After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

"Simply put, it was robbing Peter to pay Paul. But back then, both humans and demons were starving, and even if the demons wanted to evolve, they couldn't..."

"But is there really enough food here for them to evolve?"

The hunters' explanations were tinged with confusion from one of them. But he quickly dismissed his confusion—after all, the place seemed to be on the verge of being overrun, and for demons, obtaining enough food by eating people was perfectly normal.

Instead of worrying about how they got enough to eat, we should be thinking about how to defeat them.

Under the helpless gaze of the black dragon, the hunters moved towards the battlefield with Golem. They soon arrived at an abandoned city wall where they could observe the entire battlefield from a close enough distance.

Standing atop the city wall, they could clearly see that inside the besieged buildings, people were fighting against the demons. These individuals, who looked more like enlarged dolls than human beings, were using weapons that fired various beams of light to combat the demons.

The beams of light emitted by the weapons appeared to be related to magical elements—but the demons did indeed seem to have evolved a resistance to magic as a result. The scorching rays, which looked capable of burning a human to a crisp, would at most leave a few scorch marks on the demons' skin.

Conversely, the fact that a sharp stone the size of a pebble that accidentally fell from a height could slice through the skin of a high-ranking demon was something the Bayern people at the time could never have imagined.

"It seems that demon evolution requires more than just food. They have to pay a heavy price." A hunter nodded solemnly. "That petrifying demon could keep its eyes open without petrifying the surrounding larvae... Did their special abilities fail here?"

"I noticed they all seem to have a strange organ growing on their bodies. Could it be because of those organs?"

"Giving up one's special abilities to evolve an organ of dubious significance? Is this really evolution?"

The hunters were buzzing with discussion, while Nia, after transforming back into human form, secretly observed the shape of the demon in the distance.

This was the first time she had ever seen a living demon—though not particularly disgusting, the sight of some of the taller figures in the demon horde still made the black dragon's heart clench.

According to the Bayrzans, those towering demons are collectively referred to as "High-Ranking Demons." They seem to possess innate special abilities and can evolve different resistances depending on their environment—which is not good news for Ysgard at present.

“Those high-ranking demons…they look really big,” she murmured to herself.

(Our current industrial development in Ysgard can only produce ammunition that causes physical damage, and our future development path is also related to physics—after all, our place is not a continent rich in magic!)

Given that demons might evolve defenses specifically designed to resist different types of damage, what if another demonic calamity were to strike around Ysgard in the future? Wouldn't that mean... considering our industry and scarce magical resources, those demons would pose a completely overwhelming threat to us?

This is bad...this is really bad.

Cold sweat dripped down Black Dragon's face. This is bad...this is really bad...

This is like when you're doing very well in Chinese, you deliberately deduct all the points and difficulty from math and then focus all your effort on the Chinese exam.

By continuously increasing the difficulty, one day the demon's defense will exceed the damage limit that Ysgard can inflict... At that point, the mana-depleted Ysgard will lose the ability to fight the demon, or at the very least, their situation will worsen...

Once things start to go terribly wrong, it's only a matter of time before Ysgard is destroyed by a future demonic calamity.

In other words, to prevent Ysgard from being destroyed, either enough magical energy needs to be stored up, or the United Nations needs to be completely drawn into the alliance... No, that won't work either. After all, the United Nations is just too far away from Ysgard physically.

...Should we confirm the information with Margarita before considering the possibility of a [whole-group migration]?

(...If all the Romans were driven away, then the continent of Elusia could indeed accommodate the needs of the Isugard people...but would the barbarians of the Hutto Khanate agree? No...would the United Nations agree?)

Perhaps we should at least try to get permission from the United Nations on this matter... even if we don't actually do it later, we should at least be prepared.

Nia the Black Dragon immediately confirmed the next diplomatic strategy—and it was at this moment that she sensed a magical fluctuation behind her.

Looking back, two thousand elite troops from the United Nations, along with a contingent of howitzer Golems, arrived on the battlefield. They weren't just regular infantry; they also seemed to be carrying something we'd seen before...

Some detachable, fixed weapons with multiple barrels. And there are ten of them...?

Nia muttered to herself. Meanwhile, the old hunters, having completed their long-distance observation, also jumped off the city wall ahead of time, following the new organization and teaching materials, and entered the ruins of this unknown city.

They confirmed that of this demon army, composed of numerous demon larvae and a very small number of high-ranking demons, only about 40 high-ranking demons needed to be dealt with. Among them, there were four high-ranking demons that were twenty meters tall, while the rest were mostly petrified lizards that moved relatively slowly and demons that seemed to have evolved specifically to be only a little over 5 meters tall and covered in ramming horns, specializing in charging.

The ramming horns of the charging demons were covered in peculiar patterns. Their special abilities are unknown, but it's certain they are far more agile than their taller counterparts...

“Leave the big ones to the machine gun golem and the elves,” the lead hunter said. “The ones that slipped through the net, we’ll leave to that black dragon lady—but if possible, let us handle them. After all, she’s not a professional.”

