The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 268 "Shadow Demon Squad Moves 5 Meters to the Left"

However, the development of the battle was completely beyond the expectations of the lesser demon lord, the Three-Headed King.

The two waves of demon legions had only just clashed in their first encounter when the vanguard of the Eldoran demon legions gained a clear advantage.

For example, two demons of the same species, belonging to different demon legions, were fighting and grappling with each other, and should have been evenly matched.

However, the demon from the magic empire of Eldoron seemed to possess a more robust physique, forcefully pinning its opponent to the ground, its sharp teeth biting deeply into the opponent's shoulder, its fangs gleaming with arcane light piercing through the opponent's scales. Meanwhile, the demon itself seemed to be protected by an invisible layer of armor, resisting the opponent's sharp teeth and claws.

"what's the situation?"

"How can the demon legion on the other side be so powerful?"

The secondary lord, the Three-Headed King, stood atop the steel fortress, gazing in astonishment at the chaotic battlefield and his own army's relentless retreat.

It turns out that this demon legion came prepared.

Even before the attack was launched, all the demons in the legion with any fighting power had been buffed with various beneficial spells by mages and warlocks!

—Enhanced protection with [Mage Armor], [High Mage Armor], and [Area Protection Against Elemental Damage]; enhanced combat power with [Area Bull Strength], [Area Bear Resilience], and [Area Enchanted Weapon]; [Area Polymorph] for transforming into a new form; [Freedom of Movement] to resist binding, immobilization, and control; [Flight] and [Great Leap] for enhanced mobility; and [Elian Mind Link] for facilitating communication and coordinated combat…

Hadris, the six-armed serpent demon of the Empire, was blessed with the ninth-circle [Early Warning] spell, allowing him to see several seconds into the future. He easily dodged attacks from high-ranking enemy demons, predicted their evasive maneuvers, and tore apart the formidable foe before him with his six enchanted longswords…

A giant bull demon from the Imperial side was transformed into a shadow dragon by a ninth-ringed [Complete Shapeshifter], using its powerful [Dragon's Might] and [Dragon's Breath] to suppress the enemy army during legion battles. Even if this dragon form is destroyed, it will simply revert to its original form, essentially gaining an extra health bar out of thin air...

Even stranger is—

Compared to the chaotic, disorganized, and even infighting demon army under the Second Lord, the Three-Headed King, the demon legions of the Magic Empire of Eldoron, while also succumbing to the chaotic nature of demons, were generally much more organized and clearly had tactical planning.

The Fromon flight squadron maneuvered in an orderly fashion, launching a surprise attack on the enemy's flanks and taking turns unleashing [Shock Scream] to control the battlefield...

The Shadow Demon Squad concealed themselves in the shadows on the side of the hill, becoming one with the shadows themselves, serving as an ambush force. When the main enemy force arrived, they suddenly surged out, catching the enemy completely off guard…

The Bagula Demon Squad, having used their innate [Invisibility] spell to conceal themselves beforehand, infiltrated behind enemy lines and suddenly launched a coordinated attack, decapitating the enemy's high-ranking demon commander and leaving an enemy demon force leaderless...

Even more terrifying is that the demon army of the Eldoran Empire, even if temporarily defeated in a certain area, can reorganize, unlike the usual demon legions that collapse at the first touch and suffer a crushing defeat.

"No way, what's going on?"

On the Iron Fortress, the Three-Headed King used ranged magic to suppress the enemy while being astonished by the orderly formation of the Imperial demon army.

"Most of these demons were originally under the command of the Balrog Lord Ratul, right?"

"When did they become so obedient?"

Over the centuries, the Three-Headed King has fought against the demon legions of many different lesser lords and is very familiar with the chaotic nature of demons.

I've seen quite a few powerful demons.

This is the first time I've ever seen a demon so organized in combat!

So obedient, is this still a demon?
Little did this lesser demon lord know—

In order to enable this originally chaotic and disorganized demon army to cooperate with each other and obey orders, almost all mid-level demons were implanted with mind-distorting techniques such as [suggestion], [group suggestion], and [memory editing] before the battle began.

