“Ionia is one of the targets we must seize, but we cannot attack without a plan.”
Feeling Elise’s head against his fingertip, Lin Miao fell into deep thought.
Ionia was the perfect sacrificial lamb for Lin Miao's ultimate plan, which was to attack the home planets of the Outer Gods and deities that had descended upon Earth, forcing them to take their hands off Earth.
However, Ionia was also a member of the Anti-Great Devourer Alliance formed after witnessing Hestia’s downfall.
Of course, they had not formed this alliance out of any genuine sense of justice.
They had simply rushed to recruit a group of deities who wanted a piece of the pie, aiming to contest the Hestia territories and vassals that the Great Devourer had seized.
This was proven by the private conversations they were having in the deity forum at this very moment, as well as their actual deployment of troops to plunder amidst the chaos.
‘How can I shake the enemy to the greatest extent?’
Looking at the Great Devourers who fought every single day, Lin Miao's mind was also constantly occupied with thoughts of how to wage war.
Among these ideas, a head-on attack was the absolute worst option.
Choosing a head-on assault when there were other ways to destabilize the enemy was an extremely inefficient way to go about it.
Lin Miao had found an excuse that would allow him to reap the maximum benefit from this operation.
‘This is enough. Since we've earned enough, let's be satisfied.’
Lin Miao had learned through his vassals that this kind of mindset was terrible.
If one could squeeze out a bit more, they should squeeze out a bit more.
If they could make a bit more profit, they should push their luck and keep going.
Since they all did that, Lin Miao was no exception.
“Are you saying South America and North America are about to go to war?”
Just as Lin Miao was lost in thought, he received a call from Bai Zhantang, who sounded quite excited.
“Regarding the interests of the Awakened industry and international policies, the political arena, media, and public opinion are all starting to grow restless. Although there are many superficial reasons being publicized to the confused populace, there seem to be more traces of high-level intervention.”
Bai Zhantang, who was incredibly busy managing the organization on Lin Miao's behalf, began talking non-stop the moment they connected.
The core issue was that a conflict had erupted between the forces centered in North America and those centered in South America, and the impact was beginning to spread to the unsuspecting general public.
“Hmm...”
Lin Miao opened the Divine Net forum on the spot and checked the Earth section.
Sure enough, during the time he had been busy fighting the Goddess of Light Association and had no time to pay attention, the friction and psychological warfare between the various deities—who had recently banded together into factions to keep one another in check—had indeed grown much more intense.
But if asked whether this friction and psychological warfare would serve as the fuse for a life-or-death struggle, Lin Miao remained skeptical.
“Did something really happen up there?”
Bai Zhantang looked at Lin Miao, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Recently, the Awakened enterprises had rapidly expanded their influence within the Dragon Nation, even joining an alliance centered around the Dragon Nation and Japan, growing to a considerable scale.
Consequently, although their representative, Bai Zhantang, possessed some connections, he was ultimately unable to obtain news about the true powerhouses known as those “up there.”
It was only natural for Bai Zhantang to feel frustrated.
The middle-aged man's sparkling gaze was a bit hard to take.
“I'm not entirely sure either. However, they say things have already reached the point where they are at each other's throats.”
Lin Miao could only give an ambiguous answer.
After all, as long as war didn't actually break out, or diplomatic disputes like trade sanctions didn't occur, it was completely normal for everyone to trade blows for their own benefit.
‘If I attack Ionia, the core of the South American forces under these circumstances, will South America collapse?’
However, Lin Miao broadened his perspective.
If he ordered his vassals to attack Ionia, the core of the South American faction, right now, and they felt a massive threat and withdrew from Earth...
The North American faction would surely swallow South America whole.
Lin Miao inquired, “...South America can't compare to North America, right?”
Bai Zhantang nodded. “Of course. They have the backing of the world's number one national government.”
‘That's a bit of a problem.’
Until a few years ago, Lin Miao was still just an ordinary employee, so Bai Zhantang was clearly far more professional when it came to the Awakened industry.
In a reality where the combat power of the Awakened could not be separated from their respective nations or factions, the North American faction was undoubtedly one of the strongest.
But if they swallowed South America entirely, then...