"I heard that black dragons are almost immune to magic?"

"But demons have even stranger abilities. Who knows, there might be special magic that can 'ignore your immunity'... But speaking of which, do all the people here look this strange?"

The hunter glanced at the city ruins he passed by, where there was a corpse, but it didn't quite look like a corpse.

Although they had a human-like shape, the dismembered corpses were filled with mechanical parts. There seemed to be no blood on them, but there was some viscous grease in the fractured surfaces of the pipe-like structures.

They are more like golems than humans with flesh and blood—but rather than golems, they have too many human-like structures.

What on earth is this thing? The hunters wondered, and soon charged to the rear of the demon army with their weapons.

The demons were unaware of the possibility of humans appearing behind them. They seemed extremely confident in their rear, not even leaving behind any scouts specifically tasked with surveillance; all the demons were attacking the main entrance of the tall building.

"They are the [reinforcements] to ensure that no enemy reinforcements arrive in other areas. In other words, that's the last hiding place for the [human survivors] on this continent?"

The lead hunter glanced back at the elite troops slowly approaching in the distance, then grinned at his old buddy beside him:

“Then Williams, follow our manual... Don’t waste your energy on the smaller demons. We’ll take out the big ones first, and the guys behind us will take care of the smaller ones. Clear division of labor, twice the result with half the effort.”

“I agree. But Lawrence, we have to lure away those high-ranking demons—after all, bullets don’t have eyes.”

"That might depend on whether the survivors defending inside are willing to cooperate... Do you think they can see us?"

Williams pointed to the firing points on the building that were constantly firing magical lasers. There were quite a few survivors there, but they were all busy fighting the demons, dodging the acid spray, bone spikes, and even stones thrown from the ground, and didn't seem to care about his side for the time being.

It seems we can only rely on ourselves? The hunters exchanged glances and then began to approach the demon's rear based on their experience.

While the hunters were on their way, the elite forces of the United Nations in the rear also built a defensive position on a high ground formed by the collapse of a building ruin, with the machine gun Golem and the Japa 1405 heavy machine gun at its core.

This position blocked the only possible route for the demons to retreat and launch a surprise attack. To be fair, even the elite troops themselves were vulnerable to flanking attacks by the demons. However, with the archmage already casting teleportation spells to summon the next wave of troops, the threat from the rear was perhaps insignificant.

Meanwhile, the main entrance to the library, which the Edenites had been holding firm, also stabilized with Elena's help.

The few shield-breaker demons that rushed into the main gate were instantly dealt with by Elena and the magical puppet using maximum firepower. Although they broke through the barrier, their corpses became obstacles for the subsequent advance of demons.

Many lesser demons squeezed through the passage behind the corpses and poured into the hall, but if they were just small demons, the Edenites could handle them without any problem.

Even so, the Edenites continued to glide down the slope.

"Warning. The magic network's magic reserves have dropped to a dangerous level."

Elena recounted how she used her magical spear to pierce the head of a crawling demon larva. Finding that the magical blade hadn't dealt a fatal blow, she kicked the spear's butt, driving the shaft directly into the demon's body. She then frowned as she watched more demons crawl in from behind the corpse.

There were simply too many of them. Moreover, with the massive, high-ranking demons destroying the upper structure of the library, the Edenians' defeat was inevitable.

Does this war seem destined to end in the defeat of the Kingdom of Eden?

Elena had no idea what this meant for her parents.

But she knew she was deeply unwilling to accept this. If she had feelings for anyone, she would definitely feel this way now.

The synthetic doll tried again to download a short sword more suitable for close combat with demons using the magic network, but this time, the collapsing magic network could only send her a dagger that emitted a faint magical glow.

...It's come to an end.

The doll was prepared for failure.

And outside the door—

The United Nations are also prepared to attack the demons' rear.

Chapter 3: The Girl's Temporary Victory, the Demon's Evolution (8K)

At first, there were a series of strange noises.

The sound was unlike any other, whether it was the release of magic or the firing of a crossbow—it was sharp, full of mechanical power, and subtly unsettling.

Before Elena could analyze the chaotic voiceprints to determine what kind of weapon it was, she heard the magical dolls exclaim in surprise over the communication channel:

"When did they arrive...? Holy crap, there are at least a thousand of them?! When did they arrive?!"

"Is it an elf?" Elena frowned, slit the throat of the demon larva with her dagger, then punched open the throat of another demon, and finally kicked the third demon larva in half with a whip kick. She noticed that the demons' attacks suddenly weakened a lot.

What's going on? After Elena helped the magical puppets slaughter the remaining demon larvae that had entered the main hall, she leaped up to the upper level to see what was happening. As soon as she got up there, all her attention was immediately drawn to the movements of the high-ranking demons.

