Hey Guys! Crescent Rider here, and I am back with another update on this story!
But before you all proceed with the story. I would like to clear something up with the reason why I didn't update in October and November and the newest Servant that appeared in the story.
The reason why I updated in December is due to this specific day. And this specific day just so happens to be my 22nd Birthday. Hence, why I updated four chapters! Instead of two.
And as for my Birthday Wish, I wished everyone here and across the world to stay safe and healthy.
If you haven't all guessed, the Second Servant that appeared is Kato Danzo.
That is all I have to say, and as always, enjoy the update!
Capital Building
Nadia and Kato had finished sabotaging the communication lines of this colony and initiated the following rebellion that would free the ants from the enemies' control.
Before all this happened, Nadia had instructed the Evolutionist to create a pathogen that would cause the ants to go into a frenzied state through the enemy's food supplies.
Then, Nadia instructed her men to infiltrate the storehouses all over the colony and mix the pathogen with the food. Upon consumption, the host will undergo a frenzied state and assault anything that belonged to a different species.
Once the food had been distributed, the ants from below will fall into a frenzy and attack every underling they see. But it's not just the main capital.
Several districts across the colony had been provided with the same food laced with the pathogen and the results were devastating to the underlings as they were devoured on sight.
Fortunately, the effects of this pathogen last for a couple of hours and the ants inflicted by this pathogen will fall into an exhausted state and few will die due to over-exhaustion or sustain injuries.
These atrocities didn't faze her in the slightest, in fact, she would resort to these actions if needed since the experience of her past life still lingers to this day. But certain skills often keep her mentality in check and inhibit any overwhelming emotion.
This makes her a focused individual in the field of battle, and certain decisions that lead to loss of life don't affect her in the slightest. But she doesn't rely on these skills for long...
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For it's the last thing she wants, especially when it comes to the people around her.
"[Nadia]" Osman called out,
"What is it, Osman?" Nadia inquired,
"[We've double-checked several areas as per your orders and searched for any possible tunnels. We've found none]" Osman reported,
"Good," Nadia responded, "Contact the others and gather at the tavern. I will be there shortly,"
With these orders, Osman did what he was told while Nadia focused on a certain matter at hand.
Upon arriving at a set of doors, Nadia stretched her hand towards it. Then she activates a skill that allows her to see through the doors and find a small mountain of gold and jewels that had been accumulated by the ants' constant mining in the tunnels below.
Nadia then stops using this skill, opens the doors, and walked her away inside the room. Once she stood in front of the gold, she scoffed at the mere sight and stretches both hands towards it.
What follows was every jewel beneath the gold being levitated toward the ceiling. Once the last jewel was out of the pile, she then turns her attention toward the gold.
"Ignite," Nadia muttered,
Without a moment's hesitation, she ignites the mountain of gold into a liquified form. She also conjured a barrier to avoid the molten gold from reaching her feet. Some people may say that this was a total waste considering that this amount could buy an entire country. but for her, the molten gold was something that she plans to use in the future.
Once every gold had turned into liquid, Nadia then transports the gold and jewels into her inventory through Spatial Magic and the room had been cleaned of treasure.
"Let's go," Nadia said,
"Right," Assassin responded, and the two leave the building via [Teleportation] rather than a warp crystal,
This is due to the contract between her and her Servants...
Tavern
Upon arrival, Osman and his group had gathered at the center and Nadia was the last to arrive. The Evolutionist is still present with his hands clasped to each other.
"How did it all go?" Nadia questioned,
"It's as you expected," Osman reported," Osman said, "When the ants ate food laced with the Evolutionist's pathogen, they went into a frenzy and began devouring the underlings without a restrain or hesitation. By the time they finished, some have snapped out of their minds and a few died upon exhaustion. I just wished that there were some other way to save everyone without these casualties,"
"I sometimes wish for the same thing," Nadia said, "But such things are impossible if you're willing to sacrifice yourself for it,"
This sort of plan is indeed possible, but doing so takes time and planning. And such a plan prolongs their road to victory, and people die with each passing day.
With such things in mind, Nadia felt somewhat troubled by such. But she set these thoughts out of her mind since they were too bothersome to remember at this time.
"But let's not talk about that, let's go back to the matter at hand," Nadia declared, "What's the status of your search? Did you find any survivors?"
"Not a single soul," Nassor reported,
Nadia accepts this report, but a part of her still refuses to make this an official confirmation. Thus, she telepathically ordered Assassin to do a third check, and kill anyone who had survived the ant's feeding frenzy.
While this happens, Nadia continues with the meeting.