Elion knew the demon legion's greatest weakness:

Compared to the hellish demon legion, although they were numerous, they were chaotic and disorderly.

The fighting was completely chaotic, with members of their own group even fighting each other.

The actual combat strength they exert is only 1/10 or even less of their numbers!

However, now, under the influence of mind-distorting magic such as [Group Suggestion], the demons in key positions have firmly remembered their respective combat objectives:

"My goal is to attack the enemy's flank together with my teammates, and not to leave the group and act on my own..." (psychological suggestion)

"My goal is to work with my teammates to focus fire on the enemy commander and complete the decapitation mission..." (psychological suggestion)

"We can't run away, we absolutely can't run away! Even if we collapse, we must quickly reorganize everyone. If we run away, I'll self-destruct. Last time I saw a giant bull demon who deserted in the face of battle explode instantly..." (Memory and cognition modification)
"..." Various strange and unusual thoughts echoed in the minds of the demons who went into battle.

—If order is lacking, mind control will suffice!

As for those high-ranking demons who were already under the control of [Otherworldly Oath], needless to say.

Under the control of the magical contract, they must strictly follow tactical orders and fight to the death.

……

Seeing the increasingly unfavorable battle situation, the three heads of the Three-Headed King turned pale at the same time.

He was still casting various ranged control spells, barely managing to delay the enemy's advance.

Just then, another small Quassa demon fluttered its wings and flew over, anxiously reporting on the battle situation:

"Oh no, the great three-headed king!"

"Among the demon army of that so-called magic empire, Eldoron, a group of non-demon magical creatures have emerged..."

"These bizarre magical creatures are not only powerful, but because they are not demons, they are types that our army has never seen before, and we have no idea how to deal with them..."

what?
"A magical creature that is not demonic?"

"Where did this come from?"

The Three-Headed King was startled and looked closely.

Sure enough, a group of strange and bizarre magical creatures suddenly emerged from the Empire's demon army.

Here, there are earth elementals acting as meat shields, elemental bats casting various minor spells; fairies wielding cold iron short swords, rapidly teleporting and flashing across the battlefield to attack high-value enemy units; and illusory dragon spirits spewing radiant energy...

— [Summon High Elemental]!
—【Fairy Summoning Technique】!
—【Monster Summoning Technique】!
—【Dragon Spirit Summoning Technique】!
The magical creatures summoned by more than 300 mid-to-high-level spellcasters surged forward, delivering a devastating blow to the enemy demon legion.

【The Plains of Ten Thousand Abyss】The demons of Pazunia, who had only ever seen demons before, were completely flustered and lost their composure when faced with these strange and magical creatures.

These summoning spells, which last for an hour, have a combat power roughly equal to one-third to one-half of the caster's own, and require the casters to maintain continuous focus.

Once the focus is interrupted, the summoning spell will end.

To avoid casualties, these human spellcasters did not even participate in the battle!
They simply stayed at their base, enjoying the food while devoting a little energy to maintaining their spells, patiently awaiting news of victory.

With the support of various magical spells, the demon army of Eldoron was almost invincible and gained an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield!

A single [Firestorm] incinerated a large group of low-level enemy demons. Balor Ratu, watching the triumphant advance of the "Eldoron Demon Legion," couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

We have an empire behind us, what do you have behind you?
…………

Behind, inside the Iron Lake base.

In the hall of a castle, the battle situation was projected into the air.

Large numbers of humans gathered here, enjoying delicious food while watching the live battle broadcast on the illusion screen.

Of course, some people also kept an eye on the battle while simultaneously giving micro-management commands:
"Shadow Demon Ambush Squad, move 5 meters to the left."

"Bagula Demon Squad, cast [Entanglement] together to create a large number of vines and hold back the enemy reinforcements."

"Seduction Demon Larodo, immediately unleash [Lawful Intimidation] on the enemy commander! This is an order!"

"Babumo Squad, collectively cast [Darkness Spell]..."

"..."

A bald man, while munching on a fragrant roast duck, mumbled a bunch of things with his mouth stuffed full of greasy food, directing the battle.

(End of this chapter)