All fourteen large, high-ranking demons had wounds, more or less. Accompanied by a rumbling sound from afar, the demons roared and tried to evade, but the enemy's attack came from behind, preventing them from reacting quickly.

They were already trying, but the purple blood that gushed out from their bodies after being shot by weapons, and the countless chunks of flesh that came off when those things exploded inside their bodies, proved that these demons' efforts were in vain.

"Great! We're saved!"

The magical dolls cheered, but Elena observed them.

"The assessment...determined to be physical damage. Judging from the sound of the launch, this damage was caused by a weapon that fired at high speed through a pipe, carrying some kind of explosive [arrow] or [projectile]."

It can penetrate the current skin of a demon at a distance...over 2400 meters. Furthermore, this weapon wasn't specifically designed for high-ranking demons; rather, it struck a high-ranking demon due to wind drift or other reasons. It's more lethal to smaller demons than to high-ranking ones, and the target is consciously targeting smaller demons.

The density of firepower projection is relatively low, and the sounds emitted during the attack intervals come from multiple sources, but the number of visible flashes is small.

The unknown forces are not numerous, but their weapons can fire continuously. Judging from the estimated projectile size, most bio-operators would be unable to withstand the recoil of a projectile fired from 2400 meters away, let alone fire it continuously...

Confused. Is it a unit similar to magical puppets?

Elena tried to observe the positions of the unknown forces in the distance, trying to figure out who was directing the artillery attack on the demons. But at that very moment, the high-ranking demons, amidst their roars, began to shed their skin, which, as it began to fully cover them with hard armor, also vanished without a trace.

Elena immediately understood the demons' plan: they intended to use the armor's defenses to rush to the unknown forces' positions in the distance, deal with the unknown forces' threat to the demons first, and then deal with their own problems.

Undoubtedly, the sudden intervention of an unknown force on the battlefield is the key factor in whether this war can continue. Elena coldly tried to summon a weapon again, but found that the magic power of the magic network was so scarce that even an ordinary magic spear could not be downloaded. She then looked at the magic transmitter held by the magic doll next to her.

Based on past experience, this weapon had long lost its deterrent effect on high-ranking demons. But now, with high-ranking demons shedding their magic-resistant skin and evolving armor to resist physical attacks... perhaps such a weapon could deliver a fatal blow to them.

"Order: All magical puppet units operating magic emitters, focus fire on the high-ranking demons that have gained physical resistance. Strive to synchronize with the attack of the unknown force, preventing the high-ranking demons from simultaneously defending against both physical and magical attacks," she commanded. "Order: All melee magical puppets below, prepare to break through. As soon as all demons, including demon larvae, begin evolving towards physical resistance, immediately open the main gate and launch a surprise attack—prioritize cleaning up the corpses of the shield-breaker demons."

Elena left the upper level. This time, she carried no weapon, but left behind a gem-made eyeball on the high-rise building to observe the battle situation outside.

The magical dolls were taken aback for a moment upon seeing this, but then immediately began to make their own preparations in an orderly manner according to Elena's orders.

Downstairs, the magical puppets cleared away corpses, replenishing the artificial magic resources of their weapons while reducing their own magic consumption. Meanwhile, high up, archers using magic launchers aimed their sights at the heads of the high-ranking demons leading groups of demon larvae in an attack on distant positions.

"As expected... High-ranking demons are indeed intelligent, possessing a demonic sense of honor and recognition of their own kind... but they are not truly intelligent demons," a magical puppet archer murmured. "If they were humans, they would be launching a more determined, desperate assault into the library, instead of being caught in a pincer movement, like a sandwich..."

"Demons are clever. The problem is that the only thing they've learned from us over the past few centuries is not to fucking use magic in front of us and to make their skin magic-resistant—but now, a force that uses physical attacks is coming! It's perfectly normal for them to panic!"

"In other words... before the 'Matrix' in the distance has fully recovered from the fall, can we at least end this battle in victory? Perhaps. But Elena doesn't seem to think so."

"After all, little Elena doesn't yet understand what 'hope' really means. But hope... for us humans, it is the future."

The archers aimed at the high-ranking demon's head, awaiting another shot from their unknown ally.

Then, accompanied by familiar vibrations and sounds, the archers opened fire.

The instant the cannonball reached the demon, the beams projected by the magic emitter also struck the high-ranking demon's neck and head.

Demons possess biological structures, and while they may be incredibly resilient and durable, they still have their own weaknesses.

Death occurs when the heart is destroyed, and death also occurs when the neck connecting the head and body is severed, not to mention that the archers specifically target the heads of demons that are over twenty meters tall.

Caught between two attacks of different attributes, the high-ranking demons attempted to defend against attacks from both the front and the rear, but due to the difference in attributes, they were destined to suffer all the damage from one side.

Rather than trying to hold on to both sides and getting nowhere, it's better to ensure that one side can withstand the threat—the demons roared as they knelt on one knee to withstand the artillery fire in front of them, but their heads were vulnerable because they were completely exposed to the threat of the magical puppets.