"So... What's our next move?" Adham questioned,
"With this colony secure, I want the people to side with us," Nadia stated, "But we can't risk exposure of our action,"
"What are you suggesting?" Nassor asked,
"The Colony's Queen isn't here," Nadia revealed, "Therefore, we can presume that the Queen is located in the Central Colony of this Region. Along with the rest of the Queens held captive. But we'll need a large force to seize it,"
"Are you suggesting that we gather the people here to fight?" Shakir questioned,
"Yes," Nadia answered,
"In that case, Allow me to aid you," The Ant Bartender said, as he stepped in with the other staff of the tavern, "Since you've freed us from this reign, we wish to repay you in the future,"
"Then go out there, and gather everyone at the center of the colony square," Nadia instructed, "Once you've done that, regroup with Osman and the others at the Capital Building,"
"What about you? What are you going to do?" Osman questioned,
"I'm going to bring Alia here as well as my army," Nadia revealed, "Alia will convince the people that we're on their side while the army rests here since they've been out there for a long,"
"And we'll act as her guards then," Shakir assumed,
"Precisely," Nadia replied, "In the event that they don't believe her, your orders are to drag her back into the building and I shall intervene before any harm comes to her,"
"And you'll be the one that exerts a force on the local populace," Adham presumed,
"If it comes to that, then yes," Nadia responded,
Osman and his group glanced at each other, the same goes for the Ant Bartender and tavern staff. Nadia assumed that there was uncertainty with her method, but she assumed wrong as they turned to her and Osman was the first to say, "I don't see why not,"
"Besides, we've done a lot of progress in this operation with your support. So I've got no complaints," Shakir followed,
"If anything, we'll follow anything as long as it frees our homes," Nassor added,
One by one, they all showed their approval of her method and she felt somewhat glad by their support...
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Especially when she's reminded by the past she once lived in...
Flashback
After another victory against the enemy, the strategy applied to the battle was something she had devised. But the results led to six casualties and their bodies were covered with individual sheets over them.
As she stares down at these bodies with shadowed eyes, one of those bodies was once someone she knew little, yet she grew a bit attached to the later battles to come.
She could hear the mutterings of her comrades, and some berated her for making such a strategy even though it had given them the victory that they wanted.
Though she wouldn't respond to what they said, their opinions were stuck in her mind throughout the rest of the war...
End of Flashback
As Nadia's mind was occupied with her thoughts, everyone else paid no attention to her since they were conversing with one another...
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...
That is until one of the waitresses turns to Nadia, and her cheerfulness fainted and audibly gasps at the sight of Nadia. This caught everyone else's attention and turns to her with the same expression once they saw something they'd never seen.
For Nadia...
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Had shed tears in her eyes...
This left them speechless as they didn't expect someone like her to cry so suddenly. The same can be said for Osman's group and Assassin as they became somewhat concerned to her.
"Nadia?" Nassor called out,
Nadia flinches, then notices the tears as she moved one finger towards it. When she looked at her finger with a single drop of her tears, she realized that her emotions had gotten the best of her and it soon left her somewhat conflicted as she shuddered to say a word.
"Um... I... Um..." Nadia shuddered, "I-I'm sorry... I-I need to be alone for a while,"
Nadia soon walked out of the tavern and left the speechless ants to themselves while Assassin was still worried and goes after her. Osman and the others could only glance at each other and wondered to themselves why she would become so emotionally fragile...
The Evolutionist was present but was puzzled rather than confused as usual...
Outside the Tavern
As soon as Assassin left, she went to the top of a roof and glanced around the area. That's when she spots Nadia sitting on a roof not too far from the tavern and goes to her.
When she got close, she noticed Nadia with her legs close to her chest and her face pressed against her knees. Assassin didn't know what to say about this matter, instead, she went to her side and sat next to her.
There was silence between them, but the first to speak between the two was Nadia.
"Assassin," Nadia quietly called,
"Yes?" Assassin inquired,
"I don't know if you'll understand this but..." Nadia slightly raises her head enough to reveal her downcast eyes, "Do you think of me as a heartless person?"
Assassin blankly stares at her for a moment, then turns to the buildings in the distance.
She couldn't think much due to the backstory she holds, but with some measure of experience in her past life. She could think of one answer.
"I don't know much... But I don't see you in that regard," Assassin responded,
Nadia sighs as she diverts her eyes from her servant and mutters, "Why am I talking to Servant about this..."
As the minutes pass, Nadia clears her mind, sends a quick message to Osman, and goes on with the plan as she makes her way to the Capital.
Meanwhile
Da Vinci and Alia were in the middle of an assembly when they stopped as they heard someone arriving via teleportation.
When they inspected it, they see Nadia standing before the two.
"Nadia, what brings you here?" Da Vinci questioned,
"I'm just here to pick Alia up," Nadia answered, "I hope you don't mind,"
"What for?" Alia questioned,
"Your role for the people," Nadia said, and stretches her hand to her,
Alia knew what this meant, and turns to Da Vinci for approval. The latter nods and the former nods back before taking Nadia's hand.
Nadia then takes Alia through the portal while Da Vinci was left alone with her inventions.
Nadia's Army
It was another day in the desert, they kill monsters, consume them, and waited for Nadia's next command. To pass the time, even more, everyone conversed with one another and often spar against one another.
