuel the growth of her massive body, she could essentially achieve self-sustenance and growth without requiring any further nutrient input.

At that moment, the new entity finally began to awaken its consciousness, realizing its role and sense of self.

“This is... the third queen.”

Celia trembled before this massive creature that Lin Miao had named Gaia.

At that very moment, a section of the massive stalk Celia was standing on writhed, and a form resembling a human female's upper body burst forth from it, accompanied by viscous fluid.

Of course, it was merely a facial resemblance.

Long hair, distinct and beautiful facial features, and a full bust.

Aside from those, Gaia's appearance was entirely different from a human's.

The upper body emerging from the main trunk was as large as a house, and its skin was encased in a hard, rough exoskeleton that resembled tree bark.

Gaia pressed her arms against the ground to support her massive upper body, bringing her gigantic face close to Celia.

Celia saw pure innocence in those massive eyes, behind which lay the colossal main body that seemed to blot out the sky.

Although all knowledge was shared through the hive mind, Gaia's self-awareness was like that of a newborn baby.

“Mmh...”

Gaia opened her mouth, extending a massive tongue to lick Celia's body, causing Celia to stagger.

Celia seemed to understand why Elise had entrusted Gaia to her.

It was for her to play the role of a wet nurse until Gaia could grow rapidly.

“The Great One wishes for the queens—His daughters—to make this race prosper eternally.”

From that day on, Celia stood on Gaia's shoulder, whispering in her ear and rapidly imparting many teachings.

Why her older sister Elise, the original Queen Ant, had created her, and what their true god wished for them to do.

“I am... the center... of the world... the Great One's... instructions...”

Hearing those words, Gaia absorbed all the teachings like a sponge soaking up water.

Like the youngest child, she understood her duty and fulfilled it faithfully.

The roots in contact with the magma extended deeper underground to extract energy from even deeper within—the planet's core.

The roots spreading in all directions shattered rocks and pierced through magma, spreading wider and wider as if to blanket the entire world.

The vastly extending antennal branches and bio-sensory leaves could perceive the planet's atmosphere and the faint magic power within it, while the fleshy trunk supported by a massive spine functioned as a brain capable of rapidly processing countless pieces of information.

With Gaia's existence alone, the planet of Terra had fallen into their hands.

As long as this massive relay existed, the Great Devourers' hive mind would not weaken even if it crossed dimensional barriers, and all life on this land would be under their strict surveillance.

“The monsters...”

“The Great Devourers are disappearing! They kept their promise!”

The moment they seized overall control of the planet through Gaia.

The Great Devourers no longer needed to disperse their forces across the world to monitor the remaining humans.

Nor was there any need to keep those inefficient nests.

The survivors were bewildered by the sight of the Great Devourers vanishing overnight.

Some rejoiced that the Great Devourers had kept their promise to end the war and leave this land, completely unaware that exploitation and surveillance were still continuing in some hidden corner.

The magic power in the atmosphere was rapidly being absorbed by Gaia, and the magic power in the earth was also being drained by Gaia's roots.

If this continued, Terra would, with the passage of time, turn into an ordinary planet devoid of special forces like magic power.

But the surviving people currently knew nothing of these facts.

Only the unexplored territory in the northeastern part of the continent, where Gaia resided, remained a permanent zone of death where no one dared to venture, as the Great Devourers' nests were concentrated there.

“Preparations complete.”

Elise finally confirmed that all preparations were complete and initiated the plan.

The plan was to attack the Goddess Hestia's Pioneering Zone through the Stargate.

“W-What on earth is that!”

Kane, who used to be the Chief Tech of the Goddess of Light Association, had his connection with the Goddess severed because of a Gene Stealer, reducing him to an ordinary human.

“This?”

Celia sneered at Kane's words. What she brought out of the Stargate was a massive chunk of flesh.

Resembling a heart, the chunk of flesh was covered in blood vessels and muscles, writhing, and was roughly the size of a train locomotive. Countless worker ants were working together to carry and move it.