‘If the situation over there isn't ideal, should I change my plan?’
The attack on Ionia might have to be pushed back a bit.
Currently, the best-case scenario for Lin Miao was for them to want to hold onto Earth while also trying to protect their own home bases, sinking together as they consumed their power and resources.
If Lin Miao could deploy his vassals to give the other deities a sliver of hope—making them feel that they could seize Earth with just a little more effort—they might actually do so.
“...Though I feel bad for those crying over their crashing stocks in real-time, it would actually be a good thing for us if they fight each other and go down together.”
“I-is that so?”
Lin Miao kept his mouth shut and smiled slightly, prompting Bai Zhantang to laugh along, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
...
Lin Miao's will was quickly conveyed to his vassals.
Kerrigan's gaze was cold as she asked, “Are you referring to somewhere other than Ionia?”
Hearing Kerrigan's icy voice, Kane, who was standing beside her, forced a smile and said with effort, “This is an order handed down by the Great One.”
Kerrigan lowered her eyes slightly, her tone flat and devoid of emotion. “If that is the case, then it cannot be helped.”
Kane's mission was to act alongside Kerrigan to eliminate the remnants of Ionia hiding on Dorag after their defeat. He felt as if he were living in a living hell.
‘Why on earth do I have to do this!’
The only reason he had received the “privilege” of fighting alongside a queen-grade figure—who wasn't even one of those Legion Commanders you could easily communicate with—was simply because he was the most outstanding among all those who had defected.
“...How boring.”
Kerrigan yawned as she looked at the Ionian magic warrior that had been sliced in half by her sword.
She had volunteered thinking it would be fun, but there wasn't a single powerhouse who could truly entertain her.
“Found another one.”
Just then, Kerrigan noticed that the enemy was hastily raiding the residence of the survivors of Negria, and she immediately leapt and flew toward that spot.
“Hahaha!”
Kerrigan laughed as she swung her blade. The remnants who were attacking and plundering the survivors sprayed mists of blood on the spot, their bodies hacked into several pieces.
Drenched in blood, Kerrigan thought with a smile that while combat itself lacked fun, the joy of slaughter was still quite pleasant.
“Hestia, do you see this? For the sake of your vassals, even our Queen is running around in person.”
At that moment, Celia was displaying Kerrigan's figure through a flickering screen of magic power, taking the opportunity to fan the flames.
“Goddess, everything depends on your choice.”
Celia hastily turned off the screen before Kerrigan's madness could be exposed any further, and turned her head.
Hestia was standing there with a ferocious look on her face.
Unlike before, she had regained her facial expressions and was able to speak. “Do not feign mercy, Celia. Do you think I am blind to your insidious heart?”
“Goddess, even if you say that, there is nothing I can do. I can only urge you to make the wise choice and opt for the next best alternative.”
Celia was not lying to Hestia.
Although she was using Kerrigan's actions to fan the flames, Kerrigan had indeed saved those who could be considered Hestia's vassals from the remnants of Ionia.
“I believe that a relationship where both sides can benefit slightly is far better than one where one party suffers unilateral damage.”
“Hmph...”
More importantly, Hestia no longer had any room to refute or resist Celia.
The only reason she was currently able to regain control over a portion of her body was that Celia had pleaded with Elise on her behalf in order to persuade her.
If she rejected the negotiations, the only future left for Hestia would be to be turned into a living specimen, dragging out a feeble existence as a bio-battery.
Though it had only been a few short days, Hestia had been forced to endure a hellish experience for the first time in her life.
Unable to gauge the passage of time, she had been reduced to a mere tool whose divine power was periodically extracted.
This was on a completely different level from simple torture.
“What is your ultimate goal? I have always wanted to ask those Outer Gods, what on earth drives you to pursue such endless chaos?”
Pushed into a corner, she ultimately could not understand, and thus asked this question.
The ultimate goal of the Great Devourer.
Celia hesitated upon hearing this.
Lin Miao's personal goal of driving all the deities out of Earth, along with Elise's even grander dream of annihiling all the deities in the universe and elevating Lin Miao to the position of the absolute, sole God, flashed through her mind simultaneously.
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