Willow and Reese remained together and watched the troops from a short distance.
"To think that different people would have something in common at the time," Willow remarked,
"Indeed, but when this war ends... It's back to fighting," Reese said,
"Indeed, though it doesn't bother me none. But why fight?" Willow inquired, "Why not get along?"
"That isn't possible," Reese admitted, "It's just not in our nature,"
"I see," Willow understood, especially when the fact remains that their ants and not humans,
Compared to those two, Willow deemed the latter to be somewhat more dangerous than the former. If determined by experience, she would recall the incident where humans once invaded the ant regions to fill their insatiable greed for wealth and power.
Such an ambition had caused a lot of lives on both sides, and those caught in between suffered worse than the battles...
Sometime later, Willow soon sensed a familiar presence and the same can be said for Reese and the others. What appeared next was a large portal and Nadia was the first to step outside of it.
The Ants immediately stopped what they were doing and kneels before her. Reese and Willow walked towards her and bowed as they stood in front of her.
"Any casualties on our side while I was gone?" Nadia questioned,
"None, My Lady," Reese responded, "Rather, we're still in top condition,"
"Good to know, but gather everything you need. We're moving with the next phase of the operation," Nadia declared,
"Understood," Reese responded, and turns to the army, "Alright, people! Gather what you can, and hauled them with you. We're moving out!"
"Same goes for you!" Willow followed as she commanded her subordinates,
This led to all of them packing what they can, and bringing them to the other side of the portal. It took a few hours to do so, but they accomplished this task nonetheless.
Once everyone was in, Willow and Reese joins up with Nadia and the portal closes as soon as they stepped through.
Colony Capital
As soon as the army arrived, Willow spots Assassin and grew cautious as she took to Nadia's side almost instantaneously.
"Nadia, who is that girl," Willow questioned,
"Huh?" Nadia turns in Willow's direction and spots Assassin conversing with Osman and his group, "Oh, she's a Servant of mine. She helped me liberate this building,"
"I see," Willow concluded, though she vowed to keep a close eye on her,
As for Alia, she fixated her attention on Assassin and started examining every inch of her mechanical body. The latter didn't pay any mind and even demonstrated her armaments to her.
Alia expressed great enthusiasm and even examined the blades with her own hands. But before she could cut herself, Osman and his Royal Guard stopped her from doing so.
Nadia watched this, then sighs as she walked towards them.
"That's enough," Nadia commanded, and the Western Ants turns to her, "Examine her after your task is done,"
"O-Oh, right, I'm sorry," Alia apologized, then clears her throat a few times,
After maintaining royal composure, Alia nods to Nadia, and the latter nods back before the former walk out the doors with her guards.
What follows was the gathering of the colony, and Alia going through the effort of gaining the people's trust towards herself and the ally she supports.
The total number of ants residing in this colony alone was at least 100,000 thousand ants and one-third of that number belonged to the Central Colony of the Region.
The reason behind this is due to Astranul controlled the population by sending young ants to several colonies to work tirelessly for gold, and minerals or serve as battle slaves for his underlings.
But he left out one major flaw with this type of control...
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The ants' resentments...
His control over several ants is guaranteed when these ants are watched over and supervised by the underlings he assigned. But once they are removed, the ants' resentment will rose like an active volcano and direct it to the one person behind their pain and suffering.
As such, their resentment was something that Nadia can use to her own advantage. But she prefers to keep that resentment to themselves as anger leads to one's recklessness.
And a single ant is bound to unintentionally expose the operation to her enemies.
Thus, the point of Alia's role is to convince the colony that Nadia is on their side and calm them to cloud their resentment to a certain degree. That's when the latter plans to explain her plans to the public and select a handful of volunteers to participate in the operation.
The rest of the populace stays behind and acts natural while another handful will pose as Astranul's underlings to avoid any means of suspicion.
After a couple of minutes have come to pass, Nadia and her army hear the roars of the colony's applause and that's when she learnt of Alia's success.
When the latter returns, she bows to Nadia, "I've done what you've ask,"
"Good," Nadia responded, then calls out the following names, "Assassin, Reese, and Willow. You three are with me,"
"Understood!" The three simultaneously responded, and went to her side,
Nadia then walks out of the building and greets the populace of the colony beside Alia and her guards. Thus marking the first victory of the operation...
Meanwhile...
In the Human Kingdom, Alicia was walking down a dark hallway and stops once she was out of civilians' line of sight.
What followed was her raising the back of her hand, staring at it, and a magic circle appears. What comes out was a Bird Familiar that she received from Nadia and raised a small message scroll.
She then tied the message to the Bird Familiar's neck and sends it off to the Ant Colony of the Central Region.
As it flies off, Alicia steps out of the alleyway and watches the Familiar fly towards its destination. Once it was out of sight, Alicia walks forward and donned a concerned look on her face.
'Please make it there...' Alicia prayed,